Sage Business Cloud Accounting includes double-entry accounting capability, with a default chart of how to make your next company outing unforgettable in 2021 accounts included in the application. A mobile app is included for both iOS and Android devices, and both Sage Business Cloud Accounting plans include invoicing, sales tracking, and bank connectivity. We prioritized software that was either low-cost or had an affordable plan in a series of pricing plans. We also gave credit to those apps that either provided users with a free version of the software or at least a free trial period.

Compare the best bookkeeping software for small businesses

In addition, you can enter up to three levels of pricing for each product or service offered, as well as track any product by barcode if desired. Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a good fit for sole proprietors and freelancers and would work well for those selling products, since it offers good inventory management capability. Reporting options are pretty basic in FreshBooks, but they should be sufficient for smaller businesses, with an option to export any report to Microsoft Excel for customization. Do you use your phone for everything, including your business?

Of the two, we recommend Wave Payroll over QuickBooks Payroll, which is on the pricier end and doesn’t offer a tax-filing guarantee—a key industry standard you should expect from any payroll provider. Most accounting software providers sync with one or more popular payroll providers (Zoho Books, which doesn’t sync with most accounting advisory payroll software, is a notable exception). Xero, FreshBooks, and QuickBooks all sync with Gusto, our favorite payroll provider for small businesses. At $39 plus $6 per user per month, Gusto is also fairly reasonably priced. Many bookkeepers and accountants use QuickBooks to track their clients’ finances, including both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop. QuickBooks Online is definitely among the most popular accounting software for small businesses, and its thorough accounting features definitely make it the best accounting software for many users.

1. However, with so many options on the market today, choosing the right solution can be a challenge.
2. All I had to do was click “done” and OneUp generated my purchase order.
3. Kashoo is cloud accounting software for small business owners who want the simplicity of doing their own books.
4. And, from the “sales” menu tab, I was given the option to set up online and in-person sales, send an invoice or estimate, set up a recurring invoice or capture a sales receipt, all from tools available from this page.
5. And along with foundational reports like income and cash flow statements, Wave  includes sales tax tracking reports.

Its comprehensive reports are easy for first-time business owners to generate and understand, accrual principle overview how to accrue revenues and expenses and it offers more thorough reporting than just about any other software out there. Sage also offers a lot of support to first-time business owners with minimal bookkeeping experience. Its live Q&A chat lets you ask an expert financial questions during business hours, and you can always schedule an appointment with a Sage Accounting expert. If QuickBooks Online has too many features for your needs but you still want QuickBooks’s stellar reporting, QuickBooks Self-Employed might be a better fit. It starts at $15 a month and includes access to limited reports, plus freelance-specific features like mileage tracking and easy syncing with TurboTax. With these always at the top of my screen, I could easily complete key actions.

OneUp: Best for sales teams

I could also access a continually updating list of shortcuts to tools I most use in the platform. Since your software for accounting is connected to the cloud, they can use their own login to access reports like the general ledger, balance sheet, or cash flow statement whenever they need. There are apps that integrate with it, you can log in on your phone, and the data is easily accessible to both the client and the accounting team. Most of our top accounting software picks include a free trial, so don’t be shy about trying a few different brands if you don’t hit on your favorite right away. Bookkeeping and accounting can be frustrating enough if you’re not a pro.

These options were also always available to me wherever I was in the platform via a slide-out left-hand menu. However, they complain that it is not as easy to use on a Mac computer and the interface looks dated on these devices. When I tried testing this software on a Mac computer, I experienced one glitch after another with installation, making it impossible to even download the software and get it going. Users also say that they experience significant bugs with updates that sometimes leave necessary features unusable until the bug is resolved. Once I finalized the invoice, I could click the “send to” button at the top of the invoice and input an email address, a subject and a message to send the invoice.

For features and functionality, we primarily looked for software that offered fully functional accounting software providing users with a long list of useful features. TrulySmall Accounting is full accounting software for small businesses for $18 per month. Features include downloading bank transactions, sending invoices, tracking expenses, accepting payments and running essential accounting reports. For $27 a month, the Kashoo plan is an advanced accounting plan for medium- to large-sized businesses.

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Snap a photo of your lunch receipt to keep track of your expenses out of the office, and if you’re billing your customers for your time, you’ll appreciate the time-tracking capability. Businesses seeking a highly adaptable accounting solution that offers a precise and detailed overview of their finances should consider ZarMoney. In addition, businesses that are likely to increase their accounting software user account in time should consider ZarMoney’s Small Business and Enterprise plans.

For example, when trying to find which menu option allowed me to manage my invoices, I assumed this feature would be found under the “accounting” top menu. However, it was listed under the “business” top option instead. Having to click around to find key features added to the product’s learning curve. FreshBooks is a good choice for small business owners who want easy-to-use accounting software. The software is also a good fit for service-based businesses, such as consultants, web designers and photographers. Users give Zoho Books a 4.4 out of five-star rating on Capterra and 618 reviews.