7+ QuickBooks Alternatives For 2022 [An Honest Review]

Updated May 14, 2022
Burkhard Berger

Keep reading and find out which of the accounting software today are the best QuickBooks alternatives.

When I was building my business, I learned that poor accounting practices can damage your business’s financial health. I’ve searched for the accounting software that best fits my business needs, and QuickBooks stands out the most.

It does an excellent job of simplifying my accounting process.

However, this might not be your best choice if you have an enterprise-level business or you’re looking for a much more powerful invoice generator. Here are the best QuickBooks alternatives you can use instead.

Table of Contents

1. QuickBooks Alternative: FreshBooks
2. QuickBooks Alternative: Zoho Books
3. QuickBooks Alternative: Wave
4. QuickBooks Alternative: Sage Accounting
5. QuickBooks Alternative: Kashoo
6. QuickBooks Alternative: ZipBooks
7. QuickBooks Alternative: Bonsai
8. QuickBooks Alternative: AccountEdge Pro
Conclusion

1. QuickBooks Alternative: FreshBooks

Cloud-Based Accounting Software For Service-Based Business [$6 a month]

If QuickBooks is excellent accounting software for selling a product, FreshBooks is more reliable for running service-based businesses.

It includes tons of handy features that can help you focus on growing your business and balance your books. Most of these features are missing on QuickBooks or only offered at the higher subscription plans.

I’ll start with its proposal feature.

Through this feature, you can give your clients a clear picture of the value you can bring to them. Here are the essential details you can include:

Overview
Scope of work
Timeline
Pricing rates
Proposal’s terms

You can also customize its style by choosing a simple or modern template, theme color, and font.

Do you want to create a better client experience?

You can easily do so by setting the language and currency based on your client’s preference. As of writing, FreshBooks supports up to 12 languages and hundreds of currencies.

Once the client approves the submitted proposal, you can begin the project and take advantage of FreshBooks’ project management and team collaboration features.

Inside your dashboard, one section is built for quick and easy managing of all your projects. Create a new project (flat rate or hourly), and this section will neatly organize them all based on their:

Project or client name
Unbilled hours or amount
Last invoice
Due date

FreshBooks allows you to invite your team members, clients, and contractors to make team collaboration simpler. You can also assign them any of the following roles:

If you want to know more about the differences between the two accounting software, you can read my FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks guide.

FreshBooks Pricing Plan

FreshBooks offers four subscription plans which are primarily based on the number of billable clients you’re working on.

Lite ($6/mo.): The ideal plan for freelancers and entrepreneurs with basic accounting needs. You’ll enjoy tracking unlimited expenses, sending unlimited invoices to 5 clients, getting paid with credit cards and bank transfers, and more.
Plus ($10/mo.): The most popular for entrepreneurs with 50 billable clients. You can also get access to double-entry accounting reports, more automation features, automatically track expenses, and more.
Premium ($20/mo.): For growing businesses, you can get this plan to send unlimited invoices to an unlimited number of clients. You can also send unlimited estimates and proposals, customize email templates, email signatures, and more.
Select (Custom pricing): This is the recommended plan to get if your business has complex needs. Here, you’ll get a dedicated account manager, set up your account with custom onboarding services, and more.

Since FreshBooks doesn’t offer payroll features, you can integrate with Gusto (starts at $39/month + $6/mo./user). You can also purchase these add-ons:

Team members: $10/person/mo.
Advanced payments: $20/mo.

FreshBooks vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

2. QuickBooks Alternative: Zoho Books

On-The-Go Accounting Software For Entrepreneurs Selling Goods & Services [Free | Starts at $10 a month]

If you’re looking for online accounting software with excellent mobile access, Zoho Books is your best option.

Download the mobile app on your iOS, Android, or Windows devices, and you can do any of the following tasks:

Offer secure payment options
Create and send personalized invoices
Track your expenses and bills
Access the KPI dashboard to get real-time insights
Add contacts using its ‘Scan Business Card’ option

Its client portal is one of its many advantages over QuickBooks.

This is the section where you can view and track all your client’s information and transactions. You can also use this portal to collaborate with them efficiently.

Do you want to boost your productivity?

Zoho Books made it possible by adding lots of automation features. You can create workflow rules to prevent performing tedious, repetitive tasks one at a time.

There are no restrictions on where you can apply the automation. You can create one by sending automated payment reminders so that you can get paid on time.

Or, set it up to instantly categorize and filter all your transactions.

Other advantages it has over QuickBooks (online version) are the following:

Create sales order
Allow sales and purchase approval
Newly-revamped calendar tools
Zoho DataPrep (advanced, self-service data preparation software)

Zoho Books Pricing Plan

Zoho Books offer four subscription plans with monthly and annual billing options.

Free: Avail of this plan and manage 1 user and accountant, up to 1,000 invoices per year, 3 payment gateways, and more.
Standard ($10/mo./organization): This plan allows you to invite 3 users, manage up to 5,000 invoices, recurring expenses, 11 payment gateways, and more.
Professional ($20/mo./organization): Ideal plan for growing businesses. Allows you to invite 5 users, get access to the sales approval, create workflow rules (10), and more.
Premium ($30/mo./organization): The ultimate plan to get if you want to invite up to 10 users and connect to a custom domain.

On top of the plans’ respective features, you can extend them by purchasing any of these add-ons:

Users: $2.50/month/user
Branches: $10/mo./branch (only available in the Premium Plan)
Advanced autoscans: $8 for 50 Scans/mo.
Snail mails: $2/credit

Explore what Zoho Books can do for your business by starting with a free plan or signing up for its 14-day trial version, with no credit card required.

ZohoBooks vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

3. QuickBooks Alternative: Wave

Excellent Financial Software For All Business Types [Free]

Is there a free QuickBooks alternative?

Yes, one of the fantastic options is Wave. This is financial software that has built-in double-entry accounting, invoicing, payment, and payroll solutions.

Compared to QuickBooks, Wave doesn’t require installation because it runs entirely on web browsers.

All its financial tools and solutions are fully integrated into its interface so you can access it anywhere. If you’re always on the go, you can download its mobile app (iOS and Android).

Through this app, you can do the following:

Quickly create, customize, and send invoices to your customers
Effortlessly track income and expenses
Send automatic payment reminders
Set up a payment method to start receiving money through the app

With Wave’s ease of use and free-forever plan, it has become an ideal choice for freelance professionals and entrepreneurs with a limited budget.

If you’re managing independent contractors, Wave can help you generate the proper 1099 tax forms and make direct payments.

When it comes to simplicity and ease of use, Wave and FreshBooks have tight competition. If you’re curious about their differences, you can check out my FreshBooks vs. Wave unbiased comparison.

Wave Pricing Plan

The best advantage of Wave is it’s 100% free to use.

Therefore, you can use all of its features as much as you need them without worrying about limitations. The only time you need to pay is when you avail of the following services:

Payroll services: Starts at $6 per active employee or contractor paid + a monthly base fee. The exact base fee is different per State and country (U.S. and Canada).
Payment services: They charge transaction fees for every payment processed in your account. The charge fee depends on the type of payment method used.
Block advisors ($500 + $150 per State filed): Provide a tax professional to do the tax filing for you. You can review the prepared taxes virtually before submitting them.
Wave Advisors: Hire professionals to do your books ($149/mo.), live coaching ($229, one-time fee), and do your taxes (starting price of $1,500/year).

Other fees you may shoulder are for filing a dispute ($15 one-time chargeback fee) and returns ($5 per item).

With over $330 billion tracked income and expenses since its inception, Wave is undeniably one of the fastest-growing accounting software today. Create your free account and confidently manage your expenses and income.

Wave vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

4. QuickBooks Alternative: Sage Accounting

QuickBooks Alternative: Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Established Accounting Software For All Business Sizes [Starts at 10 a month]

Sage has been in the business for over 40 years. And up to this date, it continues to empower entrepreneurs in running a successful business.

The best thing about it is that it creates comprehensive business and financial solutions to support all business sizes efficiently.

It became a strong competitor of QuickBooks because it offers two dependable accounting solutions for small businesses:

Sage Business Cloud Accounting purely runs on web browsers. You can support unlimited users and manage all standard accounting tasks like cash flow, automating workflow, tracking invoices/expenses, and more.
Sage 50cloud Accounting is a desktop accounting software that is directly connected to the cloud. This solution allows you to collaborate with up to 11 users, access advanced inventory management, run payroll, have more automation options, and more.

Both are easy to use, maintain, and set up.

One of its many advantages over QuickBooks is its invoicing software. It includes tons of customization tools and templates that help you create professional invoices.

There are 8 professional template designs you can choose from.

Download your preferred invoice template and manually customize it in Microsoft Word. This wouldn’t take you long before creating an error-free invoice.

The good news is that there’s no additional cost in using this invoicing software.

Once you’re done, you can print, mail, or send your invoices electronically to your customers.

Save time and effort.

Sage offers automated receipt capture software named AutoEntry. From the name itself, it automates your entire coding and publishing process.

It works by automatically scanning and posting receipts on your account instead of manually typing them out.

Once done, it will be saved directly to the cloud.

Sage Business Cloud Accounting Pricing Plan

Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a subscription-based software. For its native-cloud solutions, it offers two paid plans which both include a 30-day free trial.

Sage Accounting Start ($10/mo.): This is their entry-level version which allows you to create and send invoices, track transactions you need to settle, and automatic bank reconciliation.
Sage Accounting ($25/mo.): Here’s the plan that can support unlimited users, manage purchase invoices, forecast cash flow, and send quotes and estimates. You’re also eligible to automatically snap and post receipts for free (3 months).

If you’re interested in its desktop version, visit its pricing webpage and get to know its complete advanced features.

Sage vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

5. QuickBooks Alternative: Kashoo

Simple Accounting Software For Multiple Users [Free | $20 a month]

Business owners use accounting software for various purposes.

QuickBooks is known for simplifying the entire accounting process in your business. However, if you only need a specific financial function, Kashoo can be your best option.

There are four products you can choose from, and one of them is dedicated to creating and sending invoices.

Getting started is easy. All you have to do is download the app or go straight to its web-based platform.

Here are a few things you can do inside the app:

Add logo
Set automatic invoice reminders
Track invoices
Accept payments (credit card and direct deposit)

You can also create a custom invoice template where you can change the template color and save it in 5 different file formats.

Simple yet effective, these invoices surely save the time of new business owners and allow them to send professional invoices on time.

Kashoo is also known for its superior and automatic income and expense tracking. If this is what you need, you can always choose its trulysmall accounting software.

This is double-entry accounting software that features tons of automation tools.

Here, you’ll get access to advanced reporting and a visual dashboard. You can also efficiently do the following tasks:

Track transactions
Auto categorization
Bulk editing
Access the account’s chart
Auto-matching/reconciliation

Compared to most accounting software, Kashoo can support and manage multiple users at no additional cost. You can enjoy this by getting Kashoo’s advanced accounting software.

Apart from that, you’re eligible to use multi-currencies, double-entry ledgers, and customize charts of accounts.

Kashoo Pricing Plan

Paying only for what you need is what you can expect when you purchase Kashoo products. And it starts with a free plan.

trulysmall invoices (Free): Enjoy creating and sending 5 invoices for free. You can begin using it as soon as you download its mobile app or use its web-based invoicing tool.
trulysmall accounting ($20/mo.): This plan permits you to access its double-entry accounting software, where you can automate your workflow, bookkeeping, and update data in real-time.
Kashoo ($30/mo.): Expect to get advanced accounting tools such as detailed reporting, managing multi-currencies, payroll integration, check printing, and adding multiple users.

Get a firsthand experience of any of Kashoo’s products by signing up for its 14-day free trial.

Kashoo vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

6. QuickBooks Alternative: ZipBooks

Solid Cloud-Based Accounting Software For Consulting Business [Free | $15 a month]

ZipBooks is another simple yet effective accounting software made for consultants. It allows you to confidently handle monotonous accounting tasks with minimal effort and time spent.

One excellent feature it offers is the time tracking tool.

With a simple click of the green play button, you can start tracking your team members, clients, and projects’ time. If you prefer to add it manually, you can click the green plus button.

To ensure you’ll add all billable hours correctly on invoices, ZipBooks will import all time entries automatically into its designated invoice.

You also have the option to automatically sync the time entries to your payroll. You can do this by connecting your account to Gusto.

That’s right, ZipBooks doesn’t include a built-in payroll system.

You can only get a payroll service by integrating it with Gusto. Simply create or log in to your account, and it will automatically do the following tasks:

Calculate, file, and pay your payroll taxes
Auto-import tracked time
Categorize payroll transactions and match them to your bank account

In terms of creating invoices, you can do it in 3 easy steps.

The unique feature of this invoice maker is smart feedback. This feature will show an invoice quality score to determine its efficacy.

If you get a low score, don’t worry. ZipBooks will provide recommendations on how you can get it better.

Aside from invoices, you can also create estimates and recurring profiles, add items and automate reminders.

ZipBooks Pricing Plan

ZipBooks offers four subscription plans:

Starter (Free): Use this plan to send unlimited invoices, manage unlimited vendors and customers, and accept digital payments (Square or PayPal). You can also view basic reports and connect to 1 bank account.
Smarter ($15/mo.): On top of the Starter features, you can add up to 5 members, track time, and connect to multiple bank accounts. You’re also allowed to schedule recurring invoices with auto-bill and automate reminders.
Sophisticated ($35/mo.): Get everything from the Smarter plan with the addition of sharing documents, invite unlimited users, and generate more reports.
Accountant (Custom pricing): For certified accountants, you can get this plan to directly communicate with your clients through text. You can also manage clients from one dashboard, edit transactions in bulk, and more.

The Smarter and Sophisticated plans also include a trial version for 30 days. Sign up now and see what ZipBooks stored for you.

ZipBooks vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

7. QuickBooks Alternative: Bonsai

Professional Accounting Software Best Suited For Freelancers [$19 a month]

QuickBooks is known as a go-to account software for entrepreneurs of all types.

Though it offers an excellent option for freelancers, they may still find it overwhelming to use. This is due to the large number of accounting tools and features included.

If you want a more straightforward and dependable accounting software, you can count on Bonsai.

It’s an all-in-one product suite designed with tons of smart automation to help you run your business seamlessly.

When using automation, make sure to specify the trigger and automatic action. As a standard, there are seven triggers and three automatic actions available.

However, you can always add more by using its form feature.

For example, you want to automate the onboarding process of new clients. You need to embed a form to your website and select scheduling a meeting in Calendly as your automatic action.

Organizing your workflow and accounting process is way much simpler with Bonsai. They offer you complete solutions to ensure you can achieve success from start to finish.

Here are the features and tools you can expect to use (vary on the purchased subscription plan):

Pre-built proposal, invoice, and contract templates
Projects and client CRM to organize all your documents, files, and payments
All-in-one time tracker with an integrated billing system and centralized timesheets
Task management tool with integrated timers and team collaboration tools
Financial tools such as income reports, expense tracking, tax reminders, and more

Bonsai Pricing Plan

New businesses often have a limited budget. For this reason, Bonsai offers one free plan and two monthly/annual subscription plans.

Free: This plan provides you with basic features such as track your time and manages client records, your profile, tasks, and more. You can also view documents, messages, and existing projects.
Workflow ($19/mo.): This plan allows you to manage unlimited clients and projects. You get full access to all its available apps (iOS, Android, Chrome, & Mac Apps).
Workflow Plus ($29/mo.): If you want a white-labeled client experience, this is the plan to get. You can enjoy a dedicated client portal, workflow automation and use its newest feature – client forms and questionnaires.

The annual subscription plans are recommended because they include an additional 2-month free usage. You can also get add-ons if you want to invite more partners ($9/mo.) or avail of the Bonsai Tax ($10/mo.).

Test out your preferred subscription plan for free by signing up for its 14-day trial version.

Bonsai vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

8. QuickBooks Alternative: AccountEdge Pro

Full-Featured Accounting Software For Tech-Savvy Entrepreneurs [$15 a month | $499 one-time fee]

Organizing, managing, recording, and reporting all aspects of your business are exactly what you’ll get when you use AccountEdge Pro.

They are equipped with tons of accounting tools to help you focus on your business and not your paperwork. Here are a few of its important accounting features and tools:

Create purchase orders and manage payments
Track inventories, income, and expenses
Run payroll
Create invoices or statements
Organize customer’s contact information
Run reports (create from scratch or choose from 200 built-in reports)

Good news for eCommerce merchants running a Shopify store, you can manage your account through AccountEdge Pro.

You have to go to the setup menu and link your AccountEdge Pro and Shopify account. Once done, you can start to sync your products.

Another great advantage it provides is the free accountant copy.

This is beneficial for everyone who hires a certified accountant to work on the entire process or collaborate. Simply complete the form and wait 2-4 business days to get a response.

AccountEdge Pro is designed to run well on desktops. However, they still offer an optional cloud app called Connect if you need to perform tasks remotely.

AccountEdge Pro Pricing Plan

AccountEdge Pro supports Mac and Windows desktops. For this reason, it offers different pricing plans for each.

Mac users ($15/mo.): This plan is created for a single user only. You can also get the desktop accounting you need and remote access via Connect or Hosted.
Windows users ($499 one-time fee): The features you’ll get are the same as the Mac plan with a few additions such as multi-user access and bank feeds.

Unfortunately, payroll services are not included for free. If you want to avail of it, you can get it for $15/mo. (Mac) or $249/year (Windows).

Request its 30-day free trial now to find out if it’s the best accounting software for your business.

AccounteEdge Pro vs. Quickbooks At A Glance

Conclusion

Getting the right accounting software is essential in running a healthy business.

QuickBooks is the easiest option because of its budget-friendly cost, usability, and features’ efficacy. But bear in mind that it’s not the only accounting software that offers those perks.

I’ll recommend Wave Accounting as the best QuickBooks alternative for non-technical business owners.

It’s 100% free, easy, and safe to use. Not to mention, it provides more customization tools to create professional invoices better.

However, if you’re a more experienced and tech-savvy business owner, AccountEdge Pro is wise to invest.

All the advanced tools and features included are accountant-approved, and they can support all types of businesses, local and international.

Have you found the best QuickBook alternative suitable for your business?

If not, feel free to try any of the accounting software from the list. Most of them offer a free plan or trial version without typing in your credit card information.

Burkhard Berger

Follow me on my journey from $0 to $100,000 per month. I'm sharing everything I've learned in my income reports here on Novum™ so you can pick up on my mistakes and wins.

4.6	4.5
Best for: Entrepreneurs with small & medium-sized businesses, & self-employed professionals	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Starts at $6/month	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Unlimited tracking of customer billable hours on all plans and no limit on users per account	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: Expensive add-ons and no built-in payroll features (offered through Gusto)	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try FreshBooks	Try Quickbooks

4.6	4.5
Best for: Startups, small and micro businesses, solopreneurs, & freelance professionals	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Starts at $10/month/organization (free plan available)	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Include a client portal, sales & purchase approval, automation features, and mobile access	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: No payroll features/services offered and add-ons are not available for free plan users	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try ZohoBooks	Try Quickbooks

4.7	4.5
Best for: Freelancers, consultants, & small business owners with 1-9 employees	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Available for free	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Easy-to-use customization tools are available for creating invoices, limitless accounting & invoicing capacity	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: No phone support is available and limited invoice templates	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try Wave	Try Quickbooks

4.3	4.5
Best for: Self-employed individuals, & entrepreneurs with startup, micro, & small businesses	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Starts at $10/month	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Excellent user experience on all platforms & devices with mobile app being intuitive and easy-to-use	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: Email support is unreliable and Sage Accounting Start plan is limited to 3 tasks	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try Sage	Try Quickbooks

4.2	4.5
Best for: Freelancers, solopreneurs, designers, developers, & small business owners	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Starts at $20/month (free plan available)	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Multiple currencies, create and track project costs, easy automation, and income/expense management	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: No built-in payroll service offered and no product inventory tools	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try Kashoo	Try Quickbooks

4.3	4.5
Best for: Sole proprietors, freelancers, consultants, & small business owners	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Starts at $20/month (free plan available)	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Easy-to-use interface, reliable time & team tracking, excellent document sharing with comprehensive reports	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: Lacks an inventory management feature and no real-time phone support	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try ZipBooks	Try Quickbooks

4.2	4.5
Best for: Freelance individuals, self-employed, & entrepreneurs with small business	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Starts at $19/month (free plan available)	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Multiple currency support, W-9 forms, centralizedd timesheets, contract creation, & time tracking tools	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: No special logins for accountants, & no integrated inventory management features	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try Bonsai	Try Quickbooks

4.4	4.5
Best for: Entrepreneurs with small & growing businesses and enterprises	Best for: Freelancers, small & mid-sized business owners, sole proprietors, accountants
Pricing: Starts at $15/month (Mac) \| $499 one-time purchase for Windows	Pricing: Starts at $7.50/month
Best feature: Multi-user access, cloud collaboration features, robust emailing tools, & create accountant copy	Best feature: Run payroll with ease, accepts all forms of payments, and 650+ popular business apps to integrate
Cons: No mobile application and phone support requires a monthly or yearly subscription.	Cons: Lack of invoice customization and can’t handle large volume transactions
Try AccountEdge Pro	Try Quickbooks