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8 Best QuickBooks Alternatives of 2024

The best QuickBooks alternatives are easy to use, customizable and — in some cases — fill a specific niche.
By Hillary Crawford, Karrin Sehmbi
Last updated on August 8, 2024
Edited byRyan Lane
Fact checked and reviewed

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QuickBooks has long been a go-to for small-business owners and their accountants, but it isn't the best accounting software choice for everyone. A number of other products on the market may be better suited to your business, depending on its size, your budget and your comfort with accounting software.
Here are some of our top picks for QuickBooks alternatives:
  • Xero: Best overall QuickBooks alternative. 
  • Wave: Best free QuickBooks alternative. 
  • Square Invoices: Best invoicing-only solution. 

Best QuickBooks Alternatives

Product
Promotion
Learn more

Xero

Learn more

on Xero's secure website

5.0/5

Best for Overall QuickBooks alternative

$15/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78.

75% off

for six months on Business Edition plans.

Learn more

on Xero's secure website

FreshBooks

Learn more

on FreshBooks' secure website

4.5/5

Best for Freelancer-friendly features

$19/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom.

30-day free trial

or monthly discount (terms vary).

Learn more

on FreshBooks' secure website

Zoho Books

Learn more

on Zoho Books' secure website

4.5/5

Best for Zoho suite integrations

$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

Sage 50 Accounting

Learn more

on Sage 50 Accounting's secure website

3.5/5

Best for Desktop solution

$59/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $101.92, $172.

Discount for the first year

(terms vary).

Learn more

on Sage 50 Accounting's secure website

Wave Accounting

3.5/5

Best for Free QuickBooks alternative

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16

N/A

NetSuite

Best for Enterprise solution

N/A

Quote-based.

N/A

Striven

Learn more

on Striven's secure website

3.5/5

Best for Industry-specific plans

$35/month

Per user. Additional pricing tiers per user (per month): $70.

7-day free trial

Learn more

on Striven's secure website

Square Invoices

Learn more

on Square Invoices' secure website

5.0/5

Best for Invoicing-only solution

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.

30-day free trial

of the Plus plan.

Learn more

on Square Invoices' secure website

Our pick for

Overall QuickBooks alternative

Learn more

on Xero's secure website

Starting at
$15/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78.

Promotion
75% off

for six months on Business Edition plans.

Our pick for

Freelancer-friendly features

FreshBooks

Learn more

on FreshBooks' secure website

Starting at
$19/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $33, $60, custom.

Promotion
30-day free trial

or monthly discount (terms vary).

Our pick for

Zoho suite integrations

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.

Our pick for

Desktop solution

Sage 50 Accounting

Learn more

on Sage 50 Accounting's secure website

Starting at
$59/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $101.92, $172.

Promotion
Discount for the first year

(terms vary).

Our pick for

Free QuickBooks alternative

Wave Accounting

Starting at
$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Enterprise solution

NetSuite

Starting at
N/A

Quote-based.

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Industry-specific plans

Striven

3.5
NerdWallet rating 
Learn more

on Striven's secure website

Starting at
$35/month

Per user. Additional pricing tiers per user (per month): $70.

Promotion
7-day free trial

Our pick for

Invoicing-only solution

Square Invoices

Learn more

on Square Invoices' secure website

Starting at
$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20.

Promotion
30-day free trial

of the Plus plan.

ASK OUR NERDY EXPERTS

  • Hillary Crawford

    Hillary Crawford

  • When it comes to transaction tracking, QuickBooks’ granularity is one of its strengths. For example, on top of basic categories, you can assign classes and/or locations to transactions.

    But that level of customization also means there’s a steep learning curve — as I found out when studying for my QuickBooks certification exam.

    It took me hours just to learn all the different ways you can track and group transactions. If your business doesn’t need that level of detail, a simpler, less hands-on accounting solution may be a better fit.

    Hillary Crawford
    Hillary Crawford

    Lead Writer

    When it comes to transaction tracking, QuickBooks’ granularity is one of its strengths. For example, on top of basic categories, you can assign classes and/or locations to transactions.

    But that level of customization also means there’s a steep learning curve — as I found out when studying for my QuickBooks certification exam.

    It took me hours just to learn all the different ways you can track and group transactions. If your business doesn’t need that level of detail, a simpler, less hands-on accounting solution may be a better fit.

    Hillary Crawford
    Hillary Crawford

    Lead Writer

    A closer look at the best QuickBooks alternatives

    Xero

    Best overall QuickBooks alternative
    Why we picked it: Business owners who prefer ease of use and simplicity will appreciate Xero’s minimalist design and jargon-free language. Like QuickBooks, it's widely used, which makes it easy to find accountants who support it. Unlike QuickBooks, however, Xero allows unlimited users at all plan levels — and at a lower price point. As a QuickBooks alternative, Xero offers less expensive software that competes with QuickBooks’ rich feature set. Read our full Xero Accounting review.

    FreshBooks

    Best for freelancer-friendly features
    Why we picked it: With strong invoicing capabilities and an intuitive mobile app, FreshBooks is an affordable alternative for freelancers who might not need all of the features that QuickBooks offers its online customers. The software lets you log time, track mileage, snap photos of expense receipts, set up recurring invoices, send automatic payment reminders and accept payments online through FreshBooks Payments or Stripe. And unlike QuickBooks, which only lets you mark expenses as “billable” in the Online Plus plan and higher, FreshBooks lets you rebill clients for expenses in all plans. One downside: It comes with a stricter user limit. All plans, except the Select plan, include access for only one user; additional users cost $11 each per month. Read our full FreshBooks review.

    Wave

    Best free QuickBooks alternative
    Why we picked it: Wave delivers on most of the basics for micro businesses and self-employed entrepreneurs without requiring expensive add-ons. It’s a solid QuickBooks alternative if you’re on a tight budget and run a small operation, but it’s not ideal for scaling your business. Still, it can be sufficient for businesses with straightforward financials, especially if your main objectives are keeping tabs on expenses, sending invoices and tracking income. Read our full Wave Accounting review.

    Zoho Books

    Best for Zoho suite integrations
    Why we picked it: Zoho Books offers a lot of the same features as QuickBooks, like inventory management, reporting tags, invoicing and bank rules — but at a lower price. Higher-tier plans also include extra features you don’t find among all accounting software, like customizable workflow rules for email alerts and the ability to let your clients approve or comment on timesheets before adding billable hours to an invoice. If you commit to the Zoho ecosystem, you can smoothly integrate its CRM and other software with Zoho Books. If not, its third-party integrations might be limiting. Read our Zoho Books review.

    Sage 50 Accounting

    Best for desktop solution
    Why we picked it: If your business is smaller in size and you have need for only a few users to access your accounting software, then Sage 50’s desktop accounting software is an excellent alternative to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, which is designed — and priced — for much larger organizations. You can purchase Sage 50’s mid-level plan, Premium Accounting, for less than QuickBooks Enterprise’s lowest-tier plan. Sage 50 Accounting will give you unlimited phone and chat support and advanced reporting,  like you’d get with the least expensive QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise plan, in addition to advanced inventory tracking and management plus invoice tracking and a long list of additional features. Like QuickBooks, Sage 50 Accounting offers payroll as an add-on. Read our full Sage 50 review.

    NetSuite

    Best for enterprise solution
    Why we picked it: If you run a large business or anticipate rapid growth of your business, then you may be interested in enterprise-level accounting software. While QuickBooks’ enterprise solution is locally installed on a desktop (unless you pay extra for cloud access), NetSuite’s solution is cloud-based from the start. That means you can get real-time access to your financial data anytime, anywhere. In addition to its core accounting features, NetSuite also offers CRM and HR solutions (including payroll) so you can centralize all of your software under one umbrella.

    Striven

    Best for industry-specific plans
    Why we picked it: Striven might not have the name recognition that QuickBooks has, but its selection of industry-specific software packages earns it a spot on the list. In some ways, Striven is also a more exhaustive all-in-one product that combines accounting features with customer relationship management tools, human resources and productivity software. If you’re interested, you can test drive the core edition (which isn’t industry specific) or the package for professional services, manufacturing or field services for seven days.

    Square Invoices

    Best invoicing-only solution
    Why we picked it: Maybe your business is small enough that you don’t need a full-blown accounting software product. If you’re mainly looking for a way to invoice clients, Square Invoices is a simple, affordable alternative to other products listed here. We give it high marks, in part, because of its free plan, which includes unlimited invoices, estimates and contracts. For lower processing rates, you can subscribe to the paid Plus plan. Read our full Square Invoices review.

    QuickBooks pros and cons

    Understanding the upsides and downsides of QuickBooks’ popular accounting software product, QuickBooks Online, can help you find an alternative that checks the right boxes. Here are its main benefits and drawbacks:
    Pros

    Recognizable brand with a longstanding reputation in the accounting industry.

    Easy to share information with your accountant and to find QuickBooks experts and online resources if needed.

    More than 750 app integrations.

    Robust feature set includes record-keeping, reporting, invoicing and inventory management, plus a capable mobile app.

    Chat and phone support available Monday through Saturday in all plans.

    Cons

    Expensive compared with the competition.

    Frequent price increases and a tendency toward upselling.

    Limited account users with each plan.

    When to choose an alternative to QuickBooks

    QuickBooks is popular for a reason, but that doesn’t make it a one-size-fits-all solution for every business. Here are some scenarios when you might consider an alternative:
    • QuickBooks is too expensive. QuickBooks’ pricing is competitive, but subscriptions to its higher-tier plans, which include more features like inventory tracking, can be steep. Plus, unlike Zoho Books and Wave, there are no free plans. 
    • You need to mark expenses as billable. QuickBooks’ Simple Start and Essentials plans don’t let you mark expenses as billable, which could be a dealbreaker for service-based and project-based businesses. FreshBooks, however, lets you assign billable expenses to clients in all plans. 
    • You need to grant access to more users. QuickBooks’ highest-tier Advanced plan lets you add up to 25 users. If you need more users than that, you may want to go with an alternative, like Xero, that allows unlimited users. 
    • You’re a solopreneur. QuickBooks is packed with features, like detailed transaction tracking and reporting, that are nice to have but not necessary for many very small businesses. If you’re a solopreneur, you’ll find a couple of simpler options in our list of the best accounting software for freelancers and the self-employed.

    Do you use QuickBooks for invoicing?

    If you’re primarily using QuickBooks Online for its invoicing functions, you may find a more suitable and more affordable alternative among our picks for the best invoicing software.

    What is the best alternative to QuickBooks?

    Xero is our top pick among QuickBooks alternatives. It offers a lot of the same key features as QuickBooks, but at a lower price point and is growing in popularity in the U.S. Your accountant or bookkeeper will almost certainly be familiar with QuickBooks, but they may also know the ins and outs of Xero.
    However, the right fit will vary from business to business. The best QuickBooks alternative for you will depend on your budget, the type of business you run and which features you need.

    🤓 Nerdy Tip

    If you’ve ruled out QuickBooks and haven’t decided on an alternative, consider reaching out to your accountant or bookkeeper and ask which software products they prefer or commonly work with. This is especially important if they review your books periodically.

    Is there a free alternative to QuickBooks?

    One of the best free accounting software options is Wave Accounting. It’s not as scalable as QuickBooks, but it can accommodate solopreneurs and, in some cases, businesses with a handful of employees.
    Wave’s free plan has income and expense tracking, invoicing and basic reports. However, you’ll need to subscribe to its paid Pro plan to automatically import bank transactions, categorize transactions and add users. Additionally, Wave doesn’t offer built-in integrations with POS systems or other third-party apps. If you’re looking for a more scalable option with a free plan and more built-in app integrations, Zoho Books could be a good choice.

    How we choose and rate accounting software

    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. The best accounting software received top marks when evaluated across 10 categories and more than 30 subcategories.
    Pie chart displaying accounting software ratings categories and percentages
    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. 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.

    A guide to our star ratings

    Accounting software that receives a NerdWallet rating of 5 stars is outstanding among its competition. It delivers great value to users with a range of features and integrations at an affordable — and transparent — price. It also offers multiple avenues for customer support.
    Accounting software that earns 4 or 4.5 stars is excellent. It includes all the standard features and most advanced features but is lacking in areas such as integrations, a mobile app and/or pricing transparency.
    Accounting software with a rating of 3 or 3.5 stars is a solid choice. It lacks certain key features and integrations, and it may also lack pricing transparency. Alternatively, it may be a free product that lacks certain desirable features but offers enough to be worth consideration for businesses on a tight budget.
    Accounting software that we rate below 3 stars is found to be lacking in several key categories, and we therefore won’t typically recommend it.
    Former NerdWallet writer Amrita Jayakumar contributed to this article.
    Last updated on August 8, 2024

    Methodology

    NerdWallet independently reviews accounting software products before determining our top picks. We collect the data for our software ratings from products’ public-facing websites and from company representatives. Information is gathered on a regular basis and reviewed by our editorial team for consistency and accuracy. Learn more about how we rate small-business accounting software.

    Frequently Asked Questions