Comparison

Paper & Pen vs QuickBooks

QuickBooks is a polished, popular accounting product. Paper & Pen is a free, Arabic-first ERP that bills in any currency, takes local payments and fits the GCC out of the box. An honest comparison.

Start for Free Pricing
  • Free forever for Sales & Invoicing
  • Arabic RTL plus four more languages
  • Native OMR, AED, SAR and GCC configurable VAT

Free forever · No credit card required · Add modules anytime

Feature Paper & Pen QuickBooks
Free forever plan Included Not included
Starting price Free Monthly subscription
Arabic RTL interface Included Limited
Multi-currency Included Higher tiers
Multi-language UI (5) Included Limited
Local payments (Paymob) Included Not included
GCC configurable VAT preset Included Configurable
Onboarding speed Minutes Subscribe & set up
Inventory, HR & manufacturing Included Add-ons / higher tiers

The honest take

Where QuickBooks is strong

QuickBooks is a refined, widely adopted product with a clean interface, strong bank-feed integrations in its core markets and a large accountant network familiar with it. For US, UK and similar markets, it is a comfortable, capable choice with a deep partner ecosystem.

  • Polished, well-known interface
  • Strong bank feeds in core markets
  • Large accountant and advisor network
Paper & Pen

الفواتير

4 فواتير · مايو 2026

فاتورة جديدة
العميل التاريخ المبلغ الحالة
Northwind Trading Co. 12 مايو 2026 $4,820.50 مدفوعة
Harbour Point Ltd 09 مايو 2026 $12,500.75 متأخرة
Cedar Clinic Group 05 مايو 2026 $2,140.25 مدفوعة
Studio Meridian 02 مايو 2026 $863.40 مسودة
الإجمالي $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

Invoices

4 invoices · May 2026

New invoice
Customer Date Amount Status
Northwind Trading Co. 12 May 2026 $4,820.50 Paid
Harbour Point Ltd 09 May 2026 $12,500.75 Overdue
Cedar Clinic Group 05 May 2026 $2,140.25 Paid
Studio Meridian 02 May 2026 $863.40 Draft
Total $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

चालान

4 चालान · मई 2026

नया चालान
ग्राहक तारीख राशि स्थिति
Northwind Trading Co. 12 मई 2026 $4,820.50 भुगतान हुआ
Harbour Point Ltd 09 मई 2026 $12,500.75 बकाया
Cedar Clinic Group 05 मई 2026 $2,140.25 भुगतान हुआ
Studio Meridian 02 मई 2026 $863.40 ड्राफ़्ट
कुल $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

চালান

4 চালান · মে 2026

নতুন চালান
ক্রেতা তারিখ পরিমাণ অবস্থা
Northwind Trading Co. 12 মে 2026 $4,820.50 পরিশোধিত
Harbour Point Ltd 09 মে 2026 $12,500.75 বকেয়া
Cedar Clinic Group 05 মে 2026 $2,140.25 পরিশোধিত
Studio Meridian 02 মে 2026 $863.40 খসড়া
সর্বমোট $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

انوائسز

4 انوائسز · مئی 2026

نئی انوائس
کسٹمر تاریخ رقم حالت
Northwind Trading Co. 12 مئی 2026 $4,820.50 ادا شدہ
Harbour Point Ltd 09 مئی 2026 $12,500.75 واجب الادا
Cedar Clinic Group 05 مئی 2026 $2,140.25 ادا شدہ
Studio Meridian 02 مئی 2026 $863.40 مسودہ
کل $20,324.90

Where we win

Free, Arabic and built for the region

Paper & Pen starts genuinely free for unlimited invoicing, runs a true Arabic right-to-left interface, and bills natively in OMR, AED and SAR with the correct decimals. GCC configurable VAT and Paymob card payments are preset, and you get the full ERP path (Inventory, HR, Accounting, Manufacturing) when you need it, all from one free starting point.

  • Free forever core, no monthly floor
  • Genuine Arabic RTL, end to end
  • Gulf currencies, configurable VAT and Paymob preset
Paper & Pen

الفواتير

4 فواتير · مايو 2026

فاتورة جديدة
العميل التاريخ المبلغ الحالة
Northwind Trading Co. 12 مايو 2026 $4,820.50 مدفوعة
Harbour Point Ltd 09 مايو 2026 $12,500.75 متأخرة
Cedar Clinic Group 05 مايو 2026 $2,140.25 مدفوعة
Studio Meridian 02 مايو 2026 $863.40 مسودة
الإجمالي $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

Invoices

4 invoices · May 2026

New invoice
Customer Date Amount Status
Northwind Trading Co. 12 May 2026 $4,820.50 Paid
Harbour Point Ltd 09 May 2026 $12,500.75 Overdue
Cedar Clinic Group 05 May 2026 $2,140.25 Paid
Studio Meridian 02 May 2026 $863.40 Draft
Total $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

चालान

4 चालान · मई 2026

नया चालान
ग्राहक तारीख राशि स्थिति
Northwind Trading Co. 12 मई 2026 $4,820.50 भुगतान हुआ
Harbour Point Ltd 09 मई 2026 $12,500.75 बकाया
Cedar Clinic Group 05 मई 2026 $2,140.25 भुगतान हुआ
Studio Meridian 02 मई 2026 $863.40 ड्राफ़्ट
कुल $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

চালান

4 চালান · মে 2026

নতুন চালান
ক্রেতা তারিখ পরিমাণ অবস্থা
Northwind Trading Co. 12 মে 2026 $4,820.50 পরিশোধিত
Harbour Point Ltd 09 মে 2026 $12,500.75 বকেয়া
Cedar Clinic Group 05 মে 2026 $2,140.25 পরিশোধিত
Studio Meridian 02 মে 2026 $863.40 খসড়া
সর্বমোট $20,324.90
Paper & Pen

انوائسز

4 انوائسز · مئی 2026

نئی انوائس
کسٹمر تاریخ رقم حالت
Northwind Trading Co. 12 مئی 2026 $4,820.50 ادا شدہ
Harbour Point Ltd 09 مئی 2026 $12,500.75 واجب الادا
Cedar Clinic Group 05 مئی 2026 $2,140.25 ادا شدہ
Studio Meridian 02 مئی 2026 $863.40 مسودہ
کل $20,324.90

Questions

Everything you need to know

Is Paper & Pen a good QuickBooks alternative?
Yes, especially in the GCC and for Arabic-speaking teams that want a free invoicing core and native Gulf currencies. QuickBooks is excellent in its core markets, but it has no free-forever plan and limited Arabic support.
Is Paper & Pen free unlike QuickBooks?
Sales and invoicing are free forever with no monthly subscription. You only pay for optional modules such as Inventory, HR or Accounting.
Does Paper & Pen do multi-currency?
Yes, on the free core. You can invoice in OMR, AED, SAR, USD, EUR and more, with correct decimals per document.
Can customers pay invoices by card?
Yes. Paymob and regional gateways are built in, so customers across the GCC and beyond pay from the invoice link.
Is it ready for GCC VAT?
Yes. The configurable GCC VAT rate is preset, and tax is fully configurable for any other country.

Try the free QuickBooks alternative

Create a free workspace and send your first invoice in minutes. Arabic-ready, multi-currency, free forever.

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