What Everyone Says About the Best Small Business Accounting Software

Tools to help run your small business abound. However, the number of choices can be mind-numbing. How to choose without spending hours?

Let me help. I’ll do the scrolling and research. I’ll consult more than one review site.

Let’s begin with accounting and finance. I spent years working with and gaining an understanding of corporate accounting and finance. But I struggled to find a straightforward program for my small business.

The most well known and rated in this category is Quickbooks. This comprehensive online software handles invoicing, sales and expense tracking, payroll integration and management, purchasing and receipt management, and produces profit-and-loss reports along with other accounting chores. Free trial available, monthly pricing varies with business size and needs.

Freshbooks, a cloud-based accounting program, ranks a bit higher than Quickbooks on some sites. Listed features include invoicing, profit and loss, and timesheet management but not purchasing and receipt management. A free trial is available with monthly pricing based on client size.

Xero ranks right up there with Quickbooks, and Freshbooks and features match those of Quickbooks closely. You can even convert from Quickbooks. Xero offers a free trial with starter, standard, and premium monthly rates.

A few other companies deserve mention. Wave does accounting, invoicing, payroll, payments, and receipt management for companies with nine employees or less. Not only does it receive overall high marks, but it’s free for the basics. There’s a monthly fee for payroll, bank transfers, and credit card processing.

Zoho Books offers many of the same features as Xero and Freshbooks. This software grants a free trial and the choice of three pricing plans.

Author: Kris Keppeler, a writer who finds technology fascinating and loves humor. She writes for Crossing Genres on Medium.com and Does This Happen to You? on Channillo. Award-winning podcast producer who enjoys telling stories. Follow her @KrisKKAria on Twitter or on LinkedIn.