Best Business Software of December 2023

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 and scalability. It has robust reporting and transaction tracking tools, invoicing capabilities, inventory management features and mobile app functionality. These features, along with its ability to scale up and integrate with a wide range of products, make it valuable to self-employed entrepreneurs and larger small businesses alike. And with millions of users worldwide, your accountant will likely be familiar with it.

However, QuickBooks products can be expensive, so make sure you understand how to get the most out of its main features. And know that if you need time-tracking capabilities, you’ll have to subscribe to a separate app, whether it’s QuickBooks Time or a third-party product. That being said, QuickBooks products can be expensive, so make sure you understand how to get the most out of its main features. And know that if you need time-tracking capabilities, you’ll have to subscribe to a separate app, whether it’s QuickBooks Time or a third-party product.

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 to the competition.
Limited account users with each plan.

Xero

5.0

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 stands out for allowing unlimited users at every subscription tier, a valuable feature in situations where several users need some level of access to the system. Other competitors’ plans limit how many users you can add or charge an additional monthly fee for each one. If you have a large team, those fees can add up quickly. In terms of functionality and features, Xero is one of QuickBooks Online’s biggest competitors. Like QuickBooks Online, it has excellent reporting features and a capable mobile app — but with a more customizable dashboard that lets each user rearrange or hide panels, according to their preferences.

If you appreciate simplicity and don’t want to dedicate much time to learning how to navigate a product, Xero is a great choice. If you need mileage and time tracking, you’ll need to subscribe to the highest-tier Established plan.

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

4.5

on Zoho Books' secure website

Starting at

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. Its mobile-first features — such as the ability to send invoices via iMessage or add widgets to your phone’s home screen to easily access timers and overdue invoices — help set it apart. There’s also an Apple Watch app that lets you track time, send payment reminders and review outstanding invoices.

The software is an especially good fit for entrepreneurs who already use another Zoho suite product, like Zoho CRM, since they directly integrate. Third-party integrations, however, are limited compared to the competition.

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).

FreshBooks

4.5

on FreshBooks' secure website

Starting at

$17/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $30, $55, custom.

Promotion

30-day free trial

or monthly discount (terms vary).

FreshBooks is especially useful for freelancers because it lets users view invoices, respond to clients’ questions and send payment reminders all from its mobile app. You can also start a timer from within the mobile app to log hours spent on a particular project, or sync data from tools like Asana or Trello. It’s especially cost-effective for freelancers who can work within the confines of lower-tier plans’ billable client limits.

Pros

Stay in touch with clients through the FreshBooks mobile app and get notified when invoices have been viewed or become overdue.
Intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.
Track time and add billable hours to invoices in all plans.
Weekday phone support in all plans.

Cons

Lacks features that quickly growing companies need, like audit trails for accountants to review.
Highest-tier Select plan only comes with two users (additional users add $11 per month) and lower-tier plans put limits on billable clients.
Least expensive plan lacks double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access.

Wave Accounting

3.5

Read Review

Starting at

Free (Wave makes money via paid money management products).

Promotion

N/A

Unlike some “freemium” software products, Wave doesn’t put out a bare-bones free product as bait, then load it down with costly upgrades. The free accounting software lets you add unlimited collaborators, along with unlimited bank and credit card connections. You can create and send invoices through the app, as well as set up recurring invoices and track client communication and payment history.

Wave can be a sufficient solution for entrepreneurs with small, service-based businesses who need a simple way to invoice clients and separate business and personal expenses. However, if you need built-in mileage tracking, time tracking or a billable expense feature, it’s probably not the right choice.

Pros

Free.
Unlimited partners, collaborators and accountants.
Intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.

Cons

Lacks features that quickly growing companies need, like audit trails. There are no additional plans to increase functionality.
Must subscribe to Wave’s paid services (payroll, payments, advisor, etc.) to receive customer support from a human.
No third-party integrations, mileage tracking feature or ability to accept in-person card payments.

Our picks for

Best point-of-sale (POS) software

Point-of-sale software often enables you to do much more than take payments. Capabilities can include inventory management, menu and table management, employee management, customer loyalty programs and integrations with third-party software for additional functionality. If you have a brick-and-mortar storefront, make sure your POS software provider also offers hardware that lets you accept in-person payments.

Square POS

5.0

on Square POS's secure website

Payment processing fees

2.6% + 10¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

Monthly fee

$0.00

Free plan; $60 Plus plan for retailers and restaurants.

Square’s point-of-sale system stands out with its transparent pricing, live support and many useful features. Unlike most systems, Square offers a free POS software option with no monthly charges. Because Square works on iPhones, Androids and iPads, you can make sales on the go — for example, at a farmers market, trade show or music festival.

Pros

Deep list of features.
Free version offers a lot of functionality.
Square offers helpful related services, like payroll, that integrate closely with its POS system.

Cons

Can’t run on Windows devices.
Complex industries might prefer a more specialized system.

SpotOn Restaurant

4.5

NerdWallet rating

on SpotOn Restaurant's secure website

Payment processing fees

1.99% + 25¢

Monthly fee

$25.00

SpotOn’s monthly software fee and payment processing fees along with its ability to integrate with third-party hardware make this system an affordable and appealing option. SpotOn offers customizable add-on features such as a loyalty program and team management software. The company also has a strong reputation for its hands-on approach to customer support, from installation and training to 24/7 availability for assistance.

Pros

24/7 customer support via telephone.
No long-term contract.
Hands-on installation and training for an additional fee.
Can integrate with third-party hardware.

Cons

Quote-based hardware pricing makes it hard to compare total costs with other POS systems.

Shopify Retail POS

4.0

on Shopify POS's secure website

Payment processing fees

2.70%

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online (Basic plan).

Monthly fee

$15.00

POS Lite; $89 POS Pro.

Shopify’s POS system is well equipped to handle all the complexities that come with selling items via an online store. In all subscription tiers, you can set up an online shop and add products almost instantly, sell through multiple channels (including social media), connect with vendors, automatically email customers who abandon their carts, process payments at reasonable rates and make sales in 133 currencies and multiple languages. These features make Shopify one of the best retail POS options.

Pros

Has good features for multichannel selling.
Offers integrated, flat-rate payment processing.
Easy to use.

Cons

More e-commerce focused than other competitors.

Clover POS

4.0

on Clover POS's secure website

Payment processing fees

2.3% + 10¢ or 2.6% + 10¢

in-person; 3.5% + 10¢ online.

Monthly fee

$14.95

and up.

Clover's POS system stands out with its durable and versatile hardware, with POS terminals that make it easy to accept orders at the counter or on the go. You also have the option to pair the hardware and software with a different merchant account, such as one from Wells Fargo, SunTrust, PNC, BBVA or Citi.

Pros

Competitive flat rates for payment processing.
Hardware performs well and is well designed.

Cons

No free options.
Pricing can be tough to understand.

PayPal Zettle

4.5

Read Review

Payment processing fees

2.29% + 9¢

in-person; 3.49% + 9¢ keyed.

Monthly fee

$0.00

PayPal's Zettle system stands out for its free software and no-contract business model, which takes some of the risk out of switching to a new POS system. Its hardware POS packages make it easy to set up quickly, and some decent (though limited) accessories are available.

Pros

Solid core features.
No monthly fees.
No long-term commitment.
Low initial costs.
Easy to use.

Cons

No add-on features available.
Limited integrations.
Funds are transferred to your PayPal account and not your bank account.

Our picks for

Best payment processors

Having a payment processor is important for any business that accepts credit cards. The best payment processors offer competitive transaction rates, can process multiple payment methods and currencies, are transparent with their fees and may offer discounted transaction rates based on sales volume.

Stripe

5.0

on Stripe Payments' secure website

Payment processing fees

2.7% + 5¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

Monthly fee

$0.00

Stripe Payments can accept dozens of payment methods and more than 135 currencies. And its advanced developer tools allow you to create a checkout flow that feels custom, provided you know how to use them. Stripe users can accept in-person payments by integrating the company’s point-of-sale option, Stripe Terminal. But if you do most of your business in person, there are better options.

Pros

Highly customizable.
Competitive pricing.

Cons

Prioritizes online merchants.
Requires developer experience.

Helcim

5.0

on Helcim's secure website

Payment processing fees

0.40% + 8¢

plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.

Monthly fee

$0.00

Helcim is a standout choice for credit card processing because it checks off many boxes. Setup is quick. Helcim gives you the ability to accept credit cards in person, online, through an app or over the phone. The rates are also competitive. Just know that the processing fees listed here are for businesses with a monthly credit card volume of $25,000 or less. Fees begin decreasing once a business exceeds that monthly volume.

Pros

Pricing is transparent.
Offers all-inclusive platform.

Cons

Potentially expensive for low-volume businesses.

Stax by Fattmerchant

4.5

on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website

Payment processing fees

0% + $0.08

Plus interchange

Monthly fee

$99.00

and up.

Stax offers plans starting at $99 per month that give businesses access to 0% markup on interchange fees, plus a low fixed fee per transaction. That makes it a strong choice for businesses with high sales volumes.

Pros

No markup on interchange rate.
Unique add-on features.

Cons

Not a good option for businesses with low sales.
Pricing isn't as transparent as competitors.

Payline

4.5

on Payline's secure website

Payment processing fees

0.4% + 10¢

plus interchange in-person; 0.75% + 20¢ plus interchange online.

Monthly fee

$10.00

in person; $20 online.

Payline is transparent with its competitive processing rates, which is rare among payment processors that work with high-risk businesses. The company even includes a calculator feature on its pricing page to help you estimate your total monthly cost for processing.

Pros

Pricing transparency.
Competitive transaction rates.
Customer support by phone and email.
No long-term contracts or cancellation fees.
No PCI compliance fees.
Integrates with many POS systems, shopping carts and QuickBooks.

Cons

Separate monthly fees for in-person and online processing; monthly fees can add up if you process transactions both in person and online.

Dharma Merchant Services

4.5

Read Review

Payment processing fees

0.15% + 8¢

plus interchange in-person; 0.20% + 11¢ plus interchange online.

Monthly fee

$15.00

for most industries; $12 for nonprofits.

With 24/7 customer support, no long-term contracts and no PCI compliance fees, Dharma Merchant Services is a solid choice for small businesses that process at least $10,000 of card transactions each month. The company also offers lower monthly fees and processing rates for nonprofits, which makes it a strong choice for these organizations.

Pros

Competitive transaction pricing.
Good flexibility.

Cons

Monthly fees can be barrier to entry.
Requires separate accounts for online and in-person payments.

Our picks for

Best payroll software

Payroll software doesn’t just make paying your employees easier — some will also calculate and file payroll taxes for you. Typically it offers some level of access to employees so they can view pay stubs, download tax forms and update their personal information. Standout payroll software includes automatic payroll functionality and direct integrations with popular accounting software.

Gusto Payroll

5.0

on Gusto Payroll's secure website

Starting at

$40/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $80, custom pricing. Fee per employee varies by tier.

Promotion

N/A

Gusto offers full-service payroll with unlimited payroll runs, tax filings and payment, and automated payroll options. HR features such as health insurance administration, employee self-onboarding and state new hire reporting are included at all pricing tiers. Employees also get access to a mobile app called Gusto Wallet to help them track their finances, and they can opt to be paid through debit card. For businesses that want the human touch, the Premium level offers dedicated HR support. Gusto integrates with many third-party software products, including popular accounting apps like QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks and Xero.

Pros

Benefits administration (health benefits are available in 37 states and Washington, D.C.; 401(k) plans are available in all 50 states).
Time-tracking features at higher-price tiers (limited at Simple level).
Certified HR experts available (at the Premium level).
Free account setup.
Next-day direct deposit (at Plus and Premium levels).

Cons

More expensive than some options.
Limited hours for live support.

QuickBooks Payroll

5.0

on QuickBooks Payroll's secure website

Starting at

$45/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $80, $125. Fee per employee varies by tier.

Promotion

One month free trial

or 50% off for three months; terms apply.

For the many small-business owners who use QuickBooks Online for accounting needs, turning to QuickBooks Payroll is a logical choice for the fast, convenient integration. The Core plan offers a full suite of payroll features, including unlimited payroll runs, automated tax filing, robust payroll reports and next-day direct deposit. Higher tiers add features such as same-day direct deposit, HR Support Center and mobile time tracking. At $125 a month plus $10 per employee, the Elite plan includes a personal HR advisor, expert setup help and a tax-penalty-free guarantee. Through the QuickBooks Workforce portal, employees can access their pay stubs and personal information.

Pros

Benefits administration at all levels.
Time-tracking features available (Premium and up).
Next-day direct deposit at Core level (same-day at Premium).
HR support available (Premium and up).
The option to choose a 30-day free trial or 50% off base price for first three months; terms apply.
Easy integration with QuickBooks Online.

Cons

Limited integration with non-QuickBooks products.
Additional fees if you have employees in more than one state (Core and Premium).

RUN Powered by ADP

4.5

on RUN Powered by ADP's secure website

Starting at

$79/month

Plus $4 per employee. Custom pricing also available.

Promotion

Three months free

Terms apply

ADP RUN offers a strong list of payroll features and solid customer support optimized for businesses with one to 49 employees. And if you’re planning to scale your business up, ADP has products for every stage of your growth up to 1,000 employees or more. An employee portal is available to view pay history and tax forms, or employees can download the Mobile Solutions app to track time, access retirement accounts and review benefits. ADP integrates with a wide variety of apps, including popular accounting software such as QuickBooks and Xero. Some drawbacks are that you have to talk to a sales rep to get a quote, and many features come with an extra price tag.

Pros

Benefits administration available as add-on.
Time-tracking features available as add-on.
HR features offered at higher tiers, including HR help desk support.
First three months free; terms apply.
Ability to scale up for growing businesses.

Cons

Opaque pricing.
Limited HR support at base level.

OnPay Payroll

4.5

on OnPay Payroll's secure website

Starting at

$40/month

Plus $6 per employee.

Promotion

One month free

Terms apply

OnPay keeps it simple, offering a wide range of features encompassing payroll, HR and benefits for one base rate — and the first month is free. While designed for smaller businesses, it can run larger payrolls and boasts support for specialized industries such as restaurants, farms, nonprofits and churches. OnPay provides self-onboarding tools and additional self-service features that let employees access pay stubs, update personal information, request time off and download tax forms. It integrates with accounting software such as QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero.

Pros

Benefits administration included.
Integrates with third-party software for time tracking.
HR tools included.
One-month free trial; terms apply.
Straightforward pricing.
Integrates with QuickBooks and Xero.

Cons

Limited customer support hours.

Patriot Payroll

4.0

on Patriot Payroll's secure website

Starting at

$17/month

Plus $4 per employee. Additional pricing tiers (per month): $37.

Promotion

One month free

Terms apply

Patriot Payroll offers an affordable and well-regarded payroll product, with add-ons that can cover HR and time and attendance reporting. Be aware that the Basic level does not include tax filing and depositing. These features are included at the Full Service level, which bumps the monthly base fee to $37 — but keeps the per-employee fee low at $4 per month. Patriot guarantees accurate and on-time tax filing on your behalf, or it will pay the penalties and interest. Accounting software integrations include Patriot Accounting as well as both the online and desktop versions of QuickBooks.

Pros

Time tracking available as add-on.
HR support available as add-on.
One-month free trial; terms apply.
Covers up to 100 employees.

Cons

Doesn't offer benefits administration.
Extra fee for 1099 e-filing (at Basic level).
Limited accounting integration options.

Our picks for

Best invoicing software

Accounting software usually comes with an invoicing feature. However, if you prefer a standalone invoicing product, here are several great options that all include a free pricing plan.

Zoho Invoice

on Zoho Invoice's secure website

Starting at

Free.

Promotion

N/A

Zoho Invoice is comprehensive yet easy to use. You can keep track of hours, expenses and tasks on a variety of projects in an app or browser. When work is complete, you can send highly customizable invoices to customers, along with automated email reminders if payments become overdue. Businesses can access all of Zoho Invoice’s features for free, but invoices are capped at 1,000 per year. In addition to online credit card payments, Zoho Invoice lets you accept cash, check and ACH payments.

Pros

Send up to 1,000 invoices per year for free.
Portal lets clients pay invoices and view their transaction history.
Payment gateway integrations include Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
Autoscan uploaded receipts and convert them into expenses.

Cons

Limited third-party integrations outside of other Zoho products and QuickBooks Online.

Invoice Ninja

Starting at

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $10, $14.

Promotion

N/A

Invoice Ninja’s free plan offers all of the key features that invoice software should, including time tracking, the ability to ask customers to pay a deposit upfront and the opportunity to add taxes and discounts to invoices. Clients can pay online or use ACH payments to transfer funds. The paid plans come with additional useful features like bulk invoicing, but the free version is so robust that you may never need to upgrade — as long as you don’t exceed 20 clients. You can add additional users to only the most expensive Enterprise plan (for a fee).

Pros

Free plan supports unlimited invoices for up to 20 clients.
Automatically transfer credit card processing fees to customers and allow them to tip on invoices or pay incrementally over time.
Integrates with more than a dozen payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square and Apple Pay.
Built-in inventory tool tracks items as they’re invoiced.
Portal lets clients view their invoices and payment history.

Cons

No direct integrations with bookkeeping or accounting software.
Enterprise plan pricing increases as you add more users.

Hiveage

Starting at

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.

Promotion

14-day free trial

of the Pro plan.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the features other software programs offer and all you need to do is send invoices and receive payments, Hiveage stands out for its simplicity. Creating one-time and recurring invoices is straightforward, the dashboard is easy to navigate, and it offers time and expense tracking even in the free version. You can accept online payments with any plan, but to accept offline payments through cash, check and bank transfer, you’ll have to subscribe to the most expensive Plus plan. Hiveage can also integrate with accounting, CRM and project management software via Zapier.

Pros

Free plan supports unlimited invoicing for up to five clients.
Integrates with a dozen payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
Assign different billable rates to each type of task.
Direct clients to your own custom domain with the Plus plan.

Cons

No built-in, direct integrations with bookkeeping or accounting software.
All plans have client limits (highest-tier Plus plan caps at 1,000).

Harvest

Starting at

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $12 per user.

Promotion

30-day free trial

of the Harvest Pro plan.

Harvest allows members of a project team to track their hours and expenses in detail, often within whatever apps project managers are using. Managers can set the budget for a project and track expenses and hours to make sure teams are working efficiently. When it comes to invoicing, Harvest’s estimate, invoice and payment collection tools are easy to navigate, and it offers helpful features like automated email reminders to customers with late payments.

If you’re concerned about credit card processing fees adding up, you can switch off the ability to pay with a credit card through Stripe. Instead, your invoices will give clients the option to pay only via ACH transfer.

Pros

Offers a free plan (limited to two projects).
Advanced time-tracking features, including integrations with Google Calendar, Slack, Asana, Trello and other project management tools.
Display billable hours by task, person or project on invoices.
Snap and upload photos of billable expense receipts with the mobile app.
Integrates with QuickBooks Online and Xero for accounting.

Cons

Invoice customization options are limited. Free users can’t add company logos to invoices, and Harvest offers only two templates (one PDF and one GDoc).
Payment integrations are limited to Stripe and PayPal.

Our picks for

Best inventory management software

It’s not uncommon to find inventory tracking features in your accounting or POS software. Here are several standalone options, however, that may be a good fit for businesses with basic or limited POS software or those operating without a POS but in need of a system to help manage inventory.

Cin7

Starting at

$349/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $599, $999. Custom pricing also available.

Promotion

14-day free trial.

Cin7 helps e-commerce businesses streamline order management, inventory, shipping, manufacturing and returns processes across multiple channels. Growing businesses that could benefit from a built-in point-of-sale system, customer relationship management module and more robust reporting suite can upgrade to Cin7 Pro, Advanced or Omni plans.

Pros

Multichannel tracking syncs inventory online and offline.
Scalable; offers plans for enterprise businesses.
More than 30 reports available.
Integrates with dozens of software products.
Generates barcode labels.
Can create workflow automation rules for order fulfillment.

Cons

No mobile app for iPhone users.
Limited number of users in all plans; can add users for additional cost.
Plans limit which types of apps you can integrate with and number of orders per month.

Brightpearl

Starting at

N/A

Quote-based.

Promotion

N/A

Quickly growing e-commerce businesses that need a holistic solution for running their retail operation might consider Brightpearl. In addition to offering e-commerce inventory and order management, the retail operating system also has an integrated CRM solution and POS system.

Pros

Sync inventory across multiple channels online and in-store.
Create automation rules for tasks like order processing and invoicing.
In-depth reporting on sales channels, customers, suppliers and marketing campaigns.
Forecasting tools predict demand and make inventory recommendations.
Also offers its own POS system, accounting and invoicing capabilities, customer relationship management system and warehouse management software.
Unlimited users.

Cons

Quote-based pricing makes it difficult to compare costs.
Excessive for small businesses that don’t plan to grow.

inFlow Inventory

Starting at

$110/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $279; $549; $1,319.

Promotion

14-day free trial

InFlow could be a good option for B2B businesses that sell their products online and want an easy way to manage online orders and stock from one place. All plans come with one-on-one setup assistance and demos to get business owners started, and the company’s hardware lineup features a handheld scanner for businesses that need to take stock of items around the store or warehouse.

Pros

Offers in-house smart scanner device.
Generate barcode labels.
More than 30 reports available.
Integrated business-to-business showroom for listing items online.

Cons

Must opt for more expensive plan to access unlimited locations.
Number of included integrations is limited for all plans; must pay additional monthly charge to add integrations.

Zoho Inventory