There is a lot of accounting software out there and there is an accounting program for every business type. But which one is the best accounting software for small business? The answer may surprise you. There are many businesses today that don’t need an accounting software package installed locally on their network.
Here are the best softwares for small business with no employees.
ZarMoney
Price: Starts at $15/Month
ZarMoney is an all-in-one solution with an impressive list of features. It covers virtually every accounting process your business has to stay on top of — including productivity, advanced inventory, and reporting.
With payment models that can accommodate everyone from individual entrepreneurs to small businesses to large enterprises, you should have no problem finding a plan that works for you.
Best for Businesses Looking for a Solution That Grows With Them
ZarMoney’s pricing model operates on a sliding scale that incrementally adjusts with every individual user you need to add at a reasonable price. That structure can work for businesses growing at any rate. If you’re in the market for a solution that will keep pace with you as you scale, check out ZarMoney.
Best Small Business Accounting Software Overall: QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online | Visit SiteRead our Review |
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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.
Get Started with QuickBooks Online
Best Invoicing & Mobile Apps: Zoho Books
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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.
QuickBooks Online – $15 to $50/month
Why you should buy this:
The main reason you might consider buying QuickBooks Online is that it handles well, and most accountants are familiar with how it works. So using it makes sense if you’re hiring an accountant to do your books.
QuickBooks has been around a long time, and the software has only gotten better over the years. The online version is easy enough to navigate intuitively, but it would behoove you to take advantage of the online support or, at the very least, watch some YouTube videos where users demo the software for you using screencasting software.
Who is it for:
QuickBooks Online is great for small business owners who need premium business accounting software. If you’ve already used QuickBooks in the past, say the desktop version of QuickBooks, you may want to upgrade to the online version. The online version gives you access from anywhere, plus you get access to the faster loading Android and iOS mobile apps.
Why we picked it:
We picked QuickBooks as our second choice for the best accounting software for small businesses because of its longevity in the marketplace and its accountant-friendly features.
Price Breakdown:
Each pricing tier is available for 50% off for three months if you purchase a plan without a 30-day trial.
Self-Employed ($7.50 to $15 per month)
- Import and sort transactions
- Ability to take photos of receipts with the mobile app
- Quarterly tax estimation
- Basic profit and loss, expense, and balance sheet reports
- Mileage tracking with smartphone GPS
Simple Start ($12.50 to $25 per month)
- Import and sort transactions
- Custom invoices
- Tracking for invoice statuses and payment reminders
- Accountant access features
- Profit and loss, expense, and balance sheet reports
- Dashboard to track cash flow and reporting
- Ability to take photos of receipts with the mobile app
- Mileage tracking with smartphone GPS
- Cash flow management up to 90 days in advance of transactions
- Credit card payments with mobile card reader or other apps
- Integration with ecommerce platforms like Shopify
- Automatic tax calculations
- Customized estimates
- Mobile signatures
- 1099 contractor management, including preparation and filing
Essentials ($20 to $40 per month)
- All features in the Simple Start package
- User-access levels and separate sign-ins for three users
- Bill management and online payment options
- Time-tracking for employee time and billable client hours
- Integration with QuickBooks Time
Plus ($35 to $70 per month)
- All features in the Simple Start and Essentials packages
- User-access levels and separate sign-ins for five users
- Inventory tracking, payments, and vendor management
- Syncs with platforms like Amazon and Etsy
- Project profitability tracking
Advanced ($75 to $150 per month)
- All features in the Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus packages
- User-access levels and separate sign-ins for 25 users
- KPI tracking and analysis tools from Fathom
- Ability to create presentation reports and track individual performances
- Customized user access
- Integration with LeanLaw, HubSpot, DocuSign, Bill.com, and Salesforce
- 24/7 support integration with Priority Circle (separate membership)
- Free online training courses and webinars
- Workflow automation
- Company data restoration
- Task management
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Perfect for those familiar with QuickBooks Desktop
- Popular accounting software for small businesses (over 4 million customers)
- Integrates with hundreds of third-party apps
- Cloud-based so you can use it anywhere
- Accountant-friendly software
Cons:
- The online version is not as robust as the QuickBooks Desktop version
- Customer support is lacking with long wait times
- Necessary add-ons and integrations (e.g., payroll, etc.) are expensive, making the software seem overpriced when compared to other small business accounting software options
Customer Service:
Unfortunately, QuickBooks has a 1.4 out of 5 star Trustpilot rating, which raises some concerns. However, the Android mobile app has a 4 out of 5 star rating on Google. And, even better, the Apple iOS App rates QuickBooks 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Conclusion
Do you own a very small business? Are you looking for best accounting software for small business? I have tried many accounting software, but only one is easy to use, affordable, and efficient. It can help me save both time and money.