Small Business Accounting Software is an obvious need for small and medium sized organizations but it’s hard to find the best accounting software. I created this online comparison guide to help you easily find, evaluate, compare and choose the best accounting software solutions on the market today. Please use it as your map if you are doing a research before buying it.
Small Business Accounting Software is what allows you to do your business. This software allows you to keep track of Inventory, Employees, Accounts for all customers and a host of other financial statistics that are important in keeping any business going. We want to make sure that you find the right accounting software for your business.
Zoho Books Accounting Software: Best for Microbusinesses
Zoho Books Accounting SoftwareZoho Books has apps for popular operating systems and devices – including Apple, Android and Windows – allowing you to send invoices, reconcile accounts, and accept payments on the go.Through Xero, you can track and manage bills and vendor credits.Xero has a limit of 5,000 transactions per month, which isn’t enough for some businesses.VISIT SITE
Microbusinesses need simple accounting software, and that’s where Zoho Books comes in. Zoho Books offers all of the basic features that microbusinesses need, as well as advanced tools such as project billing and time tracking. It also has integrations, so you can continue using the software as your business grows. We selected Zoho Books as the best accounting application for microbusinesses because of its simplicity and value.
Editor’s score: 8.75/10
With its Apple, Android and Windows mobile apps, Zoho Books makes it easy for business owners to send invoices and manage their books on the go. There are even dedicated apps for the Apple Watch and Android smartwatches. The ability to create and send invoices from the app means that, as soon as you finish a job, you can bill a client, instead of waiting to get back to the office.
When you use simple accounting software, you don’t want an outdated user interface or features that are so basic you can’t glean important business insights from the data. That’s what makes Zoho Books stand out: While the platform is easy to use, it doesn’t lack features, and the interface is modern and sleek. It can also speed up many business processes via automation, which is a nice time-saving feature.
You can set recurring invoices and send automatic payment reminders, and if you link your payment processor with Zoho Books, you can accept payments in invoices. You can automate reporting, too; Zoho Books lets you schedule when to run reports and then automatically emails them to you.
Another feature that sets Zoho Books apart from its rivals is the company’s client portal, a website your customers can visit to view invoices, make comments and pay online. This is a particularly helpful feature for businesses that work closely with their clients on projects. If you want feedback from your customers, you can set up the portal to allow them to review your services.
Zoho also has its own suite of integrated business apps, including customer relationship management (CRM) software, email marketing and social media marketing solutions, spreadsheet editors, and other productivity tools. Like its competitors, Zoho Books integrates with third-party productivity apps and business solutions, including Google apps, the Square point-of-sale (POS) system, several credit card processors, and tax services Tax1099 and Avalara. It also has a Zapier integration, which allows you to connect to more than 1,000 third-party apps. With all those features and services, it’s easy to see why Zoho Books is our pick for the best accounting software for microbusinesses.
September 2021: Aiming to help small business owners as they emerge from the pandemic, Zoho made its Zoho Invoice platform free to its customers. In addition to sending bills, the software lets you track time, manage project billing, and access more than 30 features and tools to help you get paid and collect past-due bills.
Express Accounts
Bookkeeping Software Free NCH Express Accounts
The free bookkeeping software is Express Accounts. It is only available free now for non-commercial home use.
It is compatible with Windows 10, XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1, on 64 bit Windows, Mac OS X 10.5 or above.
What you get with Express Accounts
- Cash book – enter payments and receipts.
- Bank reconciliation – import a CEV download of your bank statement for automated matching of transactions (payments and receipts). Produce a report.
- Make journal entries.
- Chart of accounts that you can streamline to your business.
- Ability to create customer cards, sales invoices, and monitoring of payments.
- Inventory items that can be included on sales invoices.
- A whole range of reports including income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, receivables, trial balance… and a lot more.
- The option to include sales tax (GST, VAT etc) at the percentage rate you chose.
- Online help
- The option to upgrade (at a cost) to a more advanced bookkeeping suite.
Click on the graphic below which will take you to the NCH homepage containing the bookkeeping software free download link – as seen in the graphic.
Go to NCH Express Accounts Software
Click on ‘download the free accounting software version here’ and it will download the set up assistant for placing this software onto your computer.
Once you are setup and ready to go, enter the program by clicking on the icon on your desktop which should like something like this:
If you cannot find the icon you may need to add it to your desktop by searching for it in your computer’s list of programs for NCH Software, right clicking on Express Accounts, selecting ‘Send to..’ and choosing ‘Desktop (shortcut).
When you are in Express Accounts a message might come up asking you to certify that you have less than five employees.
If you have more than five employees, click on the box for the commercial license. This prompt might only show up after you have been using it the program a short while.
To learn how to use the software you can access the help guide by clicking on the question mark on the top right – see red circle on graphic below.
Bookkeeping Software Free Express Accounts Home Page
Bokio For UK Businesses
Bokio Bookkeeping software is for small businesses in the United Kingdom.
Their software is compliant with Making Tax Digital and it’s mobile friendly.
Creating a user account is fast and easy.
What You Get with Bokio Accounting
- After signing-up for your free account you will be emailed a downloadable handbook called Introduction to Accounting in Bokio which explains how to get started with your bookkeeping and all the things that come with it such as double-entry bookkeeping, chart of accounts and much, much more.
- You can access a Help center from your user account and you can contact Bokio directly for help.
- You can track VAT if you are registered and use the software to file your digital tax return.
- Create and send invoices to customers with a few clicks and receive notifications for overdue invoices. They can be sent by email or downloaded as a PDF. You can also manage credit invoices.
- Enter and track bills from suppliers so that you are never late again to pay (so long as you have the funds in your bank account!)
- Scan and Upload receipts from your phone so you always have a copy of your receipt within the system (rather than have them floating around in your bag!).
- You can see and manage all the ledgers which is specifically helpful for reconciling your bank account ledger (make sure it balances with your actual bank account).
- See important business reports such as the Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet.
- A to-do list is auto updated to help you keep on track with payments.
- Give access to your Accountant or employees.
The above features are all completely free but for £10 a month you can get priority support.
What You Don’t Get with Bokio
- They do not provide a live feed from your bank account so transactions will not be automatically added to your bookkeeping records.
- There is no payroll feature.
- You cannot keep a fixed asset register or multi-currency bank accounts.
- VAT cannot be filed without Making Tax Digital.
Bokio are continuously working behind the scenes and you can be added to their email list to be notified when any new features are integrated.
An interesting alternative to Bokio is the free accounting software called QuickFile. It is MTD compatible, has bank feeds, sales invoicing, rich reports and much more.
Freshbooks
Best all-rounder for small businesses
TODAY’S BEST DEALSFreshBooks LiteUS$15/mthFreshBooks PlusUS$25/mthFreshBooks PremiumUS$50/mthVISIT SITEat FreshBooks
REASONS TO BUY
+User-friendly interface+Plenty of depth and features+Integrates with many popular services
REASONS TO AVOID
-Too many features for some-Complex features need time-More costs for more features
FreshBooks is a popular cloud-based accounting service designed specifically for small business owners.
The package has plenty of features – invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, a host of business reports, even an option to take credit card payments – and a straightforward interface aimed at non-accountants ensures you’ll be up-and-running right away.
Despite the simplicity, there’s real depth here. You can bill in any currency, save time by setting up recurring invoices, allow customers to pay via credit card by checking a box, and even automatically bill their credit card to keep life simple for everyone.
If you need more power, the system integrates with many other services, including PayPal, MailChimp, Basecamp, WordPress, Gusto, Zendesk and more. Advertisement
Management hassles are kept to a minimum. You’re able to access and use the system from your desktop or its free iOS and Android apps, and because it’s a cloud-based system there’s no need to worry about backups.
If this sounds appealing, you can try FreshBooks for 30 days without using a credit card.
Read our FreshBooks review.
FreshBooks – Best all round accounting software for SMBs
FreshBooks comes packed with great features that allow you to get on top of all your cloud-based accounting and invoicing needs. Business owners will find it easy to use, even if you’re short on accountancy or bookkeeping skills. With an intuitive interface and competitive pricing options this accountancy package can also be used from just about any location and via any kind of device. Now with 50% off for 3 months.
Conclusion
You need a small business accounting software that will simplify your paperwork and give you powerful tools to organize your business. We’ve looked at top-rated small business accounting software applications and narrowed the list to programs worthy of your consideration. Each one is a solid accounting software package offering its own unique strengths, but depending on the size of your business, one may be the best option for you.