Do you need budget software for nonprofits? Which accounting software is best for small nonprofit organizations? Here is a comparison of the most popular free accounting software programs available to help nonprofit organizations and churches.
Nonprofit accounting software can be expensive. Many non profit organizations have limited funds and don’t have the cash to purchase expensive accounting software. There are however several resources available that are absolutely free.
QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit
Many nonprofit organizations end up cobbling together accounting, donor management, and payroll services by using multiple programs, making things confusing during end-of-year reporting. QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit is our choice as the best overall accounting software for nonprofits because it is a full-service program that allows you to track your finances, manage your donor lists, and even pay your staff.Pros
- Combines donation management, financial statements, and payroll services into one package
- Online backup and protection of your QuickBooks data
- Syncs with apps like Kindful
Cons
- Free trial unavailable on Enterprise edition
- You must pay an additional fee to get remote access
- Adding users can quickly drive up the monthly cost
QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit is issued by Intuit, the financial services and tax software company. Intuit was founded in 1983. Since its launch, it has become a household name, earning over $7.7 billion in revenue in 2020.
While there are cheaper versions of QuickBooks available for nonprofit organizations, we selected QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit because of its robustness. For large or growing organizations who need comprehensive accounting services, this program can be a good fit.
You can use QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit to track expenses and donations, budget by program and compare to actuals, and create donor and grant reports. This version of QuickBooks allows you to accept donations and securely store donor information in your database. If you upgrade to the Gold, Platinum, or Diamond plans, you can even get payroll services for your organization and pay your staff directly through QuickBooks.
QuickBooks integrates with several apps used by nonprofits including Kindful. If you use these apps as part of your fundraising campaigns, you can sync the data and import transaction details to streamline your reporting.
While other versions of QuickBooks have free trials, QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit does not. This version starts at $1,275 per year, but the price can increase based on what additional services you need. For example, the Platinum plan costs $2,035 per year.
The default version is only available via desktop, so employees cannot access it remotely. If you want to add cloud-based access, you’ll need to pay an additional fee for hosting for each user that will be using the program. For example, the cost for two users to remotely access the Diamond plan is $3,572.40.
For smaller nonprofits or nonprofits who are just starting out, you probably don’t need software with as many features as QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit. For smaller organizations and charities with more basic accounting needs, QuickBooks has other plans that start at lower prices such $25 per month.
QuickBooks has a 4.5-star rating on Capterra.
ACCOUNTS from Software4Nonprofits
For small organizations like churches or community organizations, we selected ACCOUNTS as the best accounting software. It’s affordable and easy to use, with all of the necessary features you need to track income and expenses and create reports.Pros
- 60-day free trial and 30-day money back guarantee
- The standard version costs just $130 for the first year
- The program can be used for the accounting of multiple organizations (up to 5) at no additional cost
Cons
- The desktop program can only be used on Windows
- You have to purchase a separate donation program to track donors
- Only one user can do data entry at a time with the standard version
ACCOUNTS through Software4Nonprofits is a program offered by Cooperstock Software, a small company based in Canada. The company was founded by the treasurer of a religious finance committee because he had difficulties finding software that met his needs. He created ACCOUNTS as an alternative to the more expensive and complex accounting programs available at the time.
ACCOUNTS is an easy-to-use platform designed specifically for small organizations and churches who need basic bookkeeping and accounting services. The program allows you to track income and expenses, track fund balances, associate accounts with lines on your IRS tax forms, and create detailed reports.
If you’re responsible for managing the accounting for multiple organizations, such as the school PTA and your child’s sports team, you can use the software to handle the accounting for both at no additional cost.
The standard version of ACCOUNTS is $130 for the first year. After that, it costs $65 per year. You can try ACCOUNTS for free for 60 days, and you can download the free version online. ACCOUNTS also has a 30-day guarantee if you purchase the program. If you’re not satisfied with your purchase and no longer intend to use it, the company will give you a full refund.
Unfortunately, ACCOUNTS was designed for Microsoft Windows and the desktop version is only available for that operating system. However, there is a cloud-based, browser version called OnDemand that works on most platforms including Mac. Under the standard version, only one user can do data entry at a time. If you upgrade to the local network version—which costs $220 for the first year—up to five users can access the database at once.
If you want to track donations and donor information, you’ll need to purchase additional software. Cooperstock Software offers another program called DONATIONS, which is free if you have 100 donors or less per year. Larger organizations will need the paid version of DONATIONS.
ACCOUNTS has a 4.7-star rating on Capterra.
Sage Intacct: Best overall
Best overall nonprofit softwareSage Intacct
4.1
- Contact for quote
Fund accounting
Support for multiple locations and currencies
Donation tracking and dues management
Sage Intacct sets a high standard for what nonprofit organizers should expect from their fund accounting software. Along with typical accounting features like bank reconciliation, the software has a host of nonprofit-specific tools:
- Donation tracking
- Fundraising, membership, and dues management
- Multi-currency support (for international donations)
- Nonprofit-specific financial reports, including budgeting and forecasting
- Task automation to reduce redundant data entry
Sage Intacct also offers free seminars to help nonprofit organizers get off the ground, which is particularly useful for nonprofits struggling to make ends meet after COVID-19. And on the review site TrustRadius, Sage Intacct gets 8.7 stars out of 101 with customers indicating they’re happy with Sage’s fast customer service response time.
However, Sage Intacct is definitely on the pricy end of the nonprofit software spectrum. (Pricing isn’t listed on the site, so you’ll need to contact Sage Intacct for a quote.) If you’re just launching a nonprofit, Sage Intacct probably isn’t right for you—it works better for established national or international nonprofits with multiple locations and a large staff.
Aplos: Best nonprofit-specific
Best nonprofit-specific accounting softwareAplos
4.0
- Starting at $59.00/mo.
Fund accounting
Limited multi-currency support
Donation tracking and support
Data as of 12/19/21. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Aplos’s software has been nonprofit and church-specific since day one. It’s grounded in fund-based accounting, so you don’t need to customize your software’s built-in general ledger for nonprofit-specific accounting needs. Aplos Lite, which starts at $59 a month, includes a full range of features that work for nonprofit and church accounting alike:
- Donor management (CRM software)
- Automated donation receipts, thank-you emails, and donation reminders
- Fundraising campaign management
- Secure online donor portal
- 1099, 990-N, and 990-EZ tax form preparation
If you’re interested in text-to-donate capabilities, you can upgrade to Aplos Core at $79 a month. And if you own a larger nonprofit with multiple ongoing projects, Aplos’s customized solutions start at $179 a month.
Unfortunately, while Aplos’s nonprofit features stand out, its accounting features are more limited. Only the customized plan includes in-depth income and expense tracking, budgeting by project or fund, asset tracking, and recurring transactions.
QuickBooks Online: Best Easy-To-Use Accounting Solution
QuickBooks Online | Visit SiteRead our Review |
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QuickBooks Online (QBO) isn’t just a top software solution for small businesses — it’s also a solid choice for nonprofits. Unlike its desktop counterpart that has a notoriously steep learning curve, QBO is fairly easy to learn and use, even if you have no prior accounting experience. It features a modern, intuitive UI and built-in help options to help you navigate the software. You can access the cloud-based software from any device with an internet connection, or use one of the software’s desktop or mobile apps.
In addition to strong accounting, QuickBooks Online also offers features specific to nonprofit organizations (more on those in a minute). Throw in solid security, over 650 integrations, and reporting, and it’s easy to see why small businesses and nonprofits choose QuickBooks as their accounting solution.
Pros
- Excellent feature set
- Numerous integrations
- Easy to use
- Good mobile apps
Cons
- Can be expensive
- Fair customer support
QuickBooks Online Features
QuickBooks Online has everything you’d expect from accounting software. For nonprofits, there are also a number of useful features including:
- Expense tracking
- Invoicing
- Contact management
- Donation tracking
- Grant tracking
- Syncs with numerous fundraising platforms
- 650+ integrations, including popular nonprofit software programs
- Reports
QuickBooks Online Pricing
QuickBooks Online has four pricing plans ranging from $25/month to $150/month. As you move up the tiers, you’ll have access to more advanced features and additional users. You can give QuickBooks Online a test run with a free 30-day trial, or if you’re ready to jump in, you can take advantage of the new user discounts offered by the company. You can also add payroll. Payroll pricing starts at $42/month plus $4/employee.
QuickBooks Online is one of the best cloud-based accounting solutions on the market, and it offers several handy features essential for nonprofits. Depending on the plan you select (and whether you add payroll), costs can get a little expensive. To get the most out of the software, you may need to integrate with other nonprofit software, which can further add to your monthly cost. For smaller nonprofits on tight budgets, QBO may be a bit expensive. However, QuickBooks Online is an excellent choice for small- to mid-sized nonprofits that want easy-to-use accounting software with lots of features and integrations.
Conclusion
We’ve compared nonprofit accounting software from the most popular companies on the market. See how these popular products measure up and begin your search for budget software for nonprofits today.