It may feel like a bad idea to use free small business accounting software when you’re first starting with your small business books. Many people believe that the cheapest option for business software will leave them out in the cold. However, free small business accounting software is available. And these days, there’s not a strong reason to spend money on expensive programs.
If you have a small business, chances are you have accounting tasks on your to-do list. And as a business owner, you probably know that one of the most important accounting tools is accounting software. Accounting software allows you to track expenses, keep financial records, and build reports based on your data. This post will teach you everything you need to know about accounting software for small business.
Deskera Books
» Why You Should Buy This:
Deskera Books is an all-in-one solution that can change the way you operate your business, making it more organized. It is not only an online accounting system but also doubles up as your go-to invoicing and inventory software. It includes every possible feature that you may need to streamline your accounts as a business owner.
With Deskera Books, you can manage your orders and sales, as well as monitor the inventory levels in real-time. The software makes it easy to create quotations, invoices, manage receipts and payments, and still adhere to all the compliance needs. You may rely on its accurate reporting functions to refrain from making any decision that does not seem viable financially.
» Who Is It For:
Deskera Books serves a variety of users with its robust features and different plans. It suits the distinct needs of start-ups, small to medium-sized and growing businesses, as well as established professionals. Thus, no matter if your accounting needs are limited or complex, the system has a piece to offer to every kind of user bracket.
The software is especially helpful for businesses that are just starting out or are small businesses. It automates and systematizes your books without you having to hire an accountant.
» Why We Picked It:
We chose Deskera Books for the abundance of features it packs into its single solution. Right from tracking and managing inventory to seamless bank reconciliation to sales and order management, you get everything at the tip of your fingers. What’s more, the system offers multiple currencies, making it even simpler for businesses to carry out accounting for foreign currency transactions.
Plus, it automates your journal entries and makes it swifter to move funds between accounts. Since it is based on the traditional double-entry accounting system, it becomes easy to get the hang of things. You can issue credit notes, track expenses and deposits, and leverage the dashboard to gain an overall idea of your current financial state. A dedicated mobile app for both iOS and Android acts as a cherry on the cake.
» Pricing Details:
Deskera’s accounting software is available in four varying plans as follows:
› The Startup plan costs around 14.65 USD per user/month
› The Essential plan costs around $33.31/user/month
› The Professional plan costs around $53.31/user/month
› The Enterprise plan comes in at a custom pricing
You can also go for the 15-day trial for your preferred plan before making a purchase.
» Pros and Cons:
Pros:
› Easy to set up and get started
› Simplified data imports
› Compliance with standard financial and tax laws
› Support to multiple currencies
› Unparalleled accuracy in business books and financial reporting
› Integration with more than 2000 apps
› End-to-end handling of purchase and sales transactions, along with inventory management
› Quick & easy to sync with bank accounts
› Anywhere access and a dedicated mobile app
› Saves time, money and resources with automation
Cons:
› Quite expensive as its pricing increases with the number of users
» Reviews & Ratings:
It has garnered a lot of amazing reviews from its varying set of users for the powerful features it offers.
OnPay
Pricing: Starts at $36/month plus an additional $4/user
OnPay can help you automate tax filings, enter payment data, and manage benefits including compensation insurance, health insurance, and 401(k). It also offers unlimited payroll runs for W-2 and 1099 workers.
And, OnPay can estimate your payroll taxes, manage tax form filings, and even pay your taxes. A bonus here? They’ll also take responsibility for any tax filing errors committed while using the product.
Best for Businesses Looking for a Payroll-Centric Solution
OnPay’s area of expertise is reflected in its name. If you’re a small- to medium-sized business that needs help streamlining payroll and entering payment data, you might consider investing in OnPay. That’s not to say the rest of its features aren’t impressive — it’s just to say that the solution fits businesses interested in a payroll-centric solution particularly well.
Intuit QuickBooks Online
Pricing: Starts at $12.50/month
Intuit Quickbooks might be the first resource that comes to mind when you hear the term, “small business accounting software” — and for good reason. Beyond its first-rate suite of capabilities, the program sets itself apart with elements like receipt capture and 24/7 chat support.
It also features integrations with PayPal, Shopify, and Square. Taken together, those components — among several others — make Quickbooks a crowd-pleasing small business accounting software.
All plans allow you to track income and expenses, send invoices and receive payments, run reports, send estimates, track sales and taxes, and capture and organize receipts. More advanced plans allow you to track inventory, track time, and even run full-service payroll.
Best for Businesses Looking for a Tried-and-True Option
Intuit Quickbooks is one of the most (if not the most) prominent accounting software for small businesses. It’s been around long enough for you to have a solid idea of what you’re getting when you invest in it — an accessible, affordable, time-tested solution that can suit a company of virtually any size. If you’re looking for a safe choice that reconciles reliability with exceptional functionality, consider looking into Intuit Quickbooks.
Pabbly
Pricing: Starts at $9/month
Pabbly Subscription Billing is a recurring and subscription management software for small to medium-sized businesses. This software provides real-time actionable metrics on your monthly payments, revenue, net revenue, active customers, and new subscriptions. It also automates all your business workflows, customer communication, and invoice creation so you can focus on your business growth.
Best for Businesses Looking for a Reliably Fixed Pricing Model
One of Pabbly’s key selling points is its subscription billing model. It’s one of the only software on this list that doesn’t charge any extra fees on the basis of per-transaction and monthly revenue generation. That kind of consistency — paired with it’s first-rate functionality — make Pabbly a solid option.
Zoho Books
Zoho Books assists you with everything from daily transactions to negotiating deals and invoicing.
Like all Zoho tools, you get a simple platform that you can customize to fit your needs. There’s not a huge learning curve, despite the fact you can do a lot.
The small business software ensures tax compliance as well. You’ll easily understand your tax liability. You’ll also be able to prepare for audits in accordance with IRS guidelines.
I like the Zoho Books dashboard because it’s straightforward and easy to use. This is true whether you are on a desktop or your mobile phone.
Navigate through the most common accounting needs like:
- Inventory
- Banking
- Reports
- Receivables
- Payables
Zoho Books integrates with 40+ apps right out of the box. Similar to FreshBooks, the number of apps is a bit low compared to the competition; but the essentials are available.
In addition to the features, pricing for Zoho Books is based on the number of contacts on your account. Contacts are defined as customers and vendors who you can create transactions for in your books.
Here’s a brief overview of the three pricing plans:
Basic — $9 per month
- Up to 50 contacts
- 2 users
- 5 automatic workflows
Standard — $19 per month
- Up to 500 contacts
- 3 users
- 10 automated workflows
Professional — $29 per month
- 500+ contacts
- 10 users
- 10 automated workflows
All plans come with bank reconciliation, expense tracking, customer invoicing, recurring transactions, sales approval, and timesheets.
The Basic plan is good — especially if you’re a smaller business. Other beginner plans that I’ve seen in this guide start as low as five contacts.
Overall, the Standard plan is the best value. In addition to the larger contacts list, it also comes with billing, vendor credits, purchase approvals, reporting tags, budgeting features, and Twilio integration.
It’s easily scalable though. That means if your business grows, the software grows with you.
You can add users to any plan for an additional $2 per month or $20 per year.
Zoho Books has a 14-day free trial available for all plans. They offer month-to-month billing at the prices listed above, or annual contracts with two months free.
Sage 50cloud
For nearly four decades, the Sage brand has been providing enterprise-grade accounting solutions to companies across the globe. Sage 50cloud is an ideal solution for both small and medium-sized businesses.
The software is robust and sophisticated. It’s desktop software with remote access from anywhere.
Sage 50cloud has inventory management, accounts receivable functionality, report generation, and integrated payroll features. It’s great for small businesses that need multi-user access.
The security capabilities allow you to restrict access or limit functions to users in your company based on their clearance level or task description.
Sage has been around for a while, and it shows (not always in the best way). The user interface looks dated compared to other solutions on the market today. It doesn’t have any features for time tracking and lots of links open new windows, which isn’t very user-friendly.
Pricing for Sage 50cloud is a bit higher compared to other options on my list:
- Pro Accounting — $50.58 per month
- Premium Accounting — $78.21 per month
- Quantum Accounting — $197.55 per month
Prices will increase based on the number of users you add. You can also include Microsoft Office 365 for an additional $150 per year.
These price points aren’t as appealing for entrepreneurs, sole proprietors, and startups. I’d only consider Sage 50cloud as a medium-sized business that needs the resources and assistance of a company like Sage.
I’d also recommend an annual contract to save some money on the already high prices.
Wave
Wave is a free accounting solution for entrepreneurs. That’s right—free. There are no set up fees, hidden costs, or monthly charges.
Here’s a list of everything you get for free using Wave:
- Income and expense tracking
- Bank and credit card connections
- Unlimited guest collaborators
- Invoicing in any currency
- Send estimates and turn them into invoices once approved
- Receipt scanning
- Automatic receipt recording
Use the Wave mobile app to manage everything you need on the go. You can even capture receipts when you’re offline, and they’ll upload when you connect.
You can manage multiple businesses with one Wave account, which is perfect for any entrepreneur. Personalize your invoices with customizable and professional templates as well.
The usability, features, and mobile app rival some of the best paid accounting solutions on the market today. The fact that you can use Wave for free is incredible.
You’ll only have to pay if you enable online payments or payroll with Wave.
Online payments are billed per use, at industry-competitive rates. ACH transfers are 1% per transaction with a $1 minimum fee. Credit card processing is 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
Payroll starts at $20 or $30 per month, depending on your state. You’ll also be charged an additional $4 per active employee and $4 per contractor paid.
Overall, Wave is perfect for entrepreneurs looking for a basic accounting solution. It’s pretty limited outside of the standard features. Both the app and payroll integrations aren’t as useful as other solutions on my list.
Conclusion:
Accounting software has become a no-brainer for many small business owners. Manually keeping track of all your financial information can be a time-consuming task, and if done improperly, can have you spending more time on the bookwork then actually running your business. Whether you are just starting up a new business or running a successful small business, there comes a time when you need to look at accounting software to help you manage your finances.