When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn Managing the finances of your small business can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re handling everything on your own. That’s why having the best accounting software is key — it should be easy to use, affordable, streamline tasks like invoicing and expense tracking, and make tax season less stressful. Plus, it should work well with other tools you’re already using.
To make your search easier, I’ve hands-on tested some of the best accounting options out there. In my testing, I review ease of use, features, value for money, and security. Based on this, I’ve put together a list of the top 10 accounting software for small businesses, whether you’re just starting out or already established.
The Best Accounting Software Tested by our Experts
Top 10 Best Accounting Software for Small Business Ranked
- FreshBooks – Best for SMEs
- Zoho Books – Most Affordable Accounting Solution
- Xero – Best for Multi-User Small Businesses
- QuickBooks – Best for Ecommerce and Retailers
- Wave – Best Free Accounting Solution
- Sage – Best for Advanced Inventory Management
- Bonsai – Best for Self-Employed and Freelancers
- TurboTax – Best for Filing Taxes
- Melio – Easiest to Use Software
- NetSuite – Best for Complex Accounting Needs
- Show Full Guide
A Closer Look at Our Top Accounting Software Picks
To provide you with a comprehensive review of the top 10 accounting software solutions, I’ve meticulously evaluated each provider against a set of criteria. My assessment focuses on features, prices, usability, automation, and third-party reviews.
1. FreshBooks — Best for SMEs
| Free Trial | 30-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $19/month (60% off for 4 months) |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Customizable Invoice Generation, Seamless Collaboration with Accountants, Time Tracking |
Why We Picked It
I chose FreshBooks as the best accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses because of its user-friendly interface, which makes it usable for non-technical employees. Its wealth of features includes invoicing, bookkeeping, expenses, time tracking, inventory management, and project management.
Its mobile app helps SMEs carry out financial processes on the go and without access limitations. Right on the platform, you can easily track all billable hours, see the hours worked by each team member, monitor project progress, share files with your team, and collaborate and provide feedback directly.
Features Reviewed
- Invoicing – Create professional-looking invoices in seconds, add your company’s logo and colors, personalize the email with the invoice link, and send it to your clients in seconds. During my testing, I found FreshBooks to be the best for invoicing, thanks to the intuitive, user-friendly features that make billing and payment tracking simple.
- Expense Tracking – I like the simplicity of FreshBooks expense tracking. This accounting software allows you to take receipt images, forward email receipts to your business accounts, and import expenses directly from your business bank account, eliminating the need for manual entry.
- Collaboration with Accountants – FreshBooks makes it easy for SMEs to share their business finance information with their accountants without transferring data from one platform to another. Right on the platform, you can collaborate with an accountant and up to ten others.
Pricing
FreshBooks offers four subscription plans catering to different business sizes and needs. See the price plans as highlighted below.
| Plan | Lite | Plus | Premium | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $19/month | $33/month | $60/month | Quote-based |
| 1 year | $228/year | $396/month | $720/month | Quote-based |
The Lite plan is designed for startups and small businesses that manage up to five clients and only need basic accounting features. Its features include sending unlimited invoices to five billable clients, unlimited expense tracking, unlimited estimates, the ability to run tax reports, and payment with credit cards and bank transfers (ACH).
FreshBooks Premium plan is suitable for medium-sized businesses with unlimited capacity for client management but with a few employees.
FreshBooks saves you 10% on any price plan whenever you choose the yearly option. You also get 60% off for 4 months for any purchased subscription. Similarly to Xero and QuickBooks, FreshBooks also offers a 30-day free trial.
Add-ons like team members, advanced payments, and payroll are available at $11, $20, and $40 + $6/per person each month, respectively.
Who’s It Best For
FreshBooks is the best accounting software for small businesses and medium, seeking accounting software that is flexible and adaptable to support their businesses from the ground up.
Pros
- Clean, easy-to-use, and navigate user interface (UI)
- Excellent mobile app
- Permission-based access for your accounting team
- Built-in time tracking and project profitability management
Cons
- Adding extra team members incurs an extra fee
- Payroll is only available as an add-on and is expensive
2. Zoho Books — Most Affordable
| Free Trial | Free plan available and 14-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $15/month |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Sales Tax, Financial Reporting, Powerful Automation |
Why We Picked It
Zoho Books is my preferred accounting software for very small businesses due to its affordable price, feature-rich free plan, and user-friendly layout. With its advanced feature set, Zoho Books is like an accountant in your pocket, simplifying financial management for small businesses and centralizing tasks in one intuitive platform.
It also provides an easy-to-use vendor portal, so you can quickly create purchase orders, convert vendor invoices into bills, and ensure they’re paid the correct amount on time.
Features Reviewed
- Advanced Reporting – Aggregate data from many places on the platform and use visuals to understand your business performance better. I like that you can additionally design custom report fields specific to your company.
- Sales Tax – I found handling taxes to be stress-free. Zoho Books automatically calculates your sales tax returns while you continue managing other business activities.
- Automation – Zoho Books offers various automation to give you more time for business growth. For instance, automated reminders, managed recurring payments, and direct transactions are all streamlined in one place, which lets you spend less time on redundant tasks.
Pricing
Zoho offers free and five flexible paid plans loaded with features, giving you more wiggle room for your budget and scalability as your business grows.
| Plan | Free | Standard | Professional | Premium | Elite | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $0/month | $20/month | $50/month | $70/month | $150/month | $275/month |
| 1 year | $0/month | $15/month | $40/month | $60/month | $120/month | $240/month |
Zoho Books’ free plan is suitable for businesses just starting up and generating an annual revenue of less than USD 50K. With this plan, you can access mileage tracking, invoice creation, online payment, bank reconciliation, tax summary reports, tax management, and automatic payment reminders. The only limitation of this free plan is that you can’t use Zoho Books’ add-on with it. This is one of the most comprehensive free plans I’ve come across, and it will be suitable for most small businesses that need basic accounting.
Zoho offers a 14-day free trial to allow you to explore the features available in its paid plans before making any financial commitment.
Add-ons like Additional users are available for $3/user per month, and Advanced auto scans cost $10 for 50 scans each month across all plans. However, this is only available to premium users.
Who’s It Best For
Zoho Books is the best option for very small businesses needing cost-effective accounting software with advanced features, customizations, and automation.
Of course, businesses already using other Zoho products can benefit more from its seamless integration with other Zoho apps.
Pros
- Advanced inventory handling and automated purchase orders
- Seamlessly integrates with Zoho apps like Zoho CRM and Zoho Inventory
- Excellent automation features
- A free forever plan for small businesses
- Scalable to support business growth
Cons
- The highest plan only supports 15 users
- Premium customer support at an added cost
- A limited number of invoices per year for every plan
3. Xero — Best for Multi-User Small Business
| Free Trial | 30-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $15/month (save 75% for the first 3 months) |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Unlimited User Access, Bank Reconciliation, Multiple Currency |
Why We Picked It
I chose Xero as the top choice for small businesses with multiple team members and clients since it supports unlimited seats on all plans. I love the platform’s user-friendliness, feature-rich offerings, intuitive mobile app, unlimited user support, and multi-currency support.
Xero also offers over 1000 integrations and automation features that let you completely step back from the accounting process.
Features Reviewed
- Bank Reconciliation – Bank reconciliation simplifies keeping account balances and bank statements up to date and ensures that each business activity is documented and accounted for.
- Multiple Currency – Do business in multiple currencies with Xero’s support for over 160 currencies. Xero converts international business transactions for you, records them, and reports them on your dashboard.
- Unlimited User Support – Unlike many accounting software like FreshBooks and QuickBooks, Xero supports unlimited users across all its plans at no extra cost. This special feature fosters easy collaboration without restrictions.
Pricing
Xero’s small business accounting software price plan is feature-based and not user-based. Its price plans are available in three tiers to support different business needs. Each plan is only accessible monthly, not annually.
| Plan | Early | Growing | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $15/month | $42/month | $78/month |
The Starter plan is designed for businesses with limited invoice needs. The plan allows users to send quotes and 20 invoices, reconcile bank transactions, and capture bills and receipts with Hubdoc, short-term cash flow, and business snapshots. Users needing unlimited invoices and quotes may choose the Growing plan, while those needing multiple currencies can choose its Established package.
You can explore Xero’s features during the 30-day free trial or sign up for a priced plan and receive 75% off for your first 3 months.
Who’s It Best For
Xero is the best solution for small businesses managing multiple people and needs collaboration among teammates or accountants to access their accounting software.
Pros
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
- Integrates with a wealth of apps from the Xero App Store
- All plans support unlimited users
- Highly-scalable accounting solution
Cons
- Payroll is an additional cost
- Limited customization for invoicing
- There is no direct phone support option
4. QuickBooks — Best for Ecommerce and Retailers
| Free Trial | 30-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $30/month (50% off first 3 months) |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Inventory Management, Ecommerce Management, Sales Channel Integration |
Why We Picked It
QuickBooks is the most affordable accounting software that helps retailers manage their finances and sales processes. QuickBooks allows you to connect and sync all of your business tools, making it simple to track all profits and spending in one spot. Its excellent automated features – encompassing everything from expenses and income to time tracking – mean accurate bookkeeping, saving your manual entry and paperwork.
Beyond its powerful accounting and inventory features, I appreciate QuickBooks’ superb range of integrations, including HubSpot, Google Docs, and Salesforce.
Features Reviewed
- Sales Channel Integration: QuickBooks has a unique advantage over all other tools I’ve reviewed in that it allows you to connect your sales channels to the platform. Every sale on Amazon, Shopify, or eBay stores is automatically synced with the accounting software, and all payouts are matched to bank deposits. This way, you’ll be able to see your cash flow, expenses, and profitability trends at a glance.
- Ecommerce Management: Automatically import data from your connected ecommerce store to ensure that your financial transactions are tracked and reported. This streamlines your accounting process and will save you valuable time.
- Inventory Management: The easy-to-use, comprehensive inventory management tool allows you to track products and receive notifications when inventory is low. I find this to be especially beneficial for retail and ecommerce businesses that rely on accurate inventory levels to fulfill orders in a timely manner.
Pricing
QuickBooks offers monthly pay-as-you-go pricing options in four tiers, each offering loads of features, free mobile apps, customer support, and app integrations. See the table below for the full price list.
| Plan | Simple Start | Plus | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $30/month | $90/month | $200/month |
QuickBooks’ Simple Start plan supports only one user and one sales channel connection, allowing you to manage invoices and payments, general reports, receipt capture, bills, tax deductions, and mileage tracking. It’s suitable for retailers that are just starting out.
QuickBooks doesn’t offer a free plan but a 30-day free trial. It currently offers a discount of 70% off for the first 3 months to new users. It also offers add-ons like tax assistance and assisted bookkeeping at an extra fee.
Who’s It Best For
QuickBooks is the best accounting software for retailers that need a comprehensive accounting system to track expenses and income, manage inventory, and automate bookkeeping.
Pros
- Integrates with sales channels like Amazon, and Shopify
- Automatic late payment reminders
- Custom rules for expenses and categorization
- Inventory tracking with real-time insights
- Multi-currency accounting
Cons
- Steeper learning curve than the alternatives
- Limited customer support
- The payroll option is available at an extra free
5. Wave — Best Free Accounting Software
| Free Trial | Free plan |
|---|---|
| Price From | $16/month |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Unlimited Invoicing, Payment Tracking, Easy Usability |
Why We Picked It
I consider Wave the best software for free accounting because of its feature-rich free plan with an advanced paid option. It is designed for small businesses and has an intuitive, user-friendly dashboard with step-by-step tutorials for managing business finances.
With its free accounting features, you can create and send invoices to customers within minutes, set up recurring invoices, and automate overdue reminders, syncing all of your bookkeeping with the free Wave accounting software.
Features Reviewed
- Unlimited Bookkeeping Records – Manually enter your bank transactions or link your bank account to Wave to streamline your bookkeeping procedure and ensure all information is available in one place.
- Mobile Receipts – Import invoices anywhere you are so you won’t lose track of expenses, irrespective of your location. In my opinion, Wave has one of the best mobile apps and mobile receipts ensures your expense tracking is always up-to-date.
- Smart Dashboard – The smart dashboard lets you organize your invoices, expenses, income, and payments, as well as view credit card and bank transactions. It’s simple to view profit and loss reports, balance sheets, and cash flow — ideal for gaining insights into your finances and data-driven decision-making.
Pricing
Wave offers a free accounting and invoicing feature and a paid plan that supports more.
| Plan | Starter | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0/month | $16/month |
| Yearly | $0/year | $170/year |
The Starter plan is suitable for startups that only need basic accounting solutions. The plan features unlimited invoicing, bookkeeping, bills, on-the-go invoicing via the Wave app, and cash flow management. Growing businesses that need more accounting features, such as unlimited receipts, tracking expenses, and automation of late payment reminders, can choose the paid plan.
For both the free and paid plan, accepting online payment incurs charges starting at 2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction.
Wave offers add-ons such as Payroll at $20 per month, unlimited mobile receipts at $8/month OR $72/year, and hiring bookkeepers starting from $149/month.
Who’s It Best For
Wave’s accounting app is excellent for small businesses looking for free and basic accounting features like invoice management, bookkeeping, expense tracking, and high-level reporting.
Pros
- Free invoicing and accounting functionalities
- User-friendly dashboard that’s super easy to navigate
- Hundreds of professional invoice templates to choose from
- Its mobile app lets you manage invoices and upload receipts
Cons
- No inventory management
- No time tracking available
- No way to upscale the platform
6. Sage — Best for Advanced Inventory Management
| Free Trial | 30-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $15/month |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Advanced Reporting & Intelligence, Advanced Inventory, Accountants Network |
Why We Picked It
I consider Sage an advanced inventory accounting software that’s scalable to support small businesses as they grow. With Sage, you can monitor balance sheets and cash flow, so you can get a bird’s eye view of your financial health and make data-driven decisions
While Sage offers comprehensive and advanced features to cater to small business needs, its limitation with users may be a concern to businesses with many team members. A competitor that beats Sage’s limitation with users is Xero.
Features Reviewed
- Advanced Inventory – Sage offers an advanced automated way of calculating your inventory’s quantity and true value after every sale, helping you save time and reduce errors often caused by manual data entry.
- Advanced Reporting & Intelligence – Gain accurate and meaningful insights about your business to make informed decisions. Also, Sage’s intelligence for accounting makes it easy for you to customize financial reports even without any advanced accounting knowledge.
- Sage Accountants Network – This is extremely useful for solo entrepreneurs and startups that cannot afford to engage a full-time accountant but need to ensure that all financial aspects of their firm are handled.
Pricing
Sage price plans are flexible, allowing you to choose the right accounting subscription for your business.
| Plan | Accounting Start | Accounting Standard | Accounting Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $15/month | $30/month | $39/month |
Sage’s Accounting Start plan is suitable for solopreneurs who manage their business themselves, as this plan only allows one user access. The plan features the ability to work anywhere, quick invoice creation, and finance tracking.
You can test the software free for 30 days.
Who’s It Best For
Sage is best for growing businesses that need advanced inventory tracking functionalities with comprehensive accounting solutions.
Pros
- Lets you create fully customized invoices
- Comprehensive reports are available
- Automated bank reconciliation
- Job (project) management and costs
- Advanced inventory tracking
Cons
- The basic plan supports only one user
- Payroll and time tracking cost extra as add-ons
- Customer service needs improvement in terms of response time
- The interface is a bit dated
7. Bonsai — Best for Self-Employed and Freelancers
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial |
|---|---|
| Price From | $21/month |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Tax Management, Integration with Zapier, QuickBooks, and Calendly, Project Management |
Why We Picked It
Bonsai is the best accounting software for freelancers, self-employed, and other service providers because of its robust accounting program. It’s a well-rounded tool for managing finances, invoices, taxes, projects, and customer relations all in one space.
I found the platform to be intuitive and easy to use from the start. It allows you to manage every financial aspect of your business, even if you’ve never used accounting or bookkeeping software. Although it is an excellent choice for those who self-manage their business finances, its level of integration falls short compared to Xero.
Features Reviewed
- Tax Management – Bonsai helps you stay tax compliant to avoid penalty pitfalls and legal complications so you can spare yourself any hassles and focus on growing your business. It also offers an array of tax templates, making tax season a stress-free experience.
- Project Management – Fully integrated project management allows you to invite collaborators to your projects, assign tasks, and communicate seamlessly. It also simplifies client management by organizing customer information, tracking contact history, and scheduling follow-up reminders, resulting in simple client interactions using the client portal.
- Numerous Templates – Besides email templates, Bonsai offers a template for virtually every aspect of your business, including proposals, quotes, contracts, invoices, briefs, and tax forms.
Pricing
Bonsai provides three pricing levels to meet various business demands. Its pricing model is based on feature differences.
| Plan | Starter | Professional | Business | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $25/month | $39/month | $77/month | Upon Request |
| 1 year | $21/month | $32/month | $66/month | Upon Request |
Many freelancers and contractors with basic accounting needs may find Bonsai’s starter plan useful. Its features include multiple templates, unlimited clients and projects, invoicing and payments, proposals and contracts, scheduling, tasks and time tracking, client CRM, forms and questionnaires, and expense tracking.
You can try Bonsai for free for 7 days. Like Zoho Books, Bonsai offers add-ons like additional team seats and tax management, which are available at $10 monthly.
Who’s It Best For
Bonsai is highly recommended for freelancers and solopreneurs looking to streamline their business and accounting processes using a single platform.
Pros
- Best CRM and accounting software in one platform
- Greatly speeds up the client onboarding process
- Features time-tracking and project management tools
- Offers hundreds of templates
- Supports automation of repetitive tasks
Cons
- Invoicing is limited to Stripe, PayPal, and wire transfers
- Expensive if you want to add multiple team members to your account
- Contract templates can’t be fully customized
- Unlimited users are supported only on the highest plan
8. TurboTax — Best for Filing Taxes
| Free Trial | Free until first tax filing |
|---|---|
| Price From | Custom, between $0 – $129/tax filing |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Tax Prep, Expert Guidance, Accurate Tax Calculations and IRS Compliance |
Why We Picked It
I chose TurboTax as the best accounting software for tax filing for small businesses because of its high specialization in tax management. It leads the tax software pack as a household name for tax season, boasting accurate tax calculations, an extensive tax form library, and comprehensive guidance for various types of businesses.
Tailored to support small and growing businesses, TurboTax streamlines bookkeeping tasks, offering personalized tax-saving suggestions and error detection for optimal accuracy. However, the software doesn’t provide other regular accounting services like Sage, FreshBooks, and Xero, but it offers integrations and 100% IRS compliance.
Features Reviewed
- 100% Accuracy – TurboTax ensures your business taxes are done accurately with no error with the guidance of its tax prep provider. However, if you pay an IRS penalty because of an error made by a TurboTax Live expert, TurboTax takes the responsibility and pays you the penalty plus interest.
- Expert Guidance – When you choose Full Service, you will be given a local tax expert who will provide you with unique insight tailored to your specific case. This expert will work with you to get every dollar you deserve and complete your taxes correctly.
- Unlimited, Year-round Advice and Answers – TurboTax offers you direct access to its small business tax experts, who are always available at no extra cost.
Pricing
TurboTax plans for small businesses are available in three tiers. You can choose any of the three options depending on your business needs. You may also try out its interface and in-app features before committing to a membership because you only pay when you file.
| Plan | Do your own taxes | Assisted | Full Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom | $0-$129 | $89 – $219 | Starting from $129 |
The Do Your Own Taxes plan is a good option for individuals or solo businesses that can handle their taxes by themselves without external assistance from Turbotax. With this plan, you get 100% accurate calculations with the help of Intuit AI assistance, a minimum refund guarantee, and easy scan and upload. On the other hand, businesses with tax complexities may choose the Full Service plan, allowing TurboTax experts to manage their tax calculations and filing.
Turbotax pricing is not tied to a monthly subscription but is based on a pay-as-you-file process.
Who’s It Best For
TurboTax is ideal for small businesses and sole proprietors needing assistance filing their taxes correctly.
Pros
- Outsourced, assisted, and DIY tax filing options
- Free Live Intuit AI Support for all your questions
- 100% accuracy guarantee
- Free yearly one-on-one audit prep
Cons
- Doesn’t offer payroll services or invoicing
- It’s expensive compared to other comprehensive accounting software
- Best suited for self-employed tax handling
9. Melio — Easiest to Use Accounting Software
| Free Trial | Free to use |
|---|---|
| Price From | No monthly fee, only transaction fees |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | Payment Flexibility & Security, Mobile App, Integration |
Why We Picked It
Melio is an easy-to-use online payment solution that allows small businesses to pay vendors, create and send professional invoices to clients, and keep track of all payables and receivables. Even when Melio charges for other payment options, making payments for free via ACH bank transfer is a breeze.
What’s excellent about Melio is that it seamlessly integrates with bookkeeping programs like Xero and Quickbooks, allowing you to connect your clients’ accounts and eliminate double data entry.
Features Reviewed
- Payment Flexibility & Security – You or your clients can use any of the payment methods Melio accepts to make your preferred payment. Melio makes payments more manageable for your clients and provides payment protection. It can help avoid bounced checks, chargebacks, forgeries, and ACH returns.
- Mobile App – With the Melio app, you can easily make payments from anywhere and check payment status from your mobile phone.
- Integration – Synchronizes with accounting software such as QuickBooks and Xero to avoid double data entry and manual input. You can also easily integrate your Amazon Businesses to pay invoices in a few clicks.
Pricing
Melio is free to use and offers transparent transaction fees. However, Melio charges you for each transaction, depending on the transaction option.
See the list below for Melio’s transaction charges:
- Mail check — $1.50 (first two are free)
- Pay by card — $2.9%
- Instant transfer — 1.5% (up to $50)
- Fast ACH bank transfer — $1% (up to $30)
- Fast check — $20
- International payments — $20 (flat fee)
Who’s It Best For
Melio is an excellent small business accounting alternative for small businesses looking for an easy and simple way to manage online payments.
Pros
- Clean, user-friendly interface for beginners
- Free to use and free ACH bank transfers
- Easily integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks
- Built-in payment tracking
Cons
- The system focuses mainly on payment
- International payments attract more charges
- It doesn’t manage tax preparation
10. NetSuite — Best for Complex Accounting Needs
| Free Trial | Free demo |
|---|---|
| Price From | Custom |
| Compatibility | Android and iOS |
| Top 3 Features | High Scalability, Customizable Reports & Analytics, Automated Tax Management |
Why We Picked It
Oracle NetSuite is more than accounting software; it’s a full enterprise resource management suite that covers customer relationship management, HR processes, and much more. NetSuite is designed to help improve financial control, close deals faster, and easily handle every financial aspect of your business. This accounting software greatly simplifies recording business transactions, managing payables, handling taxes, and generating financial reports.
Features Reviewed
- Automated Tax Management – NetSuite’s indirect tax management solution, SuiteTax, is an advanced tool that delivers end-to-end global tax management. This tool streamlines tax calculation, saves time, reduces error, and eliminates manual data entry.
- Customizable Reports & Analytics – SuiteAnalytics is the in-built analytics that gives you a real-time overview of your business’s operational and financial performance across all business functions. You can use the prebuilt template or customize it to suit your preferences.
- High Scalability – You can integrate a wide range of built-in tools with its online accounting software to monitor other business processes. Also, these tools are comprehensive enough to scale with your growing business.
Pricing
Oracle NetSuite charges its services based on your business-specific needs. As a result, it doesn’t offer public pricing plans. Your total annual subscription includes the main platform, optional modules, and the number of users.
In addition, you will need to start with a one-time implementation, which comes with a fee. You can contact Oracle NetSuite’s sales team to understand the cost of maintaining your business and start enjoying its feature-rich services. However, I recommend taking NetSuite’s free demo to understand its functionality.
Who’s It Best For
NetSuite is ideal for small businesses seeking comprehensive, scalable, cloud-based accounting software for business administration.
Pros
- Advanced automation and fully customizable
- Centralizes finance and business operations
- Real-time insights for making informed decisions
- Highly scalable to support business growth
Cons
- Complex to use
- Implementation is costly
- Pricing information is not publicly available
- The user interface could be more appealing and up-to-date
The Best Accounting Software for Small Business Compared
Take a look at the comparison table below, review the key details of the best small business accounting software, and see what they can offer your business:
| Software | FreshBooks | Zoho Books | Xero | QuickBooks | Wave | Sage | Bonsai | TurboTax | Melio | NetSuite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | SMEs | Most Affordable | Multi-User Small Businesses | Ecommerce and Retailers | Free Accounting Solution | Advanced Inventory Management | Self Employed and Freelancers | Filing Taxes | Easiest to Use | Complex Accounting Needs |
| Free Trial | 30-day free trial | Free plan and 14-day free trial | 30-day free trial | 30-day free trial | Free plan | 30-day free trial | 7-day free trial | Free to use | Free to use | Free demo |
| Starting Price | $19/month (60% off for 4 months) | $15/month | $15/month (Save 75% for 3 months) | $30/month (50% off for 3 months) | $16/month | $15/month | $21/month | Custom, between $0 – $129/tax filing | There is no monthly plan, but transaction fees | Custom |
| Payroll | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Tax Management | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Inventory management | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
How We Review and Test Accounting Products
To provide our readers with accurate and well-informed recommendations, we test the most popular accounting products on the market to find the best options for you. Our methodology consists of the following criteria:
- Features: We examine the features of each accounting software to determine what capabilities are offered- such as creating, editing, and deleting transactions.
- Compliance: We evaluate accounting software based on whether it offers local compliance when it comes to payroll, taxes, documentation, and more.
- Bank Reconciliation: We test the reconciliation process to ensure transactions match bank statements accurately.
- Multi-Currency Support: We verify the accuracy of currency conversions and transactions in multi-currency environments.
- User Experience: We get hands-on with each product and act as a new user, testing each platform to gain understanding if the platform is easy to use or not.
- Reporting and Documentation: We verify the accuracy of financial reports generated by the software such as balance sheets and income statements.
- Integrations: We evaluate the integrations of each piece of software to determine how well it fits in with other key pieces in a business’s software stack, and whether its functionality can be expanded as required.
- Audit Trails: We ensure the software maintains comprehensive audit trails for tracking changes made to financial data.
Benefits of Using Small Business Accounting Software
The benefits of using the best accounting software are countless for a business seeking a hands-off way to manage its financial processes accurately.
Below are the benefits attached to using accounting software designed for small businesses:
- Automation – Small businesses need software that can automate repetitive tasks like invoicing, payment, and finance monitoring to free up valuable time to focus on other business activities. Automation also improves productivity and business efficiency.
- Data Accuracy – Most accounting software supports data synchronization from different sources, which they seamlessly integrate with. This integration makes accessing and updating business information easy while eliminating manual data entry, which is prone to error.
- Tax Compliance – One of the automation accounting software offers is automated tax calculations, which helps you maintain tax accuracy and compliance with less paperwork. Also, accounting software keeps track of regulatory changes to ensure your tax calculation is up-to-date with tax laws.
- Data Security – Cyber risks can devastate your business; financial security is critical to its growth. As a result, accounting software ensures that your data is handled safely and properly using industry-standard security measures and other safety precautions.
- Accessibility – Manual financial recordkeeping limits data access and causes delays in company decision-making. On the other hand, modern accounting software is cloud-based, with some supporting mobile devices, giving access to accounting data from anywhere while simplifying remote work and multi-location administration.
- Business Management Tools Integration – With accounting software, you can integrate with other useful business tools such as inventory management, payment processors, and CRM systems or work in real-time with experts like accountants and tax specialists.
“When choosing accounting software a business must first assess its usability - it's not worth investing in a tool if people don't use the software. Price is also important. Unfortunately, many small business owners are a little stingy about this kind of software because it doesn't generate revenue. However, you have got to think about the value of your time. If you buy a certain accounting software and it saves you hours of time every month, you can figure out the ROI pretty easily.”
Which Transactions Do Accounting Services Support?
Accounting services support transactions such as accounts receivable, staff payment calculation, tax calculation and filing, outgoing payments, paying debts, invoicing, and account reporting.
Accounting software helps small businesses document every transaction mentioned above automatically to keep track of their finances and provide insights into their business performance. They also provide businesses with useful templates for invoicing, proposals, and more.
Accounting Software Features and Capabilities
All online bookkeeping software includes the same basic features to ensure compliance with regulations and local tax laws. These include:
To learn more, check out our guide on the 8 steps of the accounting cycle.
How Much Does Accounting Software Cost?
Accounting software costs vary depending on many factors, such as the complexity of the software, users’ needs, the number of users, and the duration of usage. However, you can budget between $15 and $50 monthly for accounting software.
If you seek a very low-cost option, consider the paid options of some popular free accounting apps. This is because many free accounting software may cost less than $15 with their paid plans. On the other hand, choosing free accounting software solely because of its low cost may not be a good consideration. This is because free software has many limitations and cannot scale with your growing business.
How to Choose The Best Online Accounting Software
Choosing business accounting software is a critical decision-making process. As a result, you should consider several factors that align with your business operations before choosing one.
Below are critical elements to consider when choosing business accounting software.
Consider your business’s continuous spending capacity on software. Then, weigh the features in the accounting tools and determine your must-haves and non-negotiables, including features you’re willing to compromise on.
Select accounting software that seamlessly integrates with business apps you will need to use, such as CRM systems, payment gateways, e-commerce platforms, etc. This helps you transform your accounting tools into a powerhouse
Carefully check what devices and operating systems the software is compatible with. For example, the best accounting software for Mac might not be compatible with Windows or might not offer a mobile application.
Choose a platform that’s easy to use and navigate. You don’t want to spend too much time figuring out how it works rather than getting a job done, all because the learning curve is too steep.
While all common accounting software offers major features businesses need, you need to map out your business’s unique key features. Examples of features are expense and time tracking, invoices, payroll services, multi-currency support, and reliable integrations.
Accounting software for small business owners isn’t something you will use for a month; it’s a long-term investment. Based on your projected growth, you should look for a solution that will grow with you and your business in terms of users, features, and more.
Determine how many employees your business will need to use the accounting software and if you plan to scale up. That is because some accounting programs allow unlimited users (great for growing businesses) or have a maximum limit.
Evaluate how the software stores data, its security measures and standards to ensure your financial data is safe.
You need automation to save valuable time for other business activities. Ensure your chosen accounting software offers automation to avoid spending time on recurring business finance activities.
A reliable customer support team is essential in case of hiccups. Ensure the chosen provider offers easily accessible support, preferably through 24/7 live chat.
