QuickBooks Online: Best overall Zoho Books alternative

Intuit QuickBooks is another trusted payroll software provider, and the QuickBooks Online solution is a top alternative to Zoho Books’ system. Its cloud-based software tool is designed with small businesses in mind and includes features that can help smaller organizations streamline their accounting workflows.

Still, Zoho Books and QuickBooks Online have significant differences. Zoho Books offers more comprehensive features than QuickBooks Online and many other competitors. And while QuickBooks Online’s lowest tier plan does provide more features than Zoho Books’s lower tier plans, their $30 starting price is significantly pricier.

Additionally, Zoho Books users can purchase more users for their plans, whereas QuickBooks Online limits user numbers, capping them at 25 on the highest plan. That said, shoppers should consider price, the size of their teams and their desired features when choosing between these systems.

Features

• Income and expense tracking.
• Customizable invoicing.
• Time tracking capabilities built-in.
• Mobile app.
• Cash flow forecasting.
• Bookkeeping and accounting reports.

Pros

• Each plan includes free access to QuickBooks Payments, apart from industry-standard transaction fees.
• Businesses are able to send an unlimited number of invoices to an unlimited number of clients.
• QuickBooks Online gives new users a choice between a 30-day free trial or a three-month 50% discount.

Cons

• Above-average prices starting at $30.
• User limits on every plan.

Pricing

• QuickBooks Simple Start: $30 per month with access for one user.
• QuickBooks Essentials: $60 per month with access for up to three users.
• QuickBooks Plus: $90 per month with access for up to five users.
• QuickBooks Advanced: $200 per month with access for up to 25 users.

First-time QuickBooks customers receive the option of either signing up for a 30-day free trial or locking in 50% off for their initial three months.

For more information, read the full QuickBooks Online review.

Xero: Best for freelancers

Freelancers will appreciate Xero’s accounting features and capabilities to assist them in their business processes. The intuitive tools are easy to use and provide solopreneurs with the convenience of accepting payments online. A notable aspect of Xero’s software plans is the inventory tracking features, a beneficial accounting perk not commonly offered by its competitors.

The online solution and mobile apps sport a user-friendly design, so users can spend less time trying to understand their software and more time on business. With convenient tools like bulk reconciled transactions and paperless expense claiming, users can take care of their business accounting needs quickly and easily.

Features

• Basic inventory management tools.
• Automatic data capturing.
• Project tracking.
• Customized invoicing.
• Multi-currency support.

Pros

• No user limits.
• Low starting price compared to some of its competitors.
• Multi-currency support, so users can report in local or foreign currencies and have their international transactions converted for them.
• Mobile app allows for simple on-the-go access from anywhere.

Cons

• Lower-cost Xero plans place restrictions on the number of bills managed, estimates created and invoices sent per month.
• Customer service is only accessible through email .

Pricing

• Early: $13 per month and includes 20 invoices and five bills per month.
• Growing: $37 per month and includes unlimited invoicing and bill entry.
• Established: $70 per month and also includes unlimited invoicing and bill entry.

All plans allow the addition of unlimited users at no additional fee.

For more information, read the full Xero review.

Wave Accounting: Cheapest alternative

As a completely free income and expense tracking solution, Wave Accounting secured our vote for the cheapest Zoho Books alternative. Unlike other providers that offer solutions that place limits on users or billable clients, Wave’s solution is unlimited. They also let users connect any number of credit cards or bank accounts. And don’t expect hidden fees for these features, as each is included at no additional cost.

Of course, users can choose to expand the functionality of their software by purchasing add-on services. These services include mobile receipt features, faster payments and integration with Wave Payroll, to name a few. The add-on services require additional fees but are optional and not mandatory for users. That said, businesses on a budget can use Wave Accounting for free to manage their bookkeeping and business finances.

Features

• Multi-business management.
• Expense and income tracking.
• Crucial accounting reports.
• Bank reconciliation with double-entry accounting.
• Automated reminders.
• Mobile App.

Pros

• Supports seamless integration with Wave Payroll, providing users of both systems with an in-depth look at their financial status.
• Supports unlimited users and billable clients.
• Helpful dashboard provides at-a-glance insights on important matters, like client charging.
• Automated notifications and reminders.

Cons

• No built-in time tracking.
• Virtually free, it does charge processing fees for taking payments, as is standard with these types of software services.
• No U.S.-based phone support and live chat is available only during Wave’s typical business hours.

Pricing

• Wave Accounting is a completely free solution.

For more information, read the full Wave Accounting review.

FreshBooks: Best invoice-specific alternative

FreshBooks provides another low-cost option that stands out for its impressive range of invoicing features and capabilities. The software offers customizable invoices and numerous invoicing automations to help users stay on track with their billing operations. These features for invoicing can be highly beneficial to freelancers and smaller businesses that provide services, as they can be easily tracked and managed within the system.

FreshBooks does not offer built-in payroll features, but it does have a native integration with Gusto’s payroll solution. Therefore, users can easily maintain updated and accurate data within the system and obtain helpful insights from its reports. While FreshBooks may not be free like Wave Accounting, it offers frequent sales and discounts for first-time users. For example, at the time of writing, shoppers can get 50% off a Lite, Plus or Premium Plan for five months.

Features

• Sales tax tracking and reports.
• Collaboration tools.
• Client profiles and account statements.
• Built-in time tracking.
• Project-based budgeting and billing.
• Client portals.

Pros

• Native integrations with Gusto to ensure accuracy in syncing accounting and payroll data.
• Low cost compared to other accounting software systems, starting at $17 per month after a 30-day free trial.
• Client portal tool lets users communicate with customers, so they can easily handle matters like invoicing, providing estimates and administering payment reminders.

Cons

• Cheapest plan limits users to invoicing only five clients a month, and true double-entry accounting is unavailable.
• Being an invoice-centric solution, the software features can be less helpful to businesses that sell products, compared to those that provide services.

Pricing

• Lite: $17 per month billed monthly or $204 billed yearly. Allows users to bill five clients per month.
• Plus: $30 per month billed monthly or $360 billed yearly. Allows users to bill 50 clients per month.
• Premium: $55 per month billed monthly or $660 billed yearly. Includes unlimited billable clients.
• Select: Custom quote pricing for enterprises.

For more information, read the full Freshbooks review.

Sage Intacct: Best for growing businesses

Sage Intacct offers an excellent accounting software solution as a part of the Sage platform. Sage provides three accounting products, but for a more direct comparison with Zoho Books, we will be discussing the Sage Intacct accounting software. This cloud-based software product comes with financial management tools to support users in many areas of their accounting processes.

Sage’s solution is scalable as it requires new users to form personalized pricing plans to fit their unique needs. This is good news, especially for growing businesses, as they can work with Sage’s pricing department to maintain a software solution capable of keeping up with their expanding operations.

Features

• Accounts payable and accounts receivable modules.
• Real-time data metrics.
• Hundreds of integration options.
• Automated invoicing and collection processes.
• Inventory tracking tools
• Financial reporting features.

Pros

• Provides real-time visibility into cash management and working capital.
• User-friendly and fully customizable.
• Provides scalable accounting solutions to fit the needs of small, medium and large businesses.

Cons

• Users can only integrate payroll through the QuickBooks Payroll integration.
• Prices of the software can rise significantly when opting for multi-user mode.

Pricing

• Shoppers are encouraged to contact Sages sales team to request a personalized price quote.

NetSuite: Best for enterprises

Large businesses require solutions capable of handling their financial operations. A worthy enterprise solution is Oracle NetSuite ERP, as it has tools that are capable of supporting large-scale accounting processes. Its customizable plans come with basic accounting features and tools for inventory, tax, cash and order management.

Enterprises can even expand the Oracle Netsuite ERP’s capabilities with add-on options for marketing, CRM and other purposes. When used alongside NetSuite’s other products, businesses can increase their software functionality by seamlessly integrating each tool.

Connecting the solutions to become a unified, full-service business management suite makes it easier to sync data from each system into a single source of truth. In doing so, large organizations can fully visualize their financial data in real time and make informed business decisions.

Features

• Custom reporting tools.
• Cash-flow visibility.
• Fixed assets management.
• Cash management tools.
• Automated account reconciliation.

Pros

• Offers customizable solutions with enterprise-level scalability.
• Mobile capabilities support users who wish to access and manage the software on the go.
• Users can choose to incorporate a selection of convenient non-accounting add-on features.
• Provides automation scripts for added convenience.

Cons

• More expensive product compared to others included in this list.
• Can have a steep learning curve.

Pricing

• Oracle NetSuite charges an annual fee for its software based on the buyer’s unique needs. Shoppers are encouraged to contact Oracle NetSuites’ sales team to request a personalized price quote.