As a Mac user, you may not know about one of the best free online accounting software. Mac version takes the earlier software and offers it for Mac users at no cost, and also comes with top features. The program is easy to use and provides you with the opportunity to increase your business productivity and efficiency in managing your finances, and think about other important aspects of your business.
Thanks to the Mac and Mac OS X operating system’s stability and security features, Mac has taken over the PC market. If you are a Mac user and want to manage your business better then picking an accounting software for mac os is a logical choice.
AccountEdge
If you prefer locally-installed software (software that’s downloaded and installed on your Mac), look no further than AccountEdge. This software is comparable to QuickBooks Desktop but is available for Mac users. The good news is that AccountEdge boasts a robust set of features. On the downside, though, learning and navigating the software can be tricky, especially for accounting software newbies.
AccountEdge offers everything you’d expect in accounting software, including invoicing, estimates, journal entries, charts of accounts, expense tracking, job costing, and inventory tracking. Some users may be disappointed in limited invoice customizations and a serious lack of integrations (just six!). Customer support is also a bit lacking, and phone support is only available for an extra cost. However, despite these limitations and drawbacks, AccountEdge has an overall positive public reputation with Mac users. A PC version is also available, as well as a mobile app for accounting on the go.
AccountEdge Pro for Mac users is priced at $15/month for the first license and $10/month for additional licenses. Payroll, phone support, implementation, and data conversion are available at an additional cost.
Pros
- Competitively priced
- Advanced accounting features
- Good mobile app
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Limited integrations
FreshBooks
For small and medium sized businesses or personal users that are seeking a seamless solution for their payment, invoicing and payroll management needs, FreshBooks is one of the best and simplest solutions. This accounting software package is suitable both for on-premises accounting applications and cloud-based versions of business’s accounting functions. It has many web-based features including electronic payment, remote payroll facilitation, online banking and reconciliation, and mapping features. The versions from 2008 onwards also allow you to import data to Excel spreadsheets so you can generate custom reports more easily.
Pros:
- Includes basic functions
- Low Cost
- Easy to use interface
- Flexible with third party applications
Cons:
- Lack of advanced business-specific features
- Double entries and keying errors
- File size issues
Xero
Xero’s sleek dashboard and easy-on-the eyes software are fantastic entry points for simplicity-loving Mac users. But its features are where Xero absolutely excels. Each plan—including the cheapest, $11 a month—offers these key features:
- Inventory management
- Sales tax tracking, customization, and reporting
- Invoices
- Online payment acceptance
- Automatic bank reconciliation
- Detailed, customizable reporting
Most importantly, though, Xero makes collaboration easy: each plan includes unlimited users at no additional cost. Xero also integrates with over 800 third-party accounting and payroll apps—more than any other accounting service provider, even Quickbooks.
If you take payments from customers across the globe, though, Xero’s online accounting software might not work for you. Only its priciest plan includes multi-currency acceptance. And Xero’s cheapest plan limits you to just 5 bills and 20 invoices a month. That’ll work for freelancers but not for small-business owners with a bigger client base, who should scale up to the $32 a month Growing plan for unlimited invoices.
ZipBooks
ZipBooks is a relatively new accounting software company that provides both paid and free Mac accounting software. One of the main advantages of ZipBooks is that it requires minimal setup, unlike other industry accounting software that needs specialized configurations. ZipBooks offers a unique feature that lets you create a public mini-website created using graphs and data. The feature is optional and free but is useful to expand your online presence. ZipBooks also integrates with Gusto payroll.
Another useful thing about ZipBooks is that it lets users review your business and services and then share it on Google, Facebook, or Yelp.
› HIGHLIGHTING FEATURES
• Business health score
• Vendor and inventory management
• Credit card processing
• Bank reconciliation
• Accounting, budgeting, and expenses reports
› KEY BENEFITS OF ZIPBOOKS
• View the health score of your business with a business intelligence tool
• Manage your vendors and inventory seamlessly. Get notified when the products need restocking.
• ZipBooks accept credit cards for seamless and cashless payments.
• Import your bank’s statement using the bank reconciliation feature.
› PRICING
• Starter- The starter plan is entirely free. Allows unlimited invoices and accepting digital payments.
• Smarter- Starts at $15/month. Allows automated reminders, recurring invoices, and everything included in the starter plan.
• Sophisticated- Starts at $35/month. Includes features such as smart tagging, customized categories, securing complicated books, and everything included in the smarter plan.
Sage Business Cloud Accounting
New to the business world and not sure how to start tracking your finances? Sage Business Cloud Accounting’s Start plan costs just $10 a month and offers essentials like bank reconciliation and professional invoicing. Its well-reviewed iOS app syncs across Apple Watches, iPads, and iPhones.
The $25-a-month plan adds services like inventory management, cash flow forecasting, and receipt scanning. It also offers unlimited users, so if you value collaboration but don’t care for Xero, Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a solid alternative. Most notably, both cloud-based accounting solutions include 24/7 chat support and free trainings on account setup. That’s eons beyond the customer support you’ll get from most other accounting software companies.
But even Sage’s pricier plan is pretty basic: it doesn’t have enough features to compete with Xero, FreshBooks, or QuickBooks. Plus, industry standard perks like receipt scanning are free for only three months with Sage. After that, scanning and storing receipts costs an additional fee.
Zoho Books
Zoho Books is an excellent choice for businesses with international clients, as it offers international invoicing — something you won’t find with most accounting software. Even if you don’t sell internationally, though, Zoho Books has ample accounting features, solid customer service, and competitive pricing that may make this the right accounting software for your business.
Zoho Books is cloud-based software that will run smoothly on your Mac. Zoho Books is comparable to QuickBooks Online with its invoicing, inventory management, expense tracking, mileage tracking, and tax support. Where Zoho Books falls short is with its lack of a budgeting feature, no payroll, and just over 30 integrations. For many users, though, the ease of use, exceptional customer support, and competitive pricing are more than enough to make this a top pick among small business owners.
Zoho Books has three pricing plans ranging from $20/month to $70/month. Signing up for the yearly plan helps cut down the price even further.
Pros
- Competitive pricing
- Easy to use
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- No payroll
- No budgeting
- Limited integrations
FreeAgent
FreeAgent is a particularly handy software that enables SME’s to set up recurring invoices and automated reminders to keep on track of accounts ‘hands-free’. The expense tracking feature helps users to track their spending by taking pictures of their receipts and uploading them to FreeAgent so they can be automatically processed. This means that you don’t have to put in the legwork of processing receipts yourself. Likewise, near tax time, sole traders and limited company directors can submit tax returns in a single click. In addition, SMEs will benefit from the overhead view of their accounts and automatic bank feeds, enabling users to import bank transactions directly.
Pros:
- Simple and effective dashboard system
- Automated Receipt Processing
- Fast one click tax returns
- Real time view of cash flow
Cons:
- Core functionality is limited
- Inventory tracking is confusing
- Doesn’t have the capacity to support larger businesses
Conclusion:
Recent technological advancement and the great competition between electronic and paper based accounting services and software, more and more people are considering moving to cloud based accounting software according to the fact that it is cheaper and easy to use. Cloud based accounting software will be an alternative designed to assist you with any type of business if you don’t want to deal with the bulk of paperwork.