Comparison
Yako vs Zoho Books for UAE SMEs
Key facts
- Zoho Books UAE, per organisation per month: Free AED 0 (revenue up to AED 200,000 a year); Standard AED 69 monthly or AED 60 billed annually; Professional AED 129 or AED 90; Premium AED 159 or AED 120; Elite AED 349 or AED 280; Ultimate AED 799 or AED 660. Excludes local taxes. (source, as of 20 October 2026)
- Zoho Books users included: Free 1 user plus 1 accountant, Standard 3, Professional 5, Premium 10, Elite 10, Ultimate 15; extra users AED 10 per user per month (AED 8 billed annually). (source, as of 20 October 2026)
- Zoho Books e-invoicing: add-on from the Professional plan; first 100 transactions free, then packs from AED 41 per 100. (source, as of 20 October 2026)
- Zoho Software Trading LLC is on the Ministry of Finance list of accredited e-invoicing service providers. (source, as of 20 October 2026)
- Yako: US$49 per workspace (legal entity) per month, unlimited team members, outside advisers included, 300 AI credits a month on the Standard plan (extra credits available; reading CSV and Excel statements doesn't use credits), 15-day free trial with no card. (source, as of 20 October 2026)
The short version
Zoho Books is a broad accounting suite with a free plan for very small businesses. It has direct VAT filing, Corporate Tax features, inventory and multi-currency on its higher plans. Zoho is also an accredited UAE e-invoicing service provider. You pay per organisation, and users are capped by plan.
Yako starts from your bank statements. You upload them and Yako turns them into an approved ledger and full financial statements, with your VAT laid out in the FTA’s VAT201 boxes. It is one flat price per legal entity, with unlimited team members, time-limited access for your accountant, and 300 AI credits a month on the Standard plan; extra credits are available, and reading CSV and Excel statements doesn’t use credits. It doesn’t file returns for you, has no live bank feed, and e-invoicing isn’t live yet.
Prices and features below come from each company’s own pages, read on 20 October 2026.
Side by side
| Item | Yako | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | US$49 per workspace (legal entity) per month, billed monthly by card; UAE dirham billing available | Free plan (revenue up to AED 200,000 a year); paid plans AED 69 to AED 799 a month billed monthly, or AED 60 to AED 660 a month billed annually, per organisation, excluding local taxes |
| Usage allowances | 300 AI credits a month on the Standard plan; extra credits available; reading CSV and Excel statements doesn’t use credits | Yearly invoice and bill/expense limits by plan (see below) |
| Users | Unlimited team members | 1 user + 1 accountant (Free), 3 (Standard), 5 (Professional), 10 (Premium, Elite), 15 (Ultimate); extra users AED 10 a month (AED 8 annually) |
| Accountant or adviser access | Included: invite an accountant, auditor or tax adviser for a set period with chosen permissions | The Free plan lists 1 user plus 1 accountant; the pricing page doesn’t list accountant seats separately for paid plans |
| VAT return | Laid out in VAT201 boxes from your books; you or your adviser file in EmaraTax | Direct VAT filing from the Standard plan, per Zoho |
| Corporate Tax | Deadline tracking, an estimate from your books, and Small Business Relief elected per financial year | “Corporate Tax compliance” from the Professional plan, per Zoho |
| UAE e-invoicing | Not live yet | Accredited service provider; add-on from Professional; first 100 transactions free, then from AED 41 per 100 |
| Bank transactions | Upload statements (PDF, CSV, Excel); no live bank connections | Bank reconciliation on all plans |
| Currencies | One base currency per workspace; foreign-currency bank accounts with revaluation; invoices in the workspace currency | Multi-currency transactions from the Professional plan |
| Inventory | No stock tracking: an items list for what you sell and an Inventory account, but no stock quantities, warehouses or batches | Inventory from Professional; warehouses, batches and serial numbers on Elite |
| Free trial | 15 days, no card | 14 days |
Zoho Books plan prices (per organisation per month, excluding local taxes, as shown on zoho.com/ae on 20 October 2026):
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually |
|---|---|---|
| Free | AED 0 | AED 0 |
| Standard | AED 69 | AED 60 |
| Professional | AED 129 | AED 90 |
| Premium | AED 159 | AED 120 |
| Elite | AED 349 | AED 280 |
| Ultimate | AED 799 | AED 660 |
Zoho’s page also sets yearly limits on invoices and on bills or expenses: 1,000 on Free, 5,000 on Standard, 10,000 on Professional, 25,000 on Premium and 100,000 on Elite and Ultimate.
How they differ in practice
Where the numbers come from. In Zoho Books you typically record invoices, bills and expenses and reconcile them against your bank. In Yako the starting point is the bank statement: you upload it, every line is read and coded, and a person approves the coding before it reaches the ledger. Owners who already download statements each month, or whose bank isn’t connected to anything, may find that quicker. See how bank statements become financial statements.
Filing. Zoho says it can file your VAT return directly with EmaraTax. Yako deliberately stops short of filing. It prepares the figures in VAT201 boxes, and you or your adviser submit them, then record the filing and payment receipt so each period keeps its proof. More on VAT and tax in Yako.
Paying for people. Zoho’s plans include a fixed number of users, with extra users charged monthly. Yako charges per legal entity, not per person, so adding your bookkeeper, a partner or your auditor doesn’t change the bill. See Yako’s pricing and how accountant access works.
Several companies. Both price per organisation or entity. In Yako, each extra entity is another US$49 a month on the same bill and login.
Who should choose Zoho Books instead
Zoho Books is likely the better fit if:
- You need UAE e-invoicing now. Zoho is an accredited service provider, and its e-invoicing is available today. In Yako it isn’t live yet. If your revenue is AED 50 million or more, your provider deadline is 30 October 2026. See the UAE e-invoicing timeline.
- You want VAT filed from your accounting software, not typed into EmaraTax.
- Your revenue is under AED 200,000 a year and you want a free plan.
- You hold stock. Zoho offers inventory, warehouses and batch tracking on its higher plans; Yako doesn’t track stock.
- You invoice in several currencies from one company. Yako issues invoices in the workspace’s own currency.
- You already use other Zoho apps and want them in one place.
Who Yako suits
- Owners who work from bank statements and want them turned into a P&L, balance sheet, trial balance and cash flow.
- Businesses that want their accountant or tax adviser inside the books at no extra cost, with access that ends on a set date.
- Growing teams who don’t want to pay per user.
- Groups with entities in the UAE and Nigeria: Yako has the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 built in.
- Small businesses that want Small Business Relief tracked against their revenue for each financial year.
Common questions
- How much does Zoho Books cost in the UAE?
- On 20 October 2026, Zoho's UAE pricing page listed a Free plan for businesses with revenue up to AED 200,000 a year. Paid plans per organisation per month were Standard at AED 69 monthly or AED 60 billed annually, Professional at AED 129 or AED 90, Premium at AED 159 or AED 120, Elite at AED 349 or AED 280, and Ultimate at AED 799 or AED 660. Prices exclude local taxes.
- How much does Yako cost?
- Yako is 49 US dollars per workspace per month, where a workspace is one legal entity's books. Team members and outside advisers are included at no extra cost. It is billed monthly by card, with UAE dirham billing available, after a 15-day free trial with no card. The Standard plan includes 300 AI credits a month, extra credits are available, and reading CSV and Excel statements doesn't use credits.
- Can Zoho Books file my UAE VAT return directly?
- Zoho says its Standard plan and above include direct VAT filing, and that you can connect with EmaraTax and file VAT returns from within Zoho Books. Yako does not submit returns: it lays out your VAT return in the FTA's VAT201 boxes and you or your adviser file it in EmaraTax.
- Does Zoho Books support UAE e-invoicing?
- Yes. Zoho Software Trading LLC is on the Ministry of Finance list of accredited e-invoicing service providers, and Zoho offers e-invoicing as an add-on on the Professional plan and above. Zoho says the first 100 e-invoicing transactions are free on those plans, with packs from AED 41 for 100 after that. E-invoicing is not live in Yako yet.
- How many users does Zoho Books include?
- Zoho's pricing page says the Free plan includes one user and one accountant, Standard three users, Professional five, Premium and Elite ten, and Ultimate fifteen. Extra users cost AED 10 per user per month, or AED 8 billed annually. Yako includes unlimited team members in every workspace.
- Is there a free trial of Zoho Books and Yako?
- Zoho says you can try Zoho Books free for 14 days, and it also has a Free plan for small businesses. Yako has a 15-day free trial with no card required, and nothing is charged automatically when it ends.
- Is Zoho Books or Yako better for a small business in Dubai?
- It depends on how you work. Zoho Books suits businesses that want e-invoicing now, direct VAT filing, inventory or a free plan. Yako suits owners who work from bank statements, run several entities, and want their accountant to review the books at no extra cost.
Sources
About this comparison
Prices and features were read from each company’s own website on 20 October 2026 and can change. Check the vendor’s page before you buy. We make Yako, so we have tried to say plainly where Zoho Books is stronger. For Xero and the wider picture, see all comparisons. If anything here is out of date, email support@yakobooks.com and we’ll correct it.
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