Free Accounting Software for Small Businesses

We encourage you to research and compare multiple accounting software products — both free and paid options — before choosing one. There’s also a mobile app that allows you to send invoices through iMessage or add widgets to your iPhone’s home screen so that you can easily access overdue invoices. The standard version is a robust accounting tool that helps small businesses with double-entry bookkeeping, bank feeds, invoicing, and reporting. It’s ideal for businesses that need full accounting features but with an intuitive, user-friendly interface. Kashoo includes invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting in one package. Users can create professional invoices and track when customers pay them.

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You can even create an online store and take PayPal payments, perfect for businesses selling stuff online. Running a business isn’t easy and handling payroll can be a challenge. Thankfully, numerous free payroll software options can streamline this process. These tools manage employee salaries, taxes, and other deductions, saving you time and hassle. Below, we’ll explore some of the best free payroll software, each with unique features catering to diverse business needs, as well as our top pick. Free accounting software is a type of financial management tool available at no cost, designed to help businesses and individuals manage their financial transactions and accounting needs efficiently.

When selecting accounting software for your small business, certain features will make managing your finances easier and more effective. These tools should simplify your accounting tasks while providing the capabilities your business needs now and in the future. For businesses that bill by the hour, this tool helps capture all billable time efficiently.

At the top right-hand corner of the screen, a grid-like button with a hover-over label that read “add widget” sat. When I clicked on it, I was presented with a simple form to toggle on and off the widgets I wanted on the dashboard. To begin, I filled out a simple form with my name, contact information, company name, industry and a chosen platform.

What if I just want to try Wave to see if it works for my business?

To help, Forbes Advisor has narrowed in on the best accounting software for small business. Clockify is a versatile and robust cloud-based time tracking app, empowering businesses to accurately track and manage time spent across diverse projects, clients and devices. Free accounting software for your small business offers numerous benefits. Firstly, it helps you cut costs, as you don’t have to invest in expensive software licenses or subscriptions. Find the perfect match for your business finances with our curated list of the best free accounting software. Simplify bookkeeping, invoicing, and expense tracking with intuitive tools tailored to small businesses.

Which Free Accounting Software Should I Choose?

FreshBooks is a favorite for agencies, consultants, and dev shops that bill by the project or hour. It blends time tracking, invoicing, proposals, and client portals into one clean, designer-friendly interface. If your revenue is under $50K and you’re okay with the “1 user + 1 accountant” option, you can stay on the Free plan indefinitely. Built-in workflow automation (like if–then rules and client approval flows) is surprisingly powerful for the price, making it a smart choice for process-driven teams. Free software usually offers cloud storage, meaning you can access your data from anywhere.

• It covers full general ledger, inventory management, purchasing, and manufacturing—and built-in dashboards through Power BI.
• The standard version is a robust accounting tool that helps small businesses with double-entry bookkeeping, bank feeds, invoicing, and reporting.
• You can choose a basic system and add à la carte options such as project management or CRM, or you can choose an all-in-one system that includes everything you need.

Best Free All-in-One Accounting Solution.

• The software allows you to then back up your data even daily to ensure it is safe and never lost.
• TrulySmall free accounting software is best for freelancers who need basic accounting features.
• Each software was scored based on its performance in these areas, and these scores were calculated to determine the product’s total score, with a potential maximum of five stars.
• Over 7 million small businesses trust this platform for their financial management needs.

FreshBooks stands out as a top choice for small business accounting software. It’s designed with non-accountants in mind, making it accessible for business owners who don’t have financial expertise. Mobile access lets you check your accounts, send invoices, or record expenses while on the go. This feature is particularly useful for business owners who travel or work from different locations. QuickBooks Online is the #1 accounting software for small businesses.

With so many options in the market today, testing each would take too much time. That’s why we’ve crafted a list of the top picks with all the necessary info so you can make a smart decision faster. As a startup founder, you might be juggling a million things at once—your product, marketing, growth strategies, etc. And the last thing you want is to spend hours manually tracking your finances.

The software handles multi-currency transactions, which helps businesses that work with international clients. The mobile app lets business owners manage their finances on the go. They can snap photos of receipts and upload them directly to the system. Customer support options include online resources and direct assistance.

Below is our top pick in free POS software, a solution that combines affordability with functionality to empower your business. On-platform email, social media marketing and access to limited templates and images through GoDaddy Studio come included with the free website. These features provide a foundation for marketing efforts and give users a range of options to customize their site. Given its extensive feature set and its compatibility with other Zoho products, Zoho CRM is an ideal fit for businesses already leveraging Zoho’s suite of business tools.

When choosing free accounting software, it’s important to consider your needs. Consider what’s important to you and your business, then find software that offers those features. Paid plans start at $15 per month, billed annually, and offer features that include multiple users, bulk updates, timesheets and sales tax tracking.

I could star my favorite reports to add to my “favorite reports” list at the top of the page. When I clicked on a report, it was already populated with all my relevant data points. I only had to click the “send” button at the top of the page and specify an email recipient to share the report. After creating the project, I was taken to a page designated to that project.

While it’s true that the free version omits some features designed for larger corporations, it is by no means a lightweight tool. With options of either a card reader or a terminal, businesses can accept payments virtually anywhere they choose to sell, be it a food truck, farmer’s market booth or a physical storefront. The POS software also provides businesses the ability to customize their setup with additional accessories such as receipt printers, barcode scanners and cash registers. One of the standout features of Zoho CRM is its omnichannel solution. This feature allows sales teams to manage customer interactions across diverse channels including phone, email, social media and live chat, delivering a unified customer experience. Additionally, the CRM equips businesses with a robust suite of tools for managing deals and opportunities, including a sales pipeline, forecasting and reporting functionalities.

If you want a free small-business accounting solution with nearly as many features as the best paid software, we recommend Zoho Invoice. Zoho Invoice’s automatic invoicing, simple customer portal, and multi-currency support are just right for freelancers who want basic accounting with stand-out customer collaboration tools. If your small business has less than five employees, you can use the free version of NCH for your accounting software. The free version lacks some of the bigger free accounting software for business features suitable for larger enterprises, but still has much to offer. Examples of financial statements you can generate include income statements, balance sheets, profit and loss (P&L) statements and sales analysis by item, customer and salesperson.

These include income statements, balance sheets, profit and loss (P&L) statements and detailed sales analyses, which can be tailored by item, customer or salesperson. These features enable businesses to maintain accurate records, track sales performance and ultimately make informed decisions to drive growth and profitability. The platform’s free plan includes a drag-and-drop editor and built-in themes, simplifying the website creation process.