I know people say that the best things in life are free, but that may not always be the case. While you may always get more bang for your buck from a paid accounting platform like QuickBooks, for some people looking to first get their feet wet with accounting software, there are some free options available.
Best Free Accounting Software
1. Wave Apps – Wave Apps is a free app available in the Google Apps marketplace. You get unlimited invoicing and accounting completely free of cost. If you want to manage your payroll from there, then it costs you an additional $9 per month. While not perfect, Wave is definitely worth your time if you’re looking for free accounting software. You can learn more about Wave here.
2.Zoho Invoice – While not a complete accounting solution, Zoho offers a free version for up to 5 customers. As you’re growing this could help you get a feel for the platform and you could eventually scale up to a larger subscription model, and purchase their additional accounting products as well. Zoho is well known for providing cost-effective solutions, so you can feel at ease knowing you’re using a product that is built for small businesses. You can learn more about Zoho Invoice here.
3. Rhino Accounting – Another free accounting offering in the Google Apps marketplace, Rhino Accounting provides good core functionality for a small business accounting system. While far from perfect, people looking for a free accounting solution may find this to be a good option, or you very well may end up running for the first paid subscription plan you can think of. You can learn more about Rhino Accounting here.
Is Free Accounting Software Really Worth it?
While there may be free options available for accounting software, you can easily find low cost options that have the functionality you need. The free options on the market tend to lack certain features or support, and frequently receive reviews about their lack of features. Free accounting software is free for a reason, and there’s no point in trying to stretch a free accounting software system to its limits when you have more robust options available for $15/month and up.