5 Best Mobile Accounting Apps for 2023
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
A mobile accounting app should let its users access, encode, and process accounting data wherever and whenever, regardless of the device used—so you’ll want one that’s easy to use and accessible through different platforms. With this premise, Zoho Books is our best overall mobile accounting app because of its functionality and integration with iOS and Android operating systems.
Here is our complete list of the best mobile accounting app choices:
- Zoho Books: Best overall mobile accounting app
- QuickBooks Online: Best for entering bills and generating reports from within the app
- Sage Accounting: Best for businesses or individuals working onsite
- FreshBooks: Best for freelancers and solopreneurs
- Zoho Invoice: Best free mobile invoicing app
Best Mobile Accounting Apps Compared
PROVIDER |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly Pricing | $0 to $275 | $30 to $200 | $10 or $25 | $17 to $55 | Free |
Enter Bills | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
Assign Expenses to Customers & Projects | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
Track Mileage | Mileage Conversion Only* | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
Categorize Expenses in Bank Feed | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Record Time Worked | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Time Worked to Customer or Project | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
View Reports | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
All the apps above can send invoices, receive payments, and capture receipts.
*Zoho Books uses mileage data taken from Apple Maps and GPS to determine mileage. The app doesn’t have a built-in mileage tracker.
Zoho Books: Best Overall Mobile Accounting App
Overall Score:
5.00 / 5
Pros
- Very affordable
- Excellent mobile app functionality for both iOS and Android devices
- App integration with the Apple Watch
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- $50,000 revenue limit for the free version
- Limited invoicing for the free and standard plan
- Cannot track fixed assets
General Features
- Reconcile bank accounts with or without bank integrations
- View reports in the mobile app
- Multiple customer support channels
- Send recurring invoices regardless of the plan tier
- Customize invoices
- Create estimates and manage project costs
Computer Interface | Mobile App | |
|---|---|---|
Send Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
Receive Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bills | ✓ | ✓ |
Capture or Upload Receipt | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Expenses to Customer or Projects | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bill Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Categorize Expenses in Bank Feed | ✓ | ✓ |
Record Time Worked | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Time Worked to Customer or Project | ✓ | ✓ |
View Reports | ✓ | ✓ |
Zoho Books has multiple plans to choose from, but Premium Pan is our top-recommended.
- Free for businesses with less than $50,000 in annual revenues
- Standard: $20 per organization monthly—good for three users
- Professional: $50 per organization monthly—good for five users
- Premium: $70 per organization monthly—good for 10 users
- Elite: $150 per organization monthly—good for 10 users
- Ultimate: $275 per organization monthly—good for 15 users
Add-ons:
- Additional users: $3 per month
- Advanced autoscans (receipts scanning): $10 for 50 scans per month
- Snail mail credits for sending invoices: $2 per credit
Zoho Books has an outstanding mobile app because it offers simple and advanced features. We believe it is suitable for:
- Freelancers that mostly perform accounting tasks on tablets and smartphones
- Businesses looking for a more capable mobile app than QuickBooks Online’s
- Freelancers with less than $50,000 in annual revenues
QuickBooks Online: Best for Entering Bills & Generating Reports From Within the App
Overall Score:
3.50 / 5
Pros
- Can perform most accounting functions
- Can scan receipts and create transactions with extracted data
- Track mileage directly within the app
Cons
- Limited users
- Cannot view or pay outstanding bills using the mobile app
- Cannot record hours worked
General Features
- Track income and expense using classes and locations
- Reconcile bank accounts with or without bank integration
- Access a vast network of certified public accountant (CPA) with ProAdvisor certifications
- Track sales tax
Compare the features of each plan in our QuickBooks Online comparison guide.
Computer Interface | Mobile App | |
|---|---|---|
Send Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
Receive Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bills | ✓ | ✕ |
Capture or Upload Receipt | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Expenses to Customer or Projects | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bill Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Categorize Expenses in Bank Feed | ✓ | ✓ |
Record Time Worked | ✓ | ✕ |
Assign Time Worked to Customer or Project | ✓ | ✕ |
View Reports | ✓ | ✓ |
The mobile app is free with a subscription to QuickBooks Online. New QuickBooks Online subscribers can choose between 50% off for three months plus free guided setup or a free 30-day trial.
- Simple Start: $30 per month for one user
- Essentials: $60 per month for three users
- Plus: $90 per month for five users
- Advanced: $200 per month for 25 users
Under the free guided setup, a QuickBooks expert will help you set up your QuickBooks Online account, teach you how to navigate and use all of QuickBooks’ features, and help you personalize your experience.
As our best small business accounting software, QuickBooks Online offers a decent mobile app, but it’s not as powerful as Zoho Books. However, we still recommend it for:
- Businesses that don’t need to track billable hours directly from the QuickBooks Online mobile app
- Businesses that prefer to outsource bookkeeping to QuickBooks ProAdvisors
- Existing QuickBooks users looking for a mobile app
- Businesses seeking a business expense tracker app
Sage Accounting: Best for Businesses or Individuals Who Work Onsite
Overall Score:
3.00 / 5
Pros
- Unlimited users can easily issue invoices
- Import contacts from Android and iPhone to the mobile app
- Import vendors and customers from phone contacts
- Monitor inventory stock levels within the app
Cons
- Below average app rating in the Apple App Store
- Cannot track mileage
- Cannot create transactions from scanned receipts
General Features
- Clean user interface
- Enter product and services including taxes and discounts in invoicing
- Assign bills to ledger accounts
- Send quotes and assign costs to projects
Computer Interface | Mobile App | |
|---|---|---|
Send Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
Receive Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bills | ✓ | ✓ |
Capture or Upload Receipt | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Expenses to Customer or Projects | ✓ | ✕ |
Enter Bill Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Categorize Expenses in Bank Feed | ✓ | ✕ |
Record Time Worked | ✓ | ✕ |
Assign Time Worked to Customer or Project | ✓ | ✕ |
View Reports | ✓ | ✕ |
Sage offers two plans for US-based users:
- Sage Accounting Start: $10 per month for one user only
- Sage Accounting: $25 per month for unlimited users
The Sage Accounting plan offers 70% off the Sage Accounting plan for six months. Pay only $7.50 per month for six months and save $105, or you can start a free trial.
Sage Accounting is a QuickBooks alternative because it is affordably priced at $25 for unlimited users. However, both Sage Accounting and QuickBooks Online are on par in terms of mobile app capabilities. Hence, we recommend Sage Accounting for:
- Businesses looking for more affordable accounting software with a mobile app
- Businesses that don’t need to manage inventory and track cost of goods sold (COGS)
- Businesses that need simple invoicing and billing
FreshBooks: Best for Freelancers and Solopreneurs
Overall Score:
3.25 / 5
Pros
- Easy to use
- Affordable for single users only
- Excellent customer service
Cons
- No inventory and COGS features
- Can’t assign expenses to projects
- Requires bank integration to assign transactions to multiple payment accounts
General Features
- User-friendly interface for users without accounting or bookkeeping experience
- Excellent invoicing features with professional invoice templates
- Project accounting features that can track and assign costs
Computer Interface | Mobile App | |
|---|---|---|
Send Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
Receive Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bills | ✓ | ✓ |
Capture or Upload Receipt | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Expenses to Customer or Projects | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bill Payments | ✓ | ✕ |
Categorize Expenses in Bank Feed | ✓ | ✕ |
Record Time Worked | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Time Worked to Customer or Project | ✓ | ✓ |
View Reports | ✓ | ✕ |
All plans are good for one user only:
- Lite: $17 per month
- Plus: $30 per month
- Premium: $55 per month
You can add additional users at $11 per month.
FreshBooks’ mobile app is suitable for:
- Freelancers and solopreneurs providing services to clients
- Individuals looking for an easy-to-use accounting software
- Businesses without inventory
Zoho Invoice: Best Free Mobile Invoicing App
Pros
- Track time and assign to customers
- Track expenses and add to invoices
- Customize and send invoices
Cons
- Must purchase Zoho Books for accounting functions other than invoicing
- Not a full bookkeeping system
- Cannot process incoming invoices (or bills from suppliers)
General Features
- Track invoices from clients or projects
- Track billable hours using the app
- Send invoices to clients
- Invoice statuses for faster invoice tracking or filtering
Zoho Invoice has no score because it is not a complete bookkeeping system. However, we believe that Zoho Invoice is a good mobile accounting app for invoicing customers.
Computer Interface | Mobile App | |
|---|---|---|
Send Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
Receive Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Enter Bills | ✕ | ✕ |
Capture or Upload Receipt | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Expenses to Customer or Projects | ✕ | ✕ |
Enter Bill Payments | ✕ | ✕ |
Categorize Expenses in Bank Feed | ✕ | ✕ |
Record Time Worked | ✓ | ✓ |
Assign Time Worked to Customer or Project | ✓ | ✓ |
View Reports | ✓ | ✓ |
Zoho Invoice is free forever—access all of Zoho Invoice’s features with no hidden fees or advertisements.
Zoho Invoice is a free invoicing software with a capable mobile app for invoicing. Since it is limited to invoicing only, Zoho Invoice is suitable for:
- Freelancers who need to invoice clients for billable hours
- Businesses looking for a free invoicing software
- Existing Zoho users for harmony with other Zoho products
In our case study, we created 13 key areas for features that we want to see in small business accounting software. Mobile app functionality is one of the 13 key areas, and we used the scores of the mobile app section for this article.
Here are the criteria we used in evaluating mobile app functionality:
- Sending invoices to customers (15%)
- Receiving payments from customers (10%)
- Entering bills from vendors and suppliers (15%)
- Capturing or scanning receipts (10%)
- Assigning expenses to customers and projects (5%)
- Entering bill payments (10%)
- Categorizing expenses in bank feed (10%)
- Recording time worked (10%)
- Assigning time worked to customer or project (5%)
- Viewing reports (10%)
Most accounting programs don’t allow you to do all of the bookkeeping functions from a mobile app. Things like bank reconciliations and general journal entries are done infrequently and are much easier on a bigger screen. However, when choosing your app, think about the things you do daily that the app should allow.
A good mobile accounting app should let you:
- Issue invoices: You should be able to generate and email invoices to customers quickly.
- Receive payments: You can record payments received from customers and apply them against outstanding invoices.
- Pay bills: Inputting bills received may be easier on your PC, but you should be able to pay the bills through the mobile app.
- Scan receipts: Many apps will allow you to scan receipts and then extract the data to create new accounting transactions. For more information, check out our guide to the best receipt scanner apps.
- Categorize transactions: Good bookkeeping programs will transfer transactions automatically from your checking account. The mobile app should allow you to categorize these transactions.
- View reports: A good app will allow you to view financial reports without the need to print them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
With mobile accounting apps, you can access accounting information in real time without having to open your laptop or log in via web browser.
Mobile accounting is the process of performing accounting tasks through a smartphone or tablet. Through mobile bookkeeping apps, you can input accounting data into the system and generate reports when needed without having to use the web-based or desktop application.
Bottom Line
We’ve provided a list of the best mobile accounting apps to help your small business succeed. Before choosing your bookkeeping software, consider which functions you’ll want to perform directly from the app, like invoicing. If you want to do most accounting functions on the go, Zoho Books may be your best choice.
