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Best Accounting Software for Nonprofits of 2024

Choose nonprofit accounting software with the ability to accept, track and report on donations, in addition to a customizable chart of accounts and perhaps fundraising and CRM tools.
By Kelsey Sheehy, Hillary Crawford
Last updated on January 2, 2024
Edited bySally Lauckner
Fact checked and reviewed

⏰ Estimated read time: 6 minutes

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In addition to streamlining basic accounting tasks, nonprofit accounting software may also track how donations and grants are being used, store information about donors, include fundraising tools and make it easy to accept online donations, among other industry-specific capabilities.
Although products built specifically for nonprofits are more likely to deliver on those features, organizations can also use non-industry-specific accounting software, like Xero or QuickBooks, and integrate with third-party apps as needed.
Before making a decision, consider whether you need a solution that uses fund accounting. Nonprofits use this bookkeeping method to monitor how funds are used and track each separately. Your decision will also boil down to the size of your nonprofit, your budget and whether or not you want an all-in-one product.
Here are our top picks for nonprofit accounting software.

Best Accounting Software for Nonprofits

Product
Promotion
Learn more

Sage Intacct

Learn more

on Sage Intacct's secure website

Best for Nonprofit accounting automation tools

N/A

Quote-based.

30-day free trial

Learn more

on Sage Intacct's secure website

QuickBooks Enterprise

4.0/5

Best for Enterprise nonprofit accounting software

$1,410/year

Additional pricing tiers (per year): $1,830; $2,250; $4,400. Adding users or cloud access costs extra.

30-day free trial

Xero

Learn more

on Xero's secure website

5.0/5

Best for Scalable accounting software for nonprofits

$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

Wave Accounting

3.5/5

Best for Free accounting software for nonprofits

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16

N/A

Accufund

Best for HR management features

N/A

Quote-based.

N/A

Aplos

Best for Overall nonprofit accounting software

$79/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $99, $189.

15-day free trial

Our pick for

Nonprofit accounting automation tools

Sage Intacct

Learn more

on Sage Intacct's secure website

Starting at
N/A

Quote-based.

Promotion
30-day free trial

Our pick for

Enterprise nonprofit accounting software

QuickBooks Enterprise

Starting at
$1,410/year

Additional pricing tiers (per year): $1,830; $2,250; $4,400. Adding users or cloud access costs extra.

Promotion
30-day free trial

Our pick for

Scalable accounting software for nonprofits

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).

Our pick for

Free accounting software for nonprofits

Wave Accounting

Starting at
$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

HR management features

Accufund

Starting at
N/A

Quote-based.

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Overall nonprofit accounting software

Aplos

Starting at
$79/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $99, $189.

Promotion
15-day free trial

NerdWallet’s picks for the best nonprofit accounting software

Aplos

Best overall nonprofit accounting software
Price:
  • $79 per month for the Aplos Lite plan.
  • $99 per month for the Aplos Core plan.
  • $189 and up per month for the Advanced plan.
Why we like it: From its advent, Aplos software was designed for nonprofits and faith-based organizations. That means it comes with a wealth of features particular to the nonprofit sector, including customizable chart of accounts; fund tracking to efficiently keep tabs on grants and donations; a variety of reports to track accountability, such as fund-based balance sheets and income statements as well as contribution statements; as well as tools designed to encourage giving and track donations. With robust accounting features; tools related to fundraising, marketing and CRM; and optional add-on products for soliciting and receiving donations by text message, payroll and online bill payment, Aplos is a complete accounting and nonprofit management software solution.

Xero

Best scalable accounting software for nonprofits
Price:
  • $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: With more than 20 not-for-profit app integrations available, Xero is a user-friendly, scalable, cloud-based accounting software that can be customized to fit the needs of your nonprofit organization. Need to manage a membership base? Connect Xero with MembershipWorks. Need to track donations? You can link your Xero account to Infoodle for seamless donor communication and analysis. Read our complete Xero Accounting review.

QuickBooks Enterprise

Best enterprise nonprofit accounting software
Price:
  • $1,410 per year for the Silver plan.
  • $1,830 per year for the Gold plan.
  • $2,250 per year for the Platinum plan.
  • $4,400 per year for the Diamond plan.
Why we like it: QuickBooks Enterprise is a general accounting solution, but it still includes certain industry-specific features, like a nonprofit chart of accounts that shows your organization’s assets, expenses and revenue from both donations and retail sales. At tax time, you can easily transfer your data to the relevant IRS forms. Customizable reports allow you to manage budgets for various programs, view contributions by donor and track top-tier donors. QuickBooks Enterprise is desktop software, but users can pay more for cloud access. Read our review of QuickBooks Enterprise.

AccuFund

Best HR management features
Price: Quote-based.
Why we like it: If you run a more established nonprofit with a large employee base, then you may need software to help you manage not only your organization’s finances but your employees as well. AccuFund’s core software includes general accounting functions such as bank reconciliation, a general ledger, financial reporting and dashboards and accounts payable. Additionally, AccuFund offers add-on modules and products to round out the solution you need for your particular nonprofit. The company’s robust HR management product includes payroll, tax management, time tracking, employee self-service portal and additional tools.

Sage Intacct

Best for nonprofit accounting automation tools
Price: Quote-based.
Why we like it: The more you can automate your accounting tasks and business workflows, the more time you and your staff can dedicate to doing good in the world. Sage Intacct’s software comes with a number of automation features to simplify your nonprofit accounting and reporting, including an AI-powered general ledger and a revenue recognition tool that’s built to save you time and ensure your organization remains compliant. You may also appreciate Sage Intacct’s reporting and insights capabilities, in particular the digital board book the software can generate to visualize and present your organization’s impact and financial health to interested parties. Read our full Sage Intacct review.

Wave

Best free accounting software for nonprofits
Price: $0.
Why we like it: Free accounting software may be especially enticing to newer nonprofits; it will allow you to put your limited funds to work where they can have the most impact. With Wave’s free accounting software, you can enjoy unlimited expense tracking among unlimited users, access to standard accounting reports such as a profit and loss statement and balance sheet, automatic bank transaction syncs, and a customizable chart of accounts so you can track industry-specific accounts such as grants and donations, special events and in-kind contributions. Through Zapier, you can integrate Wave Accounting with dozens of third-party apps to fill the inevitable gaps you’ll encounter when using free software. Read our full Wave Accounting review.

What is nonprofit accounting software?

Accounting software designed specifically for the nonprofit sector will handle general accounting functions — such as a general ledger, chart of accounts, profit and loss statements, balance sheets and other financial management tools — in addition to fund accounting, donation tracking and reporting on functional expenses, among others.
These more industry-specific features help to ensure that your organization remains accountable to its mission and board, accurately files Form 990 and other necessary tax forms, attracts and manages regular communications with donors and remains compliant with established nonprofit accounting standards.

How to choose nonprofit accounting software

When choosing nonprofit accounting software, you’ll want to identify the obstacles blocking your work. Then, look for features that can push those roadblocks aside.
That might be robust CRM functions that let you track, analyze and engage a large donor or membership base. Or maybe you need a way to easily accept online donations and some basic accounting functions.
Here are a few other features to look for:
  • The ability to budget by fund, project and/or tag.
  • Automated reporting for IRS Form 990.
  • Grant management features to meet time and use restrictions.
Balance the features you need alongside your budget and whether the software checks other boxes, like scalability and ease of use, to choose the best accounting software for your organization.
Last updated on January 2, 2024

Methodology

NerdWallet’s accounting software ratings favor products that are easy to use, reasonably priced, have a robust feature set and can grow with your business. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including range of features, cost, ease of use, accounting standards compliance, scalability, ease of sharing with accountants, integrations, customer support, pricing transparency and availability of a free trial period. Learn more about how we rate small-business accounting software.
These ratings are meant to provide clarity in the decision-making process, but what’s best for your business will depend on its size, growth trajectory and which features you need most. Simplicity doesn't always translate into ease of use. Less scalable products are typically simpler, but diminished functionality can cause headaches down the road for growing businesses. We encourage you to research and compare multiple accounting software products before choosing one.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
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