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Last Updated: Apr 2026

Manage your money with financial service providers

1
Our Top Pickicon
QuickBooks
Read Review
9.9
Exceptional
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2
Sage Intacct
8.7
Very good
3
Payroll & HR only
9.2
Excellent

The Best Accounting Software - An In-Depth Look

  • 1
    Exceptional
    9.9
    Quickbooks accounting software
    Intelligent OCR-backed receipt processing
    View Plans
    • Best For - Best online accounting software overall
    • Price range - From $12.50 / month
    • Free trial or free version - Free 30-day trial
    Intelligent OCR-backed receipt processing
    View Plans

    Quickbooks is a comprehensive accounting system designed for small businesses through to organizations at the advanced scales of staging. 

    The tool includes OCR-backed expense receipt tracking, invoice issuing, and for an add-on users can add the payroll functionality. Not all features are available on the mobile apps, but users can even use these, in conjunction with hardware, to process payments. 

    Read QuickBooks Review

    QuickBooks Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Apps for iOS and Android
    Project profitability tracking
    Easy hour billing with integrations

    CONS

    No free tier
    Not all features available on mobile
    QuickBooks
    View Plans
  • 2
    Very good
    8.7
    sage
    Highly customizable platform
    • Best For - Scaling businesses
    • Price range - On request
    • Free trial or free version - No
    Highly customizable platform

    Sage Intacct is a highly customizable cloud accounting software solution ideal for growing businesses. With detailed reporting, extensive integrations, and robust training resources, Sage Intacct can help you scale your accounting as your business expands—without needing to invest in expert staff. 

    The platform includes the core accounting functionalities you need to run your business financials, including Accounts Payable and Receivable and your General Ledger. Plus, you can set up detailed reporting and dashboards to understand what’s really going on at your business.

    Why we chose Sage Intacct: We chose Sage Intacct for its customization options, huge integration marketplace, and user-friendly interface.

    Our experience with Sage Intacct: We found the website easy to navigate and appreciated the support available. Sage Intacct truly makes an effort to help you navigate the learning curve. 

    Read Sage Intacct Review

    Sage Intacct Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Highly customizable platform
    Extensive training resources
    Detailed reporting and dashboards

    CONS

    Pricing only on request
    Learning curve on implementation
  • 3
    Excellent
    9.2
    gusto
    Streamlined payroll and benefits management
    • Best For - Best accounting software with HR
    • Price range - From $6 / month
    • Free trial or free version - Free 30-day trial
    Streamlined payroll and benefits management

    Gusto is one of the best payroll services for small businesses of today, and it’s also a good choice for freelancers and contractors. Providing automatic tax filing, a list of HR benefits, including health, dental, vision, college funds, 401k, and the ability to run unlimited payrolls, Gusto is a cost-effective way for businesses to streamline their monthly accounts.

    It’s also nice that Gusto integrates with a lot of other applications, including accounting programs like QuickBooks Online, Xero, and FreshBooks. You can also sync your time tracking apps (like Time Tracker or Homebase) and expense management tools like Expensify to have an all-inclusive database for your accounts.

    Read Gusto Review

    Gusto Pros & Cons

    PROS

    All-in-one platform for payroll, benefits, and HR
    Access to financial benefits (401k, HSA, FSA, 529)
    Access to tools designed to help with hiring and managing teams

    CONS

    No PEO option
    Only manual processing for mandated deductions
  • 4
    Very good
    8.5
    Striven
    Self-serve customer, vendor, & applicant portals
    • Best For - Best for financial management tools
    • Price range - $119-$500+ per month
    • Free trial or free version - Free 30-day trial
    Self-serve customer, vendor, & applicant portals

    Striven is a comprehensive business platform that provides accounting, CRM, inventory management, and HR capabilities to enhance business efficiency and make the experience better for staff, vendors, and customers. Productivity, marketing, and communication tools such as project scheduling, team chat, and email scheduling are also included.  

    With the additional purchase of one of Striven's secure portals, customers, vendors, and applicants can self-serve when needed. It adds up to an all-in-one solution for businesses that want to save time and money while managing their operations more effectively. 

    Read Striven Review

    Striven Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Multiple useful third-party integrations
    Comprehensive suite of features
    Affordable for SMBs

    CONS

    No free-forever plan
    Interface can be confusing due to large number of features
  • 5
    Very good
    8.9
    A feature-rich accounting solution for SMBs
    • Best For - Best for business owners and accountants of SMBs
    • Price range - Free-$60/month
    • Free trial or free version - Free version and free trial
    A feature-rich accounting solution for SMBs

    Zoho Billing is an online accounting platform that business owners can use to manage cash flows, track expenses, pay bills, invoice clients, and accept payments. There are 4 pricing tiers—free, standard, professional, and premium—and the more expensive plans contain a larger set of features.

    For added functionality, Zoho Billing integrates with a number of platforms, including inventory management, customer relationship management software, and payroll services. Zoho’s website also contains a repository of educational materials that customers can use to familiarize themselves with the platform and accounting best practices. 

    Read Zoho Books Review

    Zoho Books Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Intuitive interface and sleek dashboard design
    Offers an expansive array of core features; add-on enhancements available
    Features grow with your business

    CONS

    Lacks payroll and inventory management features
    No customized plan for larger organizations
  • 6
    Good
    8.3
    xero prod img
    Accounting software for small businesses
    • Best For - Small and medium-sized businesses
    • Price range - $12-$65 a month
    • Free trial or free version - 30-day free trial
    Accounting software for small businesses

    Xero provides a robust cloud-based accounting platform that caters specifically to small businesses, startups, and freelancers. With tools for inventory management, automated invoicing, and bank reconciliation, Xero helps businesses stay on top of their financial health. It integrates seamlessly with a wide range of third-party apps to further enhance its usability. Although some features require advanced knowledge to maximize their utility, Xero's mobile-friendly interface ensures you can manage your business finances anytime, anywhere.

    Read Xero Review

    Xero Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Comprehensive integrations with over 1,000 apps
    User-friendly mobile app for on-the-go management
    Includes payroll management (additional cost in some regions)

    CONS

    Can be overwhelming for beginners
    Payroll features not included in the base price
  • 7
    Fair
    7.8
    CPA guidance and dedicated bookkeeping
    • Best For - Best for online bookkeeping
    • Price range - From $195-$945 per month
    • Free trial or free version - 30-day free trial
    CPA guidance and dedicated bookkeeping

    Xendoo offers a quick and seamless setup to access its accounting and bookkeeping service, which includes a 30-day free trial. Once onboard, you’ll be put in touch with a dedicated team of bookkeepers to manage your accounts and a CPA to advise you on the state of your business. You’ll have access to invoices, balance sheets, statements, and monthly business reports.

    If there’s any issue, Xendoo’s comprehensive customer support will respond to your queries and help you find a solution. You can also check its informative blog and FAQs for an answer. While some of its plans have limited features, and there’s not much in the way of inventory management, Xendoo still provides competitively-priced options—including a custom plan—that should meet the accounting needs of most SMBs.

    Read Xendoo Review

    Xendoo Pros & Cons

    PROS

    CPA and bookkeeping team available
    Monthly financial reports and statements
    Comprehensive customer support

    CONS

    Hustle Plan features are basic
    Bank card info needed to access the free trial
  • 8
    Good
    8.0
    Quicken
    Receive data from 14,000+ financial institutions
    • Best For - Those looking to stick to a budget
    • Price range - $31.19
    • Free trial or free version - No trial version.
    Receive data from 14,000+ financial institutions

    Looking to get on top of your personal finances? If so then Quicken might be the tool that you have been looking for.

    Supporting integrations with more than 10,000 financial institutions, Quicken makes it easy to connect your bank accounts and payment methods and receive up to date information regarding the money coming into and going out of your account. 

    Read Quicken Review

    Quicken Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Huge integration library
    Track all your expenses
    Color coded dashboard

    CONS

    Desktop versions can be slow
    No Windows Phone support
  • 9
    Good
    8.2
    A highly-rated, cloud-based accounting platform
    • Best For - Small businesses and sole traders
    • Price range - $20-$29 a month
    • Free trial or free version - 15-day free trial
    A highly-rated, cloud-based accounting platform

    Founded in 2002, Neat is a cloud-based accounting system that helps you effectively track expenses, send invoices, receive payments, reconcile accounts, and prepare for tax season. 

    Neat's competitive advantages are its low cost and its mobile apps, which are intuitive and enable you to use all the same functions you can use on the web-based version. It also integrates with popular accounting and email management platforms such as QuickBooks and MailChimp.

    Read Neat Review

    Neat Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Free, personalized customer support
    All data stored on Neat is protected with encryption
    BBB rating of A+

    CONS

    Not scalable for large organizations
    Only available in the United States and Canada
  • 10
    Fair
    7.8
    KPMG Spark Accounting Software
    A human bookkeeper is included
    • Best For - Cloud-based accounting
    • Price range - From $195/month
    • Free trial or free version - Free demo
    A human bookkeeper is included

    You’ve got your eyes set on an online accounting system—but a bookkeeper would be kind of useful too. With KPMG Spark there is no need to linger over this difficult choice. 

    This cloud-based accounting system from one of the most trusted brands in bookkeeping and auditing is backed by its own dedicated team and integrates with more than 12,000 financial institutions.

    Read KPMG Spark Review

    KPMG Spark Pros & Cons

    PROS

    Bookkeeper is included
    Works with more than 12,000 financial institutions
    Cloud-based tool

    CONS

    Small support team
    No free trial option

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