Best Accounting Software

The best accounting and bookkeeping software, ranked for small businesses, freelancers, and growing teams.

1QuickBooks Online logo
QuickBooks Online

The market-leading small-business accounting suite

4.4(18,900)Paid

QuickBooks Online is the dominant small-business accounting platform, with deep features for invoicing, expenses, payroll, and reporting, plus a huge accountant network.

$35/mo
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2Xero logo
Xero

Beautiful cloud accounting with unlimited users

4.4(8,700)Paid

Xero is a modern, design-forward accounting platform popular outside the US, with unlimited users on every plan and strong bank reconciliation and app ecosystem.

$20/mo
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3FreshBooks logo
FreshBooks

Simple accounting built for freelancers

4.5(6,200)Paid

FreshBooks focuses on invoicing and time-tracking for freelancers and service businesses, with an exceptionally easy interface and strong client billing features.

$19/mo
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4Zoho Books logo
Zoho Books

Affordable accounting inside the Zoho suite

4.5(4,100)Freemium

Zoho Books delivers strong accounting at a low price and integrates tightly with the wider Zoho suite. A great-value pick, especially for existing Zoho users.

Free
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5Wave logo
Wave

Free accounting & invoicing for tiny businesses

4.3(3,900)Freemium

Wave offers genuinely free accounting and invoicing, earning money on payments and payroll. The best pick for micro-businesses and side hustles on a budget.

Free
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Editor's choice
QuickBooks Online logo

QuickBooks Online

4.4(18,900)

The market-leading small-business accounting suite

From $35/mo
Try QuickBooks Online

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison
Rating4.44.44.54.5
Starting price$35/mo$20/mo$19/moFree
Pricing modelPaidPaidPaidFreemium
API available
Best forSmall businesses & accountantsSmall businesses & startupsFreelancers & service businessesSMBs & Zoho users
Invoicing & payments
Expense tracking
Financial reports
Payroll add-on
Accountant access
Unlimited users
Bank reconciliation
Invoicing
1000+ app integrations
Time tracking
Project billing
Client portal
Inventory
Workflow automation
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Frequently asked questions

What is the best accounting software?+

QuickBooks Online is our #1 pick, rated 4.4/5. The full ranked list with pricing and trade-offs is above.

How did you rank these tools?+

Rankings weigh user ratings, feature depth, pricing value, and fit for the use case. We update them as products evolve.

Compare the top picks