QuickBooks is one of the most popular and most used accounting software by business owners all over the world. In fact, a lot of users have also given it a high score in their reviews. It averages around 4.5 to 5 out of 5 in the Capterra page.

QuickBooks’ rise to fame can all be attributed to the fact that it is one of the earliest accounting software available for online use. It was made available in 1998. Apart from that, their marketing strategy and price point have made it popular with small business owners.

Over time, QuickBooks has implemented more improvements, making it the go-to accounting software of small and growing business owners who wish to do their own accounting.

However, there are still a lot of people and small business owners out there who wish to do their own accounting for their business, but would like to try better alternatives to QuickBooks. Here are some of the popular reasons they wish to choose alternative software:

1- To Match Their Budget

A lot of businesses who’ve already established their following and their names in their respective niches or industries have a significant income. Thus, they can afford to buy software and tools that they need in their daily business activities.

However, many up-and-coming businesses don’t have enough resources to be able to afford the software they want. So, they choose to find alternatives that are much cheaper and offer free trials.

For example, Wave Accounting is a free and functional accounting app for small businesses. You can use it for free for invoices, and it supports different currencies. If you wish to use it for payroll and bookkeeping, you have to pay for it. Otherwise, you can still use the Wave Accounting app for your business’s accounting needs without the optional additions. You also won’t have to worry about the number of users you can accommodate or transactions you can do because it is unlimited and free.

If you are working on a tight budget, you can avail of paid accounting software and apps for as low as $4.99 to $9. For example, you can get GoDaddy Bookkeeping for only $4.99. Moreover, OneUp, Pabbly, Zoho, and Xero all have a starting fee of $9 for their app.

2- To Find An Easy-To-Use Interphase

If you are a business owner with just the basic knowledge of accounting, it would be obvious for you to prefer a software that is easy-to-use. You would want the app to allow you to easily find what you need, especially if you’re not a tech-savvy person.

If you are looking for alternatives, Sage Business Cloud Accounting has been ranked first in terms of user-friendliness. FreshBooks is another great option; it’s ideal for businesses with sole proprietors and freelancers.

3- To Find An Accounting App That Is More Retail-Focused

If your business involves retail, then, it’s important that you find an accounting software whose features cater to a retail business. Retail businesses often need a fast sales processing feature, order monitoring, invoice creation, and more.

For these features, you can try using OneUp, Sage50 Cloud, Lightspeed Accounting, Xero, Square, and AccountEdge. These software applications have different pay plans and different additional features, but all of them are retail-business-friendly.

4- To Keep All Accounting Numbers In One Place

Sometimes, it’s better to have simple accounting software that allows you to see all of your accounting numbers in one place. This makes everything simple, plus you can immediately see your financial situation at a glance.

You can do this if you consolidate Google Sheets and your accounting details. The problem with using Google Sheets, however, is that it’s just a list of numbers, which means that you would have to use other software.

So, if you are looking for a simple solution for your accounting needs, and one which allows you to see all your figures in one place, you can use Tiller or Zoho Books. These are very similar to Google Sheets and are user-friendly as well.

5- For Freelancing And Invoicing Purposes

If you’re a sole proprietor or your business provides services to clients, then, the main use of an accounting software for your business is for invoicing.

The ideal type of accounting software for invoicing purposes should be simple and straightforward. It must have features that enable you to easily track income, expenses, and bill payments, among others.

Examples of accounting software that have the said features are Kashoo, Zoho Books, and FreshBooks. You will find more options if you search further, but those three rank high in terms of popularity, user-friendliness, and affordability.

6- To Find Accounting Apps That Are Mobile

For any business owner, time is gold. Thus, they maximize their time by making sure that their business is growing even when they are on the go. Some want to be able to update and see their business financial statements even when they are not in the office.

Therefore, the mobility of an accounting software is important to them. They want their accounting software to be accessible so they can check or update their books anytime and anywhere.

If you’re the type of business owner who’s always on the move and wants an accounting software that can keep up with your hectic schedule, the best options would be FreshBooks, OneUp, ExpensePoint, Divvy, and DealCenter.

7- For Better Customer Support

If you’re a newbie in accounting software or you feel that you’re simply not tech-savvy enough, then, a good customer support for your accounting software is a must. A responsive customer support is essential so that you can easily learn the ways to maximize the use of the software.

Some accounting software that have the best customer support include YNAB (You Need A Budget), SlickPie, and Kashoo.

Conclusion

QuickBooks is a good accounting software that has become popular over time. It’s also a good partner for your business in terms of your accounting needs. However, not all business owners prefer to use QuickBooks for a lot of reasons.

Whatever your reason may be for looking for an alternative to QuickBooks, you’re guaranteed to find one accounting software that provides the solutions you are looking for, as well as one that fits your budget and needs.