Like flossing your teeth or cleaning behind the toilet, managing your business's bookkeeping is one of those tasks you probably don't love — but neglecting it isn't an option.
One way to take (some) of the pain out of accounting? Get the right bookkeeping software. Zoho Books makes a strong case for itself with its affordability and expansive features. But to make the most of the platform, you need to have a clear idea of your business needs — otherwise, you risk getting overwhelmed by all the services at your disposal. Read on for more details to help you decide if Zoho Books is right for your business.
How does Zoho Books work?
Zoho Books
Cost
$0/month for Free plan; $15/month for Standard plan; $40/month for Professional plan; $60/month for Premium plan; $120/month for Elite plan; $240/month for Ultimate plan. (Price based on annual subscription, discounts may apply)
Standout features
Journal templates, custom reports, cash-flow forecasting, tools to manage budgets, rack inventory and record multi-currency transactions.
Links to accounts
Yes, bank accounts and credit cards
Availability
Accessible from any web browser and downloadable for iOS and Android
Pros
- Cost-effective plans with 14-day free trial
- "Forever free" plan for businesses earning under $50,000 annually
- Native integration with the Zoho ecosystem
- Real-time dashboard for accurate look at P&R, cash flow, income, expenses and more
Cons
- Can be a steep learning curve for beginners
- Fewer integrations with third-party platforms
- Chat and phone support only available with paid subscriptions
Zoho Books offers a 14-day free trial so you can get a feel for the platform's tools and figure out which features will be most useful to your business.
After the free trial ends, you'll have to select a pricing plan (Zoho Books offers five plans to choose from). Once business owners complete the signup process, they can connect their bank accounts and credit cards to the platform.
Zoho Books pricing and features
Business owners can choose from Zoho Books' Standard, Professional, Premium, Elite and Ultimate plans. There's also a Free plan option, which is ideal for when you just have one person who needs account access.
Zoho Books Pricing Plans
| Plan | Cost | Features |
| Free | $0 | - Single user access - Send quotes and send 1,000 invoices a year - Send recurring and customizable invoices, upload sales receipts - Send payment reminders, payment links, multi-lingual invoicing and accept online payments |
| Standard | $15 | Everything in the Free plan plus: - Offers access for up to 3 users - Send 5,000 invoices a year - Retention payments and progress invoicing - Ability to remove Zoho Books branding from invoices |
| Professional | $40 | Everything in Standard plan plus: - Offers access for up to 5 users - Send 10,000 invoices a year - Multi-currency invoicing and automatic exchange rates - Ability to send retainer invoices |
| Premium | $60 | Everything in Professional plan plus: - Offers access for up to 10 users - Send 25,000 invoices a year - Multi-transaction number series |
| Elite | $120 | Everything in Premium plan plus: - Offers access for up to 10 users - Send 100,000 invoices a year - Multi-currency transactions for each vendor and customer |
| Ultimate | $240 | Everything in Elite plan plus: - Offers access for up to 15 users - Send 100,000 invoices a year - Revenue recognition features |
Features in a nutshell
Like most accounting software on the market, Zoho Books lets you send invoices, accept online payments and track bills and expenses. It also offers features that allow you to add multiple users (depending on your plan), manage vendors and link multiple credit cards and bank accounts to track spending and income. You can also invite an accountant and view financial reports.
The platform also excels at playing nice with other apps and services you may rely on. Integration with tools like Microsoft 365, Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, Whatsapp and more is a breeze, as is syncing with payment platforms like Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.Net, Verifone, BrainTree and CSG Forte.
In terms of support, Zoho Books offers three main ways customers can get help: email, online chat or over the phone. However, only the priced plans give you access to all three support methods — the Free plan limits you to email support.
Zoho Books pros and cons
Before signing up for Zoho Books, consider these pros and cons.
- Offers a free plan that provides access to a ton of strong features
- Six different pricing plans to choose from
- Offers tax support and project management tools
- Syncs to popular business tools like Google Drive and Dropbox, and integrates with some payment platforms like Stripe and PayPal
- Offers free resources like blog posts, webinars and demos
- The free plan only offers email support; you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan to access chat and phone assistance
- Advanced inventory features and the ability to connect to online sales channels are locked behind the expensive Elite and Ultimate plans
Availability and ratings
You can use Zoho Books through either your web browser or the company's app, which is available in the App Store (iOS) and on Google Play (Android).
Rating in App Store at time of writing: 4.8 out of 5 stars (over 3,000 ratings)
Rating on Google Play at time of writing: 4.6 out of 5 stars (over 20,000 ratings)
Zoho Books alternatives
If you aren't sure if Zoho Books is the right accounting platform for you, here's how it stacks up against two popular alternatives.
Zoho Books vs. QuickBooks
Intuit's QuickBooks offers four pricing plans with the most affordable basic option starting at $15 per month. QuickBooks doesn't offer a completely free plan like Zoho Books does, a mark against the service if cost is your biggest concern.
On the other hand, QuickBooks beats the already-impressive Zoho Books in terms of third-party integrations — it can sync with over 750 apps and business management tools. This gives you even more flexibility when building the ecosystem of services that will support your small business.
QuickBooks
Cost
Costs may vary depending on the plan selected but take advantage of a limited time offer - 50% off for 3 months
Standout features
Tracks your business expenses as they happen, as well as your income. Users can use app to do invoicing, accept payments, manage their cash flow, maximize tax deductions, track travel miles, run reports, send estimates, manage bills and 1099 contractors, plus pay employees
Categorizes your expenses
Yes
Links to accounts
Yes, bank and credit cards, plus third-party apps like PayPal and Square
Availability
Accessible from any web browser and also offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Security features
Verisign scanning, password-protected login, firewall protected servers and the same encryption technology (128 bit SSL) used by the world's top banks. QuickBooks also offers multiple permission levels that you can set for additional users' access
Terms apply.
Pros
- Offers a 30-day free trial
- Syncs to your bank accounts, credit cards and third-party apps like PayPal and Square
- Offers real-time dashboards so you can stay updated on all financial transactions related to your business
- The most basic "Simple Start" plan tracks income, sales and expenses, organizes receipts, creates invoices, helps you prepare your taxes, categorizes your business and personal trips, offers a QuickBooks Cash account, runs reports like P&Ls and balance sheets and includes 1 user
- "Essentials" plan, in addition to the above, helps you pay your bills, clock employee time and billable hours and includes up to 3 users
- "Plus" plan, in addition to the above, lets you oversees projects, track inventory and includes up to 5 users
- "Advanced" plan, in addition to the above, provides business analytics and insights, speeds up transactions, gives users access to VIP service QuickBooks Priority Circle that includes a dedicated account team and free online QuickBooks training includes up to 25 users. QuickBooks offers a fourth "Self-Employed" plan for freelancers
- Security features include Verisign scanning, encryption technology (128 bit SSL) used by the world's top banks and customized access for other users
Cons
- Some user reviews complain of glitches in app and a not so user-friendly interface
Zoho Books vs. Wave Accounting
While Zoho Books stands out for offering six different pricing plans with a ton of features, Wave Accounting only offers two plans: a free Starter plan and a Pro plan for $16 per month. Wave's free plan doesn't offer access to as many features as Zoho Books' free plan. However, you can still use it for basic accounting tasks like sending invoices, keeping records and accepting online payments.
You might consider Wave's limited functionality (at least compared to Zoho Books) as a weakness, but it depends on how much you value choice. If Zoho Books' robust suite of features overwhelms you, the simplicity of Wave might feel more comforting than constraining.
Additionally, Zoho Books offers support through email, chat and phone (for paid plans; the free plan only gets email support). However, Wave only offers support through email and live chat for the Pro plan (business owners on the free Starter plan receive access once they purchase an add-on). Access to support is another important consideration if you think you'll need ongoing assistance in case challenges arise.
Wave
Cost
Starter plan is free, Pro plan starts at $190 per year. Wave Advisors bookkeeping service starts at $199 per month.
Benefits administration
No
HR tools
No
Pros
- 30-day free trial
- Free Starter tier has robust offerings
- Unlimited free direct deposits
Cons
- Can't administer employee benefits
- Bookkeeping and payroll services not available nationwide
- Time tracking not included
FAQs
How expensive is accounting software?
Pricing can vary depending on the service provider and the features you're paying to access, but you can generally expect to spend anywhere from $0 per month to a few hundred dollars per month.
Can you get accounting software for free?
Some services offer their most basic plan for $0 per month, however, you usually only get access to bare-bones features and will have to pay for the add-ons you need.
Can you do bookkeeping without software?
You can track your business financials on your own, especially if your business situation isn't too complex. However, using software or hiring an expert can help reduce the likelihood of error.
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