6 Best Farm Accounting Software Options for 2024

QuickBooks Online is available in four plans, but we recommend Plus for farmers, as it includes class and location tracking, which can be used to track cost centers. Below is a detailed breakdown of the four subscription options:

• Simple Start: $35 per month for a single user
• Essentials: $65 per month for three users
• Plus: $99 per month for five users
• Advanced: $235 per month for 25 users

You can either get 50% off for the first three months or sign up for a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. QuickBooks provides free setup assistance with live ProAdvisors and 50% off for three months for new subscribers.

QuickBooks Online Plus is our overall best farm accounting software because it is customizable to nearly any business type. Its biggest advantage is that businesses and accountants widely use it, so it has a large network of QuickBooks ProAdvisors. This makes it easy for you to seek help if you need professional bookkeeping support and guidance.

While it is not specifically designed as farm software, it offers an advanced feature called class and location tracking, allowing farmers to categorize transactions based on different classes and locations within their business. This makes QuickBooks Online ideal for those managing diversified farms with multiple revenue streams, including crops, livestock, and a farm stand.

Additionally, QuickBooks Online has a direct integration with QuickBooks Payroll, making it ideal for farmers and ranchers with employees. QuickBooks Payroll helps with paying employees, managing tax deductions and withholdings, completing W-2s and 1099s forms, and more. Learn more in our comprehensive review of QuickBooks Payroll.

QuickBooks Online is the only provider in this guide that aced our evaluation of general accounting, which isn’t surprising given that it’s our overall best small business accounting software. It also takes the lead in ease of use, as it has a user-friendly cloud-based interface. With cloud software, farmers get remote access to all relevant data without having to sit at a desk. It’s also easier for you to share your data with your accountant because files can be shared through the cloud.

On the downside, QuickBooks Online Plus lacks specialized farm management tools like crop and livestock management or fixed asset accounting. For fixed asset tracking, you might consider upgrading to QuickBooks Online Advanced or switching to FarmBooks for a more comprehensive farming solution. Additionally, Plus doesn’t support separate tracking for personal and farm finances, something EasyFarm offers.

While reasonably priced for small agricultural businesses, QuickBooks Online may be too expensive for part-time or hobby farmers. For simpler needs, Wave is a more affordable alternative for basic farm income and expense tracking.

FarmBooks charges a one-time fee of $495 for a single farm, plus a $95 annual maintenance fee to receive program updates and fixes. Additionally, you can back up your farm data for as little as $5 per month.

If you wish to see how it works before buying, you can request a free, fully functional demo version that allows you to enter up to 30 transactions.

For a one-time payment of $495, FarmBooks offers all the essential features to manage both farm and nonfarm transactions. Despite its affordable price, it delivers the key functions we expect from farm accounting software.

It includes real-time inventory tracking for crops and livestock, as well as farm and personal income and expense management. However, each additional farm comes with a fee, so it may not be ideal for those managing multiple farms; for this, we recommend Traction Ag, which allows you to manage multiple farms under one subscription, even with its lowest plan.

One standout feature of FarmBooks is its enterprise codes, which enable you to track both farm-related and personal expenses. This feature helps you better understand resource allocation, such as tracking the exact usage of fertilizer on specific crop fields.

FarmBooks is the only farm accounting software on this list to earn a perfect mark for farm-specific features. It also performs well in general accounting, offering key tools like A/P, A/R, and bank reconciliation. However, it lacks some advanced features found in QuickBooks Online, such as recurring invoices and aging reports for A/P and A/R.

One downside is FarmBooks’ unique coding structure, which can make it challenging for those without accounting experience; hence, it took a hit in our evaluation of ease of use. Because of this complexity, it’s better suited for farms with in-house bookkeepers. For those managing their own books, we suggest Wave or QuickBooks Online, depending on your budget and feature needs.

• Basic: $79 per month or $950 per year
• Plus: $159 per month or $1,900 per year
• Pro: $319 per month or $3,800 per year

You can add priority onboarding for a one-time fee of $250.

Traction Ag is the only cloud-based dedicated farm management software on our list. If you use tablets to track farm production across different sites, you can use Traction Ag as the central platform for reporting yields, sales, and costs. And, since it’s cloud-based, you can use it anywhere as long as you’re connected to the internet.

Aside from that, Traction Ag has monthly and annual plans available. We believe that this gives users flexibility, especially those who are still starting in the farming business. With the monthly plan, it’s easy to cancel anytime, i.e., you don’t have to commit to an annual or one-time payment setup.

In our evaluation, Traction Ag scored high in farm features because it offers agriculture-specific features (e.g., field profit per acre or bushel) and advanced farm features (e.g., land agreements for landlords). It can also generate market value balance sheets, which is a great feature for farms because prices of agricultural products change rapidly. Reporting in market values gives farm managers and owners market-based information.

Though this may sound like we’re nitpicking, we just dislike that there’s an added $250 cost for priority onboarding. Also, there’s no option to record partial payments from customers—something that would be a great additional feature, in our opinion. Traction Ag’s scores in other aspects are above average, and we don’t find problems with that.

If you want to focus more on the accounting aspect, we recommend QuickBooks Online, and if you seek strong farm-specific features, pick FarmBooks. However, Traction Ag is the way to go if you prefer the best of both worlds.

Wave offers two subscription options:

• Starter: Free for a single user; includes accounting and invoicing features
• Pro: $16 per month or $170 per year for unlimited users; includes additional features, including bank feed connections, unlimited receipt capture, live chat and email support, and discounted credit card processing fees

Add-ons:

• Bookkeeping support: $149 per month (Starter and Pro)
• Assisted payroll: $40 per month for tax service states and $20 per month for self-service states plus $6 monthly per employee; read our review of Wave Payroll
• Receipt scanning: $8 monthly or $72 annually (free in Pro)

Farmers who can’t afford paid farm accounting software or self-starters looking to manage their farm’s accounting should try Wave’s free plan, Starter. Its accounting and invoicing features are free, and you only pay if you scan receipts, process payments, manage payroll, or need more than one user.

Despite being free, Starter offers some advanced features that you’ll often find in premium software, such as the ability to create and send recurring invoices and set up automated reminders to alert your clients of overdue payments.

Wave stands out in pricing as it has a free plan for accounting and invoicing. However, it works only if you require basic accounting features, like income and expense tracking. If your farm business requires specialized tools, you may upgrade to a paid but affordable alternative like EasyFarm or FarmBooks.

Wave is easy to use—making it a great choice for self-employed and hobby farmers. A possible drawback to the Starter plan is that it has no live customer support, which isn’t surprising given it’s free. If you need access to live chat and email support, you need to purchase an add-on or upgrade to the paid tier. If you seek more extensive customer support options, including phone support, QuickBooks Online and FarmBooks are great alternatives.

EasyFarm is available in seven different editions with one-time fees.

• EasyFarm Lite: $650
• EasyFarm Plus: $750
• EasyFarm Pro Crops: $950
• EasyFarm Pro Livestock: $950
• EasyFarm Premier: $1,250
• EasyFarm Premier Plus: $1,400
• EasyFarm Platinum: $1,450

Add-ons:

• Accounts Receivable: $299
• Co-op Inventory Management Software: $159
• Oil Sales & Royalty: $250
• EasyFarm Hand Mobile App: Price available upon request

EasyFarm is unique software that we believe farmers will find easier to use than standard bookkeeping software. It has a unique user interface that uses farm-specific jargon and preset calculations and reports, making it a great option for unincorporated farmers.

It also has integrated farm management and accounting features, which allow farmers and ranch managers to handle bookkeeping and crop and livestock management tasks. Many self-employed farmers also use EasyFarm to report their farm income and expenses on Form 1040, Schedule F.

EasyFarm is easy to use, and the only reasons it earned a low score for ease of use in our rubric are due to its limited integration options and lack of an assisted bookkeeping service. Another weak point is that it has very few accounting features—it doesn’t let you track unpaid bills, and you have to pay an additional fee to create and send invoices. If you need all three features, it’s best to pick QuickBooks Online.

Meanwhile, EasyFarm earned an above-average score for pricing despite its relatively high upfront one-time fee. The advantage lies in the cost-effectiveness over the long run since you don’t have to pay recurring fees. However, if you can’t afford to pay the one-time fee and prefer a flexible monthly subscription option, consider QuickBooks Online or even a free alternative like Wave.

Prices aren’t publicly disclosed, but The Farmer’s Office is offered in three editions: Small Farm, Standard, and Enterprise. Each license is designed to be used on a single computer. If you wish to install it on another computer in the same office, a secondary site license fee applies, which is 25% of the price of the product.

You can sign up for a 30-day free trial before buying.

The Farmer’s Office by Datatech is next-level farm-specific software compared with EasyFarm and FarmBooks and is best used by professional bookkeepers at larger farms and ranches. It has enhanced cost accounting features that give you deeper insights into your income, expenses, and yields. For instance, you can group expenses by crop year, set up equipment cost centers, and track a different commodity for each crop year, which is helpful if you have open-ground fields.

It even includes chemical inventory and pesticide application reporting systems, which help farmers avoid the overapplication of pesticides and chemicals. Farm managers can also use the customized payroll features to manage their farm employees’ salaries and deductions better.

The Farmer’s Office lacks the ability to separate personal and farm-related expenses, which is understandable given it’s designed for larger operations rather than solo farmers. It excels in general accounting features, allowing you to track unpaid bills and send invoices without extra costs—advantages over EasyFarm.

It took a hit in our evaluation of pricing and ease of use. Pricing details are undisclosed, which may be problematic for farmers with tight budgets. Additionally, its Microsoft-based interface can be challenging for those accustomed to cloud-based solutions, and there’s no live chat support, with phone support requiring an additional fee. If you really want locally installed software, FarmBooks is our best alternative, and for a more user-friendly and cloud-based alternative, check out Traction Ag for its outstanding farm features.