Small business accounting software is a must for any small business owner to have. If you have no accounting software in place, you risk losing track of your finances and giving your money away to your vendors. It takes a lot to set up a successful business, and the negative cash flow that comes with in the initial stages could be easily manageable with small business accounting software.
Kashoo
Pricing: Starts at $20/month
Kashoo is a solution that offers powerful functionality at a reasonable price. Among the software’s features are automatic reconciliation, categorization using machine learning technology, and income and expense tracking.
Best for Businesses Looking for a Simple Solution
Perfect for small businesses searching for a truly simple solution, Kashoo offers plans and features that can accommodate any small business’s needs. Its functionality is straightforward but effective, and its pricing structure allows for unlimited users at a relatively low price point.
AccountEdge Pro
Pricing: Starts at a One-Time fee of $149
AccountEdge Pro provides double-entry accounting tools — from time billing and reporting to inventory — that are customizable and optimized for desktop users. The program is also available for a one-time fee, potentially saving you a lot of money down the line by avoiding subscription costs.
Best for Businesses That Don’t Necessarily Need a Mobile Option
If a lack of a mobile option isn’t a deal-breaker for you, AccountEdge could be just what you need. As I mentioned, the software is designed specifically for desktop users — and that experience is extremely solid — but you can’t take AccountEdge with you on the go. That said, there’s a cloud-collaboration option available for purchase that gives you mobile flexibility.
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.
Wave
Pricing: Free — Additional Monthly Cost if You Elect Payroll in Tax Service or Self-Service States; Some Processing Fees Apply
Wave is a powerful accounting solution for small businesses and individual contractors. It places significant emphasis on ease of use and synchronicity —letting you link your bank accounts, track your expenses, and balance your books without any trouble. It also lines up with Wave’s additional resources, providing you with an all-in-one solution if you opt to invest in its other products.
Best for Freelancers or Very Small Businesses
If you are operating as a freelancer or have just a few employees, Wave could be for you. Most of its services are free, including invoice- and transaction-management. However, if you’re looking for built-in time tracking, inventory tracking, or project management, you’ll likely need different software.
Sage 50cloud
Pricing: Starts at $340/Year
With Sage, you can spend less time on administrative tasks. The software sends invoices, tracks payments and expenses, and calculates what you owe come tax season. Time-tracking and collaboration tools are two things you won’t get with Sage, and payroll is a separate product.
Best For Small Businesses Trending Towards Higher Growth
Sage works well for small- to medium-sized businesses. It errs on the more expensive side of the tools on this list, but it has an impressive enough suite of features to back its prices up. If your small business is more mature than most — and you can afford to spend a little extra on your accounting software — take a look at Sage50cloud.
Xero
Pricing: Starts at $11/month
Xero lets you get financial performance reports sent straight to you, and connect your bank account for a seamless experience. If you need payroll services, you’ll have to use them through Xero’s partnership with Gusto. And if you value live support, you should probably look for another provider.
Best for Businesses That Conduct Their Business on the Go.
One of Xero’s most impressive characteristics is its mobile experience, making it an excellent option for businesspeople who work on the go. The software allows you to send custom invoices, track inventory, and create purchase orders to attach to bills — all from your phone or tablet.
Zoho Books
Pricing: Starts at $15/month
Zoho Books is an excellent resource for helping your small business manage cash flow and finances. The software lets you automate workflows and work collectively across departments. It includes first rate tools for inventory management, banking, time-tracking, and financial reporting — all backed by an industry-leading UX.
Best for Ease of Use
One of Zoho’s biggest draws is its accessible, user-friendly interface. It comes with an easy-to-read dashboard that virtually any member of your organization can make sense of. It also offers benefits like excellent customer support and the ability to accept payments online. All told, Zoho is one of the better software for more casual users.
OneUp
Pricing: Starts at $9/month
OneUp is another double-entry accounting solution. It syncs with your bank, categorizes bank entries, and validates suggested entries so your books are done quickly and accurately. All told, those elements amount to roughly 95% automation of your accounting.
Best for Businesses Focused on Inventory Management
OneUp might be best known for its inventory management capabilities. The program automatically adjusts your inventory levels as they shift and tells you when to reorder.
That’s not to say that the software’s other features aren’t impressive — but if you’re primarily in the market for an exceptional inventory management solution, check OneUp out.
Tipalti
Pricing: Available Upon Request
Tipalti automates the accounts payable process, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business. The solution can streamline international payment processing in around 190 countries, automate your payment operations, and even make sure you’re tax compliant.
Best for Deadline-Driven Businesses
Tipalti is perfect for deadline-driven businesses. It can help you keep tabs on and meet time-bound payment objectives every time. Late payments, non-compliance, and administrative overload are all issues the program aims to correct. If you’re interested in a solution that can help you keep your accounts payable process straightforward and timely, check out Tipalti.
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.
NetSuite ERP
Pricing: Available upon request
NetSuite’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) product helps small businesses with functions like financial management and planning, order management, supply chain, fulfillment, and procurement — integrating these functions into a single streamlined system.
Best for Businesses Anticipating Rapid Growth
NetSuite prides itself on growing with businesses, “from pre-revenue through IPO and beyond” — with functionality that can assist you at every stage of your as it scales and matures. If you anticipate rapid growth, you might want to consider NetSuite ERP.
Conclusion
When it comes to small business accounting software, the choices seem endless. On one end of the spectrum you have Microsoft Excel and next to it is Quickbooks. In between, there are numerous other accounting software options to choose from including available online or cloud-based ones. Depending on your business need and budget, knowing which type of accounting software is the best for you can be a challenge.