The Best Accounting Software For Small Businesses

Get Started with QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is a fully-featured accounting software program that is generally easy to use. With over 600 integrations, strong mobile apps, and tax support, it’s no wonder this software is popular.

QuickBooks Online is best for small businesses looking for a full-featured accounting solution that is relatively easy to use. QBO is ideal for businesses with five users or fewer (though you can add up to 25 users for an additional cost).

Pros

Scalable
Advanced features
Strong invoicing and mobile apps
Expert help from accountants is available
650+ integrations

Cons

Occasionally unintuitive
Poor customer support

QuickBooks Online Pricing

QuickBooks Online offers four pricing plans ranging from $25/month to $180/month. The larger the plan, the more features you can access, and the more users you can have.

Payroll services cost an additional $45-$125/month (plus $4+/month per employee). Read our QuickBooks Online pricing post to learn more, and don’t forget to check if Intuit is running any sales promotions.

QuickBooks Online Features

While this cloud accounting software is not quite as easy to use as the other options on this list, the trade-off is more advanced features. Set up is a bit involved, and the organization is occasionally difficult to navigate. Compared to other big-name programs, though, such as Xero, Sage, and AccountEdge Pro, QuickBooks Online is a piece of cake.

QuickBooks offers double-entry bookkeeping and strong accounting features, such as bank reconciliation, accounts payable, accounts receivable, reports, and a chart of accounts. You’ll also find invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, project management, and more. In terms of invoicing, QuickBooks Online offers the second-best templates and automations (with Zoho Books being the first).

Other features include:

Class tracking
Client portal
Tax support
Contact management
Budgeting
Inventory management
Purchase orders
Sales tax

With over 600 integrations, QuickBooks has more integrations than any other accounting program on this list. The available integrations include 25 payment processing options and great mobile apps.

As we mentioned earlier, QuickBooks has had a reputation for poor customer service in the past. Recently, QuickBooks Online has made great strides to improve its customer support. While the company still has a ways to go, phone response times have greatly improved, and a redesigned help center makes it easy to find assistance.

The downside? While QuickBooks is well-organized and relatively easy to learn, the software can be overwhelming at first and occasionally unintuitive, making it a less easy-to-use option than the other software choices on this list.

When To Use QuickBooks Online

While QuickBooks Online may not be quite as easy to use as the other options on this list, it might be a good fit for businesses looking to get the most bang for their buck in terms of features.

Read our comprehensive QuickBooks Online review to learn about all that this software has to offer, or sign up for a free trial to see for yourself.

Best Customer Support: FreshBooks

FreshBooks

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Get Started with FreshBooks

FreshBooks used to be an invoicing software with a few bookkeeping tools tossed in. With the recent addition of double-entry accounting, FreshBooks is now a complete accounting solution for small businesses. The software is incredibly easy to use and free of accounting jargon.

FreshBooks is best for small businesses that are looking for simplicity, strong invoicing, proposals, and good customer support.

Pros

Easy to use
Good mobile apps
Great customer support
Numerous integrations
Strong invoicing

Cons

Expensive
Limited users
Limited features

FreshBooks Pricing

FreshBooks offers three pricing plans ranging from $15/month to $50/month. Most features are included in all plans, so each larger level mainly adds more billable customers.

FreshBooks only supports a single user (additional users cost an extra $10/month each).

FreshBooks Features

FreshBooks has always been easy to use, but a recent redesign has made the user experience even more straightforward and the UI more attractive. Setup is simple, and the software takes very little time to learn. In terms of features, you’ll find invoicing, expense tracking, contact management, and more.

FreshBooks offers two customizable invoice templates and a client portal where customers can pay their invoices directly online. One of FreshBooks’ coolest features is the ability to chat with your customers directly on their invoices.

Other features include:

Project management
Time tracking
Reports

FreshBooks offers over 80 integrations, which is significantly more than most invoicing programs. There are also mobile apps available.

FreshBooks has great customer support. Representatives are friendly, helpful, and quick to respond. There is phone support, email support, a help center, and several other resources to help you learn the software.

For the most part, FreshBooks receives positive customer reviews; however, there are some recurring complaints.

The main drawback of FreshBooks is the cost. The software is expensive compared to other accounting programs, and the value of the software simply doesn’t match the price. FreshBooks also only supports a single user. Instead of purchasing additional users, you’d get more bang for your buck by choosing a less expensive program.

When To Use FreshBooks

This easy bookkeeping software is ideal for small businesses that need to save time on sending invoices, tracking expenses, and creating proposals. If the simplicity of FreshBooks sounds appealing to you, take the software for a spin with a free trial or read our comprehensive FreshBooks review to learn more.

Best Invoicing & Mobile Apps: Zoho Books

Zoho Books

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Get Started with Zoho Books

Zoho Books offers unbeatable invoicing and strong mobile apps. Recent updates have put Zoho Books on par with QuickBooks Online in terms of features, but with better customer service and a more user-friendly UI, Zoho Books is a great option for small businesses.

Zoho Books is best for small businesses in need of strong online accounting, great mobile apps, and good invoicing. The software is ideal for international businesses.

Pros

Advanced features
Easy to use
Good customer support
Strong mobile apps

Cons

Limited integrations
Unsuited for large businesses

Zoho Books Pricing

Zoho Books offers three pricing plans ranging from $0/month to $70/month. Each plan comes with basic features and unlimited invoices. The larger the plan, the more contacts, users, and advanced features you’ll have access to.

Zoho Books Features

Zoho Books has an impressive number of features. With good customer support and a well-designed UI, the software is easy to use and learn. Zoho Books has all of the features you’d expect from a fully-developed accounting solution, including invoicing, contact management, expense tracking, time tracking, inventory, project management, and even tax support.

The best part about Zoho Books is its invoicing offerings. Zoho Books offers 16 customizable invoice templates, a client portal where customers can pay invoices directly online, recurring invoices, and the unique ability to encrypt invoices. Many automations make it easy to invoice customers, such as setting payment reminders and auto-scheduling invoices to send later. You can also send invoices in 13 languages, making Zoho Books a great choice for international businesses.

You’ll find these key accounting features as well:

Accounts payable
Charts of accounts
Bank reconciliation
Fixed asset management
Reports

Zoho Books offers over 30 integrations, including 11 payment gateway options and a Zapier integration that connects Zoho Books to over 1,000 other third-party apps. Zoho Books also has easy accounting apps that are highly developed and praised by existing users.

Zoho Books is known for its great customer service. Phone and email support are both available. Representatives are generally helpful and quick to respond to questions. The majority of customer reviews are positive, and users especially like the level of support they receive.

When To Use Zoho Books

With almost as many features as QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books is a contender worth considering. The software is easy to use, and its invoicing features are unbeatable. Great customer support, a good number of integrations, and international features are also perks of the software.

If Zoho Books sounds like it might be a suitable choice for your small business, start a free trial, or read our complete Zoho Books review to learn more.

Best Accounting Software For Freelancers: QuickBooks Self-Employed

QuickBooks Self-Employed

Get Started with QuickBooks Self-Employed

QuickBooks Self-Employed is tax software designed to help freelancers with basic bookkeeping and tax support. While QuickBooks Self-Employed isn’t exactly accounting software, it offers easy bookkeeping and tax support for freelancers.

QuickBooks Self-Employed is best for freelancers, contractors, and other self-employed individuals needing basic bookkeeping and tax support. QBSE is ideal for managing estimated quarterly taxes and maximizing deductions.

Pros

Designed for freelancers
Good tax support
Easy to use
TurboTax integration

Cons

Limited invoice features
No state tax support
Unscalable

QuickBooks Self-Employed Pricing

There are three pricing options for QuickBooks Self-Employed. There’s a $15/month plan that includes all of the software’s features. Going with the $25/month plan adds a TurboTax integration, so you can easily file your self-employment taxes. The $35/month plan includes live tax support from a CPA.

QuickBooks Self-Employed Features

QuickBooks Self-Employed is well-organized and easy to use. The features help simplify estimated quarterly taxes and allow freelancers to manage their expenses and track deductions.

This software also makes it easy to separate personal and business expenses, which is ideal for freelancers who don’t have a designated business bank account. Like Wave, QuickBooks Online also has a built-in lending feature called QuickBooks Capital that helps small businesses gain access to working capital to manage their cash flow.

Additionally, QuickBooks Self-Employed offers:

Invoicing
Fixed asset management
Schedule Cs
Tax checklist

QuickBooks Self-Employed offers a small number of integrations, but the Turbo Tax integration is the best part of the software by far. This integration makes self-employment taxes a breeze and makes it easy to file taxes online.

Unfortunately, QuickBooks Self-Employed is known for poor customer service. With no phone support and limited additional resources, it can be hard to find help, though the company is working to improve this. There is a live chat feature, a redesigned help center, and a small business resource center with helpful business advice.

While QuickBooks Self-Employed is a great option for managing your federal taxes, our one concern is that the software lacks state tax support. That means you’ll have to find another way to file state taxes.

When To Use QuickBooks Self-Employed

If you’re a freelancer looking for a way to manage your finances and taxes, QuickBooks Self-Employed could be a good option for your business. The software is easy to use, and the QuickBooks app allows for quick access to your data.

To learn more about this software, read our complete QuickBooks Self-Employed review. If you’re already convinced, sign up for a free trial, or start using the software today.

Best Easy Accounting Software For Beginners: ZipBooks

ZipBooks

ZipBooks is an up-and-coming accounting software program that launched in 2015. The software may be fairly new, but it has already mastered simplicity. ZipBooks is one of the easiest accounting programs out there. With a free plan, unlimited users, and ample automations, it’s not hard to see why this software gets a good rating.

ZipBooks is best for small businesses in need of affordable, strong accounting. The software is ideal for business owners with little previous accounting experience.

Pros

Free plan available
Easy to use
Good customer support
Attractive UI

Cons

Limited invoice customizations
No inventory feature
Limited mobile apps

ZipBooks Pricing

ZipBooks offers three pricing plans ranging from $0/month to $35/month. Each plan comes with unlimited invoicing. Each pricing level adds more features and users, with the most expensive plan supporting unlimited users.

ZipBooks Features

ZipBooks offers a good number of features that are easy to use and has one of the most attractive interfaces out there. The software’s design is simple and intuitive, using automations to save you time. The UI is even color-coded to make navigation a breeze. ZipBooks offers the basics you’d expect from accounting software, including invoicing, contact management, and expense tracking.

One unique aspect of ZipBooks is that the software takes the data you input and uses it to provide helpful business insights, including a business health score and business recommendations specific to your financial situation.

Additionally, ZipBooks offers:

Time tracking
Project management
Reports
Category tracking

ZipBooks only comes with six integrations, so if you’re looking for ample add-ons, this may not be the software for you.

If you’re looking for good customer support, ZipBooks has you covered. Representatives are quick to respond to questions. Phone support is available for the paid plans. Other support options include email, in-software chat, a knowledgebase, and a blog.

Before purchasing ZipBooks, there are a few potential drawbacks to consider. Compared to the other choices on this list, ZipBooks has very limited invoicing and only a small number of accounting reports. There also is no item or inventory feature. Despite these shortcomings, ZipBooks receives many positive customer reviews.

When To Use ZipBooks

If you’re looking for easy accounting software, ZipBooks is hard to beat. With a great design and good learning resources, ZipBooks does everything it can to make accounting simple. If ZipBooks sounds like a good fit for your business, use the free plan to take the software for a spin. Read our complete ZipBooks review to learn more.

Best Free Accounting Software: Wave

Wave

Wave is an eminently easy-to-use accounting software — and with a price of $0, it’s easy on the budget as well. Excellent customer support, competitive pricing, and great features have earned this software a great score on our site.

Wave is best for small businesses on a tight budget that still want strong accounting capabilities. This software is ideal for Etsy sellers and micro businesses.

Pros

Free
Easy to use
Numerous features
Expert help from accountants is available

Cons

Limited mobile apps
Poor customer support
Not scalable

Wave Pricing

As we mentioned earlier, Wave accounting is free, with no gimmicks or strings attached. With a Wave account, you get access to all Wave features and unlimited users. The only extra costs to be aware of are payroll, payment processing, and professional bookkeeping services.

Wave Features

Wave is well-developed software that rivals even some paid programs in terms of features. This app is incredibly easy to navigate, and the learning curve is minimal, making it a great choice for business owners with little previous accounting experience. The software covers all of the accounting basics, including invoicing, expense tracking, accounts payable, bank reconciliation, and more.

Wave also has several unique features. In Wave, users can separate personal and business expenses, which is ideal for freelancers or side hustlers who don’t have a separate business bank account. Wave also offers Lending by Wave, which helps business owners gain access to capital through a partnership with OnDeck. Learn more about this financing option in our post, Lending By Wave: Everything Small Businesses Need to Know.

Other features include:

Item management
Reports
Receipts
Contact management

Wave doesn’t offer as many integrations as its competitors; however, it does have a Zapier integration, which connects Wave with over 1,000 third-party apps. Besides Zapier, there are only three other integrations. (The Etsy integration makes Wave a great choice for Etsy sellers that need simple accounting.) Wave also has several mobile apps.

The only downsides to the software are slow customer support, the lack of a project management feature, and limited time-tracking abilities. There also isn’t a true inventory feature. If these features are integral to your business, you’ll have to use an integration. Or you can take a look at one of the other options on this list instead.

When To Use Wave

If you’re looking for an affordable accounting option, it doesn’t get better than Wave. With positive customer reviews and a well-organized UI, it’s no wonder this free accounting software is popular. It’s easy to jump straight in and start using Wave, even with little previous accounting experience.

Read our full Wave review or sign up for an account to test the software yourself to learn more. You’ve got nothing to lose — after all, it’s free.

Best Accounting Software For UK Small Businesses: Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Sage Business Cloud Accounting

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Get Started with Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Sage is known for traditional accounting, but Sage Business Cloud Accounting software comes with the same strong accounting without the learning curve. Sage Business Cloud Accounting is affordable, easy to use, and offers unlimited users, making it a great choice for small businesses. The software is also suited for UK-based businesses needing VAT support.

Sage Business Cloud Accounting is best for small businesses with many users or that operate in the UK.

Pros

Affordable
Easy to use
Unlimited users
Numerous integrations
Suited for UK users

Cons

Limited features
No payroll

Sage Business Cloud Pricing

Sage Business Cloud Accounting offers two pricing plans ranging from $10-$25/month. The main difference between the two plans is that the latter gives you access to more features, such as cash flow analysis and accounts payable, and lets you have unlimited users.

Sage Business Cloud Features

Sage Business Cloud Accounting is incredibly easy to use, partially because the software sticks to the basics in terms of features. This makes Sage Business Cloud Accounting easy for any business owner to learn, no matter how much or little experience you have with accounting.

Sage offers basic accounting features, such as expense tracking, accounts payable, a chart of accounts, and reports (e.g., Profit & Loss and Balance sheets). The software also offers:

Invoicing
Estimates
Cash flow management
Inventory
Reporting

One of the downsides of Sage Business Cloud Accounting is that you won’t find features such as time-tracking or project management, which might be a deal-breaker for some small businesses. But if you don’t need these features, Sage Business Cloud does the basics well. There are also over 60+ integrations that you can add.

Sage Business Cloud Accounting has strong built-in help options. However, getting a hold of a Sage representative is difficult, as there is no phone or email support.

When To Use Sage

Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a great solution for small businesses looking to handle basic accounting and invoicing for their company. Recent upgrades to the software have made this program more user-friendly and feature-rich. The UK version of the software is especially well-developed, but the US version could also work for small businesses looking for affordable, simple software that isn’t cluttered by too many features.