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Accounting software cost calculator

Enter how many people need their own login to estimate what the software costs over 12 or 36 months. Optional add-ons, like payroll or a bookkeeping service, are shown apart.

Your books

Start from a typical business

Count the owner and anyone in the office. Your outside accountant usually gets access apart; see each option's data.

Adds the early termination fee if you leave in that month.

We mark it in the results. It stays in this browser and only reaches your account if you save it there.

Assumptions

  • Only what the software costs: no accountant's fees, no payroll and no time spent closing the month.
  • Optional add-ons (payroll, bill pay, a bookkeeping service) are listed on each pricing page and not added here.

With the example numbers, the lowest your restaurant would pay: Wave, $228 over 12 months.

Estimated cost over 12 months with the example numbers
ProductYou pay (12 mo)
Wave
See the breakdown
  • Software: Pro$228
  • Wave Payroll: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Wave Advisors bookkeeping: only applies in some cases, not included.
$228
Patriot Accounting
See the breakdown
  • Software: Accounting Basic$240
  • Bookkeeping Service: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Bookkeeping Service onboarding: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Patriot Basic Payroll: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Patriot Full Service Payroll: only applies in some cases, not included.
$240
Zoho Books
See the breakdown
  • Software: Professional$600
  • Each extra location: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • BillPay add-on (ACH vendor payments): only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Zoho Payroll (Standard): only applies in some cases, not included.
$600
Xero
See the breakdown
  • Software: Growing$708
  • Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto (base): only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Xero Payroll, per employee or contractor: only applies in some cases, not included.
$708
Digits
See the breakdown
  • Software: Essentials$780
  • Bill payment by ACH: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Bill payment by mailed check: only applies in some cases, not included.
$780
FreshBooks
See the breakdown
  • Software: Premium$840
  • Second person in the books (team member)$132
  • FreshBooks Payroll (base): only applies in some cases, not included.
  • FreshBooks Payroll, per person: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Advanced Payments: only applies in some cases, not included.
$972
QuickBooks Online
See the breakdown
  • Software: Essentials$1,020
  • QuickBooks Workforce Payroll (base): only applies in some cases, not included.
  • QuickBooks Workforce Payroll, per employee: only applies in some cases, not included.
  • Intuit Expert Full Service Bookkeeping (from): only applies in some cases, not included.
$1,020
Sage 50 Accounting
See the breakdown
  • Software: Premium Accounting (2 users)$3,126
$3,126
Restaurant365 AccountingIncompleteCan't be estimated

Estimates from published prices and terms. They don't include your accountant's fees or POS connectors sold by other companies. Your quote can differ; check it before you sign.

Estimates based on the prices in our catalog (each vendor's own site unless the source says otherwise) and our reference assumptions. Prices you can only get with a quote are flagged, never counted as $0. Your accountant's fees, POS connectors sold by other companies and the time to close each month aren't included: this is what the software costs.

The headline price is only part of what accounting software costs. This calculator estimates the software's total for a restaurant like yours, using the prices each vendor publishes.

Enter how many people need their own login (the owner and anyone in the office) and how many months you want to see. For each option, the calculator takes the cheapest plan that covers our reference restaurant (at least two people with a login, bank feeds with reconciliation and supplier bills; plans priced per user grow with the people you enter) and adds up:

  • the plan's monthly price, or its price per user;
  • monthly fees per user or per account, when the vendor charges them;
  • one-time setup or onboarding fees, and the early termination fee if you pick a month to leave.

If you need more people than a plan includes, check that plan's user limit on its pricing page: the calculator doesn't move you to a pricier plan on its own.

It doesn't include your accountant's fees, POS connectors sold by other companies, payroll or the time it takes to close each month: it's what the software costs. Optional add-ons, like payroll, bill pay or a bookkeeping service, are listed on each pricing page but not added. Promotions, like a discount for the first months, are never subtracted.

When a vendor doesn't publish part of its pricing, you'll see an "incomplete" label instead of an exact number. This is an estimate, not a quote, and not tax advice. Use it to compare options and to ask better questions before you sign.

How we scoreAccounting software for restaurants, compared