It's really difficult to find the best accounting app that fits your business needs when there are so many options.
This review will help you easily navigate the top accounting apps to find one that offers the ideal blend of features, cost, security, and support for your business.
You'll get an in-depth comparison across popular picks like QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books, Wave, and FreshBooks based on simplicity, reporting, security, accessibility, affordability, and more. We'll also overview must-have factors in accounting software and provide actionable tips to maximize efficiency with your chosen mobile platform.
Navigating the World of Mobile Accounting Apps
Mobile accounting apps are revolutionizing the way individuals and businesses manage their finances on the go. As smartphone usage continues to grow, having a powerful yet easy-to-use accounting app in your pocket enables real-time tracking, reporting, and analysis of financial data.
The best mobile accounting apps provide simple interfaces paired with robust tools to log income and expenses, generate financial statements, invoice clients, accept payments, scan receipts, track mileage, and more. Leading solutions sync data across devices for seamless access and integrate with popular software platforms.
For solopreneurs and small business owners, mobile accounting apps eliminate tedious paperwork and manual processes. The ability to view accurate financials at a glance helps better inform business decisions. Students and professionals can closely monitor personal budgets and saving goals. Features like receipt OCR, invoicing, and billing automation also save considerable time.
With the right mobile accounting app, managing finances no longer needs to be confined to the office desk. Key financial data can be securely accessed and updated on smartphones and tablets on the go. As technology improves, so too will the capabilities of these solutions to fully digitize businesses’ financial operations at an affordable price point. Adoption continues rising rapidly.
What is the easiest accounting app to use?
When selecting an accounting app, ease of use should be a top consideration for most small businesses and sole proprietors. The app you choose needs to make basic tasks like recording transactions, tracking expenses, and generating reports simple so you can focus on your core operations.
Based on reviews and product features, FreshBooks stands out as one of the most user-friendly accounting apps available.
FreshBooks provides an intuitive interface that resembles familiar spreadsheet software. Key features like its double-entry accounting, automated reminders and notifications, and multi-currency support are designed specifically for non-accountants. It aims to take the complexity out of financial admin.
The dashboard gives you an overview of income, expenses, account balance and lets you quickly record any financial activity. It also includes handy guides and tooltips throughout to make the system easy to navigate.
With customizable invoices, payment tracking, reporting and integration with major payment gateways, FreshBooks handles essential accounting tasks without you needing to learn complex accounting principles or methodologies. And its extensive bank feed connections and automated imports further reduce manual data entry.
For solopreneurs and small business owners without an accounting background, FreshBooks is widely regarded as the easiest solution to pick up. It eliminates common pain points so you can efficiently manage your finances and billing from anywhere.
Can I do bookkeeping on my phone?
But did you know you can also manage your accounts on the go? Mobile accounting apps (sometimes also called mobile bookkeeping apps) let you manage expenses, send invoices and track your cash flow from anywhere.
Key Benefits of Mobile Accounting Apps
Mobile accounting apps provide business owners, accountants, and bookkeepers a convenient way to manage financial tasks on the go. Some key benefits include:
- Access Files Anywhere: Cloud-based apps give you access to important documents no matter where you are through the internet and mobile data. This makes managing tasks easier when traveling or out of office.
- Capture Receipts: Mobile apps allow you to quickly photograph or scan receipts to track expenses. This saves time over manually recording each transaction.
- View Dashboards: Apps provide real-time reporting through dashboards and notifications so you can monitor cash balances, outstanding invoices, expenses, etc. on your phone.
- Streamline Invoicing: Create, customize and send invoices via mobile apps and get paid online faster. This automation saves administrative workload.
For startups and small businesses that need accounting support but have limited resources, mobile bookkeeping apps provide an affordable, easy-to-use solution for managing finances on the go. The top features and convenience make these apps a staple for modern bookkeeping needs.
What app to use for accounting?
Xero is a user-friendly accounting application designed for small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to efficiently track expenses and manage their finances on the go. With intuitive mobile and web apps, Xero makes accounting accessible for non-accountants while still providing robust features to meet the needs of diverse businesses.
Xero enables business owners to connect bank accounts to automatically import and categorize transactions, generate invoices and track payments, manage payroll, inventory, reporting, and more. Key features applicable for mobile use include:
- Mobile apps for iPhone and Android to check financials and record transactions on-the-go
- Automatic bank feeds and bank reconciliation
- Send quotes or invoices and receive payments directly on mobile
- Snap photos of receipts to log expenses
- Track mileage and generate expense claims
- Review up-to-date financial reports and set custom alerts
For those running small businesses or side-hustles, Xero delivers essential accounting tools with the convenience of mobile access, helping business owners save time, optimize operations, and make smarter decisions. The user-friendly design allows non-accountants to understand their finances while still handling more complex accounting tasks in the background. At a fraction of the cost of hiring an accountant, Xero empowers entrepreneurs to take control of their financial admin needs.
What software should an accountant have?
QuickBooks Online from Intuit has long been one of the most popular accounting software platforms used by small businesses, bookkeepers, and accounting professionals. As a cloud-based solution accessible via web browser or mobile app, it offers convenient access to robust accounting features.
While QuickBooks Online covers core functionalities like invoicing, expense tracking, reporting, and more, many accountants leverage additional software and apps to enhance their capabilities. Here are some top recommendations:
Accounting Software
- Xero - Offers mobile invoicing, bank reconciliation, financial reporting and more. Integrates with 700+ business apps.
- FreshBooks - Designed for service businesses, with built-in time tracking, automated payments, expense management features.
- Zoho Books - Affordable accounting solution good for small business and solopreneurs. Offers billing, time tracking, expense tracking tools.
Productivity Software
- Everhour - Great for tracking billable time spent on client projects and tasks. Integrates nicely with QuickBooks Online.
- TSheets - Popular time tracking and employee scheduling app. Tracks GPS location, offers mobile access.
- Expensify - Leading tool for tracking business expenses. Offers mobile mileage tracking, receipt scanning, reporting.
Tax Software
- Lacerte Tax Software - Comprehensive professional-grade desktop tax preparation program with efile capabilities.
- Drake Tax Software - Cloud-based tax filing solution with individual and business tax support, built to handle complex returns.
- TaxAct - Affordable DIY tax filing software with support for small business owners, investors, side gig earners. Web and mobile access.
This stack covers critical financial management capabilities while boosting productivity. The ability to track time, expenses, invoice clients automatically, and simplify tax filing from anywhere allows accountants to focus on serving clients effectively.
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Essential Factors to Consider in an Accounting App for Small Business
Analyzing crucial features to look for in accounting apps, focusing on the needs of small businesses for effective bookkeeping and financial tracking.
Simplicity and User-Friendly Interface
The importance of an intuitive interface in a daily accounting app to ensure ease of use for routine financial tasks.
An accounting app tailored for small business should prioritize simplicity in its design. The interface should be clean and uncluttered, allowing users to easily navigate between key features. As small business owners and sole proprietors often handle bookkeeping themselves in addition to other responsibilities, the app should not have a steep learning curve. Core functionalities like recording transactions, generating financial statements, and tracking expenses should be accessible in just a few taps. This ensures business owners can seamlessly integrate the mobile accounting app into their regular workflows.
Intuitive organization of features also enables new users to quickly grasp how to use the app. Contextual tutorials, user tips, and even chatbots can further aid the initial onboarding process. The goal is for users to comfortably adopt the accounting app for daily bookkeeping needs from the outset. An app that requires too much time invested in learning the ropes can discourage adoption.
Comprehensive Reporting for Informed Decisions
The role of robust features and detailed reporting in mobile accounting apps to aid small businesses in making strategic choices.
The depth of reporting and analytics is another vital element that sets professional-grade accounting platforms apart from more basic apps. Beyond capturing daily transactions, the software should readily transform that raw data into actionable business intelligence.
Key outputs like profit and loss statements, cash flow reports, balance sheets, and tax summaries allow small business owners to accurately determine the company’s financial position. Granular reporting also enables drilling down into specifics—for example, breaking down sales by product line or revenue by geographic region.
Such holistic visibility facilitates data-driven decisions on critical aspects like managing cash flow, controlling costs, optimizing inventory, paying taxes, and planning growth spend. The best mobile accounting apps essentially serve as a personalized business advisor.
Ensuring Data Security in Mobile Accounting
Evaluating the data security protocols that a simple bookkeeping app free of complex jargon should employ to safeguard financial data.
With business finances now intimately tied to mobile apps, data security is paramount. Before adopting any accounting platform, small companies should scrutinize what measures are in place to protect confidential information.
At minimum, accounting apps should encrypt all transmitted and stored data using industry-standard protocols like 256-bit AES. Additional safeguards like two-factor authentication, single sign-on, and automatic time-outs further restrict unauthorized access.
Ideally, the app should also assure compliance with relevant financial regulations like SOX, GDPR, and HIPAA based on the business’ industry. Adherence to such standards offers peace of mind that the software maker prioritizes data security.
Small businesses can thereby entrust an accounting app with the sensitive information required to fully leverage its capabilities.
Accessibility and Support When You Need It
The necessity for reliable customer support in accounting apps, ensuring help is available for businesses anytime.
With small teams juggling many responsibilities, questions or issues regarding the accounting software are bound to emerge. The chosen app should therefore offer multiple seamless support channels around the clock.
Self-help options like user forums, FAQs, chatbots, and contextual in-app messaging can provide quick answers to common queries. For more complex questions, small businesses still require the personalized touch of live support agents reachable via phone, email, or chat.
Ideally, the app even designates an account manager to each client for ongoing assistance. Such comprehensive technical help and customer service ensures users extract the full value from the mobile accounting platform.
Affordability: Balancing Cost and Features
Assessing cost and value for money, particularly for the best bookkeeping app for self-employed individuals and small business owners.
For bootstrapped startups and lean small businesses, accounting software costs can strain limited budgets. Yet inadequate tools also risk hampering growth. The ideal solution balances useful core functionalities with affordability.
Freemium mobile accounting apps lure users with free basic features, while tiered subscriptions cater to needs as the business scales. Third-party integration capabilities further maximize value.
Comparing options based on must-have features, scalability, and fair pricing enables small companies to secure the best bookkeeping app for small business within budget constraints. Factor in free trials and money-back guarantees before committing.
Analyzing Popular Mobile Accounting Apps for Diverse Needs
Mobile technology has transformed how modern businesses operate, with mobile accounting apps enabling finance teams to track finances and generate financial reports on the go. As mobile devices become increasingly ubiquitous, these apps cater to diverse needs - from large corporations to solopreneurs.
When selecting the best mobile accounting app, key factors to consider include features, ease of use, integration capabilities, customer support, security compliance, and pricing. The app ultimately depends on your unique requirements.
QuickBooks: A Comprehensive Solution for Businesses
QuickBooks Online packs robust accounting capabilities for small and mid-sized businesses. This accounting app for small business seamlessly syncs between desktop and mobile, allowing you to invoice customers, reconcile bank transactions, manage payrolls, and more.
With customizable dashboards and reporting, QuickBooks provides real-time insights into financial performance across devices. It also integrates with other business platforms.
While it has a learning curve, QuickBooks is highly scalable. It suits growing companies that need an end-to-end accounting and financial solution.
Xero: Visual Accounting at Its Best
Xero makes mobile accounting incredibly seamless with its native apps for iOS and Android. Striking the balance between simplicity and power, it focuses on automating daily accounting tasks.
This daily accounting app enables business owners to track cash flow, run payroll, manage inventory, and access hundreds of third-party app integrations on mobile.
But visual reporting is Xero’s key differentiator. It transforms financial data into digestible graphics and dashboards for data-driven decisions on-the-go. For number crunching professionals, Xero provides value through visualization.
Zoho Books: Multicurrency Support for Global Operations
Zoho Books caters exceptionally well to modern internet businesses involved in global trade. With multicurrency support, it lets you send invoices and receive payments in different currencies based on client location.
As a mobile accounting app, Zoho Books lets you reconcile multicurrency bank transactions, use currency exchange rates for recording transactions, and produce financial statements in foreign currencies. This simplifies accounting for offshore clients.
It also handles VAT and GST compliance automatically, calculating taxes accurately as you create sales invoices. This makes the app friendly for ecommerce businesses targeting international markets.
Wave Financial: A Free Bookkeeping Companion
Wave Financial delivers fundamental accounting tools at no cost, positioning itself as an ideal bookkeeping app for personal use. Freelancers, entrepreneurs, contractors, and side hustlers are the target demographic.
By tracking income and expenses on the go, users gain financial clarity and can make smart money decisions through Wave. It also generates expense reports, invoices customers, imports bank transactions, and sends payment reminders without any subscription fees.
While the free plan has usage limits, Wave provides tremendous value for non-enterprise users focused on basic money management rather than advanced accounting needs. For simple personal finance tracking, it gets the job done.
FreshBooks: Tailored for the Self-Employed
Rounding out the list as the best bookkeeping app for self-employed is FreshBooks. It streamlines client invoicing, expense tracking, project budgeting, and financial reporting for solopreneurs.
Optimized for mobile usage, FreshBooks lets you capture receipts, log hours, manage invoices, view reports, and handle client communication on the go. This keeps your business lean and efficient.
With a user-friendly interface and transparent pricing, FreshBooks aims to alleviate accounting busywork so you can focus on meaningful money-making tasks. Automated workflows also ensure you never miss a payment.
Key Takeaways
When identifying the best mobile accounting app for your needs, assess your budget, business model, target customers, reporting needs, and desire for third-party integrations.
While QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books cater more robustly to growing businesses, Wave Financial and FreshBooks simplify bookkeeping for lean solopreneurs. Fortunately, competition breeds further innovation - so users now enjoy a broad selection of mobile accounting apps to organize finances on the move.
Comparing Features Across the Best Bookkeeping Apps
As a small business owner or self-employed professional, choosing the right mobile accounting app is crucial for efficiently managing your finances on the go. With so many options available, it can be tricky to determine which app best suits your needs and budget. This section provides a detailed comparison across some of the top mobile bookkeeping solutions to help you find your perfect match.
Cost Comparison: Getting the Best Value
When selecting a mobile accounting app, cost is often a key factor. Below is an overview of the pricing models offered by some of the leading options:
- QuickBooks - Offers tiered monthly subscription plans ranging from $7 to $150 per month depending on the features needed. Best value for established small businesses.
- Wave - Completely free for basic bookkeeping features. Paid upgrades available for advanced tools. Best free option.
- Zoho Books - Starts at $9 per month. Scales up based on number of clients. Ideal for freelancers.
- FreshBooks - Plans start at $15 per month. Discounts available for annual subscriptions. Well-suited to service businesses.
Consider how factors like number of users, invoice volume, and desired feature set impact each solution's value proposition for your business.
Feature Sets: Choosing What Matters to You
While all accounting apps offer basics like invoicing and reporting, the specific tools can vary greatly:
- Invoicing - QuickBooks, FreshBooks and Zoho provide customizable invoice templates. Wave's options are more limited but has automatic payment reminders.
- Expenses & Payments - QuickBooks and Wave allow snapping photos of receipts for easy tracking. Zoho automates expense categorization using AI.
- Time Tracking - FreshBooks has powerful timers for tracking billable hours by project, client and user. Great for service businesses.
- Reporting - QuickBooks offers custom real-time reports and dashboards. Wave's are fixed but provide adequate high-level financial insights.
Determine must-have features based on your business model - do you bill hourly? Need project cost insights? Understanding unique requirements helps match the best software to your needs.
Target Audience: Finding Your Perfect Match
While QuickBooks is likely the most robust option, the ideal accounting app depends on your needs:
- Students/Freelancers - Wave provides free tools useful for basic personal finance tracking and self-employment.
- Small Business - QuickBooks has extensive capabilities but also the highest learning curve. Ideal for established businesses.
- Service Businesses - FreshBooks offers strong time tracking abilities and project-based reporting to manage finances across client engagements.
Those seeking simpler software with the core features for managing finances may wish to compare Wave and Zoho Books first while more complex requirements lend themselves to QuickBooks.
Cross-Platform Availability for Seamless Accounting
Today's business is always on the move, so the ability to access accounting tools across devices is essential:
- QuickBooks - Offers apps for both mobile and desktop use with seamless connected data across platforms.
- Wave - Fully cloud-based allowing web access from any device. Mobile apps also available.
- Zoho - Accessible via web browser, mobile apps for Android and iOS, integrates with Zoho CRM.
- FreshBooks - Web-based, consistent experience across devices. Mobile optimization for working on phones and tablets.
Solutions like QuickBooks and Wave enable switching between desktop data entry to analyzing reports on your phone while traveling. Review if supporting your mix of devices with the right apps improves user experience.
Investing the time upfront to thoroughly evaluate and compare accounting apps based on pricing, features, audience fit and platform access helps small business owners select the best solutions to take control of their financial management. Revisiting requirements periodically lets you determine if your chosen software continues to serve your evolving business needs.
Maximizing Efficiency with the Right Mobile Accounting App
As a business owner or finance professional, finding an intuitive and feature-rich mobile accounting application can greatly simplify financial tracking and analysis while on the go. With so many options available, identifying your specific accounting needs is the critical first step.
Identifying Your Accounting Needs
The key is determining your must-have features depending on your usage - whether for overseeing company finances or personal money management.
For small business owners, a mobile accounting app that syncs with the desktop platform and generates financial statements is likely most essential. Tracking accounts receivable/payable, invoicing clients, and reconciling bank statements also rank high for streamlining accounting workflows.
On the other hand, individuals may prioritize budget tracking, customizable categories and reminders, debt management tools, and automated bank imports for personal finance. Outlining these requirements beforehand allows better evaluation of accounting app contenders.
Exploring the Best Accounting Options
With an understanding of core features, extensively comparing top-rated accounting apps is highly worthwhile. Analyze strengths around reporting, simplicity, graphs/visuals, bank connectivity, invoice/billing capabilities, and customizability during your research.
While QuickBooks remains the gold standard for small business, for personal finance, Mint, You Need a Budget (YNAB), and Personal Capital shine based on budgeting approach and customization flexibility. Don't just default to the most popular - select the optimal match for your needs and preferences.
The Advantage of Testing with Free Trials
Never decide purely from the feature checklist. Leverage free trials available with leading providers like QuickBooks Online and Xero to test real-world use.
Evaluating the mobile app's dashboard, workflows for key tasks, automation capabilities, and customization options firsthand is invaluable. This hands-on experience provides assurance an accounting platform can scale with your growth over the long term.
Securing Financial Data with Cloud Backups
While intuitive mobile access delivers convenience, regularly backing up your data is equally vital. Automatically save copies of financial records to the cloud to hedge against mobile device issues.
Relying solely on the mobile app means high vulnerability to power outages, hardware failures, or accidental deletions. Integrate backup services like Dropbox or Google Drive for essential redundancy - lost invoices, receipts, or reports derails operations and analytics.
Mastering Your Chosen Accounting Platform
Ultimately realizing a mobile accounting app's full potential requires dedicated learning. Thoroughly study available mobile features, desktop integration, custom report building, automation for repeating transactions, and data sharing capabilities.
Patience during initial onboarding is key as accounting apps possess extensive built-in intelligence. Over time, personalized configurations and process mastery yields major time and cost savings - the cornerstone of efficient financial management. Choose wisely then fully leverage for mobile productivity.
Summing Up the Financial App Frontier
As mobile devices become more ubiquitous in business, so too have mobile accounting applications. There are now dozens of options for managing finances and bookkeeping tasks on the go, each with their own strengths and ideal use cases.
When evaluating accounting apps, first consider your business’ size and specific accounting needs. QuickBooks remains the gold standard for small business accounting, offering robust features along with strong mobility. Xero provides a slick interface for entering transactions from anywhere, appealing to solopreneurs and microbusiness owners. And Zoho Books balances simplicity with customization for fast-growing companies.
The right app depends largely on aligning features and pricing with your growth stage and willingness to learn new software. Those just starting out may appreciate Zoho Books’ free plan and intuitive layout. Well-established businesses often benefit from QuickBooks’ depth despite its steeper learning curve. And for freelancers, Xero’s mobile-first design facilitates easy expense tracking and billing no matter where you are.
While no one app universally suits all businesses, the expanding selection makes business mobility more viable than ever. Evaluate options closely to match accounting software with your firm's priorities, accounting knowledge, and budget at this stage of growth. With a little research, you’re bound to find the perfect fit to take your financial management on the go.
