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Zoho Books

Zoho Books alternatives

These accounting software options serve at least one of the same types of business as Zoho Books. They're ordered by RTC Score.

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  1. Xero

    By Xero

    Cloud accounting from Xero with unlimited users on every plan. The Growing plan, $59 a month, adds unlimited supplier bills to bank feeds, reconciliation and tracking by location; support is online only.

    RTC SCORE

    8.7

    #1 overall

    Pros

    • Unlimited users on every plan, so the owner, the office and the accountant all get their own login at no extra cost.
    • Growing ($59) has no cap on supplier bills or invoices, includes auto-reconcile and free standard ACH bill payments.
    • Tracking categories show results by location on every plan, and Lightspeed's connection posts daily sales by accounting group and payment method.

    Cons

    • Support is by online case and email only: no live chat and no phone line you can call.
    • Cancelling takes one month's notice, and that month is billed.
    • Only Square and Lightspeed are listed; Toast and Clover need a connector from another company, and there is nothing for Shift4 POS, SpotOn or Heartland.
    Initial term
    Month to month
  2. QuickBooks Online

    By Intuit

    Intuit's cloud accounting. The Essentials plan, $85 a month month to month for 3 users plus 2 accountants, has bank feeds, reconciliation and supplier bills; results by class or location start on Plus ($140).

    RTC SCORE

    8.4

    #2 overall

    Pros

    • Essentials includes 3 users plus 2 free accountant seats, with bank feeds, reconciliation, supplier bills and free ACH bill payments.
    • Documented POS connections: Toast's Sync posts a daily sales entry by category, and Intuit's free Square Connector imports sales, tips, taxes and fees.
    • Month to month with no early termination fee, a 30-day free trial and live chat or callback support six days a week.

    Cons

    • At $85 a month, Essentials costs more than most rivals' plans with supplier bills, and results by class or location need Plus at $140.
    • No extra users can be bought: a fourth person means moving up to Plus.
    • No documented connection for Clover, Shift4 POS, SpotOn or Heartland Genius.
    Initial term
    Month to month
  3. Patriot Accounting

    By Patriot Software

    US accounting software with a published price: Accounting Basic is $20 a month with unlimited users, automatic bank imports, reconciliation, supplier bills and departments. It connects with Patriot's own payroll and documents no POS connection.

    RTC SCORE

    8.0

    #4 overall

    Pros

    • Accounting Basic at $20 a month covers unlimited users, automatic bank imports, reconciliation, supplier bills and departments.
    • Phone, chat and email support from the US on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern.
    • Month to month and billed in arrears: canceling mid-month costs only the days used, and your records stay read-only after you leave.

    Cons

    • No POS connection documented: POS deposits arrive only through the bank feed, without sales, tips and tax split out.
    • No connection with outside payroll providers into the books.
    • Per-user permissions, recurring invoices and receipt storage need Premium ($30 a month).
    Initial term
    Month to month
  4. Wave

    By Wave

    Simple accounting for small businesses: the free Starter plan covers bills and invoices, and Pro at $19 a month adds automatic bank imports and unlimited users. It documents no POS connection and is only in English.

    RTC SCORE

    7.3

    #5 overall

    Pros

    • Low published price: Pro is $19 a month per business with unlimited users, so your accountant's login costs nothing extra.
    • Bills, invoices and bookkeeping records are unlimited, even on the free Starter plan.
    • Month to month with no early termination fee; you can export all your accounting data yourself.

    Cons

    • No POS connection documented: POS deposits arrive only through the bank feed, without sales, tips and tax split out.
    • No class, location or department tracking for results by location.
    • Live support only by chat and email on weekdays, with no phone line.
    Initial term
    Month to month
  5. Digits

    By Digits

    AI-driven accounting for US businesses: Essentials costs $65 a month with no user limit, bank feeds with automatic reconciliation, bill pay and invoicing. It has no POS connection; sales reach the books as bank deposits.

    RTC SCORE

    7.1

    #6 overall

    Pros

    • Published price: $65 a month with no user limit, no setup fee and a 30-day free trial.
    • Bank feeds with AI categorization and reconciliation, bill pay and invoicing on every plan.
    • Month to month with no early termination fee; your accountant gets a login at no extra cost.

    Cons

    • No POS connection: Toast, Clover, Lightspeed and Square sales reach the books only as bank deposits, without the split by tax and tips.
    • Results by location start on Core ($100 a month), and each business or location needs its own subscription.
    • Support only by email or web form, with no published hours; plan changes go through support.
    Initial term
    Month to month
  6. FreshBooks

    By FreshBooks

    Invoicing-first accounting from FreshBooks. Supplier bills (accounts payable) start on Premium, $70 a month month to month for the owner alone; each extra team member is $11 a month, and no POS connection is documented.

    RTC SCORE

    6.8

    #7 overall

    Pros

    • Premium has bank import, reconciliation, accounts payable and unlimited client invoices, with a free login for your accountant.
    • Month to month with no early termination fee, a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
    • Its own payroll is available in the same account, at $40 a month plus $6 per person.

    Cons

    • Supplier bills need Premium ($70), and Premium covers only the owner: a second person is $11 a month more.
    • No POS connection documented, so POS sales reach the books only as bank deposits.
    • No results by class or location, only by project.
    Initial term
    Month to month
  7. Restaurant365 Accounting

    By Restaurant365

    Restaurant-specific accounting inside Restaurant365's back-office suite, priced by quote on a term contract. It books each day's POS sales by category, tax, tips and payment type from dozens of POS systems, including Shift4 POS, and reports by location.

    RTC SCORE

    6.8

    #8 overall

    Pros

    • Each day's POS sales post as one journal entry split by category, sales tax, tips and payment type.
    • Connects with dozens of POS systems, including Toast, Square, Clover, Shift4 POS, SpotOn, Lightspeed and TouchBistro.
    • Built for restaurant groups: results by location and legal entity, with bank feeds and supplier invoice automation.

    Cons

    • No published prices: the subscription, setup and each location's POS setup fee come by quote.
    • Term contract that can't be canceled or downgraded early, renews automatically unless you give 60 days' notice, and allows increases of up to 8% a year.
    • You must export your records before the contract ends; R365 deletes them the next day.
    Initial term
    Quote only
  8. Sage 50 Accounting

    By Sage

    Sage's long-standing desktop accounting, now sold with cloud access on a one-year commitment. Premium with 2 users costs $260.50 a month paid monthly, with bank feeds, reconciliation, supplier bills and reports by department.

    RTC SCORE

    5.2

    #9 overall

    Pros

    • Full double-entry books with supplier bills, purchase orders, inventory and job costing on every plan.
    • Premium adds multiple companies and reports by department.
    • Unlimited phone and chat support included, with a dedicated Customer Success representative.

    Cons

    • Expensive for two people: $260.50 a month for Premium with 2 users, and Pro allows only 1 user.
    • Minimum one-year commitment with automatic yearly renewal.
    • No connection with Toast, Square, Clover, Shift4 POS or SpotOn; restaurant sales come in as bank deposits.
    Initial term
    12 months