10 Best QuickBooks Alternatives in 2021 (Free & Paid)

QuickBooks is an accounting software used to manage the financial operations of a business. QuickBooks helps businesses organize their finances, track and categorize expenses as well as generate reports.

The best QuickBooks alternative provides all of the required accounting tools for small companies, but it’s usually simpler to use and less expensive. Whether you’re unhappy with your existing QuickBooks subscription or you’re searching for accounting software for your new company, there’s plenty to choose from, including several free QuickBooks alternatives.

• Xero: For small company accounting software, it’s the best overall alternative to QuickBooks.
• FreshBooks; The best invoicing and eCommerce software solution.
• Zoho Books; The Best Accounting Software for Freelancers
• Sage 50Cloud; The best multi-company accounting software option, with consolidations included.
• Quicken; The best option for those who own rental property.
• Wave; The best free accounting software option.
• Sage Cloud Accounting; The best option for a superb mobile accounting app.
• Contractor Sage 100; The best construction accounting software option.
• Buildium; The best option for property management firms.
• EasyFarm; The best farm accounting software option.

Which QuickBooks Alternative is the best fit for your needs?

We’ll offer you a tailored product match once you answer a few questions about your company.

1. How many individuals will need software access?

2. Do you purchase and sell merchandise in your business?

3. How crucial is it for you to be able to reach out to customer service via phone?

4. What is the yearly gross revenue of your company?

• $100,000 or less
• Between $100,000 and $250,000
• Ranging from $250,001 to $500,000
• Ranging from $500,001 to $1,000,000
• More than a million dollars

What Methods Did We Use to Evaluate QuickBooks Alternatives?

We started by evaluating QuickBooks alternatives based on how effectively they addressed typical QuickBooks issues, such as:

• Customer support: QuickBooks does not give a direct phone number for customer assistance. Instead, consumers must request a call from customer support.
• QuickBooks is costly in comparison to alternative software, according to some customers.
• Ease of use: QuickBooks has a lot of functionality, which makes it tough to set up and use. It could be simpler to use bookkeeping software that just has the functions that a certain user need.

Then we looked at whether QuickBooks competitors had all of the necessary features for decent accounting software:

• Bank account: The program should immediately transfer transactions from your bank account, making reconciliation easier.
• Invoices: Invoices should be simple to produce, send, and monitor until they are paid.
• Bills should be submitted as soon as they are received and monitored until they are paid.
• Reports: The program should provide a balance sheet and income statement reports.
• Connectors: The software should offer online payment and payroll integrations.

Finally, we looked at industry-specific software for businesses where QuickBooks lacks particular functions that aid in accounting and company management.

Xero is the best QuickBooks alternative overall.

Xero is on our list of the best small company accounting software because it offers comparable functionality to QuickBooks at a lesser cost and with unlimited users, making it our best overall option. If the price or restricted number of users are your main complaints about QuickBooks, Xero is likely your best alternative software option. No credit card is needed to test Xero for 30 days for free.

Xero

Pros

• All options come with an unlimited number of users.
• Features that are similar to QuickBooks Online
• Inventory management that works

Cons

• QuickBooks Online isn’t the easiest to use.
• There is no customer service phone number to contact.
• Receipt capture necessitates the most costly strategy.

Plans & Pricing

• $11 per month for 20 invoices and 5 bills if paid early
• Growing: $32 per month for limitless bills and invoices
• $62 a month includes limitless invoices and bills, as well as multicurrency, receipt recording, and project tracking.

For the first three months, Xero often gives a 50% discount on all programs.

Features

Many of the same capabilities found in QuickBooks are available in Xero, such as reliable invoicing, bank reconciliation, and expenditure management. Xero is just as configurable as QuickBooks Online, but if you’re a startup or a small company, Xero may be a more cost-effective solution.

• Bank reconciliation: Xero imports your bank statements for you automatically, removing the need for human data input.
• Expense tracking: Use the Xero mobile app to scan and monitor receipts for spending.
• Create, personalize, and send invoices and estimates.
• Integrated payroll: Xero and Gusto work together to manage your payroll.
• Inventory management: Keep track of basic and complicated inventory items, and generate reports on what’s hot.

Expert Recommendation

Xero is similar to QuickBooks Online in terms of capabilities, but it is less expensive and offers an unlimited number of users with any subscription. If simplicity of use or customer service is your key concern with QuickBooks, I’m not convinced you’ll be happier with Xero. I don’t find Xero to be any simpler to use than QuickBooks, and unlike QuickBooks, you can’t contact customer care. If you need more than five people, Xero is a wonderful alternative to QuickBooks, which needs a pricey upgrade to the Advanced plan.

FreshBooks: The Best QuickBooks Alternative for Ecommerce and Invoicing

FreshBooks is a full-featured accounting solution that focuses on professional-looking invoicing. FreshBooks, like QuickBooks, lets you to monitor hours and costs and have them automatically added to invoices. FreshBooks vs Quickbooks is a comprehensive comparison of the two programs. With integrations for Squarespace, Shopify, eBay, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, FreshBooks is ideal for online firms. New customers may choose between a 30-day free trial and a three-month subscription at 50% discount.

FreshBooks

Pros

• All options come with an unlimited number of invoices.
• Customer service toll-free number
• Many eCommerce systems are supported.

Cons

• An extra charge is required for each additional user.
• It’s impossible to keep track of revenue and spending by class.
• The amount of customers you may charge is limited by your plan.

Plans & Pricing

• $15 per month for up to five billable customers
• Plus, for every 50 billable customers, you’ll get $25 every month.
• For 500 billable clients, the premium is $50 per month.
• Custom price for customers with more than 500 visits per month.

All options include one user, with each extra user costing $10 per month. FreshBooks is providing new customers a 50% discount for the first three months.

Features

FreshBooks has many standard accounting tools, but its invoicing capabilities are its strongest suit. It’s not only cheap, but it also includes a lot of automation and customization options when it comes to invoicing. FreshBooks is a superb QuickBooks option if you need to send a lot of invoices.

• Invoicing: With its mobile app, you can create professional invoices in seconds, even while on the road.
• Billing expenditures: Assign expenses to customers and include them in invoices.
• Time tracking: Keep track of how much time you spend on tasks and enter it into FreshBooks for billing.

Expert Recommendation

Unlike QuickBooks, FreshBooks provides customer help through a toll-free phone line. FreshBooks is noted for its beautiful invoicing and extensive connections with eCommerce systems, in addition to excellent customer support. FreshBooks isn’t a fantastic solution if you require several users since each plan includes one free user. Additional users cost $10 per month. Other excellent QuickBooks alternatives may be found in our guides to the best invoicing software and the best eCommerce accounting software.

Zoho Books; The Best Accounting Software for Freelancers

Through interaction with Zoho’s other products, Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform, giving a full answer to your particular demands along your journey to success. Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform. Has a free plan and premium subscriptions that start at $12 per month, making it ideal for freelancers. For 14 days, you may test the premium programs for free.

Zoho Books

Pros

• It’s less expensive than QuickBooks and other popular accounting software.
• All plans feature a client portal.
• It’s compatible with other Zoho products.

Cons

• The number of invoices you may send is limited by your plan.
• Only the higher plans include inventory management.
• A fee is charged for scanning receipts.

Plans & Pricing

• Standard: $12 per month payable on a monthly basis When invoiced yearly, the monthly fee is $10. Three users and 5,000 invoices per year are included.
•  Professional: $24 per month payable on a monthly basis When invoiced yearly, it costs $20 each month. There are five users and 10,000 invoices per year in this package.
• When invoiced monthly, the premium is $36 each month. When invoiced yearly, the monthly fee is $30. There are ten people in this group. A total of 25,000 invoices are sent out each year.

Features

If you are a freelancer in need of a full-featured accounting app, Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform. is a great alternative to QuickBooks Online. Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform. serves businesses, but it also has the features you need as a freelancer, including expense tracking, invoicing, and online payments.

• Invoices and estimates: In seconds, create and send invoices and estimates in any currency.
• Expense tracking: For a fee, sort your spending into categories and scan receipts on your phone.
• Create and track projects, assign tasks to team members, and keep track of billable time.
• Provide a safe location for your suppliers to monitor and track all of their transactions with a vendor portal.
• Product expenses, product specifications, and stock on hand are all captured in inventory management.

Expert Recommendation

At $12 per month, Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform.’ A standard plan is a great value for very small businesses and freelancers. It has all the features most freelancers will need, although you might consider upgrading to Standard to help track your unpaid bills. If you need to track inventory, you’ll need to upgrade to Professional. Even so, many users find Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform. a better value compared to QuickBooks Online. As with FreshBooks, Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform. provides a telephone number that you can call to contact customer support directly. If Zoho Books is a web-based publishing platform. isn’t right for you, you can explore other options in our guide to freelancer accounting software.

Sage Cloud Accounting; The best option for a superb mobile accounting app

If you need to store the finances for several firms, Sage 50Cloud is superior to QuickBooks Online. Separate memberships are required for each firm with QuickBooks Online, which may be rather costly. Sage 50Cloud can not only account for numerous businesses, but it can also merge them into a single organization and provide consolidated financial statements. You may try Sage 50Cloud by going to its website and choosing “Take a test drive,” which will give you access to a hosted version of the software with example data.

Sage 50Cloud

Pros

• For a single fee, you may consolidate an infinite number of businesses.
• Inventory management that is robust
• Allocation to customer invoices hence keeping track of hours and costs.

Cons

• Installation and setup are required for desktop-based applications.
• Third-party integration is required for online payments.

Plans & Pricing

• Pro (per user): $56.08 per month or $567 per year
• Premium: For one user, from $84.58 per month or $850 per year.
• Quantum: One user costs $139.58 per month or $1,404 per year.

For the first year, Sage gives a 40% discount to new clients.

Features

QuickBooks Online users with multiple businesses need separate logins for each company. With Sage 50Cloud, you can manage all your businesses on a single platform. Its highest plan includes advanced budgeting tools and multi-company support that allows you to create consolidated financial statements for multiple entities.

• Consolidate reports for subsidiaries in the same base currency inside the same country.
• Manage different currencies for customer or supplier accounts all across the world with global consolidation.
• Multidimensional consolidation: To combine your reports, use various dimensions such as customer, supplier, or project.
• Compliance with ASC 830/FAS-52: This functionality is beneficial to businesses that operate in different nations.

Expert Recommendation

Despite its name, Sage 50Cloud is a desktop software that allows some functions to be performed online with a subsequent synchronization with the desktop file. While this introduces some complexity, it can perform some tasks on the go, which QuickBooks Desktop doesn’t offer. QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus offers similar features to Sage 50Cloud Premium and costs $499.99 per year, per user. The big difference is that Sage 50Cloud Premium can consolidate parent and subsidiary companies while QuickBooks Desktop cannot. Like QuickBooks Desktop, 50Cloud is very sophisticated and powerful software that will take some time to learn. If Sage 50Cloud isn’t right for your needs, explore other software to account for multiple companies.

Quicken: The Best QuickBooks Alternative for Rental Property Owners

Quicken allows you to manage and track tenants, which isn’t possible with QuickBooks Online. That’s why individuals owning rental properties might be served better off with Quicken compared to QuickBooks, a full-fledged bookkeeping software. Unlike double-entry bookkeeping software, Quicken keeps things simple by focusing on only your income and expenses instead of tracking assets and liabilities. Quicken can also be used to track your personal finances, including your retirement accounts, which provide much value beyond simply accounting for rental income. You’ll need the Home & Business edition to manage your rental property, which costs $103.99 per year.

Quicken

Pros

• Rent payments may be collected electronically.
• Customer service is offered via phone.
• Manage your own money as well as your rental property.

Cons

• A balance sheet for rental activities cannot be printed.
• Installation on your PC is required.
• Rental properties held by companies or partnerships are ineligible.

Plans & Pricing

• $35.99 per year as a starter
• $51.99 per year for Deluxe
• $77.99 per year for Premier

Features

While most of its Quickens features are for personal finance tracking, its most expensive edition, Quicken Home & Business, includes specialized features to manage rental properties. Quicken Home and Business includes the following features:

• Tenant management: Keep track of renters’ personal information, rent payments, and lease conditions.
• Monitor the status of your properties, tenants, and rentals all in one location with the rental dashboard.
• Market value tracker: Use the integrated Morningstar X-ray tool to examine your mutual fund portfolio (Windows only)
• PayPal payment: Collect rental payments quickly and easily by including a PayPal payment link in your email.

Expert Recommendation

Despite their similar titles, Quicken and QuickBooks are two separate software that are owned by distinct corporations. Individuals who need to manage revenue and spending for personal rental property will discover that Quicken performs an excellent job while simultaneously managing their own finances. Quicken will also assist you in managing your rental activities by generating invoices, taking online payments, and keeping track of lease periods, rental rates, and security deposits. Quicken’s major flaw is that it can’t generate a balance sheet, so it’s ineffective if your rental activity necessitates filing a business return like Form 1120, Form 1120S, or Form 1065.

Wave; The best free accounting software option.

Wave is excellent accounting software that is available to an infinite number of users for free. It’s simpler to use than QuickBooks, despite the fact that it doesn’t have as many functions. Wave, like QuickBooks, features built-in credit card processing and payroll, which may be added for a cost. Wave’s accounting software is always free, so link your bank account and try out the features to see whether it’s perfect for you.

Wave

Pros

• Cloud-based software that is free
• Without a third-party connection, payroll and credit card processing may be implemented.
• It’s more user-friendly than QuickBooks Online.

Cons

• There is no customer service phone number.
• There is no inventory tracking.
• There is no full mobile app available.

Plans & Pricing

• Users and businesses may use it for free indefinitely.

Features

Despite the fact that Wave is free software, it provides several of the same functions as QuickBooks Online, such as invoicing, reporting, and revenue and cost monitoring. Wave has a significant edge over QuickBooks Online in terms of the number of users it can support.

• Invoicing: Create reoccurring invoices that are fully customizable.
• Scan your receipts and upload them to Wave for mobile cost monitoring.
• Wave comes with a paid payroll solution to assist you with your payroll runs.
• Wave advisors: Hire a Wave adviser to help you with your accounting.

Expert Recommendation

Wave is more user-friendly than QuickBooks and is completely free. On the flipside, several QuickBooks Online functions, including inventory management and allocating revenue and costs to courses, locations, and projects, are not accessible in Wave. Wave might be a good QuickBooks replacement if you don’t require complex capabilities. Other free accounting software options may be found in our guide to the best free accounting software.

Sage Cloud: The best QuickBooks app alternative

Sage Cloud Accounting for Business is a cloud-based accounting system that includes all of the tools you’ll need to keep track of your finances without the extra features that make the software more difficult to use. Best of all, compared to QuickBooks, Sage Accounting provides a simpler and more complete mobile app. Monthly memberships begin at $10 per month after your free trial.

Sage Cloud Accounting

Pros

• Excellent mobile app
• Users, transactions, suppliers, and consumers are all unlimited.
• Collect online payments without the need of a third-party service.

Cons

• There is no integrated payroll.
• There is no telephone customer support.
• It is not possible to automatically add time and expenditures to customer bills.

Plans & Pricing

• Accounting begins at $10 per month for an unlimited number of users.
• Accounting: $25 per month for an unlimited number of users, which includes receipt capturing and the administration of delinquent invoices.

Features

Sage Accounting can let businesses issue invoices and manage their finances and inventory while on the road. It comes with a powerful mobile accounting application that lets you do the following:

• Invoicing: Use your phone to create and submit online invoices.
• Receipt management: Take a picture of your receipt and upload it to your phone to keep track of your expenses.
• Management of contacts: In the app, you may add a new contact or examine contact info at any moment.
• Estimates and quotations: Create sales quotes and estimates while on the move.

Expert Recommendation

Sage Accounting (formerly known as Sage One) is a good alternative to QuickBooks Online if you’re looking for an affordable program with a mobile app that performs all the basic bookkeeping functions. Sage Accounting has no integrated payroll available, even from third-party vendors. Therefore, your payroll provider will need to provide you with a journal entry to record your payroll manually. The journal entry is easy to learn and input, but you won’t be able to access any detailed payroll information within the program.

There are other great mobile accounting apps you can learn about in Best Mobile Accounting Apps.

Contractor Sage 100; The best construction accounting software option.

Contractor Sage 100 is a complex accounting system created specifically for contractors, allowing them to not only handle bookkeeping but also track work profitability in real-time. Even if you can’t personally monitor every job, the software will give you the information you need to operate your firm. It’s more costly than QuickBooks Online, but if you have an experienced bookkeeper, it’ll work best. To try out Contractor Sage 100 in an example business, go to the Sage website.

Contractor Sage 100

Pros

• Keep track of profitability, assign revenue and costs to jobs.
• All aspects of bookkeeping, estimating, buying, work costing, and payroll are integrated into a single system.

Cons

• It’s more difficult to get help from an independent accountant using QuickBooks Online than it is with QuickBooks Desktop.
• Every member of your team must be committed to learning and utilizing the program.
• There are no upfront costs.

Plans & Pricing

• To acquire a customized quotation, please contact Sage.

Features

QuickBooks Online can be customized to fit the needs of a construction company, but Contractor Sage 100 is a more suitable fit for larger firms. It has a more extensive list of construction management and automation features compared to QuickBooks Online. Some of its core features include the following:

• Work costing: Keep track of job cost data, such as cost diaries, cost summaries, and labor totals.
• Estimates: Contractor Sage 100 allows you to easily export estimates, budgets, subcontracts, and purchase orders
• Project management: Keep track of tasks, operation status, and daily field reports for each of your projects.
• Equipment management: Keep track of your construction machines, heavy equipment, and other assets.

Expert Recommendation

Contractor Sage 100 is a sophisticated ERP system for contractors, but not so sophisticated that it takes a team of analysts to run, nor a hefty bank account to finance. It’s more of an entry-level ERP system that’s ideal for contractors that have grown beyond personally supervising each project. However, it will still take some time to learn, and everyone on the team, including salespeople, estimators, project managers, and forepersons, will need to be dedicated to doing so.

You can explore other contractor accounting software in Best Construction Accounting Software.

Buildium; The best option for property management firms.

Property managers will find Buildium to be a much better match than QuickBooks. It helps manage your renters with tenant screening, electronic leases, and a resident portal where tenants can pay their rent and make maintenance needs, in addition to conventional accounting tools. After your free 15-day trial, the price drops to $50 per month for up to 20 units.

Buildium

Pros

• Customer service is available at all times.
• Follow up on work orders and convert them to invoices.
• Track profit & loss by property

Cons

• If you have more than 150 units, you must switch to a more costly plan, even if you don’t require the additional features.
• Receipt capture and mileage tracking are two time-saving accounting capabilities that are missing.
• There is no integrated payroll.

Plans & Pricing

• Up to 150 units of essentials
  • For 20 or less units, the monthly fee is $50.
• Up to 5,000 units of growth
  • For 50 or less units, the monthly fee starts at $160.
• Up to 5,000 units are available in the premium category.
  • For 150 or less units, the annual fee is $4,968.

If you manage more than 5,000 units, you should contact Buildium.

Features

Property management firms may use industry-specific capabilities that are not available in QuickBooks. Buildium includes all of the tools you’ll need to balance bank accounts, collect rent from renters, submit 1099 tax forms, and keep track of upkeep.

• Manage lease applications, maintenance concerns, and payment information with leasing management.
• Tenant Screening: Use TransUnion, a consumer credit reporting organization, to assess prospective tenants.
• 1099 e-filing: Complete 1099 forms and send them to owners and suppliers for tracking purposes.
• Financial Reporting: Create balance sheets, cash flow statements, and ending balances for rental owners, among other reports.
• Board Communication Portal: Send postal, email, or text messages to board members and homeowners.

Expert Recommendation

Buildium is a cost-effective solution for small businesses that need assistance managing renters and repair calls, as well as monitoring profit and loss per property. Upgrade to Growth or Premium for even more capabilities, such as enhanced performance statistics and an open application programming interface, for larger enterprises (API).

Read our Best Real Estate Accounting Software guide if you’re a real estate professional and aren’t sure whether Buildium is suited for you.

EasyFarm; The best farm accounting software option.

While QuickBooks is a fantastic option for farmers and ranchers in general, EasyFarm is a suitable alternative for self-employed farmers who conduct their own accounting. EasyFarm features its own set of input panels that employ agricultural language rather than accounting jargon. It also features a function that aids in the separation of personal and agricultural activities in the same bank account. EasyFarm is a desktop software that costs $509 for a one-time purchase.

EasyFarm

Pros

• It was created with farmers in mind, not bookkeepers.
• Crop and livestock management are integrated with good accounting features.
• A training manual and printed reference materials are included.

Cons

• You are unable to transfer funds from your bank account.
•  Without the A/R add-on, you won’t be able to issue or monitor invoices.
• It’s more difficult to share your data with your tax preparer at the end of the year than it is with a cloud-based tool.

Plans & Pricing

• $509 Lite
• In addition, $595 involves payroll.
• Pro: $800 covers salary and a Crop and Field Manager or Livestock Manager of your choosing.
• $1,100 for Premier Payroll is included, as well as Crop and Field Managers and Livestock Managers.

All purchases include one year of support, with extra years of support available for $129 to $209 each year.

Features

EasyFarm has farm-specific functionality that QuickBooks Online does not have. Crop and financial management components, as well as an asset account ledger for managing numerous books, may help farmers. Here’s a rundown of some of its best features.

• Inventory tracking: Keep track of your stock’s amount and weight, and make automated modifications if necessary.
• Track revenue and costs by fields, herds, and other units with cost centers.
• Payroll: Create paychecks using the check writer.
• Crop and field records may be entered using a mobile app at any time and from any location.

Expert Recommendation

EasyFarm is a low-cost choice since a single purchase may be utilized for many years. Farmers who wish to perform their own accounting will like the common language used in the input screens, and the addition of the Crop and Field Manager or Livestock Manager will expand the use of the program beyond bookkeeping. Customer service is accessible via the phone, and the staff has a small-company feel to them. EasyFarm is ideal for self-employed farmers, but if you run a bigger farm operation, you should check out our guide to the Best Farm Accounting Software for other alternatives.

When Is a QuickBooks Alternative Appropriate?

QuickBooks Online is a fantastic bookkeeping program that now dominates the small company accounting software market. There are three situations when you would want to use an accounting application other than QuickBooks.

1. QuickBooks is prohibitively expensive

The most common version of QuickBooks is QuickBooks Online Plus, which costs $80 a month, which is too expensive for many small firms. However, before you decide you can’t afford QuickBooks, take a look at how much value you get from it. It’s a strong program that’s probably worth the money if you use most of its capabilities. However, as we’ll see later, QuickBooks might have considerably more functionality than you need.

2. QuickBooks has features that aren’t required.

You must utilize most of QuickBooks’ capabilities to make it worthwhile. QuickBooks, for example, lets you manage inventory prices, assign revenue and expenditures to classes and locations, create custom tags to arrange transactions in any manner you want, and calculate sales tax rates based on client addresses automatically. There are many less expensive and easier accounting systems available if all you want to do is issue invoices and pay bills.

3. Specialized Industries Businesses

QuickBooks is very adaptable and can be customized to meet the accounting demands of almost any company. However, certain businesses are unique, and having specific software that handles bookkeeping, helps run the firm, and complies with other legal requirements may be beneficial. Churches, NGOs, truckers, restaurants, and legal companies are examples of specialized businesses where QuickBooks may not be the best solution.

Conclusion

Although QuickBooks dominates the small company accounting industry, it isn’t always the best option, and there are several QuickBooks alternatives to consider. You may be able to locate an alternative program that better meets your demands, depending on your budget, required features, and industry.