Table of Contents
The best small business software makes it easy and simple to run your business in a way that is efficient and saves you money. Even though productivity suites and accounting software are obvious basics, it’s good to have a general idea of what kinds of software are out there so that you can find a solution as soon as you realise you need one. This is especially true when your business starts to grow and you need to talk to new employees, customers, or suppliers and work together.
Online, there is a lot of competition in the best small business software, and while some big-name products are priced for big-name clients, there are always smaller, cheaper packages that can be just as good. The challenge is to find the type you need and the one that fits your budget.
Before choosing the top accounting software companies for small businesses, we looked into them and compared them. We looked at the capabilities, prices, and how well they fit the industry. For instance, a freelancer wouldn’t need the same features as someone who owns a restaurant. Here are our top choices for accounting software for small businesses.
Best Small Business Software
FreshBooks
The way FreshBooks looks and its easy use are both lies. FreshBooks is a full-featured, double-entry accounting system with a great user experience. FreshBooks is one of the first accounting options a small business should consider. It’s easy enough for new bookkeepers to learn, but it also has all the features that a larger business would need, like payroll.
We recommend FreshBooks for sole proprietors and small businesses with maybe one or two employees, though it can handle more. It could be used by very small businesses to do basic things like send invoices, check financial accounts, accept payments, and keep track of income and expenses. Advanced tools, like projects and proposals, mileage and time tracking, and reports, can be added to companies with more moving parts.
Melio
Melio is a way for businesses to pay each other online. It’s made so that businesses of all sizes can pay and get paid by ACH, check, or credit card, whichever works best for them. Melio doesn’t have any subscription or monthly fees, and most transactions are free, but some do cost a small amount.
Cash flow is very important to businesses, which is why Melio lets them pay their business bills with a credit card. This way, they can delay payment, earn rewards, and keep their cash. And payments are synced to QuickBooks Online, so they stay in sync with their accountant or bookkeeper.
Microsoft 365
There are a lot of competitors, but Microsoft still has the best office software suite, and Microsoft 365 gives you a cloud version that you can use at home, in the office, or on the go. The first good thing about Microsoft 365 is that it’s similar to Microsoft Office.
If you’ve used Microsoft Office before, you’ll find it easy to use this platform. Even if you haven’t used Microsoft Office and have instead used competitors, the same rules apply because Microsoft Office is the market leader that others try to copy.
The second thing is that Microsoft 365 works in the cloud, which has many benefits. The first is that you can use it on the go with your phone or tablet. The second is that with OneDrive, all of your documents are saved online in the cloud. This means you don’t have to worry about losing important files if your hard drive crashes, and you can switch between devices without losing your work.
Intuit QuickBooks Online
Intuit QuickBooks Online has been the best accounting service for small businesses for many years. It combines accounting features that work well with a great user experience. The service stands out because it is easy to change, comes in different versions with hundreds of add-on apps, and has better mobile access than most competitors.
Since Intuit QuickBooks Online is pricey, it is best for small businesses with a budget for technology. It’s simple enough that a bookkeeper with no experience can learn it, but it has enough features that a more demanding user can use its advanced accounting tools. Because it is so flexible and easy to use, it would benefit many businesses.
Wave
Wave is one of only two online accounting services that you can use for free, unless you need payroll and payments, which you have to pay for. Wave uses standard accounting rules and is very good at billing and keeping track of transactions. It’s one of the most straightforward and easy-to-understand business services out there.
It works with more than one currency and has good features for small businesses. It does not, however, have a dedicated tool for tracking time, full mobile access, or inventory management. Wave is for sole proprietors and freelancers who need an online accounting service and may want some room to grow.
Sage Accounting
Sage Accounting’s pricing is easy to understand and doesn’t try to trick you. The most expensive Sage Accounting plan is a good deal; you can also try it for free for 30 days. For this price, you get modules that let you manage quotes, invoices, and taxes online, as well as smart bank feeds and reconciliation, cash flow forecasting, detailed reports, support for multiple currencies, project tracking, and more, all of which you can access from your computer or a mobile app.
All of this is well put together and easy to use. If you get stuck, you can find detailed web help and video tutorials with just one or two clicks. They also offer “free unlimited phone and email support 24/7,” which should help any new user feel at ease. Sage also has something called Accounting Start that is easier to use.
Sage 50cloud
You can spend less time on administrative tasks when you use Sage. The software sends out invoices, keeps track of payments and expenses, and figures out how much you owe in taxes. Sage doesn’t come with tools to track time or help people work together; payroll is a separate product. Sage is a good programme for small and medium-sized businesses.
It’s one of the more expensive tools on this list, but its features are good enough to make up for the cost. Sage50cloud is a good option if your small business is more established than most and you can afford to spend a little more on accounting software. Overall, it is one of the best Small Business Software that you can download from here.
Zoho Books
Zoho Books is the accounting part of Zoho’s suite of productivity apps for small businesses. Your accounting data can be tightly linked to many other apps and functions, such as CRM, customer service, and email. In standard bookkeeping areas, Zoho Books is as good as or better than its competitors in terms of usability, flexibility, and depth. Zoho Books is surprisingly cheap, and it even has a free version.
Prices for paid plans went up this year, but it can do at least as much as some of its best competitors. Overall, though, Zoho Books is best for businesses that use some of Zoho’s other apps, it is still useful in other situations. We also recommend it to small businesses, businesses that are growing, and businesses that have been around for a while if they want it to be customizable, deep, and easy to use.
Pabbly
Small and medium-sized businesses can use Pabbly Subscription Billing to manage recurring and subscription billing. This software gives you metrics on your monthly payments, revenue, net revenue, active customers, and new subscriptions that you can use right away. It also automates your business workflows, how you talk to customers, and how you make invoices, so you can focus on growing your business.
One of the best things about Pabbly is that it can be paid for on a subscription basis. It’s one of the only pieces of software on this list that doesn’t charge extra fees based on how much money it makes per transaction or each month. Because of how consistent it is and how well it works, Pabbly is a good choice.
Asana
Asana helps you figure out who should be doing what at any given time, giving you the best chance of getting everything done on time. As with the other software tools on this list, what makes Asana special isn’t just the features it has.
It’s how those features are wrapped up in an elegant and easy-to-use interface that works the same way on mobile apps and the web. Asana also works well with more than a hundred other products and services, which is another thing we like about it.
Asana works with all the big names, like Dropbox, Slack, Gmail, Salesforce, and so on. Because of this, you can use it with any workflow you already have set up. Asana makes it easier than you might think to map out the steps of a project, assign tasks and responsibilities, check on the status of a plan, or see the “big picture” of what’s happening at any given time.
Final Words
We’ve put together a list of the best Small Business Software on the market to help you find the right one for your needs. Accounting software makes it easy for small business owners to keep track of their income and expenses, prepare for tax time, and keep an eye on their finances. For many small businesses, software is cheaper than hiring an accountant or a big company to handle their taxes and payroll than hiring an accountant or a big company.