5 Best Mobile Accounting Apps for 2023
Tim is a Certified QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) Pro, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and CPA with 25 years of experience. He brings his expertise to Fit Small Business’s accounting content.
Eric is a staff writer at Fit Small Business and CPA focusing on accounting content. He spends most of his time researching and studying to give the best answer to everyone.
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. We’ve researched apps from many of the top bookkeeping software to help you find the best one for your small business:
- Zoho Books: Best overall mobile accounting app
- QuickBooks Online: Best companion mobile app for QuickBooks Online users
- Sage Accounting: Best bookkeeping app for a large mobile sales force using iOS
- FreshBooks: Best for freelancers and solopreneurs
- Zoho Invoice: Best free mobile invoicing app
Best Mobile Accounting Apps Compared
| Provider |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
$0 to $275 |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Visit Zoho Books | |||||||||||
 |
$30 to $200 |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
| Visit QuickBooks Online | |||||||||||
 |
$10 or $25 |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
| Visit Sage Accounting | |||||||||||
 |
$15 to $55 |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
| Visit FreshBooks | |||||||||||
 |
Free |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
| Visit Zoho Invoice | |||||||||||
Zoho Books: Best Overall Mobile Accounting App
Zoho Books
Overall Score:
5.00 / 5
Pros
- Very affordable
- Excellent mobile app functionality
- Excellent customer support
Cons
- $50,000 revenue limit for the free version
- Limited invoicing for the free and standard plan
- Cannot track fixed assets
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 | ✓ | ✓ |
QuickBooks Online: Best Companion Mobile App for QuickBooks Online Users
QuickBooks Online
Overall Score:
3.50 / 5
Pros
- Can perform most accounting functions
- Can scan receipts and create transactions with extracted data
- Track mileage with GPS
Cons
- Limited users
- Cannot view or pay outstanding bills using the mobile app
- Cannot record hours worked
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 | ✓ | ✓ |
Sage Accounting: Best for a Large Mobile Sales Force Using Apple Devices
Sage Accounting
Overall Score:
3.00 / 5
Pros
- Unlimited users can easily issue invoices
- Very affordable
- Import vendors and customers from phone contacts
Cons
- Android app is poorly rated due to glitches
- Cannot track mileage
- Cannot create transactions from scanned receipts
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 | ✓ | ✕ |
FreshBooks: Best for Freelancers and Solopreneurs
FreshBooks
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
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 | ✓ | ✕ |
Zoho Invoice: Best Free Mobile Invoicing App
Zoho Invoice
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)
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 | ✓ | ✓ |
How We Evaluated Mobile Accounting Apps
In our case study, we created 11 key areas for features that we want to see in small business accounting software. Mobile app functionality is one of the 11 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%)
How To Choose Your Accounting or Bookkeeping App
Most accounting programs don’t allow you to do all of the bookkeeping functions from the 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)
What is the major advantage of using mobile accounting apps?
With mobile accounting apps, you can access accounting information in real time without having to open your laptop or log in via web browser.
What is mobile accounting?
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.
