Accounting software is where your bank transactions, invoices, bills and reports come together. The right choice depends less on feature lists and more on how you work: how many people need access, whether you track jobs or inventory, who does the bookkeeping, and which tools your accountant already uses.
Every product below was checked on the vendor's own website in September 2026. Plans, limits and promotions change often, so treat the details here as a starting point and confirm them on the vendor's page before you buy. We only mention prices where the vendor publishes them, and we date them.
If you would rather hand the bookkeeping to someone, see our lists of bookkeeping services for small businesses in Boise and QuickBooks ProAdvisors in Boise. Danielson Bookkeeping works in QuickBooks Online; see our QuickBooks services page.
How we chose
- Still sold to new US customers in September 2026, confirmed on the vendor's own site
- Covers the core of small business bookkeeping: bank connections, invoicing, bills or expenses, and standard reports
- Clear plan structure published on the vendor's pricing page
- Room to grow, or a clear low-cost starting point for very small businesses
- Commonly supported by outside bookkeepers and accountants, so you are not locked into doing everything yourself
QuickBooks Online
Intuit's cloud accounting product comes in several tiers. Its pricing page lists a Free plan (one user, up to two invoices a month and one connected bank account), then Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced, with user counts rising from 1 to 25.
Plus is the tier that adds project profitability and inventory tracking, which matters for contractors and product sellers. Advanced adds custom user permissions, workflow automation and batch invoicing. Intuit no longer sells QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus and Premier Plus to new US subscribers, so QuickBooks Online is the usual starting point for new Intuit customers.
- Plans from Free to Advanced, with 1 to 25 users depending on tier
- Project profitability and inventory tracking on Plus and Advanced
- Paid plans include accountant access (two accountants on most tiers, three on Advanced)
- 30-day free trial listed on paid plans
Worth knowing
- Paid plans cost more as you move up the tiers, and the introductory discount on the pricing page lasts three months
- Time tracking is a separate product (QuickBooks Time), not part of these plans
Xero
Xero's US pricing page lists three plans: Early, Growing and Established. Early caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills, while Growing and Established remove those limits and add automatic bank reconciliation.
Established adds projects and multi-currency. Each plan includes a short-range cash flow forecast (30, 60 or 180 days by tier), and US payroll is available as an add-on through Gusto.
- Three plans, with invoice and bill limits only on Early
- Projects and multi-currency on Established
- Cash flow forecast built into every plan
- Payroll add-on powered by Gusto
Worth knowing
- Early's 20-invoice and 5-bill limits are tight for an active business
- If you work with a bookkeeper or accountant, check that they support Xero before you choose
FreshBooks
FreshBooks started as invoicing software and still leads with it. Its plans (Lite, Plus, Premium and Select) are limited by the number of billable clients: 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus, and unlimited on Premium and Select.
Double-entry accounting reports and bank reconciliation start on the Plus plan, and project profitability tracking starts on Premium. Every plan lists unlimited time tracking, expenses and automated bank import.
- Unlimited time tracking and expenses on every plan
- Bank reconciliation and accountant access from the Plus plan
- Proposals, e-signatures and client retainers on Plus and above
- 30-day free trial with no credit card required
Worth knowing
- Plans are capped by billable clients, so check the limit against your client count
- Team members and payroll are paid add-ons
Wave
Wave's Starter plan is free and lets you create unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records. Card payments are an optional add-on with per-transaction fees.
The paid Pro plan adds automatic bank transaction import and categorization, unlimited receipt capture, automated late-payment reminders and multi-user access. Wave also sells a separate Wave Advisors service with a dedicated bookkeeper.
- Free Starter plan with unlimited invoices and bills
- Pro plan adds bank auto-import and receipt capture
- Automated late-payment reminders on Pro
- Optional Wave Advisors bookkeeping service
Worth knowing
- Automatic bank import is a Pro feature; the free plan does not import bank transactions automatically
- Online payments require a separate approval based on identity verification
Zoho Books
Zoho Books offers six US plans, from Free to Ultimate. Zoho says the Free plan is available indefinitely as long as revenue for the financial year stays under $50K, and it includes one user plus one accountant.
Invoices, recurring invoices and a customer portal are on every plan. Bank feeds start on Standard, projects and time tracking on Professional, and inventory management on Elite.
- Free plan for businesses under $50K in annual revenue
- Customer portal and recurring invoices on every plan
- Projects and time tracking from Professional
- Up to 15 users on the top plan
Worth knowing
- The Free plan does not include bank feeds
- Inventory tracking needs one of the two highest plans
Patriot Accounting
Patriot Software offers two accounting plans, Accounting Basic and Accounting Premium. Both allow unlimited customers and invoices and include account reconciliation. Estimates are on Premium.
Patriot's accounting plans integrate with its own Basic or Full Service Payroll at no extra charge, and the company lists USA-based support by phone, chat or email on weekdays.
- Two straightforward plans
- Unlimited customers and invoices
- Free integration with Patriot payroll
- 30-day free trial listed on the pricing page
Worth knowing
- A smaller app ecosystem than QuickBooks Online or Xero
- Support hours are weekday business hours (Eastern time)
How to choose
- Start with who does the books. If you plan to hire a bookkeeper, ask which software they support before you sign up.
- Count users. Plan tiers are often capped by users or clients, and adding a second person can push you up a tier.
- Check job and inventory needs. Project profitability and inventory tracking usually sit on middle or upper tiers.
- Look past the first few months. Most vendors advertise an introductory discount; compare the regular price.
- Make sure your bank connects. Automatic bank feeds save hours, but some free plans leave them out.
Software is only as good as the setup
Most bookkeeping problems we see are not software problems. They come from a chart of accounts that doesn't fit the business, bank feeds accepted without review, or months of unreconciled accounts. Our articles on setting up a chart of accounts and bank feeds and reconciliation cover the basics.
If your books have already drifted, see our list of catch-up and QuickBooks cleanup services in Boise. Danielson Bookkeeping offers QuickBooks Online setup, cleanup, catch-up and training on its QuickBooks services page, and ongoing small business bookkeeping.
