Best QuickBooks Alternatives – Which Is a Better Fit for Accounting?

The best QuickBooks alternative is Zoho Books, with our research noting that it provides more core accounting features than any other platform. That, combined with its modern and intuitive interface and competitive pricing, makes Zoho Books a clear choice for users looking for the best accounting software that isn’t QuickBooks.

There are a lot of alternatives to QuickBooks out there that can handle your accounting needs, though. Xero is one option that provides more financial planning and forecasting features, although we find it more difficult to use than QuickBooks, while FreshBooks is a good choice for those in need of 24/7 customer support, but it is missing core accounting features compared to QuickBooks.

In this guide, we’ll showcase some of the best QuickBooks alternatives, highlighting their accounting features, pricing options, and overall usability, so you can make the right decision for your business.

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		Starting price	Free trial	Best for	Pros	Cons	Try now
	BEST ALTERNATIVE
QuickBooks	Zoho Books	Xero	FreeAgent	FreshBooks	Clear Books
$20/month $10/month for first 3 months	Free	$27/month $5.40/month for the first 3 months	$27/month Currently discounted to $13.50/month for first 6 months	$23/month $1/month for a year	Free
30 days	14 days	30 days	30 days	30 days	30 days
Businesses needing advanced financial insights and customization	Integrations	Experienced accountants and established businesses with complex financial needs	Budget-conscious businesses	New businesses	Professionals requiring comprehensive tax preparation tools
Extensive analytics template customization Automatic alerts for mismatched balances Built-in cash flow projection tools	Extensive data import/export features Time tracking tools with billable hours conversion Highly effective transaction documentation	Over 1,000 third party integrations Useful client portal for self-service needs Robust fixed asset tracking functionality	Simple, low cost pricing options for businesses Built-in tax forecasting tools Helpful cash flow alerts for surpluses/shortfalls	Competitive pricing Time-tracking features with invoice compatibility 24/7 customer support options	Modern, intuitive interface User-friendly search button for simple information location Extensive tax functionality
Initial learning curve is quite steep No time-tracking features Support resources sometimes fail to load	Higher than average transaction fees No customer support outside business hours Limited non-Zoho integrations	Steep learning curve for advanced features Outdated, poorly designed interface Must give one-month notice before cancellation	Overly complex and unhelpful support options Difficult to navigate for basic feature usage Cannot import invoices directly from a computer	Limited functionality in mobile app No forecasting or budgeting features No multi-currency invoicing available	Unhelpful and unavailable customer support No cash flow projection tools No invoice tracking
Try QuickBooks	Try Zoho Books	Try Xero now	Get Quotes	Try FreshBooks	Get Quotes

Best Alternatives to QuickBooks

Below, we’ve thoroughly reviewed each QuickBooks alternative to help you decide which one is best for your business. Click the links below to jump to one of the providers listed, or keep scrolling to get the whole picture.

Zoho Books – Best for Inventory Management

Starting price: $15 per month
Free plan: Yes

Zoho Books really establishes itself as better than QuickBooks when it comes to inventory management, though. Zoho Books allows for the ability to track fixed assets and to automatically calculate the value of assets within the system, a feature that is not available with QuickBooks. QuickBooks also makes you pay for the ability to set system alerts for shortfalls and surpluses, while Zoho Books includes it for free.

Zoho Books also proved to be the top QuickBooks alternative, largely thanks to its impressive selection of accounting and forecasting features combined with a modern, intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate. In fact, we found Zoho Books to be the easiest to use accounting software in our research.

Check out our Zoho Books vs QuickBooks guide to learn more

The home dashboard from Zoho Books provided us with lots of valuable data to keep us informed. Source: Tech.co testing

Where Zoho Books falls short of QuickBooks, however, is help and support. QuickBooks provides 24/7 support via its helpful chatbot, and the phone and email support options are both available for more hours than Zoho Books, including the weekend.

If you don’t foresee running into too many problems outside of business hours, though, Zoho Books is the clear option for small businesses.

Zoho Books

In Short

• Pros

  • Extensive data import/export features built in
  • Time tracking tools with billable hours conversion for invoicing
  • Highly effective transaction documentation

• Cons

  • No customer support outside business hours (no weekends)
  • Limited third-party integrations outside of Zoho
  • Shorter free trial than most other accounting platforms

Pricing

• Free: $0/month
• Standard: $15/month
• Professional: $40/month
• Premium: $60/month
• Elite: $120/month
• Ultimate: $240/month

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Zoho Books pricing

Zoho Books offers five different pricing plans, as well as a free forever plan that can get you started at no charge. Here’s how much those pricing plans cost, and make sure to keep scrolling to see a how they match up against each other on features and other functionalities.

• Standard (3 users) – $15 per month
• Professional (5 users) – $40 per month
• Premium (10 users) – $60 per month
• Elite (10 users) – $120 per month
• Advanced (15 users) – $240 per month

Zoho Books is quite comparable to QuickBooks when it comes to pricing, with both offering five different pricing plans that are all only a few dollars off from each other. Zoho Books has a slightly more affordable starting price at only $15 per month compared to $20 per month. On the other hand, QuickBooks has the more affordable enterprise-level plans, with the Plus and Advanced plans from QuickBooks slightly undercutting the Elite and Advanced plans from Zoho Books.

Check out our Zoho Books pricing guide to learn more.

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		Price	Users	Create and send invoices	Track expenses	Track bills	Record fixed assets	Multi-currency transactions	Advanced analytics	Budget management	Custom reports
Free	Standard	Professional	Premium	Elite	Ultimate
Free	$15/month	$40/month	$60/month	$120/month	$240/month
1	3	5	10	10	15
1,000/year	5,000/year	10,000/year	25,000/year	100,000/year	100,000/year
1,000 expenses	5,000 expenses	10,000 expenses	25,000 expenses	100,000 expenses	100,000 expenses
close	close	check	check	check	check
close	close	close	check	check	check
close	close	check	check	check	check
close	close	close	close	close	check
close	close	close	check	check	check
close	10 reports	25 reports	50 reports	Unlimited	Unlimited

See how Zoho Books stacks up against the competition Try Zoho Books

Xero – Best for Third-Party Integrations

Starting price: $25 per month
Free plan: No

Xero outshines QuickBooks when it comes to third-party integrations, and that’s not just our research; that’s the numbers. Xero offers over 1000 apps in the Xero App Store that can integrate with the accounting software, while QuickBooks has only 800 apps in its App Center. Granted, you probably don’t need that many, but either way, Xero wins here too.

Overall, Xero was another standout accounting platform that makes for a great QuickBooks alternative, offering robust reporting tools and time-tracking features that are missing in QuickBooks. Most notably, Xero allows for unlimited users, while QuickBooks strictly limits the number depending on your plan, so we were able to collaborate more effectively with Xero.

Check out our Xero vs QuickBooks guide for more information

The Xero dashboard provides various accounting data visualization for your team. Source: Xero

Xero loses points on usability, though. In fact, we found Xero was the least intuitive platform in our research, with regular issues on everything from starting the timer to customizing reminders.

Unlike QuickBooks or even Zoho Books, it just didn’t have the clear indicators to make navigating the system easy, which is why we’d recommend QuickBooks over Xero if you’re new to the software.

Xero

In Short

• Pros

  • Over 1,000 third-party integrations available
  • Useful client portal for clients to access financial information
  • Robust fixed asset tracking functionality with depreciation values

• Cons

  • Steep learning curve for advanced features like workflows
  • Outdated, poorly designed interface with difficult navigation
  • Must give one-month notice before cancellation

Pricing

• Early: $27/month
• Growing: $59/month
• Established: $97/month
• 90% off all plans for the first 6 months with Tech.co deal

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Xero pricing

Xero has three different pricing plans, and it offers a 30-day free trial that allows you to test out some of the features of the platform before you buy. Check out how much these plans cost below, and keep scrolling to compare them on features, users, and more.

• Early – $25 per month
• Growing – $55 per month
• Established – $90 per month

Xero is also currently offering a special deal that allows you to get 90% off your first six months. That means the Early plan will be only $2.50 per month for 90 days, which could be a good way to save some money in the early stages.

Most notably, Xero allows for unlimited users on all its plans, unlike QuickBooks, which has specific user allotments for each of its plans. Xero’s most expensive plan is only $90 per month, while QuickBooks comes in at $340 per month, which is a big jump.

Check out our Xero Invoice pricing guide for more information

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		Price	Users
Early	Growing	Established
$25/month Save 90% for first 6 months	$55/month Save 90% for first 6 months	$90/month Save 90% for first 6 months
Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited

Limited Time: 90% Off for 6 Months Try Xero

FreeAgent – Best for Forecasting and Prediction Tools

Starting price: $27 per month
Free plan: No

FreeAgent sets itself apart on this list of alternatives to QuickBooks in a few ways, not the least of which is its simple pricing. It offers only one pricing plan that costs $27 per month — compared to QuickBooks with five pricing plans ranging from $20 per month to $340 per month — making it clearly geared towards small businesses on a budget that need core accounting features and not much more.

The FreeAgent dashboard provided us with a snapshot of our business’ financial situation. Source: Tech.co testing

One advanced functionality that FreeAgent does boast is providing built-in tax forecasting and planning at no additional cost, which none of the other platform’s in our research could claim, certainly not QuickBooks. We were also able to set up system alerts for shortfalls and surpluses with FreeAgent, which is not available with QuickBooks.

FreeAgent does, however, fall short of QuickBooks when it comes to customization. It allows for no customized reporting options at all, and we weren’t able to create tailored templates to save time either. We also couldn’t manage multiple delivery addresses for clients, which could be a hassle depending on your business.

FreeAgent

In Short

• Pros

  • Simple, low cost pricing options for businesses
  • Built-in tax forecasting tools for future financial planning
  • Helpful cash flow alerts for surpluses and shortfalls

• Cons

  • Overly complex and unhelpful support options
  • Difficult to navigate for basic feature usage
  • Distracting call-to-action buttons everywhere

Pricing

• Billed monthly: $27/month
• Billed annually: $270/year
• 30-day free trial

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FreeAgent pricing

FreeAgent keeps its pricing pretty simple. The accounting software offers only one pricing plan, which costs $27 per month. You can save a bit of money by opting for a yearly contract instead, which will cost you $270 per year. There’s also a 30-day free trial to let you try it out before you make a financial commitment.

FreeAgent pricing is quite different from QuickBooks, obviously. Whereas FreeAgent keeps it simple with only one plan, QuickBooks offers a huge range of pricing options, allowing larger businesses to potentially scale along with the platform. Smaller businesses will enjoy the more budget-conscious pricing of FreeAgent, as long as they won’t need to upgrade to a more advanced plan in the future.

FreshBooks – Best for Help and Support

Starting price: $23 per month
Free plan: No

FreshBooks is a good QuickBooks alternative if you don’t want to compromise on help and support. Both offer 24/7 chatbots, as well as regularly available customer support representatives outside of business hours. FreshBooks has a more comprehensive knowledge center, which made it easy for us to self-service some requests, but it is missing a user forum, which is provided by QuickBooks.

Check out our FreshBooks vs QuickBooks guide for more information

FreshBooks made managing invoices straightforward for our team. Source: Tech.co user testing

Beyond that, though, FreshBooks lags behind QuickBooks in some important ways. For one, its feature offering is pretty light, offering the fewest core accounting and forecasting features across our research, missing tools like budget management and cash flow projection reports.

FreshBooks does provide time tracking functionality built in, though, which is something that QuickBooks is missing.

FreshBooks

Try FreshBooks

In Short

• Pros

  • Intuitive, easy-to-use interface for beginners
  • Time tracking features with invoice compatibility
  • 24/7 customer support options for platform help
  • Automated reminders are included on all plans

• Cons

  • Limited functionality in mobile app
  • No forecasting or budgeting features for future analysis
  • Few custom reporting options
  • Lower-tier plans restrict the number of active clients you can bill

Pricing

• Lite: $23/month
• Plus: $43/month
• Premium: $70/month
• 90% off all plans for the first 3 months

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Try FreshBooks

FreshBooks pricing

FreshBooks offers four different pricing plans, as well as a 30-day free trial that can get you started before you need to actually sign up with your credit card. Here’s how the various FreshBooks pricing plans match up against each other:

• Lite (1 user) – $23 per month
• Plus (1 user) $43 per month
• Premium (1 user) – $70 per month
• Select (3 users) – Custom

If you want to add team members to the platform, you’ll have to pay an additional $11 per user, per month, so make sure to factor that in if you have a larger team. You can also save 10% on your plan if you opt for a yearly contract over the monthly option.

FreshBooks is definitely more affordable than QuickBooks, undercutting it on the starting price and the more expensive plans as well. For value, though, QuickBooks is definitely the better option for accounting features, so make sure you’re willing to part with some advanced functionality if you really need to save money.

Check out our FreshBooks pricing guide to learn more

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		Price	Users
CHEAPEST PLAN
Lite	Plus	Premium	Select
$23/month $2.30 per month for the first 3 months	$43/month $4.30 per month for the first 3 months	$70/month $7 per month for the first 3 months	Custom
1	1	1	3

Check out FreshBooks for yourself Try FreshBooks

Clear Books – Best for Complex Tax Needs

Starting price: £16 per month (pricing available in GBP only)
Free plan: Yes

If you’re looking for a QuickBooks alternative because the accounting software couldn’t handle your complex tax needs, then Clear Books might be your best option. It was the only accounting platform across our research that checked all the boxes, including supporting all tax types and providing tax updates for changing regulations.

Check out our Clear Books review to learn more

The Cleark Books interface is clean and simple, perfect for beginners. Source: Clear Books

Clear Books has great core accounting features, actually scoring higher than QuickBooks here, largely thanks to the fact that Clear Books offers time tracking features while QuickBooks offers none. Clear Books also allows you to sync with an unlimited number of bank accounts, whereas QuickBooks puts limits depending on which plan you opt for.

Beyond that, Clear Books is a bit basic, though, providing fewer projection features and operational efficiency tools than QuickBooks. Most notably, Clear Books has no cash projection tools or system alerts for shortfalls and surpluses, and you can’t create custom reports, all of which is available with QuickBooks.

Clear Books

Get Quotes

In Short

• Pros

  • Modern, intuitive interface for beginners
  • User-friendly search button for simple information location
  • Extensive functionality for different tax types

• Cons

  • Unhelpful and unavailable customer support
  • No cash flow projection tools
  • Limited customization for dashboards and reports

Pricing

• Sole Trader Free: £0/month
• Small: £16/month
• Medium: £34/month
• Large: £44/month

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Get Quotes

Clear Books pricing

Clear Books offers three different pricing plans, as well as a 30-day free trial that allows you access to the platform before you buy it. To use the free trial, you’ll need to provide a credit card, so set a reminder if you end up wanting to cancel. It also offers a free plan for sole traders and solopreneurs. Here’s how the pricing plans from Clear Books compare.

• Sole Trader Free – £0 per month
• Small – £16 per month
• Medium – £34 per month
• Large – £44 per month

If you’re willing to sign up for a longer contract, you can save quite a bit with Clear Books. By opting for a yearly plan, you can save 10% across all plans, while a two-year plan can save you 20% on all plans.

Clear Books matches QuickBooks when it comes to core accounting features, but it does fall short in projection functionality and operational efficiency, so it’s ideal for smaller businesses on a budget that only need accounting tools and nothing more.

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		Price	Users
Sole Trader Free	Sole Trader	Sole Trader Plus
£0/month	£5/month + VAT	£15/month + VAT
One (plus one accountant)	Unlimited	Unlimited

Should You Choose QuickBooks Anyway?

All in all, QuickBooks is a good accounting software, particularly if you’re in need of robust financial data and insights. We found the popular platform to provide robust analytics tools, including customizable templates from scratch, so we could populate reports with the exact data we need.

We were able to create in-depth reporting dashboards with QuickBooks, but the learning curve was a bit steep. Source: Tech.co testing

QuickBooks certainly has some shortcomings, though, that make these alternatives all the more attractive. For one, its forecasting features are lacking, with budgeting functionality reserved for more expensive plans and system alerts for surpluses and shortfalls requiring an additional fee.

Given the complex customizability, we also found that QuickBooks was notably less easy to use than options like Zoho Books or FreshBooks, as features like workflows and reports took a lot of steps to get exactly what you want. Luckily, QuickBooks offers some of the best help and support in our research, with a 24/7 chatbot and human representatives available outside of working hours, even during the weekend.

QuickBooks

An advanced platform that provides financial insights and customization options

Compare prices

In Short

• Pros

  • Extensive analytics template customization
  • Automatic alerts for mismatched balances
  • Built-in cash flow projection tools

• Cons

  • Steep learning curve for advanced functionality
  • Limited customer support resources for self-help
  • No time tracking features

Pricing

• Solopreneur: $20/month
• Simple Start: $38/month
• Essentials: $85/month
• Plus: $140/month
• Advanced: $340/month
• 50% off for first 3 months on all plans

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Compare prices

QuickBooks pricing

QuickBooks offers five different pricing plans, as well as a 30-day free trial that allows you access to the platform before you make a purchase. Here’s how the pricing plans match up against each other:

• Solopreneur (1 user) – $20 per month
• Simple Start (1 user) – $38 per month
• Essentials (3 users) – $85 per month
• Plus (5 users) – $140 per month
• Advanced (25 users) – $430 per month

QuickBooks pricing is quite expansive, with a huge selection of plans for a variety of different business sizes. It’s neither too expensive nor too affordable, with a starting price that’s largely in line with the industry average and higher tier plans that are reasonably priced, particularly given how effective QuickBooks is when it comes to accounting features.

Check out our QuickBooks Online pricing guide to learn more

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		Price	Users	Bookkeeping Does it include bookkeeping functions?	Accounts payable Does it include a range of accounts payable functions?	Accounts receivable Does it include a range of accounts receivable functions?	Project accounting Does it offer tools to track different projects?	Financial reporting Does it offer financial reporting tools?	Budget and forecasting Does it offer budgeting and forecasting tools?	Best for
Solopreneur	Simple Start	Essentials	Plus	Advanced
$20/month	$38/month $19/month for the first 3 months	$85/month $42.50/month for the first 3 months	$140/month $70/month for the first 3 months	$340/month $170/month for the first 3 months
1	1	3	5	25
check	check	check	check	check
close	check	check	check	check
check	check	check	check	check
close	close	check	check	check
check	check	check	check	check
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Get 50% off QuickBooks for the first three months Get deals

Free Alternatives to QuickBooks

If you’re looking for something to replace QuickBooks, there’s a good chance you’re doing so because of the price. While the alternatives we mentioned above are great, many of them still cost money, with the exception of Zoho Books, which offers a pretty solid free plan for individuals and very small businesses.

Subsequently, if you’re on a really tight budget and need to save some serious money, there are some free accounting software providers out there. Brands like Wave and ZipBooks all offer accounting features that can get you by in a pinch without you having to even look at your wallet.

Check out our in-depth Wave review for more information

The Wave interface made checking on invoices easy for our team. Source: Tech.co testing

However, it’s worth noting that free accounting software is often lacking in some pretty important areas. You often won’t be able to use features like payroll, reporting, forecasting, inventory, and invoicing, which are considered key features for the average small business.

All this to say that accounting software is really one of those business resources worth paying for. After all, when it comes down to it, what’s more important than effectively tracking your finances, right?

Methodology: How We Evaluate Accounting Software

Written By

Conor Cawley

Conor is the Lead Writer for Tech.co. For the last eight years, he’s covered everything from tech news and product reviews to digital marketing trends and business tech innovations. He’s a feature, reviews, and news contributor for Android Police, and he has hosted tech-focused events for SXSW, Tech in Motion, and General Assembly, to name a few. He also cannot pronounce the word “colloquially” correctly.

You can email Conor at conor@tech.co.

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Reviewed By

Emily Clark Taking Payments Editor

As the Taking Payments Editor, Emily specialises in content around POS, merchant accounts, and accounting – helping SMEs understand the tools and services they need to take payments confidently and grow their businesses. She also holds an MSc in Digital Marketing and Analytics, giving her the knowledge and skills to create a diverse range of creative and technical content. With a genuine passion for helping small businesses grow, Emily is all about making complex topics accessible and creating content that can help make a difference.

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