15 Best Accounting Software for 2025 [Reviewed and Compared]

Managing your business finances and tracking its ins and outs feels like an uphill task. On the one hand, you’ve got hundreds of accounting entries, and on the other, you have various invoices to manage while keeping an eye on the expenses. 

With the increasing need for centralizing various accounting tasks such as bookkeeping, invoice management, and expense tracking, businesses have become more reliant on modern accounting software—ditching manual spreadsheets.  

Moreover, 91% of accountants believe that accounting technology has delivered value to their business. That’s why choosing the right accounting software is a must-have for modern business. 

In this post, I’ve reviewed in detail the 10 best accounting software, and our expert views based on factors like features, pricing, ease of use, and customer support.

• 1. FreshBooks – Best for Service-based Businesses
• 2. QuickBooks – Best for Small to Midsize Businesses
• 3. Xero – Best for Small Businesses
• 4. Wave – Best for Customizable Invoicing
• 5. Zoho Books – Best for E-Commerce Business
• 6. Sage 50 – Best for All-in-one Accounting, HR and Payroll for Small Businesses
• 7. Odoo – All-in-one ERP and CRM System
• 8. Melio – Best for Bill Payments
• 9. Dext Prepare – Best for Receipts Management
• 10. BILL – Best for Payments and Cash Flow
• Show moreShow less

Accounting Software Comparison Table

Let’s glance at how the top accounting software compare for key features, best suited for, leverage AI, free trial, and overall ratings. 👇

Let’s now review the accounting software in detail and the result of my hands-on testing.

1. FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a popular small double-entry accounting software that caters to the needs of various industries, including marketing agencies, business professionals, and creative teams.

In my FreshBooks review, I’ve extensively covered everything about this accounting software and its features. FreshBooks has an interface and features that are best suited for service-based businesses.

One of its core features is the free customizable invoicing. You can choose from a range of template designs and customize the colors to design your invoice. For a more customizable invoice, FreshBooks lets you add a logo and important business details.

Further, you can set up reminders at customizable intervals and charge late fees from the clients. I like the flexibility with FreshBooks that it offers in creating multilingual invoices with a range of currency options.

Additionally, FreshBooks lets you set up retainer clients and send recurring invoices to save you from manual efforts after every cycle.

FreshBooks features a double-accounting system, allowing you to keep a record of AP & AR separately. To get started, connect your bank account, and FreshBooks will automatically import your bank transactions.

Its advanced accounting feature gives you access to an intuitive journal entry interface and bank reconciliation in autopilot mode.

Overall, FreshBooks provides great value for money with its advanced accounting features, when needed, and some amazing freebies like invoicing, estimates, and project management.

FreshBooks Features

• Generate various types of accounting reports from the dashboard.
• Accept payments through checkout links on the website, social media, and invoice.
• Create estimates and proposals and turn them into invoices with a click.
• Log each business trip and calculate tax time to use in expenses via the mobile app.
• Create a customizable chart of accounts accustomed to business requirements.

FreshBooks Pricing

FreshBooks offers 4 pricing plans:

1. Lite plan: $19/month
2. Plus plan: $33/month
3. Premium plan: $60/month
4. Select plan with custom pricing

They also offer a 30-day free trial, which gives you access to create invoices, estimates and proposals.

Starting at just $19/month, FreshBooks offers almost every accounting feature including double-entry accounting, estimates and bill management, customized invoices and custom reports and analytics. Therefore, we have awarded FreshBooks with the Geekflare Value Award. 🎖️

Try FreshBooks

2. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is my pick for the best accounting software since it serves various use cases such as accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, and payments in a single interface.

QuickBooks outclasses FreshBooks in terms of features offered. This is why I’d recommend it for every size of business: small, medium, and even large ones.

However, QuickBooks comes with a learning curve since it is overwhelmed with various features. So, I’d recommend going for its free trial before you get started with the paid version.

The good part? QuickBooks has a customizable client area with all the elements, such as clients, work, teams, and apps. You can reorder and drag and drop these elements within the dashboard.

QuickBooks has an automated workflow feature, allowing you to automate payment reminders, send recurring invoices, and automate banking tasks. QuickBooks offers more than 50 pre-made templates, or you can create a custom one to automate your accounting.

For example, you could use the template to automate the sales tax payment reminder on time. Or a template to receive accounting reports over a frequent period.

Want to create an invoice, estimate, or set up a payment? Click on ‘New’ from the dashboard to create customizable invoices, bills, journal entries, or purchase orders.

As you scroll down, you can tap into various accounting modules such as expenses, advanced accounting, bank reconciliation, and sales dashboard. QuickBooks offers an AI-powered invoicing feature that reads your accounts and automates your invoices on autopilot.

At the time of writing, Intuit Assist offered a beta mode for automating the invoices and tailoring the messages.

I highly recommend QuickBooks accounting, especially for accountants with few to multiple clients who need automated accounting and want to file tax returns on autopilot.

QuickBooks Features

• Create estimates and turn them into invoices with one click.
• Get certified training and tools to expand your business with the ProAdvisor program.
• Automatically track mileage, categorize, and turn them into reports.
• Create purchase orders and track inventory on the go.
• Use multiple built-in reports such as aged receivable reports, general ledger reports, and profit-and-loss statements.

QuickBooks Pricing

QuickBooks offers four pricing plans:

• Simple Start: $17.50 per month
• Essentials: $32.50 per month
• Plus plan: $49.50 per month
• Advanced plan: $117.50 per month

QuickBooks gives a 30-day free trial. Choosing an annual plan offers 50% off for 3 months.

Try QuickBooks

3. Xero

Xero is among my top picks for the best accounting tools because of its affordability. The platform takes an edge over QuickBooks and FreshBooks in terms that it allows an unlimited number of users in all its pricing tiers.

I’d recommend it for small businesses that need a fully featured accounting software with functionalities such as invoice management, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and sales dashboard.

Xero’s customizable dashboard gives you an overview of your bank reconciliation statements, invoice transactions, cash flow, and a summary of profit and loss. You can remove or add these widgets from the centralized dashboard.

I liked its dedicated sales page overview that gives you insight into invoices, quotes, clients, and upcoming payments—all in a single interface. The tool comes with amazing import capabilities, allowing you to add data in CSV or .txt format.

Lastly, Xero also empowers AI-powered automation capabilities in certain cases, such as reporting, payment reminders, and bank reconciliation. For example, you can set up recurring profiles and automate payment reminders along with bank reconciliation.

Overall, Xero focuses more on sales rather than the accounting. Though it offers advanced accounting, such as fixed asset management, it lacks the bookkeeping feature. I would recommend it to small businesses that need basic accounting with more focus on sales tax and invoicing.

Xero Features

• Connect with over 21,000 financial institutions globally.
• Get a complete overview of customer interactions and details in one place.
• Track project time and location in real time.
• Accept payments by credit, debit cards, digital wallets, and Stripe.
• Collaborate in real-time and discuss plans through chats.

Xero Pricing

Xero offers three pricing options after a 30-day free trial.

• Starter plan: $2.90 per month
• Standard plan: $4.60 per month
• Premium plan: $6.90 per month

In addition to features like double-way accounting and automated bank reconcilation, Xero offers various innovative features such as inventory management, payroll, and project management along with various integrations. In our Xero Accounting review, we gave it a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the Geekflare innovation award. 🎖️

Try Xero

4. Wave

Wave is an accounting solution for freelancers, individual contractors, and organizations with fewer than ten employees.

The reason I chose it for freelancers and individuals is because of its simple yet customizable invoices that sync with your accounting needs. You can choose from a range of templates, change the accent color, and use your brand logo to create a customizable invoice—and send it with a click.

Note that Wave is only limited to U.S. and Canadian businesses. If you have businesses outside this jurisdiction, Wave partners with Zoho Books.

Wave features automated accounting with auto-import of bank statements, automated late payment reminders, and categorization of bank statements. Its most intriguing feature is automated bank reconciliation that matches your transactions in real time.

As you send the invoices, you can use the bookkeeping feature to record the invoices in your accounts. However, you will need to manually record the invoice.

Once done, the system will automatically record the transaction in the bank account books.

I’d also recommend its mobile accounting app for iOS and Android. The app features a powerful dashboard that displays the to-do tasks, upcoming amount and total due amount within a single view. For instance, you can send automated invoices, set up notifications, and customize the invoices– all using the mobile app.

However, Wave comes with basic functionalities and lacks more advanced ones, such as audit trails and sales tax reports. It also lacks inventory management, time-tracking, and mileage tracking, which is an essential add-on for businesses.

Overall, if you’re looking for a straightforward accounting solution without unnecessary extras, Wave is an ideal pick.

Wave Features

• Send unlimited estimates, invoices, and bookkeeping records.
• Automate importing and merging for bank transactions.
• Capture and upload receipts using the mobile app.
• Accept credit cards, bank payments, and Apple Pay at a reasonable fee.
• Get personalized tax and bookkeeping assistance from accountants.

Wave Pricing

Wave offers a free plan with unlimited custom invoices, estimates, and cash flow management. If you need access to features such as receipt upload, automated payment reminders, and auto-import, Wave has a Pro plan, which costs $16/month billed monthly and $170/year.

Try Wave

5. Zoho Books

Zoho Books is a suitable accounting software for ecommerce businesses, as it offers an inventory management feature as an add-on. Zoho Books features fully functional accounting with features such as customizable invoices, automated payment reminders, automated bank connections, and team collaboration.

During my testing, I found Zoho extremely intuitive, with all the accounting options on the left side. So, whether you want to generate sales orders, purchase orders, or create journals, Zoho Books provides easy navigation.

Zoho Books lets you create custom invoices with the flexibility to create them once or in a recurring period. For instance, you can create customized invoices by filling out the fields and setting up recurring invoices.

I also like that they have separate sales tools and purchase tools so that you can quickly jump from one tab to another—and accomplish the accounting tasks. Zoho connects with various banks, either through direct connection or a third-party provider. You can also connect with the bank manually by entering the account details.

Other features that I loved are its manual journal entry and various charts of accounts such as prepaid expenses, TDS receivable, bad debt, and others.

You can track the inventory using barcodes and categorize them, along with quickly creating banking rules within.

Zoho Books is a worthy choice if you need various free add-ons like payroll, inventory management, time tracking, and document storage under one roof.

Zoho Books Features

• Automatic exchange rates, multi-currency, and currency adjustments.
• Set automated payment reminders and recurring invoicing schedules.
• Customize user access for the projects.
• Sign quotes digitally using Zoho Sign integration.
• Access to reports like Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement.

Zoho Books Pricing:

Zoho Books offers five pricing options:

• Standard plan: $10/org/month
• Professional plan: $20/org/month
• Premium plan: $30/org/month
• Elite plan costs: $100/org/month
• Ultimate plan: $200/org/month

Try Zoho Books

6. Sage 50

Sage 50 is an excellent accounting software for large businesses that need powerful accounting features for maintaining bank reconciliation, customer invoicing, and monitoring cash flow. Read our Sage 50 Accounting review, where we cover this tool extensively.

What I liked most about Sage is its choice of accounting tools. Depending on your needs and experience, you can choose the Starter plan with basic accounting or a Premium plan if you need access to advanced accounting and inventory tracking.

The user interface looks a bit traditional, but it compensates with the wide range of accounting features such as cash flow, accounts payable, invoicing, and creating purchase orders. You’ll have all the menu elements on the left side of the dashboard, just like QuickBooks.

The most intriguing feature is the cash flow, which allows you to track the cash ins and outs. One of the unique features of cash flow is its ability to customize the view and get the snapshots of cash accounts.

Like Xero, Sage 50 gives you various capabilities for automating purchase orders, invoices, payments, and bank reconciliation. All you need is to connect with the bank account, and Sage 50 will automatically reconcile bank accounts with the ability to import and export the statements.

Sage 50 also stands up to my expectations in terms of high-grade security. It offers a security shield that safeguards your business identity and keeps your financial wellness in check. However, Sage 50 isn’t the most affordable option. So, if you’re a small business, you may find the fee to be on the higher side for basic features.

Sage 50 Features

• Automate and sync with payment gateways and bank institutions with one click.
• Advanced reporting with over 150 use case-specific reports, batch reporting, and customization.
• Customize the dashboard for a range or specific transaction type.
• Track job costs, job schedule, and budget.
• Create batch invoices and automate the payments.

Sage 50 Pricing:

Sage 50 offers three pricing options.

• Pro accounting plan: $61.92/month
• Premium accounting plan: $103.2/month
• Quantum accounting plan: $177.17/month

Try Sage 50

7. Odoo

Odoo accounting is a part of the Odoo suite of tools that offers multiple business applications with ERP and CRM being the most significant ones. This paid open-source platform gives you the freedom to customize every module, including invoices, journals, bills, and reports.

I found Odoo’s user interface fairly intuitive, with elements such as invoices, cash statements and summary of bills in a single view.

My pick of the feature in Odoo is its double-entry accounting, where every transaction is recorded twice, once as a debit and once as a credit. Once you’ve connected the bank accounts, you can view all the transactions and categorize them accordingly.

Odoo also excels in terms of its configuration capabilities for invoices, bills, and accounting. For instance, you can configure payment gateways, set invoice follow-up levels, and choose multi-currency processing.

I also found its log note that tracks the activities for invoices and bills in real-time very useful. Say, when you have posted the invoice or changed the status or when an invoice is paid.

It offers incredible features for accounts payable and accounts receivable. The accounts payable tool provides access to employee expense tracking, supplier bill validation, and expense forecast features— easing payment to clients.

I would pick Odoo for its flexibility to choose between different payment providers and sync with various banking institutions. Moreover, it also allows you to switch between different currencies in real-time and add to your accounts.

Odoo Features

• Validate the invoices using AI-powered smart recognition.
• Sync with more than 26,000 banks worldwide.
• Ability to import bank statements in formats such as.OFX, .QIF, .CSV, .CAMT.053.
• Group and categorize different payments using the batch payment feature.
• Match 95% of invoices and payments automatically using digital OCR.

Odoo Pricing:

Odoo offers two pricing options:

• Standard plan: $24.90/user/month
• Custom plan: $37.40/user/month

Odoo also offers a free app with unlimited users.

Try Odoo

8. Melio

Melio is a free accounts receivable and accounts payable platform that caters to businesses of all sizes. I liked Melio for its automated payment reminders, approval workflows, and 2-way accounting feature.

The AP/AR platform brings vast customization in approval workflows, which means that admins can assign roles and permission-based access to the team members. You can set up payment terms, manage limitations, and track payments in a single view.

For example, you can automate the payment to a specific vendor and pass the approval to the AP department.

Additionally, Melio integrates with various banks such as Chase, Citibank, US Bank, and Wealthfront via Plaid. You can also connect to your preferred bank using account or routing numbers.

Melio also allows you to upload and scan receipts, which connects with your accounting software. Once you’ve connected it, the bills get automatically uploaded and tracked within the software.

However, Melio doesn’t offer a direct accounting tool for bookkeeping and bank reconciliation. Furthermore, I had to read a few guides before connecting the accounting software. Melio offers integration with QuickBooks and Xero and tax software like Tax1099.

Another unique feature is Melio’s custom invoicing email. You can use this email to send to your clients and get paid by inserting a ‘Pay Now’ button.

Melio Features

• Pay via Melio network with telecoms, utilities, and financial institutions.
• Supports international payments across 80+ countries.
• Integrates with American Express for virtual card payments.
• 1-click integration with Xero, QuickBooks, and Amazon Business.
• File W-9 & 1099 tax directly from the platform.

Melio Pricing

Melio has two pricing options, with a free forever plan.

• Core plan: $18.50/month
• Boost plan: $40.50/month

Try Melio

9. Dext Prepare

Dext is an assistant bookkeeping tool that connects with your existing accounting software to proceed with invoices, bills, and sales documents such as purchase orders.

I was really impressed with its intuitive interface, which features your invoices, purchase orders, sales tax reports, and expense claims— in a single place without complicating it.

Automation is at the heart of this software. Dext allows you to create automated workflows for processing invoices and expense claims. You can also automate invoice matching and transaction categorization.

In my experience, the approval workflow is more extensive than Melio’s workflow and comes with a range of options.

The tool also offers a collaboration feature that allows team members to engage and improve work efficiency.

Overall, Dext is an ideal choice for businesses that want to import bank transactions directly from their accounting software and need more sales-oriented and cost dashboards.

Dext Prepare Features

• Set up automated rule-based workflows.
• Automate payments and reconciliation methods.
• Sync with more than 11,500 banking institutions.
• Drag-and-drop for uploading receipts.
• Create a mileage claim for one-way or round trips.

Dext Prepare Pricing

Dext offers three pricing plans, each capped with users.

• Plan I: $30/month or $288/year with up to 5 users
• Plan II: $57.50/month or $558/year with up to 10 users.
• Plan III : $85/month or $828/year with 15 users. You can add more users to the existing plan.

Try Dext Prepare

10. BILL

Bill is a leading cloud-based financial automation software that empowers small and midsize businesses (SMBs) to streamline their financial operations and improve cash flow.

BILL makes it into my list because of its extensive accounting features for accounts receivable and accounts payable. From creating invoices, bills, and estimates to accepting online payments, bank transfers, and checks, BILL gives you various financial management options.

What’s most intriguing for me is its AP and AR in conjunction. For instance, you can create an invoice and add your vendor in BILL, after which they can pay through bank transfer or ACH transfer.

Lastly, they have an amazing mobile app for iOS and Android that automatically categorizes your transaction, initiates bill approvals, and provides features for controlling spend and expenses.

BILL Features

• Create tailored approval workflows.
• Set customizable limits on your business budget.
• Gather cash flow forecasts with access to predictive modeling.
• Customizable audit trail and tax filing.
• Automate invoicing and audits using AI and predictive monitoring.

BILL Pricing

BILL offers four pricing options:

• Essentials plan: $45/user/month
• Team plan: $55/user/month
• Corporate plan: $79/user/month
• Enterprise plan: custom pricing

Try BILL

Other Top Accounting Software in 2025

Besides the top 10 accounting tools, we’ve also listed other options that deserve honorable mentions.

Accounting Software	Best For
11. ZarMoney	Invoicing & Inventory processing
12. Bonsai	Self-employed and consultants
13. AccountEdge Pro	Small businesses
14. NetSuite	Enterprise businesses
15. AccountsIQ	Medium and large-sized businesses

What is Accounting Software?

Accounting software is a program that helps accountants and bookkeepers in recording and tracking financial transactions. It helps you to keep check of the invoices, expenses, bills and sales tax.

Accounting software includes various features such as:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Expense management
• Budgeting
• Accounts receivable (AR)
• Account payable (AP)
• Automated payment reminders
• Chart of Accounts

How much does accounting software cost?

On the low end, most accounting software plans cost between $20 and $40 per month and usually exclude more than one user (your accountant). The higher tiers can cost between $50 and $60 per month and total up to $500 or more per year.

In some software, such as Zoho Books or Melio, adding users may cost additional fees.

Are accounting software cheap?

Yes. Most accounting software is relatively cheap, depending on the size and features of your business. However, the lower tier plans bring a limit on the number of users or limits the features.

What is the easiest accounting software?

Freshbooks, Zoho Books, Wave, and Xero are some of the easiest accounting software in terms of usability. Their offerings meet the core accounting management features for handling invoices, expenses, transactions, and payments. Each solution is best for everyday accounting needs without overwhelming users with a dense, feature-rich platform.

What is the Best Accounting Software for Bookkeeping?

QuickBooks is one of the best and most popular bookkeeping solutions for small and medium businesses. The software is designed to handle daily accounting needs like invoicing and bank transactions while also managing overall financial data with reporting insights. Higher tiers include tools to manage employees, project costs, and overall budget.

Are accounting software and budgeting software the same?

Accounting software and budgeting overlap heavily, but are not the same.

Accounting tools focus on recording transactions, managing invoices, reconciling bank statements, and generating financial reports.

Budgeting software, on the other hand, is designed to help track spending, forecast cash flow, monitor bills, and gain insights into a business’s financial health. Budgeting tools are often more user-friendly and affordable, making them ideal for business owners

You can use advanced accounting software for budgeting, but you shouldn’t use budgeting tools as your business accounting solution.

While accounting systems like Sage and Xero offer comprehensive features for tax, inventory, and overall financial management, they can be overkill for simple budgeting needs.

Is Accounting software better than spreadsheets?

Yes, absolutely. Accounting software solutions can offer ready-to-go templates, automation capabilities, reporting, and even database management to streamline workflow and ease the burden on your mental plate.

Startups, sole proprietors, budding freelancers, and small businesses can save a lot of money using spreadsheet software. On the other hand, when you use spreadsheet apps, you are prone to making mistakes, resulting in financial data loss, which is crucial when making data-driven decisions.

Is it okay to use invoice software instead of accounting software?

It depends on your requirements. Most accounting systems have invoicing tools, but you can use invoice software if you do not need to manage payments, business expenses, bank account transactions, etc.

Invoicing software like Zoho Invoice, InvoiceNinja, and PayPal are cheaper than accounting solutions, so you can save costs by forgoing other features. If you do go this route, make sure to see if they integrate with accounting and bookkeeping software so you have that option later on.

What is the difference between accounting software and payroll software?

Accounting tools offer capabilities to manage business finances, whereas payroll software helps businesses pay local or global employees on time while ensuring taxation, payment slips, and necessary compliance requirements.

Both applications coincide when it comes to tracking payments and tax forms. Many accounting systems are built with the functionality to handle contractor invoices and tax forms. Payroll add-ons are also very common product offerings by companies that provide accounting solutions.

What Does accounting software do?

Accounting software helps you manage your financial business information. It is designed to automate and streamline tedious workloads and keep you on top of important bills and payments. More robust systems will offer detailed reporting and analytics.

How does accounting software work?

Accounting systems are built on the concept of managing and analyzing financial data. They aid business operations by helping you enter, import, extract, organize, and filter data. You can use them to process online payments and transactions and manage Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR). Many tools offer limited or advanced financial reporting to highlight valuable insights.

What are the benefits of using accounting software?

Accounting software platforms provide the following 6 benefits to businesses.

1. Automation of business transaction documentation, thereby increasing efficiency.
2. Accuracy and reduction of human errors.
3. Enables better decision-making due to real-time tracking of financial health.
4. Simplifies compliance with tax laws and financial regulations.
5. Helps in scaling up when a company grows.
6. Cloud-based access for employees from multiple locations.

Why do small businesses need accounting software?

Small businesses need accounting software to manage their finances, minimize costly mistakes, and avoid becoming dangerously overwhelmed when it’s time to pay your taxes.

Accounting systems are ideal for ensuring your expenses, income, and cash flow are balanced while planning for ongoing projects and future spending. Whether your company is just budding or beginning to overflow, having software to track every step of the way will save you a giant headache down the road.

What are other enterprise software programs that can help my business?

Enterprise software includes monday.com for Project Management, NetSuite for ERP, Salesforce for CRM, Stripe for payments, and Rippling for HR.

When choosing a new accounting solution, check on available integrations to ensure it’s compatible with your tech stack and scalable to meet your business growth. Knowing what integrations are available can also help you grow your current tech stack.

FAQs

More on Accounts and Payments

Best Free Accounting Software

Best Online Payment Solutions