Business budgeting software helps ensure your business is on track to meet its financial goals. Some business owners use spreadsheets as their main budgeting tool; however, the downsides are manual data entry and the risk of human error. If you prefer a more automated approach to the process, business budgeting software could be a better alternative. The best tools let you create account budgets, run budget variance reports, forecast cash flow and, in some cases, choose between different projection methods or plan for worst-case scenarios.
Conveniently, accounting software typically covers the basics with income and expense tracking, budget creation tools and customizable financial reports. For more detailed insight into strategies for cutting costs and boosting revenue, you might sync your accounting software with a separate budgeting app.
Here are our top picks for business budgeting software tools and what makes them stand out.
Our Nerdy picks for
In-depth forecasting
PlanGuruCash flow management
FloatBest Business Budgeting Software Tools
Product | Promotion | Learn more | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
QuickBooks Online Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for All-in-one budgeting software | $30/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200. | 50% off for first three months or free 30-day trial. | Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website |
Xero Learn more on Xero's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for All-in-one budgeting software | $15/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on Xero's secure website |
Zoho Books Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website | 4.5/5 Best for All-in-one budgeting software | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275. | 14-day free trial of the Premium plan. | Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website |
PlanGuru | Best for In-depth forecasting | $99/per month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $299. | 14-day free trial | |
Float | Best for Cash flow management | $69/per month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $119, $249. | 14-day free trial | |
Centage Planning Maestro® | Best for Financial planning and analysis | $950/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $1,950, quote-based. | N/A | |
Futrli | Best for Software integrations | $35/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $200, $375, $500. | 14-day free trial | |
LivePlan | Best for Startups | $20/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $40. | N/A | |
Spendesk Collaborative Budgets | Best for Free business budgeting software | $0 Free. | N/A |
Our picks for
All-in-one budgeting software
If you already use (or are planning to use) one of these top accounting solutions, then the features and reports they offer will likely satisfy your business budgeting software needs.
QuickBooks Online
Learn more
on QuickBooks Online's secure website
Starting at
$30/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200.
Promotion
50% off
for first three months or free 30-day trial.
QuickBooks Online is an industry leader in the accounting field, thanks to its strong feature set, scalability and ability to accommodate small businesses with more complex financial needs. With millions of users worldwide, your accountant will likely be familiar with it.
Pros
- Easy to share information with your accountant and to find QuickBooks experts and online resources if needed.
- More than 750 app integrations, including live, in-house bookkeeping.
- Robust feature set includes thorough record-keeping, comprehensive reporting, excellent invoicing and inventory management, plus a capable mobile app.
- Daily phone support and 24/7 chat support in all plans.
Cons
- Expensive compared with the competition.
- Limited account users with each plan.
Xero
Learn more
on Xero's secure website
Starting at
$15/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78.
Promotion
30-day free trial
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Xero allows unlimited users at every subscription tier, a valuable feature for businesses where several users may need at least limited access to the system to run reports or analyze performance. In terms of functionality and features, Xero is one of QuickBooks Online’s biggest competitors and has a more customizable dashboard that lets each user rearrange or hide panels.
Pros
- Unlimited users in all pricing plans.
- Integrates with more than 1,000 third-party apps.
- Feature set includes an excellent mobile app and suite of reports, capable invoicing features, plus automated bill and receipt capture through Hubdoc.
- Simple layout and easy to use.
Cons
- No phone number for customer support listed.
- Entry-level plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
Zoho Books
Learn more
on Zoho Books' secure website
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Premium plan.
Zoho Books packs an impressive collection of features and capabilities for an affordable price, and higher-tier plans let users automate workflows and track project profitability. It’s an especially good choice for users that already use the company’s other in-house apps.
Pros
- Less expensive than some competitors; free plan available for businesses with less than $50k in annual revenue.
- Email support in free plan; phone and chat support in paid plans.
- Rich feature set includes excellent invoicing, inventory management, workflow rules and a capable mobile app.
- Add accounting widgets to your phone’s home screen; track time using your Apple Watch.
Cons
- Fewer third-party integrations and reports than some competitors.
- No plan includes more than 15 users (can add additional users for a fee).
Our pick for
In-depth forecasting
PlanGuru
Starting at
$99/per month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $299.
Promotion
14-day free trial
PlanGuru offers much more detailed budgeting and forecasting features than typical accounting software does. For example, instead of guessing what an account budget should look like any given month, you can create custom projection formulas based on financial and non-financial drivers. Keep in mind there may be a learning curve for building these formulas and identifying relevant drivers.
Pros
- Offers more than 20 forecasting methods including percentage of other accounts, growth rates and assumptions, and key performance indicators.
- Predicts cash flow and can create budget forecasts for up to 10 years.
- Can import chart of accounts data from QuickBooks Online or Xero.
- Scenario analysis tool helps your business plan for “what if” situations.
Cons
- There will be a learning curve if you’re not familiar with using various projection methods.
- Accounting data isn’t synced daily. QuickBooks Online integration updates scenarios with actual results on a monthly basis.
Our pick for
Cash flow management
Float
Starting at
$69/per month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $119, $249.
Promotion
14-day free trial
Float’s functionality doesn’t get quite as granular as PlanGuru does, but for business owners who want a more user-friendly experience, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The software has a clean user interface and analyzes historical accounting data to suggest budget values for you if you’re not sure where to start. This is a plus for business owners who need more features than their accounting software offers but are still relatively new to budgeting. The app also helps businesses plan for worst-case scenarios with a dedicated tool that shows how certain events, like losing a valuable client, would affect cash flow.
Pros
- Forecasts cash flow for up to three years.
- Automatically imports QuickBooks Online and Xero data daily.
- Scenario planning tool prepares your business for “what if” situations.
- Streamlined user interface makes it easier to use than some competitors.
Cons
- Focuses on cash flow only, as opposed to other apps that incorporate profit and loss budgets, etc. This can be limiting for businesses that need a more holistic view of their financials.
Our pick for
Financial planning and analysis
Centage Planning Maestro®
Starting at
$950/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $1,950, quote-based.
Promotion
N/A
Centage Planning Maestro’s dashboard does a great job of displaying revenue percentage by department, along with yearly financial comparisons and monthly trends. The amount of information can be overwhelming at first, but business owners who take a more in-depth approach to financial planning and analysis will appreciate it. In addition to your typical revenue and expense planning, the software lets you import data from your HR software to set budgets for each employee. This is especially helpful if you run a larger small business with a considerable workforce.
Pros
- Scenario planning tool helps your business prepare for “what if” situations.
- Can use non-financial drivers, like hours worked or square footage, to calculate expense and revenue budgets.
- Customizable performance dashboard drills into historical trends and comparisons.
- In-depth financial planning and analysis tools can accommodate medium-size businesses with dedicated finance teams, too.
Cons
- Accounting software integrations cost extra.
- Getting used to various customization options is a learning process.
- Cost may be prohibitive for many small businesses.
Our pick for
Software integrations
Futrli
Starting at
$35/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $200, $375, $500.
Promotion
14-day free trial
Futrli’s budgeting software is built for forecasting and predictions, and it integrates directly with big-name accounting software like Sage, QuickBooks Online and Xero. Futrli offers more than 60 reporting and dashboard templates and robust budget variance tools. It also gives you a three-year forecasting view that updates daily. The least-expensive plan, Single, is designed for small businesses and sole proprietors.
Pros
- You’ll likely need only the least-expensive plan to serve your budgeting needs since it’s designed for small businesses.
- Direct integrations with popular accounting software.
- Advanced forecasting tools.
- All plan tiers include unlimited users and free 24/7 customer support.
Cons
- Integrations are limited to accounting software.
- Software plans and features seem geared slightly more toward accountants, so functionality may be more than some small business owners need.
Our pick for
Startups
LivePlan
Starting at
$20/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $40.
Promotion
N/A
At its core, LivePlan is software designed to guide you through the business planning and startup process. It takes the guesswork out of refining your business strategy, creating a business pitch deck and drafting a complete business plan. Most notably, though, LivePlan helps you build and check your business financials. The software integrates with QuickBooks and Xero, so it can keep up with your business budgeting needs as they evolve. To get access to LivePlan’s ongoing budgeting tools, including analytics dashboards and accounting integrations, you’ll need the Premium plan.
Pros
- Integrates with popular accounting software.
- Automates a great deal of the earliest stages of starting a business.
- The company requires no contract and offers a 35-day money back guarantee.
- Customer support is available by email and live chat.
Cons
- You need the most expensive plan to use the software for budgeting beyond the pitch and investment startup stages.
- Most expensive plan is required to integrate with accounting software.
Our pick for
Free business budgeting software
Spendesk Collaborative Budgets
Starting at
$0
Free.
Promotion
N/A
Spendesk, a spend management software company designed for larger businesses with full finance teams and multiple departments, offers a free version of its budgeting software called Collaborative Budgets. While the software is basic and lacks the capabilities many of the paid software solutions offer, it may serve your needs if your business is still in its early stages or if you’re a self-employed professional with limited budgeting needs.
Pros
- Totally free software.
- Company has paid offerings that could be useful as your business grows.
- Can invite additional users to collaborate on budgets.
Cons
- Software may be too basic to serve budgeting needs for certain types of businesses.
- Signing up for the free software will subject you to marketing emails as the company tries to upsell you, though you can easily unsubscribe.
QuickBooks Online
Best for all-in-one budgeting software
- $30 per month for the Simple Start plan.
- $60 per month for the Essentials plan.
- $90 per month for the Plus plan.
- $200 per month for the Advanced plan.
Why we like it: QuickBooks Online’s Plus and Advanced plans come with basic tools that’ll familiarize you with the budgeting and forecasting process. To start out, choose the fiscal year you want to budget for and whether you want to see results separated by quarter, month or year. Once the budget has been created, the budgets vs. actuals report will compare your actual account balances vs. projected balances side by side. QuickBooks Online forecasts your cash flow for up to 90 days and lets you see how future adjustments will affect your cash flow. The software also enables you to set budget targets by customer, class or location. Read our full QuickBooks Online review.
Xero
Best for all-in-one budgeting software
- $15 per month for the Early plan.
- $42 per month for the Growing plan.
- $78 per month for the Established plan.
Why we like it: If you already use Xero for accounting, you’ll be happy to know that simple budgeting features are at the tips of your fingers. Before you can run reports, you need to set up the primary budget for your organization, then you can create separate budgets for each category you’d like to track. Xero Analytics gives you access to basic, short-term cash flow and future predictions reporting. Note that long-term cash flow predictions (up to 90 days) require a subscription to the highest-tier Established plan. Once that’s finished, you can run the budget variance report or even add a budget column to a separate report, like your profit and loss statement, to compare numbers. Read our full Xero Accounting review.
>> MORE: Best alternatives to Xero
Zoho Books
Best for all-in-one budgeting software
- $0 per month for the Free plan.
- $20 per month for the Standard plan.
- $50 per month for the Professional plan.
- $70 per month for the Premium plan.
- $150 per month for the Elite plan.
- $275 per month for the Ultimate plan.
Why we like it: If you already use Zoho Books for accounting, then you can also put it to use for your business budgeting needs. The software lets you build budgets and view budget variance reports to get a better sense of how your business is performing in relation to the budget you’ve set. You can even factor asset, liability and equity accounts into your budgets. Zoho Books also has some helpful automated functions when it comes to budgeting, including the ability to create a budget from your previous years’ actuals and auto-fill data. Keep tabs on your budget with profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow reports. Read our full Zoho Books review.
PlanGuru
Best for in-depth forecasting
- $99 per month for the single-entity solution.
- $299 per month for the multidepartment/multilocation solution.
- $29 per month for each additional user.
Why we like it: PlanGuru offers much more detailed budgeting and forecasting features than typical accounting software does, including more than 20 forecasting methods that enable you to look at assumptions and key performance indicators, percentage of other accounts and growth rates. Instead of guessing what an account budget should look like any given month, you can create custom projection formulas based on financial and non-financial drivers. The software can also predict cash flow and create budget forecasts for up to 10 years. Keep in mind there may be a learning curve for building these formulas and identifying relevant drivers.
Float
Best for cash flow management
- $69 per month for the Essential plan.
- $119 per month for the Premium plan.
- $249 per month for the Enterprise plan.
Why we like it: Float’s functionality doesn’t get quite as granular as PlanGuru’s does, but for business owners who want a more user-friendly experience, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The software has a clean user interface and analyzes historical accounting data to suggest budget values for you if you’re not sure where to start. This is a plus for business owners who need more features than their accounting software offers but are still relatively new to budgeting. Float’s business budgeting software forecasts cash flow for up to three years and automatically syncs with Xero to give you a real-time view of your cash flow and forecasting. The app also helps businesses plan for worst-case scenarios with a dedicated tool that shows how certain events, like losing a valuable client, would affect cash flow.
Centage Planning Maestro
Best for financial planning and analysis
- $950 per month for the Standard plan.
- $1,950 per month for the Professional plan.
- Quote-based for the Enterprise plan.
Why we like it: Centage Planning Maestro’s dashboard does a great job of displaying revenue percentage by department, along with yearly financial comparisons and monthly trends. The amount of information can be overwhelming at first, but business owners who take a more in-depth approach to financial planning and analysis will appreciate it. In addition to your typical revenue and expense planning, Centage lets you import data from your HR software to set budgets for each employee. This is especially helpful if you run a larger small business with a considerable workforce. In-depth financial planning and analysis (FP&A) tools can accommodate medium-size businesses with dedicated finance teams, too.
Futrli
Best for software integrations
- $35 per month for the Single plan.
- $200 per month for the Starter plan.
- $375 per month for the Professional plan.
- $500 per month for the Practice plan.
Why we like it: Futrli’s business budgeting software is built for forecasting and predictions, and it integrates directly with top accounting software solutions, specifically Sage, QuickBooks Online and Xero. Futrli offers more than 60 reporting and dashboard templates and robust budget variance tools. It also gives you a three-year forecasting view that updates daily. The least-expensive plan, Single, is designed for small businesses and sole proprietors.
>> MORE: Best business software
LivePlan
Best for startups
- $20 per month for the Standard plan.
- $40 per month for the Premium plan.
Why we like it: At its core, LivePlan is software designed to guide you through the business planning and startup process. It takes the guesswork out of refining your business strategy, creating a business pitch deck and drafting a complete business plan. Most notably, though, LivePlan helps you build and check your business financials — just answer some straightforward questions and prompts, and the software will construct a visualized forecast. Then, with a few additional inputs, you can use the software to check your forecast in comparison with other similar businesses to feel confident about the forecast you’ve set. LivePlan integrates with QuickBooks and Xero, so it can keep up with your business budgeting needs as they evolve. To get access to LivePlan’s ongoing budgeting tools, including analytics dashboards and accounting integrations, you’ll need the Premium plan.
Spendesk Collaborative Budgets
Best for free business budgeting software
Price: Free.
Why we like it: Spendesk, a spend management software company designed for larger businesses with full finance teams and multiple departments, offers a free version of its budgeting software called Collaborative Budgets. While the software is very basic and lacks the capabilities any of the paid software on this list can offer, it may serve your needs if your business is still in its early stages or if you’re a self-employed professional with limited budgeting requirements. You need only provide your name, email address, the name of your business and the number of employees to create an account and get started. This free version of the software enables you to create an unlimited number of separate budgets to track, and you can invite colleagues to collaborate on the budgets. For each, you’ll enter your total budget and the amount you’ve spent so far, and then the software will generate a tracking bar to visualize your spend versus your remaining budget. To add expenses, you can upload receipts, and the software will automatically read, detect and fill in relevant information, including the payment amount and expense date. And, should you find yourself with greater budgeting and spend management needs as your business grows, Spendesk has plenty to offer in that arena and will have already earned your trust and interest.
What is business budgeting software?
Business budgeting software helps you manage, track and forecast business budgets to see how your company is performing financially. It should have strong reporting capabilities that allow you to generate and manage financial statements, like cash flow reports and profit and loss statements, and compare actual income and expenses against projected figures.
While some accounting software products have budgeting tools, there are distinct solutions that dig a little deeper if you want to predict how a particular business decision could affect your cash flow. Before you dive into your options, consider how pricing, user experience, accounting tools and more will play into your decision-making process.
Last updated on January 2, 2024
