There’s a wide range of accounting software designed specifically for the agriculture industry. We look at a mix of online and desktop accounting software created specifically for farming and ranching, as well as the top general accounting packages, to find the best software for your farm. While QuickBooks is often an excellent choice for farmers and ranchers, there are other farm-specific accounting software that deserve serious consideration:
- QuickBooks Online: Best overall accounting software for farmers and ranchers (3.91 out of 5 points)
- FarmBooks: Best for farmers looking for the most affordable farm-specific software (3.64 out of 5 points)
- EasyFarm: Best for self-employed farmers without bookkeeping knowledge to keep their own books (3.29 out of 5 points)
- CenterPoint Accounting for Agriculture: Best farm-specific accounting software for use by internal finance and accounting pros (3.38 out of 5 points)
- QuickBooks Desktop: Best desktop software for farmers working with an independent bookkeeper or tax preparer (3.34 out of 5 points)
- The Farmer’s Office: Best software for detailed cost accounting by farmers and ranchers (3.23 out of 5)
- Wave: Best free accounting software for farmers to track income and expenses (2.48 points out of 5)
How We Evaluated Farm Accounting Software
We evaluated farm accounting software based on their price and ability to track cash sales, manage unpaid invoices, and perform general bookkeeping functions. More importantly, we considered a software’s ability to handle farm-specific accounting tasks like creating cost centers to track profit and loss by specific farm unit, managing inventory items like feed and grain, and creating payroll reports for farm employees. We also focused on a software’s ease of use, available support, and integration options. Our evaluation boils down to five factors: pricing, ease of use, general features, farm features, and expert evaluation.
20% of Overall Score
Some expensive software come with minimal features while others with low prices have exceptional support and services. We consider not only the initial pricing but also additional costs, such as maintenance fees, add-ons, and prices for additional users.
20% of Overall Score
Ease of use is an essential factor since most farmers don’t have bookkeeping experience. The best accounting software is easy to set up and use even without the aid of a professional bookkeeper.
20% of Overall Score
Industry-specific accounting software should also include important general bookkeeping functionality, such as the ability to track assets and liabilities, manage unpaid bills, and accept online payments.
20% of Overall Score
Farm features is 20% as it is equally important to general accounting features. Farm-specific features include cost centers or enterprises to track profit and loss by herd, field, or other activity, agriculture inventory management, and fixed-asset accounting.
20% of Overall Score
Our Expert Evaluation is a subjective evaluation based on the cost, technical specs, performance, functionalities, ease of use, and the support offered by the provider.
QuickBooks Online
PROS
- Connect to bank and credit card accounts
- Use class and location tracking to create cost centers or enterprises for detailed income and expense tracking
- Powerful mobile app
- Best general accounting features in the small business accounting market
CONS
- No farm management features
- Each farm requires a separate subscription
- Payroll requires an additional fee
- Cost is not ideal for budget-minded small farmers
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.18 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| General Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Farm Features | 1.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Analysis | 4.88 | OUT OF | 5 |
Our Expert Opinion
QuickBooks Online is our choice for best overall accounting software for farmers because it has outstanding general accounting features that can be customized easily for farm operations. While it doesn’t come tailored for farms out of the box, it’s easy to set up classes and locations to track income and expense by your cost centers and enterprises. You can get even more detailed by using the project tracking to track small parts of an enterprise like particular breeding stock or fields. A large network of QuickBooks Online ProAdvisors will make it very easy to find help setting up your books, plus you can share your books with your accountant to make tax time extremely simple. Many busy farmers who need to manage and track their books on the go are happy with its powerful mobile application. QuickBooks Online is flexible enough that it can be customized to nearly any business, making it our top pick among all best accounting software for small businesses.
QuickBooks Online Pricing
- Simple Start: $25 per month for a single user
- Essentials: $50 per month for three users
- Plus: $80 per month for five users
- Advanced: $180 per month for 25 users
The plans differ in terms of the availability of advanced features, such as income and expense tracking by class and location, inventory tracking, and budget management, as well as the number of reports available. For a detailed comparison of plans, read our QuickBooks Online Comparison.
You can add payroll to any plan for $45 per month plus $4 per additional employee.
QuickBooks currently offers a 50% discount for the first three months or a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.
FarmBooks
PROS
- Account for personal and farm expenses paid from the same bank account
- Easy to use even for nonbookkeepers
- Customized chart of accounts and reports
- Includes free payroll processing
CONS
- Each farm requires an additional fee
- Cannot connect bank accounts
- No mobile application
- Difficult to share books with an accountant or tax pro
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3.82 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 2.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| General Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Farm Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Analysis | 3.13 | OUT OF | 5 |
Our Expert Opinion
If you need full-featured farm accounting software, but you’re on a tight budget, FarmBooks is your best option. The program is designed particularly for farmers and ranch managers who have no bookkeeping experience. For less than $400, you get all the must-have features that you need to manage both farm and nonfarm transactions. It has a specially designed chart of accounts and customized reports for farmers so you can get started easily―even without a background in accounting. The main drawback of FarmBooks is that each farm requires an additional fee, so it might not be the best choice for farmers with multiple farm locations. Despite this weakness, FarmBooks is still our most affordable farm accounting software for the agriculture industry.
FarmBooks Pricing
- $395 for a single farm, plus an $85 annual maintenance fee
You can sign up for a free trial before buying.
EasyFarm
PROS
- Great features yet easy to use
- Supports crop and livestock management
- Unique input screens make data entry easier
- Can manage both farm and personal funds
CONS
- A bit expensive compared to similar programs
- Cannot send and track invoices without the accounts receivable add-on
- Limited mobile app functionality
- No automatic bank feeds
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3.83 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| General Features | 3.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Farm Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Analysis | 1.63 | OUT OF | 5 |
Our Expert Opinion
EasyFarm is great for farmers who tend to mix their farm and personal funds in the same account. EasyFarm has made a spot on our list because it is easy to use, and it comes replete with all the necessary features that farmers need to manage their books. On top of its extensive farm accounting functionality, it also includes farm management capabilities, including crop and livestock management. The program highlights its unique one-entry method for easy data entry, a real bonus for farmers who don’t have bookkeeping experience. EasyFarm is not the most affordable farm accounting software, but it will bring good value to your farm business.
EasyFarm Pricing
- EasyFarm 8.3 Lite: $509
- EasyFarm 8.3 Plus: $595
- EasyFarm Pro Livestock: $800
- EasyFarm Pro Crops: $800
- EasyFarm Premier: $1,100
Higher-cost plans include advanced features, such as crop and field record management and a livestock manager.
Add-on modules:
- Co-op Inventory Management Software: $159
- Accounts Receivable (A/R): $169
- Oil Sales & Royalty Payment Distribution: $229
- EasyFarmHand Mobile App: $339
- Crop and Field Manager: $595
CenterPoint Accounting for Agriculture
PROS
- Can be installed on-premise or cloud-based
- Powerful budgeting and forecasting capabilities
- Includes a crop production analysis tool
- Includes a ratio module for a more comprehensive analysis
CONS
- No upfront pricing
- Requires bookkeeping experience
- No mobile accounting application
- Limited A/R in the standard subscription
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 3.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| General Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Farm Features | 2.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Analysis | 3.13 | OUT OF | 5 |
Our Expert Opinion
CenterPoint Accounting for Agriculture, by Red Wing Software, is ideal if you are working with an in-house accounting, finance, or tax professional. It has a strong set of financial management and automation features as well as powerful budgeting and forecasting capabilities, making it a terrific choice for multi-site and multi-crop operations. It also comes with production analysis and ratio analysis tools, which are extremely helpful to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your farm operations. These features are not present in most other accounting software. The software can be installed on-premise or cloud-based. On the downside, CenterPoint Accounting for Ag doesn’t disclose its pricing information, so it might be expensive, especially for small farmers. Nonetheless, it’s a versatile software and can be a great help for agricultural firms wanting to scale up their business.
CenterPoint Accounting for Agriculture Pricing
For pricing information, you must contact Red Wing Software. You can sign up for a free personal demo before buying.
QuickBooks Desktop
PROS
- Industry-leading accounting features
- Large network of QuickBooks ProAdvisors
- Can be customized to your farm requirements
- Robust reporting capability
CONS
- Can be cumbersome to use
- Desktop program requires installation
- Payroll requires an additional fee
- No mobile application
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3.58 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 2.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| General Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Farm Features | 1.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Analysis | 4.88 | OUT OF | 5 |
Our Expert Opinion
QuickBooks Desktop is affordable yet comprehensive accounting software that can be customized to any business requirements, including farm operations. The QuickBooks Desktop Pro edition is usually sufficient for farmers, but those who need forecasting or advanced job costing should upgrade to QuickBooks Premier. As an on-premise software, QuickBooks Desktop is great for farmers with no or a slow internet connection. It’s easy to share your books with an external accountant or certified public accountant (CPA) at tax time by creating an Accountant’s Copy that will allow them to make changes to your books.
QuickBooks Desktop Pricing
- Pro (One-time Purchase): $399
- Pro Plus (Subscription): Starts at $299.99 for a single user
- Premier (One-time Purchase): $649
- Premier Plus (Subscription): Starts at $499.99 for a single user
If your farm has more than five users, you can upgrade to Enterprise 2.0 for $1,275. QuickBooks Enterprise supports up to 30 concurrent users.
QuickBooks currently offers a 33% discount for the first year of a subscription plus a 60-day money-back guarantee.
The Farmer’s Office
PROS
- Includes an A/R module for sending and tracking invoices
- Tracks income and expenses by cost centers
- Chemical inventory and pesticide application reporting system
- Includes payroll for agriculture
CONS
- Desktop software requires installation
- No upfront pricing
- Requires bookkeeping knowledge
- Can’t import bank account transactions
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 3 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 2.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| General Features | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Farm Features | 3 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Analysis | 3.13 | OUT OF | 5 |
Our Expert Opinion
The Farmer’s Office, by Datatech, comes with enhanced cost accounting features, which are extremely important for farm planning and decision-making. These features include crop budgeting, equipment costing, crop-year tracking, and consolidated reporting. Using cost centers or enterprises, The Farmer’s Office tracks your income and expenses based on specific elements of your farm like fields and herds. It also includes chemical inventory and pesticide application reporting systems, which help farmers avoid the overapplication of pesticides and chemicals. Farm managers can use the customized payroll features to manage their farm employees’ salaries and deductions better.
The Farmer’s Office Pricing
The Farmer’s Office is available in Standard and Enterprise editions. You need to contact the vendor for pricing information or request a free evaluation copy before buying.
Wave
PROS
- Free
- Easy to use
- Can be accessed from anywhere
- Automatically import banking activity
CONS
- No farm management features
- Bank reconciliations do not allow for outstanding checks
- Not a good fit for larger farms
- Chart of accounts is not customized to farming
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| General Features | 3.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Farm Features | 0.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Analysis | 2.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
Our Expert Opinion
If you are a small farmer and can’t afford accounting software, Wave will help you with the essential tasks of tracking income and expenses for your tax return. It has no farm-specific features and can only track income and expense in total, not by field or herd. It is free and easy to use, and it supports unlimited bank account and credit card connections. Other helpful features include accounts payable (A/P), receipt scanning, and contact management. The features are limited but sufficient enough to gather tax return information.
Wave Pricing
- Free forever
Bottom Line
We believe QuickBooks Online is the best overall accounting software for farmers and ranchers because it has outstanding accounting features and flexibility, a reasonable cost, is easy to use, and has abundant support through both QuickBooks and independent ProAdvisors. We particularly commend its powerful mobile app and its ability to manage unpaid bills and assign income and costs to enterprises like fields or herds.
