Best Accounting and Bookkeeping Apps for Small Business of March 2023

QuickBooks Accounting, the app that accompanies the popular QuickBooks Online accounting software, covers the basics for most small-business owners. It lets users create and send invoices, upload receipts, track miles and view accounting reports from their phone or tablet. All the features of QuickBooks Online Simple Start are available in the app. If you use a costlier QuickBooks Online plan, however, some features are available only on the browser-based version. QuickBooks also offers its own mobile card reader for processing payments on the go.

FreshBooks supports automated mileage tracking, mobile invoice creation and receipt capture to log expenses — all key features that small-business owners can benefit from. It’s especially ideal for freelancers, however, because it makes it easy to stay in touch with clients. The notifications tab shows when invoices have been paid or become overdue, and you can send clients messages from within the app. Messages might consist of payment reminders, a response to a client’s question or a request for feedback.

Zoho Books is part of the robust Zoho suite, which includes several business services at affordable price points. Its mobile-first features are what set its bookkeeping app apart, though. Take, for example, the ability to send invoices via iMessage or add widgets to your phone’s home screen so that you can easily access timers and overdue invoices lists. There’s also an Apple Watch app that lets you track time, send payment reminders and review outstanding invoices. Though you’ll have to download it separately, the in-house Zoho Expense app lets you track mileage via distance covered, point-to-point map locations, GPS or odometer reading, too. Other apps typically make only one or two of those methods available.

The Xero app is a good choice for entrepreneurs who need to give mobile access to multiple employees, so that they can submit expenses or invoice clients. Employees can download the Xero Me self-service app to submit expense claims for things like team lunches or gas. They can also view their personal information, such as contact and employment details. Administrators can assign employees specific permissions based on their roles to determine which information and features they can access.

Unlike the accounting apps listed, Bench is an online service that outsources bookkeeping tasks for small-business owners. Instead of offering invoicing and mileage tracking, its bookkeeping app focuses more heavily on providing an array of reports and making it easy to communicate with your bookkeeper. For the most part, the service will take account reconciliation and transaction categorization off your plate, but you may have to leave notes about recategorizing a transaction every so often. The mobile app lets you do this from anywhere.