One of the vital prerequisites of starting a new business is to purchase good accounting software for your firm. This is because, without managing your finances and proper bookkeeping, you will be running a sinking ship from the very beginning. Finding the best accounting software is vital to your business. Don’t worry since Brighter Guide has you covered.
Meanwhile, for your other software need, check out also Fan Control Software, Tax Software, CRM Software, Backup Software, Webinar Software
Best Accounting Software List 2021 – Our Top Picks
To help you decide on which software to try, we have here details of our top 10 accounting software’s features, pros and cons, and prices. That is on top of other software brands that we also listed here.
1. Wave Accounting
A good solution for small business owners looking for simple, easy-to-use accounting software.
It is the industry leader in free online accounting software. Not only does it track your expenses and income, but it also ties into your banking services and generates detailed and regular journal entries for your timely financial reports. You can have your bank accounts and credit cards synced to the Waves Accounting App to ensure that your inventory management and expense tracking are accurate and timely.
The app also provides invoice generation and reminders to pay bills, which is a highly useful feature in managing the finances of small business setups. Its smooth, simplistic, easily comprehendible interface makes this software more versatile and power-packed for any user, regardless of their skill levels. Overall, possibly the best free bookkeeping software platform for small and upcoming firms.
Pros
- Costless (payments and payroll incur fees)
- Smart feature selection for very small businesses
- Accounting with two entries
- Outstanding invoice and transaction management
- Recurring credit card payments can be pre-authorized.
- Excellent user interface and navigational tools
- Contextual assistance
- Support for multiple currencies
- Payouts are made instantly.
Cons
- Templates for simple records
- Customization of invoices could be improved.
- We are unable to provide discounts.
- There are no time-tracking features.
- There is no comprehensive mobile app.
- Receipts from the Wave app are not available on Android, and
- the payroll features are not as robust as those of other solutions.
Pricing
- Credit card processing – $0.30 + 2.9% per transaction
- Bank payment/ACH processing – 1% per transaction ($1 minimum fee)
- Payroll (tax service states): $35/month base fee + $4/active employee + $4/independent contractor paid
- Payroll (self service states): $20/month base fee + $4/active employee + $4/independent contractor paid
2. Zipbooks
Perfect for a Hobby turned Small Business!
Relatively new to the market, Zipbooks has a lot of eyebrows raised in admiration at its ability to track expenses reliably. One of its other specialties is vendor tracking, which is a highly needed service for many online merchants. Apart from that, its robust features allow for unlimited possibilities in invoice creation, alongside processing payments and transactions made in multiple currencies, tracking payment receipts, and inventory management.
The application, however, lacks in its report generation and doesn’t have a mobile version. It can generate, at most, a cost balance sheet and a profit and loss statement.
Pros
- A truly exceptional user experience.
- There is a free version available.
- Tracking of tasks, time, and projects.
- Labels.
Cons
- Contact information that is slim.
- There are no bill-paying or inventory-tracking features.
- There are no tiers of user permissions.
- There are few reports.
- There are no integrated add-ons, such as payroll.
- There is no Android version.
- Only a little assistance is available.
Pricing
- Smarter $15/mo
- Sophisticated $35/mo
3. Sage | Accounting
Great product, great support!
Flexible accounting software that takes utmost care of your budgeting process, with real-time reporting and mail invoices for each and every transaction.
Pros
- Professional Customer Support.
- Merge companies.
- Quick and efficient
Cons
Has some bugs.
Pricing
- Sage Accounting Start $10/mo
- Sage Accounting $7.50/mo
4. Express Accounts by NCH Software
Inexpensive, efficient, easy-to-use accounting software for time-challenged small business operators.
Express Accounts is a bookkeeping software designed and developed at the hands of NCH Software. By no means is it a new entrant in the market. Its outlook sports a tremendously dated appearance, which is amplified by the fact that it can have access for multiple users, but only after you install it on your desktop. Despite all that, this software has made waves in the industry due to its bookkeeping and accounting service. It allows you to get 20 different types of financial reports, unlike most common software platforms that offer far less. This helps you to judge the financial health of your firm in a more dynamic setup. It also tracks and documents ” accounts receivable” and “accounts payable” along with the provision for using the app to print cheques and simplify or organize payments from billable clients.
Pros
- Accessibility when not connected to the internet
- Processing of invoices
- Invoices that are personalized
- Excellent customer service
- An interface that is quick and responsive
- Simple to use
- Integrations that are useful
Cons
- It can be difficult to learn.
- The web access feature necessitates that the host computer is turned on.
- There is no connection with banks.
Pricing
- Express Accounts Plus $99.00
- Express Accounts Basic $79.99
- Express Accounts Plus Quarterly Plan $7.72/mo
5. Expensify
A way to reduce fraud and automate expenses.
Scanning receipts and generating expense reports automatically is what Expensify excels at. Once your employee makes a company expense, the app can be used to scan the receipt, no matter how rudimentary it really is. The scanned receipt is sent to the employers for authorization, following which the requisitioned payment is made to the concerned staff within 24 hours.
Expensify is extremely good at expense tracking and generating expense reports that reduce and simplify tax timings.
Pros
- Expensify remains user-friendly thanks to smart workflow improvements.
- Enhancements such as automated reimbursements and GPS mileage capture are available.
Cons
- The learning curve for the user interface is steep.
Pricing
- Track $4.99/mo
- Submit $4.99/mo
- Collect $5/user/mo with Expensify card
- Control $9/user/mo with Expensify card
6. Cloudbooks
Best for small business bookkeeping.
Cloudbooks is an all-around accounting software platform for freelancers. If you are a freelancer who is working on the client’s project, Cloubooks allows you to file the invoices for costs incurred at different levels, and It also lets you monitor the time you spend and optimize it for each part of the job at hand.
Pros
- Makes time tracking & monitoring business account easy to do.
- Suitable for small businesses.
Cons
- Limited no. of invoices on a free account.
Pricing
- TEAM $10/mo
- AGENCY $20/mo
7. Accounting Seed
Best Accounting Software for Fast-Growing SMB
A beautiful cloud platform that Has bank reconciliation features that provide an automatic bank feed for your account and records even the minutest credit card transactions, removing the stress of payroll and making things easy to oversee with an excellent user interface.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Easy to customize.
- Great customer support.
Cons
- Has a learning curve.
- Some features are very complicated.
Pricing
- Starts at $250/mo
8. Quickbooks
Best accounting software with easy and smart user interfaces
If you want an app that lets you take timely, informed, and highly productive business decisions based on solid financial services, Quickbooks is the perfect choice for you. It helps you control every aspect of your business, including reminders for unpaid invoices, detailed project tracking, and highly efficient payroll service with expense tracking. It helps you regulate the cash flow in your business by documenting each transaction between the customer and the company, taking care of payroll taxes, and providing detailed customizable reports which reflect the financial health of your company. It is a powerful accounting available in both on-site and cloud-based configurations, allowing the user access via mobile apps or on-site computer setups.
Pros
- Cloud service makes everything secure.
- The online version makes it easy to always have the necessary updates and current edition.
Cons
- Mass billing must be done manually.
- Updates can cause features to be relocated, making them difficult to find.
Pricing
- Simple Start $1.60/mo
- Essentials $2.50/mo
- Plus $3.40/mo
9. ProfitBooks
Packed with innovative features and great usability.
From recording bank transactions to providing predictive and interactive growth models for making critical business decisions, Profitbooks provides every feature that you can possibly expect in the arsenal of a good business software platform. Its simple and excellent user interface ensures that you can access any and all features without a lot of technical knowledge or financial background. The best thing is that every transaction on your synced bank account is recorded in Customizable reports and professional invoices that act as a powerful accounting backbone for your business.
Pros
- Very straightforward software.
- Simple and easy-to-use tools.
Cons
- Pricey.
- Lacks good customer support.
Pricing
- SMB $15/mo
10. GoDaddy Bookkeeping
User-Friendly and Easy Management of Small Business Books
This bookkeeping software is designed for small businesses and proprietorships or small-scale merchants who want to sell their goods online. It is at the very top of the list of software that serves as online cloud accounting platforms. Apart from providing the best Financial Accounting solutions, its bank reconciliation feature provides custom invoices and detailed bank statements for any and all transactions in and out of your account.
If you are looking for a good financial management software process that takes care of your full-service payroll, along with unlimited income models and growth predicting software, GoDaddy Bookkeeping will be the perfect bang for your buck.
The powerful accounting software provides easy-to-follow tips to engage with clients in the most profitable manner, with provisions for monthly payment schemes, an automatic payments portal, and support for different financial transactions that can improve the prospects of your company as a whole. With GoDaddy Bookkeeping in your arsenal, the speed of your internet connection is the only thing that can hold you back.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Good invoicing tools and dashboard
- Simple time entries
Cons
- No project tracking or bill payment
- Lacks multicurrency support
Pricing
- Starts at $5.29 on the first year
11. American Express
An accrual accounting solution that provides comprehensive document management along with flexible reporting solutions that let you adjudge the best financially productive course of action for your firm.
12. Slickpie
This is a software platform that includes advanced features that allow you to handle up to 10 separate companies at the same time. The app has a host of excellent business finance features like tracking income, expense, and sales tax. If recurring invoices are your requirement, this application is unbelievably good at creating them consistently.
13. Sage Business Cloud Accounting
Advanced reporting features, along with multi-currency management and Project Management, are key features of this adaptable, future-proof cloud platform.
14. Fearless Accounting Guide Accounting
This Financial Reporting and Analytics platform has provisions for the audit documentation process, exhaustive inventory control, and advanced pricing controls. The app features a high-performance customer payment portal and allows for a secure audit process in your business transactions.
15. GnuCash
An open-source accounting software platform that you can modify as per your exact needs, be it the construction industry or marketing strategies. It has extremely powerful accounting tools like Credit Card Processing, Cloud Accounting, Inventory Tracking, and project tracking. You can also include features for managing bank transactions, cash flow management, and syncing various credit card details for accurate, up-to-date cash flow analysis.
An efficient business may need more software than just accounting software. Here are other useful tools for you Inventory Management Software, Hard Drive Recovery Software, POS Software, Scheduling Software, Best Password Manager, Fan Control Manager
Other Accounting Sofware to Consider
Some other popular accounting software options include:
16. Zoho Invoice
An ideal alternative to GoDaddy Bookkeeping, this phenomenal tool helps you in your daily accounting needs. Almost every accounting professional would highly recommend this software option for its versatility and powerful accounting potential. Robust reports and highly efficient track time for your projects make this comprehensive accounting software a highly lucrative choice.
17. Aplos
Provides Exportable accounting reports and comprehensive accounting solutions for flow management dashboards in small, medium, and large companies alike.
18. Plooto
High-performance project management tools make Plooto the best and the most trusted business management solution for your company.
19. Sigma
This financial management product allows you to get detailed invoices & import bank statements into its highly versatile professional level accounting framework.
20. The Blueprint
Real-time reporting, along with optimizations for your budgeting process, allows for more efficient and quicker bookkeeping software.
21. Software Pundi
Double-entry bookkeeping with a host of control processes for managing your control costs and bank payments allows for remarkable accounting software with advanced custom features.
22. Tally
A reliable business management software that takes care of your industry functionality with the help of reliable growth models and financial health reports.
23. Kiwili
Helps you to take well-documented and informed decisions as to the path of action of your company, based on Advanced reporting and a secure audit process.
24. Honey Due
Takes the best care for your credit card transactions, providing Financial Reporting and Analytics to give you a clear picture of the financial health of your firm.
25. Bqe Core Legal
A much-needed boost in the audit documentation process, with professional tools for Financial Reporting, multiple project management tools, and flow management dashboards.
26. Turbotax
A high-level business management software that enables comprehensive document management and records your bank payments and transactions in the form of Exportable accounting reports.
27. Partner 2021
Provides comprehensive accounting solutions with bank feed import and support solutions for multiple credit card connections. Provides valuable inventory control with basic accounting frameworks that provide Flexible reporting solutions and mail invoices for your day-to-day transactions.
28. Digit
An accrual accounting tool that provides reconciliation services with many major banks across the world.
29. Goodbudget
If you are a payroll HR professional looking for an adaptable, future-proof cloud platform, this will be the best bang for your buck.
30. EasyFarm
Takes the utmost care for your invoice filing requirements, with customizable reports that boost your sales potential to stellar heights
31. Vyapar
Business software that helps you at each and every step to improve the financial background of your company.
32. Fresh Team
The best and the most reliable Cloud Accounting platform for small and medium businesses.
33. Alber
Used by many Accounting firms, it provides multifarious credit card processing features that help you make the most out of your accounting tools.
34. Ordoro
A comprehensive accounting software platform that brings professional-level accounting tools for small and medium-scale companies
35. Joy
A time-saving accounting application that can give you the best accrual accounting solution for transactions and bank payments.
36. Jobber
Helps to generate invoices & import bank data for your multi-portfolio transactions.
37. Affinity Partner
Features include automatic bank feed import with provisions for multiple credit card connections, which removes the stress of payroll management.
38. Tally Prime
Exercises inventory control and advanced pricing control to give you the best options for the financial health of your company.
39. Sap
A beautiful cloud platform that takes care of your Basic Accounting needs and provides the perfect tools for a Payroll HR professional.
40. Personal Capital
Reconciliation for major banks, paired with multi-currency management, makes this software platform one of the best in the industry.
41. H&R Block
A double-entry bookkeeping software solution that has control processes for expense tracking, record keeping, and generating elaborate growth models.
42. ServiceMax
Lowers control costs, with custom features that allow for quicker bookkeeping, improving your industry functionality.
43. YNAB
Helps you make the most interactive customer payment portal, with elaborate control procedures for cash flow management.
44. FreeTax USA
The best software option for credit card processing and financial bookkeeping in small-scale businesses and proprietorships.
45. Kraken
Generates professional invoices for your sales services to improve fiscal efficiency.
46. Intuit Mint
Double-entry accounting with less tax time and more versatile support solutions for improving your cash flow.
47. Pocket Guard
Helps you in project management with expense tracking, inventory tracking, and credit card processing.
48. Forbes 2021
Provides you with the most detailed and reliable professional invoices for your daily accounting needs.
49. The Hartford
Used by accounting firms across the globe.
50. Kashoo
An interactive software platform with an excellent user interface that calculates cost sheets on assets and liabilities, providing you with the best options for financial management and accounting.
What is an Accounting Software for?
Modern accounting software options are versatile multi-purpose platforms with possibly every financial operation that can make your life a tiny bit easier. The purpose of a modern Business Accounting Software tool is not only to track money inflow and outflow from the company’s bank account but also to
- file detailed invoices
- document each transaction whether it is ingoing or outgoing
- keep track of dues or unpaid invoices from clients, and manage both liabilities and assets
- use easily comprehensible infographics to present the financial health of the business
- to use inventory management and balance sheet accounting to predict growth patterns which provide valuable insight to the user on what changes to make in order to improve the profitability of the system as a whole.
There are hundreds of free online accounting software options in the market, which boast a plethora of various features and functionalities. As a first-time user, making the right choice for your company is a tedious challenge. In this article, we will list the top 50 free-of-cost Accounting Software options available for small business undertakings in 2021.
Accounting software platforms are amazingly versatile, with various useful features that can assist you in improving the financial efficiency of your company. Choosing the right one requires a careful and detailed analysis of their frameworks and careful consideration of their integration capabilities with modern business solutions.
Don’t settle for just accounting software for your business. Get screen sharing software, encryption software, best antivirus software, project management software, or 3D modeling software too.
F.A.Qs
Good accounting software should include automatic management processes for income, expenses, taxation, loan, and interest, etc. It should have software systems that generate detailed reports for financial operations that use interactive infographics to convey the profitability, turnover, and financial health of the firm. In addition, good bookkeeping software should also have predictive software options that can be used to find the most optimal course of action to be taken in order to maximize the success of the company.
Not necessarily. Using a credit card is necessary only when you want to perform your transactions through your accounting software directly. Otherwise, your accounting software can work with manual data entry of transaction details and monetary figures. Not signing up for your credit card makes it mandatory for you to manually record each transaction by yourself.
Modern businesses have a large number of transactions that take place every second, with details being too complex to note down on paper manually. That is why you require an accounting software platform to do the same. No longer will you have to hire clerical employees for filing documentation in each and every lengthy transaction. Instead of a team of analysts, a single software platform can use efficient algorithms to predict the best course of action for optimizing the performance of the company as a whole.