Two kinds of product
Search for “sole trader app Australia” and the results look like one category. They are really two.
Software you run yourself. Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB’s Solo and Rounded are subscriptions to bookkeeping software. You (or your accountant) keep the books in it. Several of them can lodge a BAS from inside the software, but the annual income tax return is still yours to lodge through myTax, or your accountant’s to lodge for you.
A service that lodges for you. Hnry describes itself as “your accountant, your software, and everything else”: you are paid into a Hnry account, and its fee covers a full accounting service including lodging your taxes. Tyro Accounting (formerly Thriday) sits in both camps, with free and paid software plans and a separate plan where BAS and the annual return are prepared and lodged for you.
The difference matters because the rules on who may charge to lodge for you are strict. The Tax Practitioners Board says registered tax practitioners can charge a fee for preparing and lodging tax returns, and that if you want someone to prepare or lodge your returns you should make sure they are registered. You can check any practitioner on the TPB register. Software on its own does not make anyone your tax agent.
And whichever you choose, the obligation stays with you. The ATO says that if you operate as a sole trader you must lodge a tax return even if your income is below the tax-free threshold, and that a return you lodge yourself is due by 31 October.
What to decide first
- Do you want someone else to lodge? If yes, you are choosing between a lodging service (Hnry, Tyro’s done-for-you plan) and software plus your own accountant. If you are comfortable lodging through myTax yourself, software alone may be enough.
- Bank feed or statement import? A bank feed pulls transactions in automatically once you connect your bank. Statement import means downloading a CSV and loading it. Feeds are less effort; imports mean no third party holds a connection to your bank.
- Are you registered for GST? If so, you want the app to produce BAS figures, and you need to know whether it lodges the BAS or only prepares it.
- How do you get paid? If you invoice clients, check the invoicing and reminders. If you take card payments in person, some apps offer that and charge per transaction.
- Flat fee or percentage? A subscription costs the same whether you earn $30,000 or $200,000. A percentage fee scales with income, usually up to a cap.
- Where do you want the data? The subscription products are online services. On-device software keeps the ledger on your own machine.
How the main options compare
As of September 2026, from each provider’s own pricing or product page, checked on 28 September 2026. Prices are in Australian dollars except CashDesk, which is priced in US dollars. The ongoing price after any introductory offer is shown, because several providers were running offers. QuickBooks states its prices include GST; Hnry’s fee is quoted plus GST; for the others, check the GST treatment on the provider’s site.
| App | Model | Price (as of Sept 2026) | Bank transactions | Lodging |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hnry | Accounting service plus app | 1% + GST of each payment into your Hnry account, capped at $1,500 + GST a year; $0.50 + GST minimum on payments under $50 | You are paid into a Hnry account | Taxes lodged for you, included in the fee |
| Rounded | Software | Starter $23.95/mo; Pro $29.95/mo; 14-day trial | Bank feed on Pro | Pre-filled BAS on Pro; share data with your accountant; lodging not stated |
| Xero | Software | Ignite $37/mo; Grow $78/mo | Reconcile bank transactions | GST tracking and BAS lodgement listed on every plan |
| Solo by MYOB | Phone app (iOS and Android only; no web version) | $11/mo or $99/yr | Connect up to 2 existing bank accounts; optional Solo Money account | Automated tax and GST tracking; lodging not stated |
| QuickBooks Online | Software | Simple Start $33/mo; Essentials $60/mo (inc. GST) | Automated bank feeds listed | GST tracking and BAS e-lodgement listed |
| Tyro Accounting (formerly Thriday) | Software, or software plus accountant | Free plan $0; Time-Saver $29.95/mo (free until 28 Feb 2027 for new sign-ups); Done-for-you $119/mo | Connect unlimited bank accounts | Done-for-you: BAS and annual return prepared and lodged; Time-Saver: DIY BAS from $57, DIY Tax from $97 |
| CashDesk | On-device software for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android; Apple devices sync through your own iCloud | US$5.99/mo or US$59.99/yr; Tax Return one-off US$39.99 (included in the yearly plan) | CSV statement import; no bank connection | Prepares figures; does not lodge |
Where the others are stronger. If you want lodging off your plate, Hnry and Tyro’s done-for-you plan do something CashDesk does not do at all: they lodge, and they give you access to accountants. Xero and QuickBooks list BAS lodgement from inside the software. Rounded, Xero, QuickBooks, Solo and Tyro all offer ways to bring bank transactions in without downloading files. Solo and Hnry both include an account to be paid into, and Solo offers in-person card payments.
Worked example: what each model costs
A sole trader at four income levels
Hnry’s fee is 1% of each payment into your Hnry account, plus GST, capped at $1,500 plus GST a year. Assume all income arrives in payments of $50 or more, so the minimum fee does not apply.
| Payments received in the year | 1% fee | With GST (× 1.1) |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $400 | $440 |
| $80,000 | $800 | $880 |
| $150,000 | $1,500 (cap reached) | $1,650 |
| $200,000 | $1,500 (capped) | $1,650 |
The cap is reached at $1,500 ÷ 1% = $150,000. Above that, the fee stops growing.
Now the software-only subscriptions over twelve months at their ongoing prices: Rounded Starter 12 × $23.95 = $287.40; Solo by MYOB $99 on the yearly plan; QuickBooks Simple Start 12 × $33 = $396; Xero Ignite 12 × $37 = $444. Tyro’s done-for-you plan is 12 × $119 = $1,428.
The tempting conclusion — software is cheaper — compares unlike things. Hnry and Tyro’s done-for-you figures include preparing and lodging your return. The software figures do not. The fair comparison is software plus whatever you would pay an accountant, or software plus your own time lodging through myTax. Get a quote from a registered tax agent for your situation before deciding which side is cheaper for you.
Where CashDesk fits, and where it does not
CashDesk is made by ProDesk, so here it is described only from its own product page, including what it does not do.
What it is. Software for people with irregular income — traders, freelancers, contractors and sole traders. For Australia it works out income tax and the Medicare levy, shows quarterly PAYG instalments, lays out GST in BAS label order once you tell it you are registered, and applies the cents-per-kilometre method with its annual cap. It also does quotes and invoices, profit and loss by stream of work, asset write-downs and a budget. Its headline figure is the tax reserve: how much of what you have earned so far is owed, recalculated on every import.
How transactions get in. You import CSV statements exported from your own bank and broker. CashDesk infers the columns, asks you to confirm before anything is committed, avoids duplicating overlapping exports, recognises transfers between your own accounts, and puts rows it will not guess at into a review queue. There is no bank feed: its page says it has no bank logins, no aggregator and no bank connection.
Where your data is. No account and no server; the ledger is a file on your own device.
What it does not do. CashDesk prepares figures; it does not lodge your BAS or your tax return, and it is not a tax agent or tax adviser. At year end it exports a pack you can send to your accountant. If you want someone else to lodge, CashDesk alone will not do that — pair it with a registered tax agent, or use a service that lodges.
Price. US$5.99 a month or US$59.99 a year, with a one-off US$39.99 Tax Return purchase that is included in the yearly plan.
Before you sign up
- Price the whole year, not the offer. Several providers were running introductory discounts when this was checked. Use the ongoing price.
- Price the accountant too. If the app does not lodge, add the cost of whoever will — or the value of your own time — before comparing it with a service that does.
- Check the GST treatment of the price if you are registered, since some providers quote inclusive and some exclusive.
- Check what happens to your records if you leave. Confirm you can export your transactions, invoices and reports before you commit.
- Check any lodging service is registered on the TPB register before you hand it your tax affairs.
- Remember the reserve. No app pays the tax bill. The money still has to be set aside as it arrives, which is covered in reserving tax on irregular income.
The right choice follows from the first question: do you want to lodge yourself, have an accountant lodge using figures you keep, or pay a service to do both? Answer that, and the list of sensible options is usually two or three long.