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Accounting software can be essential for managing a business. Intuit QuickBooks is easily one of the most well-known options, offering a cloud-based option and a desktop version, tools for invoicing, expense tracking, payroll, tax preparation and financial reporting. However, QuickBooks isn’t free, ranging from $35 to $235 per month, depending on your plan in the US.
If it’s missing a specific feature or the price point is simply too high, compare these popular QuickBooks competitors.
Xero is a cloud-based accounting software and a QuickBooks competitor. Xero offers over 1,000 software integrations, invoicing and billing, multi-currency support, expense tracking, inventory management, project management, receipt capture and so much more. Users say that Xero is slightly more user-friendly than QuickBooks, reporting the learning curve wasn't as steep for inexperienced accountants or new business owners. The cost is also notably less than QuickBooks, starting at $20 per month for the Early, $47 per month for Growing or $80 per month for Established. Xero also offers new customer deals, currently featuring the Early plan for $2 per month for a limited time. Additionally, if you're switching from Quickbooks to Xero, Xero offers a free conversion tool. Once the data has converted, you'll have access to current and prior year transactions. But if you prefer a traditional desktop accounting software, that's something QuickBooks has over Xero.
Fee
From $2 per month
Xero is a cloud-based accounting software and a QuickBooks competitor. Xero offers over 1,000 software integrations, invoicing and billing, multi-currency support, expense tracking, inventory management, project management, receipt capture and so much more. Users say that Xero is slightly more user-friendly than QuickBooks, reporting the learning curve wasn't as steep for inexperienced accountants or new business owners. The cost is also notably less than QuickBooks, starting at $20 per month for the Early, $47 per month for Growing or $80 per month for Established. Xero also offers new customer deals, currently featuring the Early plan for $2 per month for a limited time. Additionally, if you're switching from Quickbooks to Xero, Xero offers a free conversion tool. Once the data has converted, you'll have access to current and prior year transactions. But if you prefer a traditional desktop accounting software, that's something QuickBooks has over Xero.
Pros
Lower starting prices than Quickbooks
Over 1,000 integrations
Variety of features and management
QuickBooks conversion tool
Cons
No traditional desktop version
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
N/A
Intro or bonus offer
Exclusive: Get 90% off Xero for 6 months. No promo code needed.
QuickBooks is typically best for large businesses with room for scaling, while Wave is designed more for small businesses and freelancers. Wave offers the Starter $0 plan, which can be thought of as a pay-as-you-go option. With the Starter plan, accept credit card payments starting at 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction. You can create unlimited estimates, track bills and invoices and create unlimited bookkeeping records. There are optional add-ons, too, such as receipt capture for $8 per month or $72 per year. However, Wave is likely best if you're running your business on your own and don't have employees, since extra features like payroll and payment processing aren't automatically included with the Starter plan.
APY
N/A
Fee
From $0 per year
Minimum deposit to open
$0
QuickBooks is typically best for large businesses with room for scaling, while Wave is designed more for small businesses and freelancers. Wave offers the Starter $0 plan, which can be thought of as a pay-as-you-go option. With the Starter plan, accept credit card payments starting at 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction. You can create unlimited estimates, track bills and invoices and create unlimited bookkeeping records. There are optional add-ons, too, such as receipt capture for $8 per month or $72 per year. However, Wave is likely best if you're running your business on your own and don't have employees, since extra features like payroll and payment processing aren't automatically included with the Starter plan.
Similar to Wave, FreshBooks is designed more for freelancers and small businesses, with four plans to choose from. The most basic Lite Plan starts at $21 per month, a lower starting price than QuickBooks. With the most basic plan, you can send invoices to up to five clients, use real-time expense reporting, be paid via credit card and ACH and generate tax-time reports. More costly plans can offer receipt capture, open up access to your personal accountant, project management and much more. FreshBooks occasionally offers new customer discounts for a limited time, such as getting 70% off Lite for your first four months. But if you need more advanced accounting and automation or prefer a desktop application, QuickBooks might still be the better choice.
Fee
From $21 per month
Similar to Wave, FreshBooks is designed more for freelancers and small businesses, with four plans to choose from. The most basic Lite Plan starts at $21 per month, a lower starting price than QuickBooks. With the most basic plan, you can send invoices to up to five clients, use real-time expense reporting, be paid via credit card and ACH and generate tax-time reports. More costly plans can offer receipt capture, open up access to your personal accountant, project management and much more. FreshBooks occasionally offers new customer discounts for a limited time, such as getting 70% off Lite for your first four months. But if you need more advanced accounting and automation or prefer a desktop application, QuickBooks might still be the better choice.
Pros
Lower starting price than QuickBooks
Designed for freelancers and small business
Offers customizable Select plan
Cons
Cloud-based only
Limited clients with basic plans
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
N/A
Fee
From $21 per month
Fee
From $21 per month
Zoho Books
With a lower starting price than QuickBooks, Zoho Books has six plans to choose from, including a Free option. The free plan lets you have one user and one accountant, manage customers, send quotes, create up to 1,000 invoices per year, give customers a portal, track expenses and bills, receive payment reminders, auto-scan receipts, receive online payments and so much more. Bottom line: it's an affordable, feature-rich option that can be great for freelancers, small businesses or those just looking to get started with accounting software. And similar to QuickBooks, Zoho offers a desktop version of Zoho Books and various other apps for its services, including Zoho Billing and Zoho Inventory.
Fee
From $0 per month
With a lower starting price than QuickBooks, Zoho Books has six plans to choose from, including a Free option. The free plan lets you have one user and one accountant, manage customers, send quotes, create up to 1,000 invoices per year, give customers a portal, track expenses and bills, receive payment reminders, auto-scan receipts, receive online payments and so much more. Bottom line: it's an affordable, feature-rich option that can be great for freelancers, small businesses or those just looking to get started with accounting software. And similar to QuickBooks, Zoho offers a desktop version of Zoho Books and various other apps for its services, including Zoho Billing and Zoho Inventory.
Pros
Free plan with tons of functionality
Plans for all business sizes
Cloud-based and desktop applications available
Highest-tier plan similar price to QuickBooks
Cons
Limited payroll features compared to QuickBooks
Fewer integrations than QuickBooks
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
N/A
Fee
From $0 per month
Fee
From $0 per month
How QuickBooks compares
One of the biggest advantages QuickBooks has over the competition is it’s simply one of the most popular options. If you bring in other accountants or work with clients, there’s a good chance they’ll be familiar with the platform, which can make your life easier.
QuickBooks is also regarded as a scalable platform with extensive third-party integrations, payroll services, tax preparation and industry-specific features. It offers cloud-based and desktop applications, and there’s also a free signup for accountants.
However, the pricing in the US is more expensive than some competitors. The Simple Start plan starts at $35 per month, with occasional new customer discounts for a limited time. The plan with all the trimmings is called Advanced and costs $235 per month. Adding payroll management costs extra, starting at an additional $50 per month.
Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto.
Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt.
Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others.
Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio
Bethany's expertise
Bethany has written 432 Finder guides across topics including:
A business bank account that works for you could be a way for you to fund your business.
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