There are so many applications to choose from if you want to start a small business. Some people will recommend to start with WordPress or any other platform because it’s free and environment is easy. They may be right, but the problem is that you won’t be able to expand your business because you might struggle setting up a website. You need a professional solution that can help you organize your life as an entrepreneur.
We have tested all popular free accounting software and listed the top 10 here. The best part? This article is going to be free, no tricks!
ZipBooks
Pricing: Free; More Robust Features Starting at $15/month
With ZipBooks, you get invoicing and billing features such as auto-billing and payment reminders to decrease your admin work. You can also utilize their competitive intelligence to make data-driven decisions about your finances.
Best for an Exceptional UX
One of ZipBooks’ biggest draws is its best-in-class user experience. Its straightforward, color-coded interface offers accessibility without sacrificing powerful functionality. If your business is looking for a solution that gets the job done without being overly elaborate, check out ZipBooks.
Holded
Pricing: Free Plans Available
Holded is a robust solution that offers accounting, invoicing, project, and inventory features — among several others. It lets you connect your bank, reconcile transactions, automatically classify entries, and manage it all in your ledger.
Best for Businesses Interested in an All-in-One Business Management Software
If you want an all-in-one business management software, Holded might be for you. Its suite of features is extensive — at least partially covering invoicing, accounting, payroll, project management, and inventory.
It also boasts an impressive list of integrations, so if you’re interested in a solution that can impact your business across the board, consider leveraging Holded.
Best Customer Support: FreshBooks
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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.
DEAR Systems
Pricing: Starts at $249/Month
DEAR Systems offers a centralized platform that covers virtually every aspect of your business — from purchasing to warehouse management to job costing. That broad array of tools includes a robust suite of accounting features that can help any small business streamline processes like data entry and syncing invoices.
The platform’s accounting element also seamlessly integrates with other applications like Xero and Quickbooks — with additional resources that allow for real-time visibility into your financial data.
Best for Businesses Trying to Cover All Their Bases — Not Just Accounting
As I mentioned, the DEAR systems platform can touch several aspects of your company’s operations — making for a steeper price tag than most other solutions on this list.
If you’re solely in the market for a small business accounting software, this one might not be up your alley. But if you’re looking for a one-stop, comprehensive solution for virtually all your business needs — accounting included — this could be the platform for you.
Most comprehensive DIY software: QuickBooks
Intuit QuickBooks Online is used by thousands of small businesses, and for good reason. This cloud-based software has a robust set of features that can be easily accessed online or through its mobile app.
QuickBooks’ features include:
- Invoicing and payments, receipt capture and expense tracking, mileage tracking, cash flow and inventory management, and more. Features vary depending on which plan you choose.
- The ability to add additional users including your employees or your accountant to your account and manage their access.
- Forums and online training resources to get you up to speed on the right way to use this tool.
- Integrations with QuickBooks Payroll, as well as third-party apps like Square, Stripe, and PayPal.
Depending on the features you need, you’ll want one of QuickBooks’ four monthly plans:
- Simple Start – $25 per month for basic features such as income and expense tracking, invoicing, general reports, and sales and sales tax tracking.
- Essentials – $50 per month for everything in Simple Start, plus up to three users, time tracking, and bill pay.
- Plus – $80 per month for everything in Essentials, plus up to five users, inventory tracking, and project profitability tracking.
- Advanced – $180 per month for advanced features, including up to 25 users, automation, a dedicated accounts team, and exclusive premium apps.
QuickBooks Online is a great place to start if you want to streamline your bookkeeping and accounting.
Best free option: Wave Accounting
If you’re a freelancer or a service business that doesn’t need inventory management or payroll-related features, Wave Accounting may be a good option for you. You can access Wave’s free accounting software either online or on the mobile app, and give your accountant easy access to your reports at year-end.
Features of Wave Accounting include:
- Income and expense tracking, financial reporting including profit and loss statements, invoicing, and receipt scanning.
- Premium add-ons such as payment processing, payroll, and payroll taxes.
- The ability to add unlimited partners, collaborators, or accountants.
- Unlimited bank account and credit card connections.
- Integrations with Stripe, Shopify, HubSpot’s CRM, and more.
Besides the free accounting features, Wave offers additional paid features as follows:
- Payment Processing – 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for Visa, Mastercard, Discover; 3.4% + 30¢ per transaction for American Express; 1% ($1 minimum fee) per ACH bank payment.
- Payroll – $20 or $35 monthly base fee (depending on what state your business operates in) + $6 per active employee and $6 per independent contractor paid.
Wave offers a nice balance for those who want to keep accounting costs low while still having access to additional features if needed.
Best for ecommerce businesses: GoDaddy
Did you know that besides web hosting and website creation solutions, GoDaddy also offers accounting software? It’s incredibly user-friendly, with setup taking mere minutes and zero accounting knowledge required.
The features of GoDaddy’s online bookkeeping software include:
- Estimates, one-time and recurring invoices, payment acceptance through your mobile device, mileage and time tracking, and business reports such as profit and loss statements.
- Syncing to Amazon, Etsy, eBay, PayPal, and other ecommerce business accounts.
GoDaddy offers three straightforward monthly plans:
- Get Paid – $4.99 per month for invoicing, estimates, payments, time tracking, mileage tracking, and the current year’s business reports.
- Essentials – $9.99 per month for everything in Get Paid, plus unlimited business reports, tax worksheets, and automatic sales and transaction imports.
- Premium – $14.99 per month for everything in Essential, plus the option to create and send recurring invoices.
While it doesn’t offer features such as payroll management or advanced automation, GoDaddy is a great option if you’re an ecommerce seller.
Conclusion
Why you need accounting software? First, if you are a Business owner, accounting software will help you to manage your business activities more easily. It’s not so easy to handle your expenses, payroll or billing system without accounting software. You may consider several factors while choosing the best accounting software for yourself.