Top 5 Best Alternatives for QuickBooks

Introduction

QuickBooks is one of the most popular accounting programs of all. Released back in 1983, this accounting software package was developed by Intuit and has helped countless small and mid-sized businesses manage their payroll, keep track of their inventory, and ensure that their accounts are in order.

But QuickBooks isn’t perfect. There are some problems with this software, and some users find that QuickBooks is lacking certain key features they need or isn’t scalable enough to suit a bigger business. Because of this, a lot of businesses find themselves searching for QuickBooks alternatives.

The best QuickBooks alternatives can offer similar accounting-oriented features to QuickBooks, but also come with other unique advantages that set them apart from the rest. 

Some may be easier to use or even have features that QuickBooks fails to provide. We also compared how much these alternatives cost compared to QuickBooks.

In this guide, we’ll highlight five of the very best QuickBooks alternatives you can download and use today. 

How We Ranked the Best QuickBooks Alternatives

There are lots of programs that promise similar functions and features to QuickBooks, but they’re not all equal. 

Some QuickBooks alternatives are significantly better than others, and we only want to recommend the very best options to our readers. That’s why we take the time to search for the top-rated products from a range of developers.

We then look through user testimonials, case studies, and critical reviews of each piece of software to learn more about it. 

Our experts then take a look at demos of each product or test out trials firsthand, evaluating the key features, user interface, ease-of-use, and other factors. We then take all of this information into account to select the very best QuickBooks alternatives.

An Overview of QuickBooks Alternatives

Before we take a look at the main QuickBooks alternatives you can use, it’s important to understand what QuickBooks does and why you might like to consider a possible alternative to this popular program.

QuickBooks is an accounting software suite with a lot of history behind it. First released in 1983, this program has since gone on to become the most popular and widely-used piece of accounting software in the world. 

Aimed primarily at small and medium-sized businesses, this program is used for general accounting functions, like keeping track of your business’ income and expenditure, monitoring your payroll, sending invoices out to customers, paying your bills, and generating financial reports.

In other words, QuickBooks can be used to paint a picture of your business’ overall financial status and health. 

And, over the years, the software has evolved and changed, with new solutions like QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Time added to the overall package to make QuickBooks more appealing and versatile.

However, even though QuickBooks is a useful piece of software, it’s not the only option for keeping up with your business’ accounts. 

There are several other options out there, including several programs that are easier to work with, more beginner-friendly, less expensive, and more fully-featured.

You can use these QuickBooks alternatives for many of the same things that you would use QuickBooks for, like preparing financial reports, sending invoices to your customers and clients, and keep track of your bills and payments. 

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the top QuickBooks alternatives.

FreshBooks: Best QuickBooks Alternative for Freelancers

Let’s start off with a look at FreshBooks. While it may have a similar name to QuickBooks, FreshBooks is a separate piece of software, developed by a completely different company. It was first released in 2004 and is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. FreshBooks is also a web-based program, accessible via your desktop computer or other devices, including mobile devices.

FreshBooks has quite a lot in common with QuickBooks in terms of its features and functions, including invoicing, accounts payable, payroll management, financial reports, income and expense tracking, and more. 

All of the data you enter into FreshBooks gets stored safely and securely in the cloud, so there’s no risk of it being lost.

Despite having many of the same features as QuickBooks, FreshBooks is significantly cheaper. 

While top-tier QuickBooks subscription plans can cost up to $200 a month, Freshbooks is priced at just $15 to $55 per month. Plus, new users can get a discount on their first few months, and there’s a free trial that you can take advantage of to test out this app before you buy it.

Another big difference that stands out about FreshBooks is its super-simple user interface. We can strongly recommend this app for freelancers and one-person teams, as it’s really easy to navigate and understand, free of the complex menus and somewhat confusing accounting terms that might trip you up when working with QuickBooks.

Overall, FreshBooks is one of the best all-in-one small business accounting solutions. 

It provides a great range of features to handle everything from invoices and expenses to time tracking and project cost estimates, all at a very fair price. It can save you a ton of time and it’s especially ideal for independent entrepreneurs who want to become more efficient.

Price – $15 to $55 per month

Key Features	Pros	Cons
Create and send invoices	Has a free trial for users to try before they buy	You have to pay extra to get rid of FreshBooks branding
Track expenses	Beginner-friendly user interface	Some features – like inventor tracking – are missing
Create and send estimates	Cheaper monthly plans than QuickBooks
Track sales, bills, and taxes	Free plan, free trial for the pro plan, and affordable price for the pro plan.

Try FreshBooks Today!

If you’re looking for a freelancer-friendly QuickBooks alternative at a great price, choose FreshBooks. It’s the perfect all-in-one accounting solution. Try it today and get a big discount on your first three months.

Visit FreshBooks

Invoice Home: Best QuickBooks Alternative for Invoicing

Another QuickBooks alternative that you might like to consider is Invoice Home. Developed by a small team that has been together since 2006, Invoice Home is primarily an invoice generator. It won’t be able to replicate all of the features and functions you associate with QuickBooks, but it can completely fulfil your invoicing needs.

Part of what makes Invoice Home such a great QuickBooks alternative is its ease of use. This web-based invoice generator actually has more than 100 completely free invoice templates that you can use and customize according to your needs, adding your own company logo, branding, and details before sending your custom invoices out to clients and customers.

As well as offering a free, basic invoice generator for those who want something simple and cost-effective, Invoice Home also has more advanced options for users who are willing to spend some money.

With the advanced invoice templates, it’s possible to add even more information to every invoice you create, including details on individual unit prices, order numbers, due dates, and so on.

Once you’ve used Invoice Home to make your invoices, you can download them in simple PDF format and then save them to your devices or send them out to your customers via email. 

It’s a really simple and convenient process, and Invoice Home can completely transform the way your small business handles invoice generation.

What’s more, Invoice Home is also available on mobile devices, thanks to its own Android and iOS apps. And you won’t need to worry about security when working with this software, as it stores all of your data and documents in a secure cloud-based platform for maximum protection. 

The system is also available in multiple languages, catering to businesses from around the world.

Price – Free version, Premium from $9 per month

Key Features	Pros	Cons
Basic and advanced invoice generation	Completely free to try for businesses on a budget	Lacks other accounting features from QuickBooks
Save invoices in PDF format	Simple, beginner-friendly interface	Mobile version could use some improvements
Send invoices to customers	Useful templates to speed up invoice generation
Make use of 100+ invoice templates	Available in six languages

Try Invoice Home Today!

If you feel like your business is wasting too much time on invoice generation, Invoice Home could be the software you’re looking for. Try this QuickBooks alternative today, completely for free at the official Invoice Home site.

Read Invoice Home Review

Quicko: Best QuickBooks Alternative for Taxes

Next up in our list of the best QuickBooks alternatives, we have Quicko. Founded in 2015, Quicko is quite a new arrival on the accounting software scene but has already generated a lot of hype and positive attention as one of the best accounting solutions to help businesses with tax returns and compliance.

So, if you find that QuickBooks fails to meet your needs when it comes to generating financial reports and filling in tax forms correctly, Quicko could be the answer. This easy-to-use, low-hassle software aims to make tax management easier than ever, and it absolutely delivers on that promise. 

Quicko is a joy to use, with a simple and seamless design that even total beginners should feel familiar with, right away.

Whether you’re an individual entrepreneur or freelancer, part of a partnership, or the owner of a growing business, Quicko can work for you. It aims to meet the needs of a wide range of users, providing several key features, like the ability to manage your taxes and simplify various tax-related processes to keep your company compliant.

Quicko can help users calculate their income tax in relation to their earnings, while also generating accurate financial reports and generating tax returns in no time at all. 

It’s also a highly educational piece of software, with the Quicko website boasting hundreds of tax-related articles and guides that can help you stay up-to-date and informed on compliance and tax rules.

The user support with Quicko is also excellent, with both email and phone support, as well as the aforementioned articles and guides. And, in terms of general usability, this app is a lot less complex than QuickBooks can be, with simple terms and clear menus that you shouldn’t have any issues with.

Price – Custom pricing (Contact Quicko for a quote)

Key Features	Pros	Cons
Total tax management	Really easy to work with, even for beginners	Only useful for tax purposes
Financial reports and tax return generation	Very efficient and time-saving piece of software	Several features are only useful for Indian companies
Library of learning resources	Works well on mobile
Income tax calculations	Great customer support and Help Center

Try Quicko Today!

Want to complete tax returns faster than ever, minimizing mistakes and maximizing compliance? If so, Quicko is the software you need. Download Quicko today and take back control of your business taxes.

Read Quicko Review

Ramco: Best QuickBooks Alternative for Payroll Management

One of the main reasons why so many people make use of QuickBooks is for its payroll management features and functions. It’s a useful piece of software to help businesses pay their employees the correct amounts at the right times, manage employee benefits, and more. But, this can be a pricey solution. Ramco is an alternative that you might like to consider.

Definitely one of the best QuickBooks alternatives for payroll management, Ramco is a fully-featured payroll solution. 

Aimed at simplifying HR and all things payroll-related, giving you more time to focus on other areas of your business, Ramco’s software can assist with time tracking, leave management, employee experience, and more.

Ramco is also highly-prized among many business users for its high levels of accuracy. With this software on your side, you should be able to accurately calculate and keep track of employee pay, as well as working out taxes and preventing any kind of overpayment or underpayment to your employees.

While QuickBooks does have some payroll features, it’s not as fleshed-out in this area as Ramco. Ramco has a deeper range of functions, making it more useful for HR professionals and payroll managers. 

Not only that, but Ramco has custom pricing to suit each user, too, so you won’t have to worry about paying too much for this software.

Another interesting aspect of Ramco that makes it such an appealing QuickBooks alternative is the range of benefits it can bring to your business. 

Not only does it help to maximize efficiency and minimize errors associated with payroll, but it can also provide a boost to employee morale, as all of your workers will be paid on-time, without any issues.

Price – Custom pricing (Contact Ramco for a quote)

Key Features	Pros	Cons
Payroll management	Manage your payroll more efficiently	No pricing plans, so you have to contact the company for a quote
Accurate salary calculations	Keep workers happy with on-time, accurate payments	Lacks features outside of payroll management
Prevent over or underpayment	Help out your HR team
Accurate tax calculations	Very accurate, reliable solution

Try Ramco Now!

Need some help with your business’ payroll management? Choose Ramco. A complete payroll solution, Ramco can help to ensure everyone gets paid on-time, without any fuss. Contact the Ramco team today for your custom quote.

Read Ramco Review

Spendesk: Best QuickBooks Alternative for Spend Management

The final entry in our list of the best QuickBooks alternatives is Spendesk. As the name implies, Spendesk is a spending management program. It was developed in France by a company that got started back in 2016. As the popularity of this product has risen, the company has expanded to establish offices in the UK and US.

So, what exactly is Spendesk? 

Well, Spendesk aims to be an all-in-one, scalable solution for spending management. Designed to assist financial teams with a range of processes, Spendesk can help your business spend less time on trivial matters like tedious data entry and expense tracking, taking care of most of those aspects for you, automatically.

While QuickBooks has some similar features to Spendesk, it doesn’t go as deep into spending and expense management as this app does. Spendesk is significantly more functional, helping businesses and finance professionals to manage, track, and control company spending. It allows you to create custom spending policies and can track individual employee spending via linked debit cards.

Thanks to this, Spendesk gives you the clearest possible picture of how much money your business is spending, which employees are spending the most, where your capital is going, and so on. 

It provides real-time visibility of your financial situation and total transparency on every transaction, removing the need for outdated paper invoices and receipt management.

Spendesk also has additional features that are found in QuickBooks and QuickBooks alternatives, like invoice processing, spending analysis, and budget management. It’s an excellent tool to use when you want to exert greater control over company expenditure, saving both time and cash every single day.

Price – Custom pricing (Contact Spendesk for a quote)

Key Features	Pros	Cons
Create spending policies and enforce them	Provides total spending control	Not suitable for individuals or very small businesses
Process invoices	Really easy to set-up and use	Pricing is hidden
Spending analysis and reports	Improve efficiency throughout your business
Virtual cards for employees	Great customer support

Try Spendesk Today!

Smart, simple, and super functional, Spendesk is your ideal spending management solution. Join Spendesk today and get control over your company finances.

Read Spendesk Review

How to Choose QuickBooks Alternatives

As we can see, there are several highly-rated QuickBooks alternatives that you can download and start using today. But how do you choose a piece of accounting software like a QuickBooks alternative? What are the main factors to focus on? The table below shows some of the key points of consideration, with brief explanations of why those points are so important.

Factor	Explanation
Price	One of the first things to think about when choosing a QuickBooks alternative is the price. Many people are put off by QuickBooks’ price tag, so might like to find a cheaper option that suits their business budget.
Ease-of-use	Some entrepreneurs and professionals find that QuickBooks is a little too confusing or complicated in certain areas, so you might like to find a QuickBooks alternative with a
Features	One of the most important factors to focus on is the feature list. Find out exactly what each app does and make sure that it can provide the features you need, like invoice generation and tax reports.
Support	If you have any kind of issue with the QuickBooks alternatives you use, it’s helpful if the developer offers some kind of customer support. Look to see whether the developer provides live chat and helpful tutorials to aid you.
Integrations	It’s possible that you’re already using other pieces of software for your business, including everything from Google Apps to CloudPay. The best QuickBooks alternatives can integrate with the apps you’re already using.

What Are the Best QuickBooks Alternatives for You?

So, which is the best QuickBooks alternative for you to try? 

Well, with several options to choose from, it’s not always easy to know which piece of software is the best possible option for your business. They each have their pros, cons, and best uses. FreshBooks is best for freelancers, for example, while Spendesk is best for spend management.

To find the best QuickBooks alternative for your business, it’s important to think carefully about your business’ current account situation and try to identify areas that you need help with. 

Maybe you need some assistance with tax returns or payroll management, for example, or maybe you find that QuickBooks is too expensive, so you want a cheaper or free-to-use option.

Once you’ve identified your business’ main needs and objectives, it should become a lot easier for you to choose an appropriate QuickBooks alternative from the list provided. Remember to think about key factors like ease-of-use and features, and be sure to try multiple QuickBooks alternatives to see which one works best for you, rather than limiting yourself to only one.

Summary

QuickBooks may be the king of accounting software for small businesses, but as this guide shows, it’s far from the only option on the market. There are plenty of QuickBooks alternatives out there, from FreshBooks to Spendesk, and each one has something unique and interesting to offer.

So, if you find that QuickBooks isn’t quite right for you, perhaps because of its price tag, its features, or some aspect of its design and interface, this guide has provided you with several other options you might like to try. Test out one or more of these QuickBooks alternatives today to get better control of your business accounts.