10 Best Bookkeeping Software & Apps for Small Businesses

Businesses often have different bookkeeping requirements which is why I’ve analyzed the market and shortlisted the top ten solutions.

QuickBooks Live is my top pick based on its reliable support and extensive integrations but another platform on our list may suit you better.

Read my comparison of the best bookkeeping software to help finalize your decision.

The 10 best bookkeeping softwares and apps

1. QuickBooks Live – Editors Choice
2. 1-800Accountant – Best accounting software
3. Bookkeeper360 – Best for small businesses
4. xendoo – Best for Ecommerce
5. Wave Accounting – Best free app
6. Bench – Best pricing
7. LessAccounting – Best for freelancers
8. Merritt Bookkeeping – Best bookkeeping service
9. Pilot – Best for startups
10. BotKeeper – Best for accounting firms

How we evaluate and test apps

When I’m testing apps/tools, I employ a dual approach based on free trial availability. For platforms offering free trials, I test their functionalities, usability, navigation, and ease of use. In the case of tools lacking a free version or trial, I rely on in-depth research and user testimonials through software review platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius to gauge their performance and capabilities. Learn more about our ratings criteria for bookkeeping softwares here.

1. QuickBooks Live – Editors choice

Best suited for – Small to medium US businesses looking for support with their bookkeeping

Pricing: Starts at $200 per month

QuickBooks Live is a bookkeeping service offered by the larger Inuit software group. You get a dedicated accountant from the moment you sign up and unlimited weekly video calls.

Before you begin, you have to agree to a one-time clean-up fee so QuickBooks can check your books for the current fiscal year.

Features

• Ongoing bookkeeping: The QuickBooks team uses their in-house software to record your business transactions and balance the books.
• Clean-up service: QuickBooks can transfer your financial records to the system and review them to check for errors or inaccuracies. 
• User portal: You can log into the QuickBooks live portal to monitor your monthly progress and get an overview of your accounts. It’s also possible to configure and change your settings from the dashboard.
• Reporting tools: There’s a range of different reports on QuickBooks Live including sales, expenses, and overall profits and losses. As well as accessing ready-made reports, you can create your own to explore your finances from different perspectives.

Why we picked it

QuickBooks Live is the best overall choice due to its proprietary software, seamless connections, and in-house team of experts. You don’t have to worry about delays due to the support team communicating with third-party software or using a niche platform with limited integrations.

Although it lacks some features, such as tax preparation and financial consulting, it performs consistently well across all other categories.

Get your free consultation today!

Schedule free consultation today!

2. 1-800Accountant – Best for accounting services

Best suited for established US businesses looking for a mix of bookkeeping and accounting services

Pricing: $139/mo – $399/mo

As the name suggests, 1-800Accountant is primarily an accounting service that helps US businesses with incorporation, quarterly estimates, and tax returns.

However, you can access bookkeeping services in the highest-tier plan. 1-800Accountant uses its own proprietary software called Clientbooks to manage your books.

Features

• Bookkeeping: You can use the 1-800Accountant portal to add entries to your journal and view your financial reports.
• Clean-up: Even if you’re years behind on your accounts, 1-800Accountant can review and reconcile them.
• User portal: On your Clientbooks account, you can message your bookkeeper, receive notifications, and store documents. 1-1800Accountant encrypts all the data on its servers to keep it secure.
• Incorporation: 1-800Accountant can help you apply for your Employer Identification Number (EIN) to set up your business.

Why we picked it

If you’re starting up, you may need guidance setting up your company. 1-800Accountant provides various services to help you find the optimal structure for your business and stay compliant with local regulations.

Schedule your free call today!

Schedule free call today!

3. Bookkeeper360 – Best for small businesses

Best suited for growing businesses who need to scale their bookkeeping

Pricing: $125/hr to $549/mo

Bookkeeper360 keeps your accounts up to date using either QuickBooks or Xero software. Aside from bookkeeping, you can access a range of features including accounting, CFO advisory, and payroll.

Features

• Bookkeeping: If you only need occasional advice, you can subscribe to Bookkeeper 360’s OnDemand plan. For ongoing service, you can get a dedicated member of the team to reconcile your books.
• CFO advisory: Bookkeeper360 helps you with your financial planning, starting at an extra $1000 per month.
• Payroll: You can pay an additional $46 per month for payroll services including payments, time tracking, and leave management. Using the dashboard, you can track and monitor your staff’s wages and hours.
• Reporting: As Bookkeeper360 integrates with Gusto, you can view both your bookkeeping and your payroll reports via analytics.

Why we picked it

With its low starter cost and flexible pricing, Bookkeeper360 is perfect for scaling. You pay based on the features you need and your monthly expenses so you can tailor the fees to your budget.

Schedule your call today!

Schedule free call today!

4. xendoo – Best for Ecommerce

Best suited for ecommerce businesses and franchises

Pricing: $395/mo – $995/mo

xendoo offers a combination of bookkeeping, accounting, and financial consulting services aimed at online stores. The tradeoff for the specialized support is that the service comes with a higher price tag than other leading providers like QuickBooks and Merritt.

Features

• Bookkeeping: The xendoo team reconciles your books every week and sends you a monthly update. You can receive updates via the dashboard and access interactive financial reports.
• Accounting: You can add tax services starting at $100 extra per month. xendoo also notifies you about upcoming deadlines for different filings and payments.
• Document management: Your team can upload paperwork like receipts and invoices to xendoo’s secure system. The intelligent document reader can capture data from them and automatically record these details for you.
• Ecommerce integrations: xendoo lets you connect with leading platforms like Shopify, Ebay, and PayPal.

Why we picked it

Ecommerce businesses have unique needs due to the number of channels they use and their international customer base. xendoo allows you to connect all the essential tools and your accounts so you can track all your sales and expenses in one place.

Schedule a call with xendoo today

Schedule free call today!

5. Wave Accounting – Best free app

Best suited for very small businesses looking for a mix of bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll

Pricing: Free – $149/mo

Wave Accounting has a wide range of modules you can choose from including a bookkeeping service. As they offer payroll and payment processing tools, you can connect these directly to your accounts.

Features

• Bookkeeping: The Wave team can organize your transactions and reconcile your books. Although the price starts at $149, the exact fee depends on the size of your business.
• Accounting: Wave’s standout feature is its free accounting software. You can manage unlimited expenses and access reports for no charge.
• Payroll: You can pay both employees and contractors and sync with other Wave tools to easily track these expenses.
• Payment processing: Similar to payroll, you can accept payments via Wave and automatically record these transactions in your books.

Why we picked it

Solopreneurs and micro teams are more likely to prioritize low costs over extensive customer support. They may have very few transactions to manage.

Wave Accounting caters to this niche by offering simple yet affordable bookkeeping services.

Sign-up for Wave Accounting for free!

Try Wave Accounting for free!

6. Bench – Best pricing

Best suited for businesses with simple bookkeeping needs

Pricing: $249/mo – $349/mo

Bench manages your books and files your taxes using their own proprietary software. You can also integrate with many popular tools like Gusto and Stripe and get up to 30% discount on them.

Features

• Bookkeeping: You get a dedicated bookkeeper and you can contact them as much as you like via the desktop or mobile app.
• Accounting: The Bench team reminds you about crucial deadlines and helps you file tax forms correctly.
• Document storage: Bench stores your financial data for an unlimited time. That means if you choose to handle bookkeeping yourself, you can still access your reports until you’re ready to delete them.
• Reporting: You can get an overview of all your financial data via the Bench dashboard and generate reports to help make important decisions or secure investors.

Why we picked it

As one of the most affordable options on our list, Bench is likely to suit your budget. Users may also appreciate the stripped-down feature set and simple, intuitive design.

7. LessAccounting – Best for freelancers

Best suited for – Freelancers and sole proprietors 

Pricing: $24/mo – $350/mo

Designed with freelancers in mind, LessAccounting aims to simplify bookkeeping for those who manage it alone. You can use their professional service to reconcile your accounts and get financial reports every month.

LessAccounting also has a range of accounting tools such as invoice management and mileage tracking.

Features

• Bookkeeping: LessAccounting pairs you with a dedicated bookkeeper who reconciles your books and offers you consults.
• Invoice management: You can set one-off or recurring invoices for your clients with support for different currencies.
• POS integrations: LessAccounting offers connections with popular POS and payment processing apps like PayPal and Stripe.
• Free consult: Users can arrange a meeting with LessAccounting experts on how to optimize their bookkeeping.

Why we picked it

Less Accounting users praise the platform for its ease of use. If you’re trying to juggle lots of different roles, you’ll find it quick to onboard and integrate into your workflow.

8. Merritt Bookkeeping – Best bookkeeping service

Best suited for businesses with tight profit margins

Pricing: $190/mo

Merritt Bookkeeping offers a low-cost bookkeeping service using QuickBooks software. They aim to keep the workflow simple by emailing you a simple checklist of what to review each month.

Features

• Bookkeeping: Every month, Merritt collects your bank statements, balances your books, and sends you financial reports. You can log in and view these records via the user-friendly portal.
• Reporting: Merritt converts your financial data into easily understandable reports with key takeaways about your overall profits and losses.
• Catch-up service: If you’ve fallen behind on bookkeeping, Merritt will catch you up for $140 per month.

Why we picked it

If you only need a simple bookkeeping service, and don’t want to pay for unnecessary extras, Merritt is for you. It has some of the lowest pricing on the market and a stripped-down feature set.

The fixed cost also means your fees won’t suddenly increase as your business grows.

9. Pilot – Best for startups

Best suited for companies that need support managing stock options

Pricing: $499/mo – $699/mo

The Pilot team uses QuickBooks software to reconcile your books and deliver monthly reports via their user portal. You can also add accounting, CFO, and equity management for an additional fee.

Features

• Bookkeeping: After learning about your business, your dedicated bookkeeper tailors their workflow to your needs. You can communicate with them from wherever you’re based through the Pilot user portal. 
• Accounting: Pilot can help you file your federal and local taxes and there’s support for foreign subsidiaries.
• Reporting: You receive monthly updates via the dashboard which you can visualize as charts and graphs.
• Equity management: Pilot helps you factor equity management into your bookkeeping by accurately recording all stock transactions.

Why we picked it

Startups and high-growth businesses may need to handle investors and employee stock options but lack the expertise. Pilot is one of the few platforms to offer equity management as one of its features for a range of transactions including transferring ownership or issuing new grants.

10. BotKeeper – Best for accounting firms

Best suited for – Accounting firms with bookkeeping services

Pricing: $155/mo – $251/mo

BotKeeper handles bookkeeping services so accountants can focus on offering high-level expert advice to their clients. They offer two packages: one for small, simple businesses and another for complex entities.

You can either act as a point of contact for your clients or connect them directly with the BotKeeper team, according to their preferences.

Features

• Bookkeeping service: Botkeeper reconciles your books and reviews them for discrepancies to ensure everything is accurate and up to date.
• Password manager: If you’re using the Botkeeper platform to manage multiple clients, they’ll all need credentials to access the system. The password manager means they’ll be less likely to write down or share their login details, thereby keeping your account secure.
• User access controls: You can manage permissions to decide who can see what—both from your accounting firm and the client’s organization.
• Centralized document storage: You and your clients can upload files and then tag and comment on them if action is required.

Why we picked it

Security is a major concern given the rising number of data breaches. BotKeeper ensures you can protect your client’s financial information and maintain their trust.

Conclusion: How to pick the best bookkeeping software

Using bookkeeping services can save you time doing administrative tasks and free you up to focus on essential business operations and key strategic initiatives.

We believe QuickBooks Live is the best overall software, but other options might suit your context better. For example, xendoo has specialist support for online stores and LessAccounting is designed for solopreneurs.

Consider your business needs and choose the bookkeeping software from our list that serves you best.

Quick recap:

1. QuickBooks Live – Editors Choice
2. 1-800Accountant – Best accounting software
3. Bookkeeper360 – Best for small businesses
4. xendoo – Best for Ecommerce
5. Wave Accounting – Best free app
6. Bench – Best pricing
7. LessAccounting – Best for freelancers
8. Merritt Bookkeeping – Best bookkeeping service
9. Pilot – Best for startups
10. BotKeeper – Best for accounting firms