The Best QuickBooks Alternatives

The best alternative to QuickBooks is ZohoBooks. When we tested both platforms, we found ZohoBooks much easier to use than QuickBooks. The layout was more intuitive, and there were fewer steps needed to complete simple tasks, making ZohoBooks a better fit for users who are new to accounting software, such as small businesses.

Functionality also isn’t sacrificed for ease of use with ZohoBooks, it’s got excellent tools for managing sales and inventory, and it offers reports presented in easily digestible charts.

That said, QuickBooks is still a great option for professionals or businesses interested in financial forecasting and data insights. It’s got a better cashflow projection tool than ZohoBooks, for example.

Of course, ZohoBooks isn’t the only great QuickBooks alternative. We’ve reviewed five other great accounting software platforms, including familiar names such as Sage and Xero.

The Best QuickBooks Alternatives At a Glance

Here’s a table summarising what the best QuickBooks alternatives are and what they’re good for:

1. ZohoBooks: Best for Small Businesses Managing Sales and Inventory

If you’re a small business looking to use accounting software to manage sales and inventory, ZohoBooks is a great alternative to QuickBooks.

ZohoBooks is overall easier to use than QuickBooks, making it a better accounting option for non-experts. It’s geared towards businesses looking for basic sales, inventory, and expense tracking and management.

Why is ZohoBooks a good QuickBooks alternative?

ZohoBooks is the accounting platform on this list, besides FreeAgent, to offer a free plan for sole traders or micro businesses. Paired with the platform’s intuitive design, ZohoBooks is a better starter option for new businesses than QuickBooks, which we found has a slightly steeper learning curve.

With ZohoBooks, tools like automatic mileage calculation for expenses, and dedicated reminder buttons for chasing clients made managing sales and expenses easy. We also liked that ZohoBook’s dashboard offered insights into cash flow and payments, making it easy to quickly know the state of your outgoings and ingoings without having to dive into reports.

QuickBooks has a similar dashboard set-up, allowing for quick insights, however, unlike ZohoBooks, it doesn’t have dedicated buttons chasing clients or calculating mileage, which can speed up workflow.

ZohoBooks also outstrips QuickBooks when it comes to its mobile app. The ZohoBooks app is one of the most comprehensive on the market, allowing businesses to manage everything from invoicing, expenses, quotes, and payments, to reports on the go. It essentially allows you to conduct almost all the same tasks as when using the desktop version of ZohoBooks.

The Quickbooks app, on the other hand, is only available for those on small business plans, meaning it won’t grow with you, unlike the ZohoBooks app. It also doesn’t come with as many tools as the ZohoBooks equivalent, missing new customer and quote entries.

Lastly, ZohoBooks comes with a highly accurate time-tracking function, something that’s completely missing from QuickBooks. This is a highly useful tool for busy small businesses looking to optimise and plan for time spent on accounting.

Our experience with ZohoBooks

Overall, ZohoBooks was the easiest-to-use accounting platform that we tested. That’s why we recommend it to small businesses that aren’t accounting experts and just need a platform for keeping on top of their financial ingoings and outgoings.

We thought the sidebar dropdown menus were particularly well signposted, and the familiar email-inspired layout for quotes and invoice templates made it easy to edit them. We also appreciated the prompts when an error was detected, such as missing fields.

That said, ZohoBooks wasn’t perfect. We encountered some usability issues when it came to customising reminders for clients since we couldn’t send out bulk reminders. The search function on ZohoBooks also wasn’t great, since it required an exact match to come up with search results.

Where ZohoBooks could improve

Although ZohoBooks is relatively affordable thanks to its free plan and starting price of £10 per month, it comes with slightly high transaction fees on payments. Businesses will pay a 2% fee on the transaction amount, plus 18% GST (goods and services tax) on the 2% fee for domestic UK cards. You can get cheaper fees of 1.99% with Sage, however QuickBooks has similar fees of 2.99% .

ZohoBooks also isn’t great when it comes to accessing live customer support, since its support team only operates 9 to 6, Monday to Friday. If you plan on doing your accounting outside of these hours, we recommend QuickBooks or Sage, which offer weekend support.

Lastly, ZohoBooks isn’t great for businesses looking to integrate with a variety of third-party business software. It mainly integrates with other Zoho tools, so if you’re looking to keep your existing software, we recommend Xero or Quickbooks, which integrate with 1,000 and 750 third-party apps respectively.

2. Xero: Best for Established Businesses with Complex Financial Needs

Xero is an excellent alternative to QuickBooks for businesses that want to use accounting software for financial planning, and to gain better visibility over complex cash flows. It was the most challenging platform we tested when it comes to usability, so we recommend it to experienced users over novices.

Why is Xero a good QuickBooks alternative?

We were particularly impressed by Xero’s billing and expense tools since they allowed us to input high levels of detail, from tax codes to unique IDs, which is great for businesses that have a varied list of established clients. QuickBooks didn’t allow for quite the same level of detail.

These tools were also straightforward to use. For example, we could create new clients at the same time as creating a new bill for them, and we were able to change currencies directly in the bill, without having to go to a separate settings page. This was much harder to do with QuickBooks because signposting isn’t clear.

Xero is particularly good for businesses that are interested in accounting software that lets them gain financial projections and insights. Along with QuickBooks, Xero is one of the few platforms on this list to feature a cash flow projection tool that factors in outgoings and incomings. Unlike Quickbooks, Xero also lets businesses track fixed assets and their depreciation and/or amortisation over time, allowing for better financial oversight.

Another tool we liked was the Xero Portal, a client portal that allows clients to view and interact with financial data, another great tool for businesses looking to retain a relationship of trust with long-term clients. This isn’t a tool included with QuickBooks. It does offer a similar add-on tool, but this is only available with QuickBooks ProAdvisor Firms.

Finally, Xero has the biggest network of third-party app integrations, of any provider on this list, connecting with 1,000 apps. QuickBooks is in second place, however, with 750 integrations.

Our experience with Xero

While Xero is a highly functional platform, we weren’t huge fans of its design, which is why we only recommend it to experienced users who are prepared to dedicate time to learning the platform’s intricacies.

The Xero dashboard was quite cluttered, and a lot of the menu headings were quite vague, which made finding tools difficult when first using the platform.

Not every task was difficult to complete. We found it quite easy to create bills and expenses, as noted above, and we were impressed by the level of detail we could include, making Xero great for businesses with complex portfolios.

That said, the overall layout of the platform made it frustrating to use. Key features, such as quotes and invoices, are housed in different tabs, and we found that there were a lot of unnecessary fields interrupting workflow, and received poor visual feedback when actions were incomplete.

Where Xero could improve

As we’ve noted in both sections above, the main area Xero could improve on is usability, since it was one of the least intuitive platforms we tested. If you want a platform with similarly advanced financial insight tools that are easier to use and that looks more modern, you could just go with QuickBooks.

For ultimate simplicity, FreshBooks is the way to go, although it’s more for day-to-day bookkeeping than financial planning.

On top of being tricky to use, Xero also doesn’t have great customer support tools. Although it’s possible to get over-the-phone support, you can’t call Xero yourself, you have to put in a request for a call, which means support won’t be at your convenience. QuickBooks has the same policy.

3. Sage: Best for Businesses Looking for a Customisable Solution

Sage is a good QuickBooks alternative for businesses looking for an accounting platform that offers a high level of customisation when it comes to reporting and invoice and quote templates.

It’s also a good alternative for businesses that want an integrated accounting and payroll solution, but feel that Quickbooks payroll tools are a little basic.

Why is Sage a good QuickBooks alternative?

Sage allows for invoice customisation, unlike QuickBooks, making it a better accounting tool for product or service-based businesses looking to establish a unified brand identity. For example, Sage offers separate quote and invoice templates depending on whether a product or service is being sold and gives you the option of deciding where your logo will sit in the quote/invoice.

We were also impressed by Sage’s reporting tools. Although not quite as advanced as Xero or QuickBooks’s. The platform lets businesses easily customise statements on profit and loss thanks to a dedicated menu tab for this key metric.

In addition to this Sage has a dashboard that summarises key metrics, such as outstanding payments at a glance. Sage isn’t unique in having this, wit QuickBooks and ZohoBooks offering similar tools, but it’s a great asset for small, time-poor businesses.

It’s also possible to create fully customised and unique reports using Sage, and filter them according to several factors, including date range, department, account, and more. Quickbooks also lets businesses create custom reports, however, it doesn’t offer as many report filters as Sage, which can make interpreting data more time-consuming.

Finally, Sage is probably the best QuickBooks alternative for businesses looking for an integrated accounting and payroll software platform. While QuickBooks offers basic payroll as an add-on on all plans, Sage offers tiered payroll software plans, with slightly more advanced tools, and even offers an HR add-on. This makes it a better option for unified accounting and people management.

Our experience with Sage

We found Sage to be a bit of a mixed bag when it came to ease of use. We found it to be one of the most visually appealing accounting platforms we tested and found managing quotes and invoices to be a particularly intuitive process.

That said, we had a lot of difficulty locating core accounting features, such as payment reminders, currency settings, and expense reporting, owing to vague signposting, and very unclear self-help resources.

Our overall impression is that Sage could be a good option for small businesses or sole traders looking for a simple, modern accounting platform, but that it’s not a great option for managing complex accounts.

Where Sage could improve

Sage is missing a few useful bookkeeping tools, such as time tracking and journal entry functionality integration with the general ledger. QuickBooks is also missing a time-tracking tool, although it offers decent journal entry. For both these tools, ZohoBooks is a better small business-friendly alternative.

Additionally, Sage doesn’t have a tool for sending automatic client payment reminders, meaning businesses have to manually check when payments are due. This means it’s not the best accounting tool for businesses with large portfolios. You get this function with QuickBooks and most other providers, although it’s not as easy to set up with QuickBooks as it is with ZohoBooks.

4. FreeAgent: Best for Budget-conscious Small Businesses

With a free plan, an average monthly cost of £22.25, and no hidden fees, FreeAgent is the best QuickBooks alternative for budget-conscious small businesses. It’s also great value for money, with better tax and financial forecasting tools than more expensive competitors.

Why is FreeAgent a good QuickBooks alternative?

Besides ZohoBooks, FreeAgent is the only accounting software provider on this list to offer a free plan. It also has the lowest maximum price, at £33 per month for its most expensive plan, much less than QuickBooks’s £115 per month. This makes scaling up much more affordable with FreeAgent compared to competitors.

However, there’s more to FreeAgent than just its low pricing. It’s the only software we tested to offer built-in tools for tax forecasting and planning at no extra cost. It’s also much easier to assign tax to products or services using FreeAgent compared to QuickBooks. That’s because FreeAgent, like most accounting software on this list, has predefined tax categories, whereas QuickBooks requires users to manually set up VAT and assign tax categories to stock products.

FreeAgent also has some decent financial forecasting tools, which, once again, are included at no extra cost. For example, the FreeAgent system alerts users about potential cash shortfalls or surpluses and allows businesses to create “what-if” scenarios to evaluate future outcomes using the “Shortfall Prediction” tool. These are both features that are paid add-ons with QuickBooks.

Compared to QuickBooks, we also felt that FreeAgent had more tools to help small businesses that are new to accounting navigate the landscape, tax reminders, and pre-built end-of-year reports.

Our experience with FreeAgent

We found FreeAgent generally quite easy to use when we tested it, although we did have trouble finding certain features owing to vague signposting.

What we found easy included creating invoices and estimates, thanks to  FreeAgent’s clear, pre-built templates. The invoicing tool included a timeline feature, which made it it easy to know how far along in the process we were, and is a great tool for novice users.

Along those same lines, FreeAgent’s comprehensive end-of-year reports and tax reminders were also particularly suited to accounting beginners, since they were clear and simple.

That said, we had difficulty locating features like payment reminders, customisation options for invoice reminders, and currency settings, and the search bar didn’t produce any results to help us find these features when we tested it.

Where FreeAgent could improve

FreeAgent was one of the few platforms we tested that didn’t suggest options for frequently entered data or account codes when we were entering data. This slowed down the work process and is a feature competitors such as Xero feature almost everywhere.

Businesses also can’t assign multiple shipping addresses to clients in FreeAgent, unlike with QuickBooks. This means it’s not the best option for businesses that deal with physical products.

5. FreshBooks: Best for New Businesses and Startups

FreshBooks is a great QuickBooks alternative for new businesses, such as startups or entrepreneurs. It was the second easiest-to-use accounting platform after ZohoBooks in our testing, offers 24/7 customer support, and its plans average an affordable £25 per month.

Why is FreshBooks a good QuickBooks alternative?

Overall, we found FreshBooks much easier to use than QuickBooks, which is why we recommend it as an alternative for businesses or sole traders with no prior accounting experience. Part of what made the platform so easy to use is that a lot of edits (such as changing currency in an invoice) could be made within the page we were working on, instead of a separate settings page, as was the case with most competitors.

FreshBooks also offers great customer support, including a phone line that’s open until 12 am, and a 24/7 chatbot. Its self-help resources are also clear and up to date, unlike competitors such as Xero.

When it comes to core accounting tools, FreshBooks isn’t quite as advanced as QuickBooks, but it’s still highly functional. Businesses will get access to standard invoicing and quoting tools, as well as tax calculation, although FreshBooks doesn’t offer tax forecasting. FreshBooks also has a time tracking tool, something QuickBooks is missing, which can be useful for new businesses learning how to manage their time.

Lastly, after FreeAgent, FreshBooks is one of the most affordable accounting systems, making it accessible to new businesses. It might not have a free plan, but its plans range from just £15 to £35 per month, with a £10 increase between tiers, the smallest increase after FreeAgent. This makes upgrading manageable for most businesses.

Our experience with FreshBooks

As we’ve noted, we found FreshBooks easy to use when we tested it. We were particularly impressed by the layout of its quotes and invoices since we could edit settings directly on the page we were working on, and buttons for converting quotes to invoices were placed in highly visible spots.

Signposting and menu layout were also very clear, although we did have a slight issue with the quote tool being labelled as “estimates”. It felt vague for no reason. We also had trouble with FreshBooks’s emailing tool. It wasn’t clear how to send messages to clients, and we didn’t get much of a warning before messages were sent off, which could lead to accidental sends.

Where FreshBooks could improve

Although FreshBooks was easy to use, it was quite light on certain features. For example, there are virtually no financial forecasting tools, which could make budgeting difficult. Reporting tools are also a little light, with no custom reporting available. For businesses looking for an accounting platform that can provide them with more financial insights, we recommend Xero or QuickBooks.

Like QuickBooks, FreshBooks is also missing a solid mobile app through which all aspects of accounting can be managed, so if that’s what you need, we recommend ZohoBooks, another new and small business-friendly option.

6. Clear Books: Best for Businesses that Need Robust Tax Support

Clear Books is the best QuickBooks alternative for businesses looking for accounting software that can support them with tax, such as VAT return self-assessments. It’s one of the rare platforms to offer a tax projection tool, and it supports all forms of tax, not just standard VAT.

Why is Clear Books a good QuickBooks alternative?

Clear Books is a better option than QuickBooks for managing tax. Like most accounting software, Clear Books automatically calculates and deducts tax on products or services, but it also conducts automatic updates when tax regulations change. Most competitors, including QuickBooks, send a notification but still require you to conduct manual changes.

Additionally, while QuickBooks only supports VAT and income tax, Clear Books supports VAT, income, sales, and GST, making it a better option for businesses that deal with diverse goods or operate internationally.

When it comes to tax handling, we were quite impressed by Clear Books’s “Tax Projection”, since it gave clear guidance for upcoming tax payments, making compliance with HMRC regulations easy. Clear Books also makes submitting VAT returns easy, since it’s part of the Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative. Most accounting software, including QuickBooks, provides this and integrates with HMRC, but the process is particularly seamless with Clear Books.

When it comes to other accounting features, Clear Books has a decent offering. Its invoicing and quoting tools are quite comprehensive, although it is missing a feature that lets businesses know when clients have viewed an invoice, something QuickBooks offers. Clear Books also offers a time tracking tool, unlike QuickBooks, however, it was the least accurate of all the trackers we tested, stopping when a new task was undertaken.

Our experience with Clear Books

Overall, Clear Books was slightly more difficult to use than QuickBooks. This was mainly because we found the navigation bar confusing due to naming inconsistencies, and it was quite cluttered, which made it hard to find the tools we needed.

Luckily, Clear Book’s great search bar made up for this somewhat, since unlike a lot of competitors’ search bars, it actually offered results without an exact match. Filling in a basic quote was also quite easy once we’d located where this tool was, although customisation options were very limited.

Overall, we felt the platform could be suited to small businesses looking for a basic accounting tool, but only those willing to put in the work to learn the C;ear Books’s ins and outs.

Where Clear Books could improve

Clear Books doesn’t have many tools to help with financial planning, such as cash flow projection, so it’s not the best option for businesses that want to use accounting software to budget. For that, we recommend QuickBooks or Xero.

Unlike QuickBooks, it’s also not compliant with GAAP and IFRS standards for regulation and reporting, which might cause issues for businesses that operate internationally.

Is QuickBooks Still Worth It?

QuickBooks is still a great accounting tool for businesses or accounting professionals, and had the second-highest score, after ZohoBooks of all the accounting software we tested. It’s especially great for those who need an accounting platform with a high level of customisation that offers great tools for financial projections and analysis.

However, we don’t recommend QuickBooks to small businesses that aren’t overly familiar with accounting software, since it’s not the easiest platform to use.

What does QuickBooks do well?

We were particularly impressed by QuickBooks tools for financial forecasting. We particularly liked its cashflow projection tool, since, along with Xero’s equivalent, it provided extremely clear results and was easy to use. QuickBooks is also one of the few systems to provide alerts for potential cash shortfalls or surpluses, although, unlike ZohoBooks and Sage, which also offer this tool, this comes as a paid add-on.

Although QuickBooks wasn’t the easiest platform to use, we did appreciate its pre-populated fields and email previews, since this streamlined common tasks and increased efficiency.

QuickBooks is also a customisable platform. Businesses get access to a high level of customisation for quote and invoice templates and can create custom reports, including custom report templates, another reason why QuickBooks is great for businesses and professionals with an eye for data.

Along with Sage, QuickBooks is also one of the few accounting platforms to offer native payroll tools, which seamlessly integrate with accounting tools. This makes it a great option for micro-businesses looking for an all-in-one business platform.

Where QuickBooks could improve

As we’ve noted, QuickBooks wasn’t the easiest platform to use, which is probably its biggest flaw. This is mainly because of unclear signposting and a cluttered menu, and the fact that a lot of core processes, like expenses and tax rates require manual set-up prior to launching into using the platform.

QuickBooks, along with Sage, is also one of the few accounting platforms we tested that doesn’t have a time-tracking tool. This could be frustrating for professionals looking to convert work time into billable hours, or businesses looking to accurately plan for time spent on accounting.

Methodology: How We Test Accounting Software