Tim Yoder

The best mileage tracker app should efficiently log and track business mileage and expenses automatically and categorize trips easily as business-related or personal. It should also strike a balance between affordability and features. With that in mind, we have compiled the five best mileage tracker apps for small businesses: : Best overall mileage tracker : Best for self-employed individuals : Best for QuickBooks users : Best for growing companies : Most affordable option for simple mileage tracking Quick Comparison of Best Mileage Tracker Apps See fullscreen table × TripLog: Best Overall Mileage Tracker Expert Opinion is our best mileage log app because of the extended features you get in the paid plans. If you get the Premium + Time & Scheduling option, you’ll have a scheduler, timesheet, and expense tracker, all from one provider. We recommend TripLog because it saves you the cost of subscribing to other third-party expense trackers or timesheet apps. Instead, with a fee of less than $10 per user, per month, you can get three trackers (mileage, expense, and time trackers). If you find it costly, we recommend checking for its affordable pricing. Hurdlr: Best for Self-employed Individuals Expert Opinion We recommend Hurdlr for freelancers and self-employed individuals who need a mileage tracker, an expense tracker, and simple accounting features. Its Premium and Pro plans can also be great QuickBooks alternatives because of its bookkeeping and invoicing features. If you’re looking for a dedicated mileage tracker, we recommend choosing or for simple mileage tracking. QuickBooks Online: Best for QuickBooks Users Expert Opinion Because is also our best small business accounting software, it’s a great choice for a new company looking for both accounting software and a mileage tracker—it’s a cost saver to have a combined bookkeeping software and mileage tracker. It features tax computation for mileage deductions, wherein users can choose between standard mileage rates and actual expenses. However, we advise that you look at the other mileage trackers on this list if you need just a dedicated mileage tracker. and are good alternatives for QuickBooks Online because they have tax features that can help in reporting mileage expenses. Everlance: Best for Growing Companies Expert Opinion is a mileage tracker that features expense tracking and tax management. We like its tax-saving tool—this allocates money for your taxes automatically whenever new income enters your bank account, and we find it to be a great budgeting tool for tax expenses. If you decide to expand from self-employed into a small business, you can upgrade to an Everlance Business account easily. Though it includes advanced mileage features, it lacks an integrated bookkeeping system. If you need the latter, we recommend either or . Hurdlr has accounting and bookkeeping capabilities under its Pro Plan while QuickBooks Online is a small business accounting software by default but with mileage tracking features. MileIQ: Best for Simple Mileage Tracking Expert Opinion is an excellent alternative to complex mileage trackers because of its simplicity and easy-to-use interface. It’s an ideal mileage tracker for individuals who drive occasionally but need mileage tracking for expense tracking. Although having more features in a mileage tracker is good, some won’t make use of all of them. In that case, a simple app like MileIQ will do the job. While it lacks automatic tax deduction, we still recommend it for those wanting a simple mileage tracker. If you think MileIQ is too simple for your needs, we recommend checking out . How We Chose the Best Mileage Tracker Apps We ranked the best mileage log apps based on their affordability, ease of use, and the availability of the essential mileage tracking features we like to see, including automatic mileage tracking, bank and credit card integration, expense receipt capture, and route planning. Based on our methodology, we evaluated each mileage tracker app across the following criteria: When To Use a Mileage Tracker A mileage tracker can be used to project tax deductions, control mileage costs, and plan for future expenses. Not all individuals or businesses need to use a mileage tracker. However, the need arises when: The user intends to deduct mileage expenses for tax purposes: The IRS has strict requirements for documenting business mileage. Taxpayers must keep a detailed log of trips showing the date, number of miles, and purpose of the trip. The company has a high volume of mileage expenses and reimbursements: If your line of business involves delivery, or if you provide gas allowance to employees, a mileage tracker makes reimbursements easier, faster, and more accurate. The user’s job is driving (like rideshare driver or company driver): Individuals registered to drive for Uber or Lyft can use a mileage tracker to track their daily route, maximize earnings, and reduce tax liability. Frequently Asked Questions Are there free mileage tracking apps? All of the mileage tracker apps in our list have free plans, except for QuickBooks Online. The free versions are suitable for occasional drivers needing mileage deductions. But if you want a comprehensive mileage tracker for your business, TripLog offers many features suitable for a small business setup. Do I need a mileage tracker for my business? That depends on the nature of your business. If you deliver products to customers or meet with clients, you need a mileage tracker to monitor your mileage and fuel expenses, as well as determine tax deductible amounts. What’s the best way to track my mileage? GPS tracking is the most accessible way to track mileage since smartphones have GPS capabilities and cellular service. Through this feature, you can track mileage accurately, regardless of the route you’ve taken and maximize your mileage tax deductions. However, GPS tracking consumes smartphone battery, especially if you leave it running in the background. As such, it’s best to always charge your smartphone while using this feature. Bottom Line Each mileage tracker app in our guide has its own strengths and weaknesses, so the best option greatly depends on your particular requirements. For instance, if you’re managing a team of delivery drivers, you can benefit from route planning feature. If you need a simple and affordable way to track mileage, you should consider . If you’re currently using , then you can try its built-in mileage tracker and see if it’s enough for you. and are also worthy choices if mileage deduction is your top concern for getting a mileage tracker.

QuickBooks Online is best for companies needing multiple users who can access the platform from anywhere since they handle accounting tasks remotely. While QuickBooks Desktop is more expensive for multiple users, one license can be used to keep the books for an unlimited number of companies.

If you own a business, you may be able to take the meals and entertainment deduction to lower your tax liability. Generally, you can deduct the cost of business-related meals and meals consumed while traveling overnight, whereas the business-related entertainment costs aren’t deductible. The purpose of the meal or event and who benefits from it are important factors in determining which expenses you can write off. Enhanced 100% Meals Deduction for 2022 To provide business owners with some tax relief during the ongoing public health and economic crisis, Congress passed the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act in 2020. The Act allows business owners to deduct 100% of the cost of business-related restaurant meals consumed between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022. Previously, you could only deduct 50% of the cost. This entitles businesses to deduct the full cost of business-related food and beverages purchased from a restaurant. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and other businesses that mostly sell prepackaged goods don’t qualify as restaurants, and the deduction doesn’t apply to entertainment, which remains a disallowed deduction. To qualify for the enhanced deduction, the expenses must fit the following criteria: Payment or billing for the food and beverages occur after Dec. 31, 2020, and before Jan. 1, 2023. Meals must be from restaurants, which includes businesses that prepare and sell food or beverages to retail customers for immediate consumption, either on- or off-premises. The business owner or an employee of the business must be present when food or beverages are served. Expenses cannot be extravagant. Generally, while the interpretation may be subjective, it must be a reasonable expense based on the circumstances. Meal Types That Can Be Deducted Business meals Meals while traveling away from home overnight Meals served at the employer’s premises for the employer’s convenience Company parties To determine whether a meal can be deducted, first ensure that your meal deduction is allowable by the IRS. Ask yourself if the expense is commonly accepted in your industry and helpful for your business. Examples of permissible meals include taking a prospective client to dinner to convince them to hire you and meeting a supplier for drinks to negotiate a better price. You must also consider whether the meal was purchased in a restaurant or somewhere else, like a grocery store. For example, if you’re dining with a client at a restaurant, you can consider that meal 100% tax-deductible under the enhanced deduction rules for 2021 and 2022. However, if you’re entertaining that same client in your office with snacks you purchased at the grocery store, the meal is only 50% deductible. Meal Types That Cannot Be Deducted Any meal not described in the above section cannot be deducted, but here are a few specific examples of nondeductible meals that sometimes confuse taxpayers: Meals not separately stated from the cost of entertainment Customer meals where the taxpayer or employee isn’t present Employee meals while traveling for a day where no overnight stay is required Standard Meal Allowance vs Actual Cost When Traveling Reimbursed nonentertainment-related meal expenses are generally deductible if your business trip is overnight or long enough that you need to stop for substantial sleep or rest to properly perform your duties. There are two methods that you can use to calculate your travel meal expenses: Standard meal allowance: This is the federal meals and incidental expense (M&IE) per diem rate. The United States General Services Administration website lists these rates by location. Lower rates apply for the first and last days of travel. The standard 2021 rate for most locations is $96 per day, but this can be substantially higher for higher-cost areas. The standard meal allowance is substituted for the actual meal expense and multiplied by 50% to arrive at the deductible portion. Actual cost: If you use this method, you must keep records of your actual costs. Entertainment Deductions The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made some drastic cuts to entertainment expenses, many of which are no longer deductible even if the event is attended by the taxpayer and a customer and business is discussed. Generally, the IRS doesn’t allow businesses to deduct costs for activities generally considered entertainment, amusement, or recreation, or for a facility that’s used in connection with such activity. However, meals where the cost is stated separately can be deducted if the business is discussed. If you can separate the cost of a meal at an entertainment event and the event itself, and you have a receipt that states the meal expense separately, you can deduct the meal cost at 50%. Entertainment That Can Be Deducted in 2022 Here are two examples of entertainment that can still be deducted: Entertainment expenses that are compensation to the person and are reported on Form W-2 for an employee or Form 1099-NEC for an independent contractor. Events, such as company picnics or holiday parties, which are held for the benefit of the employees. Entertainment That Cannot Be Deducted in 2022 Here are a few examples of entertainment expenses that aren’t eligible for tax deductions: Tickets to the theater, concerts, and other similar activities Fees for outdoor activities, including fishing, hunting, and sailing outings Business entertainment expenditures at a social club, golf club, or similar venues Sporting events tickets, including skybox expenses and transportation to the event Contributions to educational organizations for the right to purchase tickets to athletic events that are no longer considered charitable contributions and not deductible Bottom Line As a result of legislation that has been passed over the last few years, business owners can take advantage of an enhanced 100% meals deduction through the end of 2022. While entertainment is still for the most part nondeductible, businesses can deduct either 50% or 100% of meal expenses, depending on where the meals took place and under what circumstances. It’s important to review the nuances of the meals and entertainment deduction to understand fully the tax breaks that you’re eligible for as a business owner.

Integrating WooCommerce, a popular and free ecommerce solution, and QuickBooks can save you hundreds of hours and prevent costly errors from transferring data manually. Intuit, which created QuickBooks, has a native connector, but there are third-party integrations as well. Each plugin works differently—some offer two-way data transfer—and supports different versions of QuickBooks, so you need to choose the right one for your business needs. The four most popular plugin options for integrating WooCommerce with QuickBooks are: We’ll walk through how to choose the best one for your business and the steps to set up each integration: Step 1: Determine Your Data Transfer Needs Data transfers work differently depending on which plugin you choose. There’s one-way data transfer, which moves data from one app to another, and two-way data sync, which offers real-time updates and data transfer from and to both apps. Step 2: Choose a WooCommerce & QuickBooks Plugin Zapier only offers one-way data transfer, and there’s a monthly fee ranging from free to $49 for small businesses. MyWorks and Webgility both offer two-way data sync and integrate with both online and desktop versions of QuickBooks. Only Webgility doesn’t have a free plan and is the most expensive as far as starting price. WooCommerce & QuickBooks Integration Pricing * Based on an annual plan Step 3: Integrate WooCommerce With QuickBooks Using Your Chosen Plugin Choose Intuit, Zapier, MyWorks, or Webgility below for step-by-step integration instructions. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About WooCommerce & QuickBooks Bottom Line WooCommerce and QuickBooks are powerful systems for managing your sales, inventory, and accounting, but if you use these two programs separately, you’ll have to do quite a bit of manual entry to reconcile your business data. The best solution to save you time and sanity is to connect WooCommerce to QuickBooks, either with the native connector provided by Intuit or a third-party plugin. Choosing the right WooCommerce and QuickBooks integration depends on a few things. Aside from the version of QuickBooks you’re using, you should consider how many orders you receive each month. If it’s less than 100, and you don’t track inventory or products in QuickBooks, Zapier’s free option can work for you. Otherwise, opt for the affordable MyWorks plugin to get two-way data sync. Webgility can be useful for connecting multiple stores to one QuickBooks account. Of course, for free and simple sharing of data, Intuit (QuickBooks’ home company) provides its own connector. You May Also Like … Are you still using spreadsheets for tracking your ecommerce sales? Try one of the best ecommerce accounting solutions instead to save time. Outgrowing your current online store? It might be time to upgrade your ecommerce platform. Still can’t decide which platform to use to build your online store? Compare BigCommerce to Shopify to see which would be best for you.

Business expense trackers allow owners and employees to track expenses electronically, process reimbursements, and keep records of receipts. When looking for the best apps for business expenses, consider flexible pricing plans, ease of learning and use, automatic record of credit card expenses, and documentation features to reduce paperwork. Here are our six recommendations for the best business expense tracker apps to help your business automate expense management and synchronize with your existing systems: : Best overall expense tracker with affordable pricing plans : Best free business expense tracker : Best complete bookkeeping system : Best for real-time card fees : Best for third-party integration : Best for freelancers and solopreneurs Best Business Expense Tracker Compared See fullscreen table × Zoho Expense: Best Overall Expense Tracker With Affordable Pricing Plans Our Expert Opinion We recommend Zoho Expense as our best overall because of its affordable pricing and wide array of expense tracking features. It can also integrate easily with Zoho Books, Zoho’s dedicated accounting software, and other popular small business accounting software your business may use. Emburse Spend: Best Free Business Expense Tracker Our Expert Opinion If your focus is real-time expense tracking and reimbursements, we recommend Emburse Spend, as its real-time expense reporting makes approval and reimbursement faster. However, if you want to fully utilize its features, we recommend that you use Emburse Cards as it’s easier for users to submit and process expense reimbursements. Your existing corporate card program can still work in Emburse Spend but there will be applicable charges. QuickBooks Online: Best for Small Businesses That Need a Complete Bookkeeping System Our Expert Opinion QuickBooks Online is our best overall small business accounting software, and it can also serve as a small business expense tracking tool. Given that it’s a full-fledged accounting system, choosing it’s a cost-efficient option since it’s already a combination of an expense tracker and bookkeeping software. As such, we highly recommend it if you want a two-in-one software solution for accounting and expense management. If you’re already using QuickBooks Online but are still in need of an app for expense approval and reimbursement, then we recommend or as an auxiliary and standalone expense tracking app. Fyle: Best for Real-time Card Feeds Our Expert Opinion Fyle is a convenient solution if you already have a corporate card program using Visa. However, its expense tracking solutions are still worth it even if you use non-Visa cards or don’t use cards at all. For non-Visa cards, you still get feeds from your card provider, but they’re not real-time. As for its expense tracking features, it can give you a 360-view of all expenses, from submission until reimbursement, rivaling the functions of Zoho Expense. We recommend Fyle if pricing isn’t a major factor in your decision because it’s a bit expensive. Otherwise, choose for more flexible pricing tiers. Rydoo Expense: Best for Third-party Integration Our Expert Opinion Rydoo is an affordable expense-tracking service for travel expense tracking and one of our best mobile accounting apps. It’s a great expense tracker for established small businesses that use different kinds of software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps. However, while it helps manage expenses, it doesn’t have a built-in reimbursement feature like . FreshBooks: Best for Freelancers & Solopreneurs Our Expert Opinion We recommend FreshBooks for freelancers and entrepreneurs because it’s an all-in-one app that contains accounting, expense tracking, time tracking, and project management. It’s also easy to learn and suitable for business owners who prefer to do the bookkeeping themselves. However, it isn’t suitable for businesses needing inventory management or those requiring at least more than three users. is a great alternative to FreshBooks, as it has outstanding inventory accounting and other bookkeeping features as well. Bottom Line The ideal business expense tracker app isn’t the same for everyone. The apps we’ve recommended in our list perform well in a given area or business function and are the best for their intended use—although each has its respective drawbacks. We suggest that you analyze your business’s needs and choose the app that can best meet them.

QuickBooks Online is a great small business accounting software, but it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Whether you find QuickBooks expensive or difficult to use or are looking for something that QuickBooks doesn’t offer, then there are plenty of substitutes for you to consider, including a free QuickBooks alternative. Here are the best QuickBooks alternatives, each with its own differentiating features and use cases: : Best overall QuickBooks alternative with an outstanding mobile app : Best for unlimited users : Best QB Desktop alternative for multi-company bookkeeping : Best for excellent customer service : Best free alternative to QB Online : Best for individuals with rental property QuickBooks vs Alternatives: Quick Comparison See fullscreen table × *Quicken isn’t rated, as it’s not a double-entry accounting system. While it can help with personal accounting, it can’t track fixed assets and liabilities—meaning it’s not a good fit for corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), and partnerships. Zoho Books: Best Overall QuickBooks Alternative With an Outstanding Mobile App While and QuickBooks Online share many similar features, Zoho Books stands out with its mobile accounting app. In addition to sending invoices and capturing expense receipts, its mobile app can perform advanced features like entering bills, accepting payments online, and generating reports. This powerful app makes Zoho Books one of our best small business accounting software. *Elite and Ultimate were newly launched in 2022. Elite includes enhanced inventory management features like serial number tracking, while Ultimate offers advanced analytics, such as the ability to generate collaborative reports with other team members. Zoho Books Standout Features Mobile app: Zoho Books’ mobile app offers a wide range of features that QuickBooks Online’s app doesn’t. You can enter bills, generate reports, and even track time. Invoice and estimates: Create and send invoices and estimates in seconds and send them in any currency. Zoho Books’ accounts receivable (A/R) management module is also exemplary, with robust features like issuing credit memos, viewing customer accounts, and accepting short payments. Project accounting: Zoho Books allows you to compare estimated and actual project costs—something you can’t do with QuickBooks Online. Inventory management: Capture product details, including product costs, product details, and stock on hand. Zoho Books also keeps track of the cost of goods sold (COGS) and computes ending inventories. We recommend choosing if you’re looking for accounting software that’s similar to QuickBooks Online but has a more functional mobile application. Its mobile app is useful for freelancers and small business owners who often do business or work outside of their office space. Additionally, Zoho Books delivers an experience similar to QuickBooks Online in terms of robust inventory, A/R, and accounts payable (A/P) features. To learn more about these solutions, read our QuickBooks vs Zoho Books comparison. Xero: Best for Unlimited Users is one of our best small business accounting software that has similar features to QuickBooks but is priced lower. It even allows unlimited users, so if your primary issue with QuickBooks is the price or the limited number of seats, then this is likely your best choice for alternative software. Xero Standout Features Unlimited user access: You can add as many users as needed without paying an additional fee. Inventory management: Track simple and complex inventory items and create reports on what products are trending. Xero separates the cost of your purchases into your COGS and your cost of ending inventory automatically. Fixed asset management: Xero is the only cloud-based accounting software service that we’ve reviewed with a dedicated fixed asset manager. If your business uses a lot of fixed assets, Xero can keep fixed asset records and manage depreciation. While has comparable features to QuickBooks Online, it has a lower price and includes an unlimited number of users in all subscriptions. As such, it’s a great choice if you have a large accounting team, and it’s our top recommendation for budget-conscious small businesses. The major drawback of Xero compared to QuickBooks Online is that it’ll be much harder to find a bookkeeper to help you. Check out our Xero vs QuickBooks guide to see other similarities and differences between the two software. Sage 50cloud: Best QuickBooks Desktop Alternative for Multicompany Bookkeeping is great accounting software if you need to keep the books of multiple companies. QuickBooks Online requires separate subscriptions for each company, which can become very expensive and, while QuickBooks Desktop does allow unlimited companies, the data cannot be accessed remotely without paying for an expensive QuickBooks cloud hosting service. Sage 50cloud can even consolidate the companies into a single entity and prepare consolidated financial statements, something QuickBooks Desktop cannot do. Sage 50cloud Standout Features Domestic consolidation: Consolidate reports for subsidiaries that are in the same base currency. Sage 50cloud will reconcile intercompany transactions and accounts automatically. Global consolidation: Manage multiple currencies for customer or supplier accounts across the globe. Multidimensional consolidation: Use multiple dimensions, such as customer, supplier, or project, to consolidate your reports. ASC 830/FAS-52 compliance: This feature is useful for companies operating in foreign countries. lets you manage all your businesses on a single platform, making it one of our top choices for multicompany accounting software. Its highest plan includes advanced budgeting tools and multicompany support that allows you to create consolidated financial statements for multiple entities. On the downside, we can’t recommend it to DIY business owners and non-accountants because it’s difficult to use. However, it’s a great choice if you have an internal bookkeeper. Read our Sage 50cloud vs QuickBooks review to see how these two products compare. FreshBooks: Best for Excellent Customer Service is a complete bookkeeping system that’s known for its outstanding customer support. You can directly call a customer support agent if you encounter serious issues—as opposed to QuickBooks Online, where you submit a request first and then wait for them to call you. FreshBooks Standout Features Outstanding customer support: FreshBooks offers many ways to contact them for assistance. You can call them, or you can ask them to call you. There are chatbots ready to assist with frequently asked questions (FAQs) or quick help. Alternatively, you can email them for inquiries or visit their help page for informative guides. Time tracking: Track time spent on projects and record it in FreshBooks for invoicing. Mobile app: Freelancers and solopreneurs will like FreshBooks’ mobile app because it can perform basic and advanced features like sending invoices, entering bills, capturing receipts, tracking time, and assigning time worked to projects. Unlike QuickBooks, customer support is available by calling its toll-free number. Beyond good customer service, it’s known for its terrific-looking invoices, and it has an impressive array of integrations with ecommerce platforms. If you need multiple users, it isn’t a great choice since all users in excess of the one included with each plan are $10 per month. We compare QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks to help you decide which program fits your needs. Lendio Accounting: Best Free Alternative To QuickBooks (formerly Sunrise) offers users free accounting software and a paid plan for $19.99 per month. In the free tier, a single user can access most features of Lendio Accounting, making it ideal for freelancers and solopreneurs. Lendio Accounting Standout Features Free accounting: It’s rare for accounting software to offer a free plan that contains almost all of the features of the paid subscription. A/R management: You can manage invoices using statuses or filter them according to customer. AR management is Lendio’s biggest strength, making it easy to manage invoices and send reminders to clients. Unlimited bank accounts: You can add multiple bank accounts and credit cards used in your business. These connections can simplify and speed up the recording of expenses and deposits. Sales tax tracking: Lendio Accounting offers a convenient way to track sales tax. Although Lendio doesn’t have an in-app feature for paying and filing taxes, it does add sale tax items to invoices and accumulates taxes collected in liability accounts. Lendio Accounting is our best free QuickBooks alternative as it offers a no-cost basic plan for businesses wanting free accounting software. With a free subscription, you get most features you need for freelance or small business accounting. However, you’ll need to upgrade to Plus if you need multiple users or manage multiple companies. Quicken: Best QuickBooks Alternative for Individuals With Rental Property allows you to manage and track tenants with its Home & Business edition, which isn’t possible with QuickBooks Online. Unlike double-entry bookkeeping software, Quicken keeps things simple by focusing on only your income and expenses instead of tracking assets and liabilities. It can also be used to track your personal finances, including your retirement accounts, which provides a lot of value beyond simply accounting for rental income. Quicken Standout Features Tenant management: Track tenants’ details like personal information, rent collection, and lease terms. Rental dashboard: Monitor the status of your properties, occupants, and rents in one place. Market value tracker: Analyze your portfolio of mutual funds using its integrated Morningstar’s X-Ray tool (Windows only). PayPal payment: Collect rental payments easily by adding a PayPal payment link to your email. Individuals needing to track income and expenses for a personally-owned rental property might prefer Quicken over QuickBooks Online. It can help you manage your rental activity by creating invoices, accepting online payments, and managing lease terms, rental rates, and security deposits. However, Quicken cannot produce a balance sheet, so it’s not ideal if your rental activity requires you to file a business return like Form 1120, Form 1120S, or Form 1065. Although it’s specialized software for leasing, it doesn’t have strong accounting features. Check out our Quicken vs QuickBooks guide to see which program fits the bill. Feature Comparison: QuickBooks vs Its Alternatives When evaluating the top QuickBooks alternatives, we place a strong emphasis on three key features that we think are very crucial to those needing a great substitute for QuickBooks Online. The feature comparison tables below will help you determine how other software compares to QuickBooks in terms of mobile app, inventory management, and project accounting. How We Evaluated QuickBooks Alternatives We rated the accounting software products on this list based on their capabilities to be a substitute for QuickBooks. Moreover, we included the insights we gathered from our case study to show you what we think about these solutions based on the case study criteria. Bottom Line dominates the market for small business accounting—but it isn’t always the best answer, and there are many alternatives to QuickBooks to consider. Depending on your budget, required features, and industry, you might find an alternative software that will meet your needs better.

The best invoicing software allows users to create customized invoices quickly and get paid faster through invoice management features. Before investing in specialized invoicing software, consider whether comprehensive small business accounting software, which includes an invoicing function, might be better. Overall, you should determine which platform can best provide you with solutions to your particular problems. Here are our seven picks for the best invoicing software for small businesses: : Best overall invoicing software with sophisticated accounting features : Best invoicing for solopreneurs and freelancers : Best standalone invoicing software : Best free invoicing software : Best invoicing software for Square users : Best invoicing software with basic accounting features : Best invoicing software for professional service firms Best Invoicing Software Compared See fullscreen table × QuickBooks Online: Best Overall Invoicing Software with Sophisticated Accounting Features One reason is our overall best small business accounting software is its exceptional invoicing capability. Unlike any other bookkeeping software we’ve reviewed, it’ll calculate the sales tax rate automatically to apply to your invoice based on the customer address. It then tracks your sales tax collected by jurisdiction and helps you file most required returns. You can try QuickBooks Online for free for 30 days with no credit card required. FreshBooks: Best Invoicing for Solopreneurs & Freelancers While now provides an entire bookkeeping system, it started as a way to produce great-looking, professional invoices. It continues to stress invoicing while adding features like the ability to track hours and assign them to invoices. There’s no credit card required to start a 30-day free trial. Invoicera: Best Standalone Invoicing Software combines accounts receivable (A/R) management (sending invoices) and accounts payable (A/P) management (receiving invoices) in a single dashboard. While not a complete bookkeeping system, it makes cash flow management simple by focusing on two of the most important aspects of your business: collecting cash from your customers and paying your vendors. You can try Invoicera for 15 days without providing a credit card. Zoho Invoice: Best Free Invoicing Software is our choice for a totally free invoicing software, making it suitable for very small businesses, startups, and freelancers who are new to invoicing. Unlike other software on this list, it doesn’t have paid options. Square Invoices: Best Invoicing Software for Square Users Square is a merchant services provider with no monthly fee, making it a great choice if your business processes less than $10,000 per month in credit card transactions or if you’ve been using other Square services. , included in your free Square account, lets you offer multipackage estimates and send contracts with estimates. ZipBooks: Best Invoicing Software With Basic Accounting Features provides a template that you can tweak with your logo before entering your sales information. While not as customizable as some other software, the invoices look nice and provide a good first impression to your customers. The free subscription is all you need to create, send, and track invoices for an unlimited number of customers. TimeTracker: Best Invoicing Software for Professional Service Firms by eBillity offers lawyers, accountants, engineers, and other professional service firms an invoicing option integrated with powerful time tracking features. It makes sense to combine these functions for professional service firms since billable hours are the primary item on your invoices. The platform has a 14-day free trial, no credit card is required. How We Evaluated Invoicing Software Choosing invoicing software requires careful consideration of the features that you need. We considered four categories in evaluating the software listed here. Breakdown Pricing: 15% Customization: 20% Invoicing features: 30% Bookkeeping system integration: 35% Bottom Line With these seven best invoicing software for small businesses, we hope that you’ll be able to choose an invoicing software that matches your business needs. We have presented free and paid options with varying features. To make a decision, we recommend that you consider your business’s invoicing and information needs and possible integration with existing software or migration from legacy systems.

When hiring a virtual bookkeeping service for your business, you have to understand which accounting tasks you want to outsource now and which services you might need when your business scales. Most importantly, you have to shop around and evaluate your options based on different factors, such as a bookkeeper’s fees, the accounting software they use, and how they will communicate with you to work on your books. Step 1: Determine Which Services You Currently Need First, think about how much work you want to do yourself and what can be outsourced easily based on your situation. For instance, if you’re a freelancer or sole proprietor, you might need to outsource tax filing and catch-up bookkeeping to a company like or check out our guide to the best online bookkeeping services for freelancers. If you’re a medium-sized or large company needing to outsource payroll, you might consider . Step 2: Decide Which Services You Might Need in the Future As your business grows, so will its needs, and you don’t want to have to change your bookkeeper when you scale. That’s why it’s important to identify a bookkeeper or a company that can grow with you, such as , which offers full-service bookkeeping at flexible plans based on the size and needs of your business. Services that you may find yourself needing in the future include payroll and human resources (HR) management, tax filing and advisory services, and chief financial officer (CFO) advisory services. Step 3: Evaluate Your Prospective Virtual Bookkeepers Once you understand what you need exactly, it’s time to do your research and talk to your prospective virtual bookkeepers. To narrow your options down, you must consider important factors, including the following: Meetings: Some online bookkeepers allow you to schedule meetings on a monthly basis, while others allow you to schedule as often as necessary. Communication can be as simple as a phone call or as elaborate as a one-way video conference with the ability to screen-share your documents. Dedicated bookkeeper: Decide whether it’s important to have a dedicated bookkeeper―so that you can always talk to the same person. Software: Know which accounting software your prospective bookkeeper uses. Review the most popular small business accounting software to see which program suits your needs. Online portal: Ask your prospective bookkeeper if they use an online portal. It can be a valuable way to communicate with them, see their ongoing task list, schedule future appointments, and share private documents. Price: Some virtual bookkeepers offer the option of paying for services on an as-needed basis, whereas others let you customize your services by paying an additional hourly rate. We have compiled the best online bookkeeping services to help you decide which fits your needs. Step 4: Preview Your Top Choice, Then Hire Once you have selected your top choice, you should preview the fit for your business with either a free trial or demonstration. Some virtual bookkeeping services provide a short-term contract, which allows you to change your mind without losing a large financial investment. Once you sign up, you’ll begin the onboarding process. You may be required to provide your bank account statements or software file to set up your account, but if you have elected to have a dedicated bookkeeper, then they should be able to assist with that. How Can a Virtual Bookkeeper Help Your Business? Virtual bookkeeping services are often less expensive than hiring a local bookkeeper. Because they work online, they tend to be very tech-savvy and can view and adjust your books with very little effort from you. Unlike local bookkeepers who may not take advantage of cloud-based accounting software, a virtual bookkeeper will never ask you to provide them with paper reports, save digital backups for them, and post your own adjusting journal entries. Typical Services Provided by Virtual Bookkeeping Companies Account reconciliation: One of the most common services that virtual bookkeeping companies provide is account reconciliation and the performance of a month-end close, ensuring that your books are accurate. Invoicing customers: Often available as an add-on service, many companies will take on the task of billing your customers for you. Paying bills: Bill pay services are also provided by online bookkeeping services for an additional fee, with the ability to process payments via automated clearing house (ACH) or check. Reports: The complexity of financial reports provided varies, from a basic profit and loss (P&L) statement to reports that are customized for your industry. Tax management: Many online bookkeeping firms also provide tax services, including tax preparation, filing, and advice. CFO advisory services: Growing startups and other venture-backed companies may be interested in solutions such as CFO advisory or controller services. Be sure to check out our top-recommended online bookkeeping services to find the provider that fits the bill. Virtual Bookkeepers vs Traditional Local Bookkeepers Of course, not all local bookkeepers are strictly traditional, and many will likely use some of the modern tools of the virtual bookkeeper, such as Zoom meetings and cloud-based accounting software. Bottom Line You need to determine exactly what bookkeeping assistance you need, now and in the future, before shopping for an online bookkeeping service. Once you’ve compiled a list of bookkeepers that meet your needs, you should consider other factors, such as the service’s price and the type of communication available.