In search of some top alternatives to Quickbooks? Here are the best alternatives to Quickbooks in 2024.
Quickbooks Online is a popular accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses. It comes with a variety of integrations and is the preferred invoice software among many accountants.
However, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Regardless of whether you find it expensive or difficult to use, there are many good alternatives.
In this guide, we’ve created a list of popular alternatives for accounting and invoicing, each with its own unique features.
Best Quickbooks alternatives
Want to skip all the details. Here’s a summary of our findings:
- Best for invoicing: Conta—it’s free!
- Best for unlimited users: Xero
- Best for inventory management: Sage 50 cloud
- Best for those seeking more cost-effective software: Zoho Books
Conta: A free Quickbooks alternative
Conta is a free online invoicing software for small and medium-size businesses.
With Conta, you can send an unlimited number of invoices for free. Conta is also working to add a variety of automation functionality, such as recurring invoices and automated payment reminders.
Pros:
- Unlimited free invoicing
- Robust reporting functionality
- Recurring invoice & automated payment reminders (coming soon!)
Cons:
- Currently no accounting or payroll functionality
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use invoicing system, Contais a great choice. Conta is cloud-based and can be accessed it from anywhere, on the go, as long as you have an internet connection.
Conta offers a simple and intuitive interface, which can be useful for freelancers and small business owners, who don’t want to watch many webinars before they can get started with invoicing. Invoices are generated in three easy steps and you can preview the invoice before sending it.
With Conta, you can either download the invoice as a PDF or send it directly from the software. All invoices can be customized with your company logo and customers are saved for future invoices.
Ready to get started with free invoicing?
Sign up for Conta – it’s free!Xero
Much like Quickbooks, Xero is a popular accounting software used by over 4.1 million users in over 180 countries.
Although their smaller plans include fewer features than Quickbooks, Xero’s growth plan, which is similar to Quickbooks’ Advanced plan, is 30 percent cheaper and has no limitations on the number of users—compared to the 5 user limit in Quickbooks.
That’s why companies with a lot of employees might benefit from choosing Xero as opposed to Quickbooks.
Pros:
- Unlimited users across all plans
- A big library with over 1 000 integrations
Cons:
- Limited functionality in the cheaper plans
In the US, Xero has three plans for different needs:
- Early: $15 per month, limited to 20 invoices and 5 expenses per month.
- Growing: $42 per month, with unlimited invoices and bulk reconciliation of transactions
- Established: $78 per month, including all the features that Xero can offer, including multi-currency support, project profitability reports and the Xero expenses app.
RECOMMENDED READ: Xero vs Quickbooks: Which is the better? (2024)
Sage 50 Cloud
Although it’s not as visually appealing as Quickbooks, Sage 50 Cloud can be a good alternative for larger businesses that need inventory management.
Sage is an advanced, online accounting software, which comes at an affordable price. In fact, their smallest plan is comparable to Xero’s most expensive plan in terms of functionality (minus project profitability reports) and is 30 percent cheaper than Xero Established.
If you pick one of their more expensive plans, you can manage the books of multiple companies at a fixed price.
Pros:
- Instant access to premium features even in the cheapest package
- No limitations on the number of invoices and other transactions
- Advanced inventory management
- Unlimited number of companies per user
Cons:
- Extra charge per user
- Desktop software has to be downloaded and installed on your computer.
- Not as easy to set up and use as Quickbooks
Sage 50 Cloud’s have three plans, which all include features you would expect from a simple accounting software:
- Pro: $50 per month (charged annually) for small businesses with 1 user.
- Premium: $87 per month (charged annually) for multiple businesses with extra features such as purchase and change orders, advanced budgeting tools, reporting by department and job costings by phase/cost level. Approximately $300/year extra per user.
- Quantum: $148 per month (charged annually) for everything mentioned above, plus role-based user permissions and workflow management. Approximately $ 400/year extra per user.
Zoho Books
Zoho is an affordable and scalable accounting solution for all types of businesses.
The software is cloud-based, meaning that you can access it from anywhere (on any device) as long as you’ve got an internet connection.
Unlike Xero and Quickbooks, Zoho includes multi-currency support, project accounting and expense reports in some of their cheapest packages. If you want retainer invoices, sales orders, stock tracking and timesheet, you’ll have to upgrade to Professional, starting at $40/month (which is significantly cheaper than Quickbooks).
Zoho includes up to five users in their Professional plan, a limitation, however, is that it charges $2.5 per user/month above that threshold.
Pros:
- Access to premium features at a lower cost than in other systems
- Craft invoices, track payables and record expenses directly from the mobile app
- VAT and GST-ready software keeping you tax compliant
Cons:
- Charges extra per user above certain thresholds
- A limited number of integrations
- No payroll service
Conclusion: What’s the best alternative to QuickBooks?
There are several alternatives to Quickbooks that offer similar features at lower prices. Some offer industry-specific features that might be helpful for businesses operating in those industries.
If you only need invoice software to send invoices and keep track of payments, you don’t necessarily have to pay anything. Conta is a free invoice software where you can make and send an unlimited number of invoices for free.
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to Quickbooks, with similar functionality, and don’t work in a company with more than 10 employees, Zohos Books might be a good alternative.
We recommend that you compare the features and pricing of the services you are considering to determine which one best suits your needs.
Are you looking for an easy and affordable way to create, send and manage invoices? Sign up for Conta’s free invoicing software.
