5 Best Accounting Software for Mac

QuickBooks Online, our best small business accounting software, seamlessly operates on Macs and includes an iOS app for on-the-go tasks. It offers essential features like invoicing, banking, bill and inventory management, and reporting on both Mac and Windows.

Each QuickBooks Online subscription comes with a free 30-day trial to QuickBooks Live? Expert Assisted, where you can get help setting up your QuickBooks and learn the basics of bookkeeping. It also has a huge network of local bookkeepers. You can easily find a QuickBooks ProAdvisor if you need professional bookkeeping support, since QuickBooks Online is popular in the US.

Standout features

• Class and location activity tracking: See which office or warehouse is the most profitable if you have multiple offices or buildings.
• Easy account imports: Get automatically matched imported transactions to pre-existing transactions; however, you can also manually import transactions from your bank accounts for reconciliation.
• Smooth mobile app: Do most accounting tasks like invoicing, receipt capture, and mileage tracking. However, it isn’t as robust as Zoho Books’ mobile app, which is one of the best I’ve seen.
• Work with a QuickBooks ProAdvisor: Get a one-on-one meeting with a QuickBooks ProAdvisor to help set up your company file at no additional charge. They will help with customizing the software to meet your specific business needs and provide guidance on best practices for using QuickBooks Online.
• Mac-optimized browser experience: Enjoy a platform that runs smoothly on all major browsers supported by macOS, including Safari and Chrome.

Use cases

• Businesses with complex accounting tasks: If you often deal with advanced workflows — such as customizing the chart of accounts, generating advanced reports, job costing, and integration — you can seek out independent QuickBooks ProAdvisors who are equipped to handle such tasks.
• Small and midsize businesses needing complete A/P and A/R management features: QuickBooks Online features an excellent A/R and A/P system that fits small business needs perfectly. You can manage invoices, convert expenses into bills, add billable items to customer invoices, and record payments.
• Real estate business owners with multiple buildings: The ability to track income and expenses by class and location makes QuickBooks Online our overall best real estate accounting software.
• Freelancers: If you’re working on a Mac, you can use the iOS or Android mobile app to send invoices, accept payments, track mileage, and more.

QuickBooks Online stands out in most areas, especially with its accounting features like banking, A/P and A/R management, reporting, and integrations. From what I’ve observed, its strong network of QuickBooks ProAdvisors is a huge plus for support. That said, I’d point out that you can’t directly call customer support unless you’re subscribed to the Advanced plan, which could be frustrating.

While the pricing for QuickBooks Online is reasonable, it’s slightly higher than Zoho Books and Xero, which offer similar features. Company setup is somewhat lengthy, but a free 30-day trial of QuickBooks Live Expert Assisted is now included with all plans to aid setup.

Wave offers a great free plan, Starter, for accounting and invoicing. I like that it allows you to create and send unlimited invoices while offering a comprehensive set of accounting features. This is what makes it our top-recommended free accounting software. It provides tools usually found in paid solutions, including invoicing, expense tracking, bill payment, and financial reporting.

While I love the free tier, the $16 upgrade to Pro is worth it for most companies. You’ll get unlimited bank feeds, live customer support, free receipt scanning, unlimited users, and more.

Standout features

• Ease of setup: Easily add your business information, such as company name, address, and contact details.
• Convenient invoicing: Create recurring invoices, collect and track sales tax by jurisdictions, and accept short payments from customers.
• Unlimited seats: Enjoy unlimited users in the Pro plan; share your books as needed, including with a tax pro during tax season.
• Built-in receipt scanning via mobile app: Scan receipts with your iPhone, extracting and uploading expense data directly to Wave for easy on-the-go tracking; this integration aligns with the Mac ecosystem’s focus on streamlined workflows.

Use cases

• Freelancers and very small businesses on a tight budget: You can save money by sending invoices and tracking income and expenses for free using Wave Starter. No matter how often you use it and how many invoices you send, you don’t pay anything.
• Businesses needing simple and expense tracking: You can track income and expenses. While you can’t connect your bank accounts in the free plan, you have the option to upload transactions from a bank statement manually.
• Solopreneurs testing a business idea: If you have a side business like creative work, online sales, or consulting, Wave offers a free, low-risk way to manage finances with user-friendly invoicing and expense tracking. This makes it ideal for organizing and validating a business model with simple tools.

Wave excels in value since it is free and scores pretty high for basic accounting functions. While it performs well in A/R and tax management, it lacks key tools like inventory management and project accounting. It can only make estimates, which is just one of our eight criteria in project accounting.

Wave is easy to use, but its usability took a hit in my assessment because some functions are non-intuitive even for bookkeepers familiar with the program. Customer service is also a weak point, as live chat is unavailable without upgrading or purchasing an add on. The mobile app is also limited to sending invoices and processing online payments, lacking other essential accounting tasks.

Barring a few abstract features, Wave is simple and easy to use, but it might not be a good fit if you need complex accounting features. My best recommendation is Xero if you need inventory and projecting accounting. If you need just project accounting alone, FreshBooks might be your best bet.

I recommend FreshBooks, cloud-based accounting software, if you have a service-based business or are a freelancer using Macs. Its key strengths lie in project accounting, particularly its built-in time tracking for easy hour monitoring and direct invoice generation. A notable feature is its ability to compare estimated versus actual project costs, a functionality limited to QuickBooks Online Advanced’s most expensive plan.

Standout features

• Project accounting: Manage project timelines, create estimates and convert them to invoices once approved, compare estimated and actual costs, and collaborate with your crew.
• Invoicing: Enjoy unlimited invoicing capabilities, personalize invoices by adding a logo and a personal message below the invoice, and automate late fee calculations. If you invoice clients monthly, you can set up recurring invoices to save time. Those capabilities make FreshBooks our leading invoicing software for freelancers and solopreneurs.
• Excellent customer support: Get email and phone support, which includes making a call directly to a support agent, something that is not often possible with other accounting software providers.

Use cases

• Project managers: You can compare budgeted costs with actual expenses, track billable time, and chat with your team members.
• Service-based freelancers: If you’re a freelancer who bills clients by the hour or per project, you can benefit from FreshBooks’ excellent time and project tracking features.
• Nonaccountant users: The solution is made especially for individuals without bookkeeping or accounting experience, so it’s easy to use. If you don’t want to do the bookkeeping yourself, you can invite an accountant who uses FreshBooks to do it for you.

FreshBooks excels in project accounting, A/R management, and integrations. I couldn’t award a higher value rating due to single-user plans with an $11 monthly fee for extra seats. Inventory tracking is also limited and doesn’t contain popular COGS features.

FreshBooks offers direct phone support but lacks live chat and active online communities, impacting usability. Finding bookkeeping support can be difficult due to a limited number of familiar bookkeepers. Those limitations make the platform less suitable for wider business needs.

QuickBooks Online and Xero are strong alternatives to FreshBooks, particularly for inventory tracking. Both offer established support networks through QuickBooks ProAdvisors and Xero Advisors.

One of my favorite Xero features is that it allows for unlimited seats across all subscription tiers. This makes it a strong option if you have a small to midsize business that requires more than the five users permitted in QuickBooks Online Plus. Limitless users means seamless collaboration among team members, accountants, and other stakeholders without that interaction incurring extra charges.

While the platform doesn’t have Mac-specific accounting tools, as a cloud-based solution, all its features and apps run smoothly on Apple devices. Mac users can access invoicing, bill payment, project management, expense tracking, and financial reporting.

Standout features

• Inventory management: Monitor inventory items and values, adjust inventory counts, and calculate the COGS automatically.
• Fixed asset management: Track fixed asset records and automatically calculate depreciation expenses with Xero’s fixed asset manager.
• Access to Xero Advisors: Get bookkeeping support from a Xero Advisor, an experienced Xero-certified accountant who is knowledgeable about using the program. However, the Xero Advisor network doesn’t rival the expansive network of QuickBooks ProAdvisors.

Use cases

• Companies with multiple accounting users: Set up as many users as needed without any additional fee. In contrast with other software, you will need to pay a fee for each seat; for instance, with FreshBooks, each additional user costs $11 a month.
• Businesses looking for a QuickBooks alternative: Xero offers many of the same features you’ll find in QuickBooks, including income and expense tracking, project management, and inventory tracking. However, unlike QuickBooks, it is more affordable and even comes with unlimited seats.
• Ecommerce businesses: Xero’s ability to calculate COGS and track customer payments and orders makes it a great option if you have an ecommerce business.

Xero is strong in core accounting like inventory and reporting. However, I find its usability and mobile app lacking. Bookkeeping support isn’t widely available in the US, so I recommend QuickBooks if you seek a bookkeeper, as it has a better network.

Additionally, key features like expense claims are only in Xero’s pricier plan. This might not suit budget-conscious business owners. Customer support is also limited to chatbot and email, and there are no live options like phone support.

Xero’s mobile app is also quite limited, lacking features like receipt capture and reporting. I suggest Zoho Books if you’re frequently on the go, as it offers a much better mobile experience.

Zoho Books is one of the best accounting software for Mac due to its excellent mobile app for Android and iOS users. It handles invoicing and payments, plus unpaid bills, bill payments, and time entries, which QuickBooks’ mobile app lacks.

Zoho Books stands out with integrated Mac-specific features like Live Text, Quick Notes, and lock screen widgets. Those tools enhance convenience and functionality. For instance, a construction business can use WeatherKit to check site conditions before sending workers.

Standout features

• Live Text: Copy details straight from web pages or documents by simply taking a photo of it.
• Lock screen widgets: Easily access apps and key stats directly from your Lock Screen.
• Quick Notes: Add notes from your smartphone and revisit them later, edit two-factor authentication (2FA) accounts, and more.
• Customer support: Call Zoho Books directly or even ask them to call you by phone. There’s also a chatbot for immediate assistance and a live chat person for personalized support; otherwise, you can email them or read self-help information on the Help & Support page.
• Online inventory tracking and integration: Integrate Zoho Books with Zoho Inventory to track purchase orders, goods on hand, and shipments; Zoho Books has an excellent inventory system comparable to QuickBooks Online.

Use cases

• Freelancers and business owners often working out of the office: Zoho Books’ mobile app, which leads our roundup of the best mobile accounting apps, is a great way to stay on top of your accounting tasks no matter where you work and whatever device you use.
• Users of other Zoho products: Zoho Books integrates with other Zoho solutions, like Zoho Inventory and Zoho Commerce.
• Businesses needing robust inventory and pricing management features: Use Zoho Books to track inventory items, adjust quantity and cost, categorize items based on product details, and customize prices for selected customers.

Zoho Books performed exceptionally well across several key areas of my evaluation, including general and project accounting, A/R, reporting, and its mobile application. Its performance in A/P management and banking was also notable.

However, the Professional plan’s pricing has a limitation: it accommodates only five users. Expanding beyond this requires an extra $3 monthly fee per additional user, which could become costly for larger teams.

Customer support is another area where it could improve. Unlike QuickBooks Online, it doesn’t have a large network of certified advisors, which makes it hard to find professional bookkeepers familiar with the platform. On the upside, Zoho Books provides direct phone support to subscribers of paid plans, which I find more convenient than QuickBooks, where you have to wait for a callback.