Best QuickBooks Alternatives of May 2022

on FreshBooks Accounting's secure website

FreshBooks Accounting

Starting at

$15/mo

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $25, $50, custom.

Promotion

60% off

60% off for first six months

on FreshBooks Accounting's secure website

Why we like it

FreshBooks' mobile app is intuitive and feature-rich, making it a great choice for entrepreneurs who spend more time on the phone than at a desk. Aside from general accounting functions, the mobile app also allows you to respond to clients' questions and get notified when they view or pay invoices or when invoices are overdue. Entirely cloud-based, it covers the basics and includes some attractive automated features and reports. If you need to have more than one person access the system, be sure you factor that into the price.

Pros

Ease of use.
Billing includes unlimited estimates and invoices, though some plans limit the number of billable clients.
Option to add advanced payment processing.
Phone and email support.

Cons

Each pricing tier, except the Select plan, includes one user; each additional user adds $10 per month.
Lite plan doesn’t include double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation or accountant access.
Lite and Plus plans limit the number of billable clients.

Our pick for

Ease of use

on Xero's secure website

Xero

Starting at

$12/mo

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $34, $65.

Promotion

30-day free trial

on Xero's secure website

Why we like it

Xero stands out by allowing unlimited users at every subscription tier, a potentially valuable feature for businesses where several users may need at least limited access to the system to run reports or analyze performance. You can also set up different permissions for each user so employees only have access to what's relevant to their job. By contrast, QuickBooks Online’s highest-tier Advanced plan allows just 25 users and three accounting firms. The New Zealand-based company, which is a market leader in some parts of the world, is also working to make inroads in the U.S. It offers a full certification program for accountants (like QuickBooks does), with more than 100,000 accountants and bookkeepers using Xero — which makes it easier for Xero customers to find outside help.

Pros

Unlimited users in all pricing plans.
Inventory management in all plans.
Full reporting included with all subscription levels.
Automated bill and receipt capture.

Cons

No live phone support.
Limits on bills and invoices with the entry-level plan (five and 20 monthly, respectively).

Our pick for

Free QuickBooks alternative

on NerdWallet's secure website

Wave Accounting

Starting at

Free (Wave makes money via payment processing).

Promotion

N/A

on NerdWallet's secure website

Why we like it

Unlike some “freemium” software products, Wave doesn’t put out a bare-bones free product as bait, then load it down with costly upgrades. Even the free version has things like the ability to add unlimited collaborators, along with unlimited bank and credit card connections. Its separate invoicing product (also free) adds unlimited invoices and automated invoice reminders. The company, which was purchased by H&R Block in 2019, makes money instead through payment processing, a service you can add on (starting at 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction). The payroll add-on starts at $20 per month in states where Wave's tax services aren't available and $35 per month in states where Wave will handle your payroll taxes.

Pros

Free.
Ease of use.
Unlimited income and expense tracking.
Unlimited partners, collaborators or accountants.

Cons

Not suitable for larger or fast-growing companies.

Our pick for

Invoicing

on NerdWallet's secure website

Zoho Books

Starting at

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70.

Promotion

N/A

on NerdWallet's secure website

Why we like it

Zoho Books packs an impressive collection of features and reporting capabilities for an affordable price. Its interface is easy to learn and use, and the option to automate workflows — for example, to send an email alert if an estimate exceeds a certain amount, or to apply a discount or late fee in certain cases — makes it stand out as an attractive choice. (You can create 10 automated workflows under in the Professional plan and up to 200 in the highest-tier Premium plan.) Zoho is perhaps best-known for its customer relationship management, or CRM, and productivity apps, which integrate well with its accounting software. It's possible to create contacts on Zoho Books based on new leads in Zoho CRM, for instance.

Pros

Ease of use.
Can integrate with a family of other Zoho products and several third-party apps.
Ability to automate workflows in Professional and Premium plans.
Phone and email support in paid plans.

Cons

Third-party app integrations are more limited than other choices.
The top-tier plan only includes 10 users (additional seats can be added at $3 each per month).

Our pick for

Inventory management

on NerdWallet's secure website

Sage 50cloud

Starting at

$56/mo

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $87.58, $145.17.

Promotion

40% off for the first year

on NerdWallet's secure website

Why we like it

Sage 50cloud is a desktop product that has to be locally installed, but it includes features you’d find in cloud-based software, like automated bank reconciliation. This makes it a good solution for small-business owners who are hesitant to adopt an entirely cloud-based system or don’t have reliable internet access.

Pros

Inventory management features in all plans.
Job costing features in all plans.
Phone and chat support.

Cons

Runs on Windows operating systems only.
Lowest-tier plan doesn’t include audit trails.