If you’ve ever found yourself drowning in spreadsheets, chasing overdue invoices, or second-guessing compliance requirements, you’re not alone.
Managing business finances is tougher than ever with evolving compliance, global transactions, recurring billing, and data overload.
These challenges can lead to costly errors, compliance risks, and wasted time and resources no business can afford to lose.
However, the good part is that the right SaaS accounting software is purpose-built to handle the intricacies of modern business finance.
What does a SaaS accounting software do?
A SaaS accounting software handles critical accounting tasks such as bookkeeping, invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting on a single, cloud-based platform.
Unlike traditional accounting methods, it offers real-time accessibility to a centralized hub of financial data, including invoices, expenses, bank transactions, and reports, allowing businesses to have an up-to-date view of their cash flow, outstanding invoices, or tax obligations.
Moreover, its automation capabilities eliminate the need for manual entries, reducing the risk of errors and saving time.
After thorough research from online resources and user reviews, we’ve compiled the top 7 SaaS accounting software to help you streamline your financial processes, eliminate errors, and keep everything in check.
Let’s understand which one suits you the best.
1. Quickbooks
Quickbooks, one of the most-used accounting software worldwide, automates bookkeeping, manages taxes, and provides real-time financial insights, saving time and effort.
Its current USP is Intuit Assist (an AI assistant), which eliminates tedious tasks, and includes personalized client communication, and automated invoice reminders, helping you get paid faster.
Apart from accounting software, users have been loving its free version of payments and banking. So, if you don’t want to spend much at the moment and just test the waters with Quickbooks, then its new USP i.e. QuickBooks Money offers banking and payments with no subscription fees.
Key features
- Accept payments via multiple gateways, including Stripe and PayPal.
- Automatically categorize expenses and upload receipts via the mobile app.
- Seamlessly integrate with over 750+ software such as CRMs, payroll systems, and reporting tools.
- Supports multiple currencies to help you deal with global clients with ease.
What do customers like about Quickbooks?
Customers appreciate QuickBooks for its user-friendly interface, seamless bank and credit card syncing, easy implementation, and hassle-free access to accounts from anywhere.
They value its prompt customer support, smooth integration with apps, and suitability for small and medium businesses with inventory and time-tracking features.
What do customers dislike about Quickbooks?
The learning curve can be steep for newcomers, especially those unfamiliar with accounting software. Customization options may feel limited for firms with specific needs, and occasional system glitches can disrupt workflow.
Pricing
The starter plan begins at $35/month, while the advanced plan costs up to $235/month. All plans currently offer 50% off for the first three months.
2. Xero
Designed for small businesses and solo traders, Xero is a dynamic cloud accounting solution that provides seamless accounting features including bank reconciliation, purchase ledger, inventory management, payroll, etc for businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers alike.
Xero also offers powerful tools for payroll, inventory, and project management. Its real-time collaboration features ensure you and your accountant are always on the same page, no matter where you are.
Key features
- Xero app store which lets you customize the platform to suit your specific business needs.
- Sync with 21,000+ institutions worldwide to automate bank feeds and reconciliation.
- Manage 160+ currencies with automated conversions and global reporting.
What do customers like about Xero?
Customers like using Xero for its ease of use, helpful customer support, and seamless implementation. The inventory and fixed asset modules stand out, along with smooth integrations.
It simplifies financial management, expense tracking, and cash flow monitoring. The invoice template streamlines bulk invoicing, while customizable email templates and automatic invoice reminders enhance efficiency.
What do customers dislike about Xero?
Linking banks takes longer time than usual with limited bank options as compared to other competitors in the market.
Pricing
The starter plan is priced at $29/month and is limited to 20 invoices and quotes and 5 billings.
The standard plan comes at $46/month while the premium plan is priced at $69/month.
Currently, they are offering 90% off on their plans for 3 months till 28 February.
3. Sage
Sage Intacct is one of the top-rated cloud accounting solutions and excels in the subscription billing space. Its scalability and global consolidation capabilities make it an ideal choice for businesses at every stage, of all sizes.
What makes it stand out is how it simplifies the process of data entry, revenue recognition, and subscription billing, making it a go-to solution for automating complex accounting workflows.
While it offers robots accounting services for businesses, it also offers client management and engagement tools for accountants and bookkeepers.
Key features
- Handles the entire billing cycle, revenue recognition, forecasting, audit trails, GDPR compliance, etc with ease.
- Access 200+ customizable investor-grade reports, including Profit & Loss, MRR, and General Ledger.
- Connect with 300+ apps, including Salesforce, payroll, and tax systems.
- Automate workflows with over 300 billing scenarios and intelligent dashboards.
What do customers like about Sage?
Sage stands out for its ease of use, robust reporting, and real-time financial insights. It simplifies decision-making with customizable reports, seamless integrations, and responsive customer support.
The software is easy to implement, highly customizable, and efficient for managing financial tasks, making it a go-to solution for frequent use.
What do customers dislike about Sage?
Users find Sage Intacct’s report design challenging due to the lack of a data dictionary and duplicate field names. Security settings can be unclear, and the learning curve is steep for new users.
Pricing
The Accounting Start plan is priced at $15/month for small businesses or solopreneurs, with a 6-month free trial.
The most popular plan is Accounting Standard, priced at $30/month for businesses involving multiple accounting operations. It also comes with a 6-month free trial.
4. FreshBooks
More than just automated and personalized invoicing, FreshBooks helps businesses track their expenses, manage payments, set up recurring invoices, connect their bank accounts, and keep on top of their cash flow, easily from their desktop or mobile app.
Made for freelancers, solopreneurs, and growing teams, its user-friendly design and automation make accounting easy.
Key features
- Automatically scan bills and receipts for easy expense management.
- Accept credit cards, debit cards, or bank transfers to boost cash flow.
- Automated invoicing and expense tracking features save a huge amount of time.
What do customers like about FreshBooks?
FreshBooks is easy to use, even for those without a financial background. It ensures timely and accurate financial reports, efficient invoice management, and prompt payment collection.
What do customers dislike about FreshBooks?
Some users complain about the lack of advanced features for larger companies or complex accounting operations.
Pricing
The Lite plan starts at $19/month with unlimited invoices to up to 5 clients with paid add-ons such as team members, payrolls, and advanced payments.
The premium plan starts at $60/month with additional features such as automatic capture of bills and receipts, unlimited invoices, and customized emails.
All their plans come with a free trial and currently, they’re running 60% off on their plans.
5. Zoho Books
Zoho Books is an integrated cloud-based accounting system for startups and small businesses, particularly useful for those already using the Zoho suite of productivity tools.
It offers multiple use cases like invoicing, online payments, expense tracking, inventory management, and bank reconciliation, making it an all-in-one solution for handling finances.
It seamlessly integrates as one single component for businesses already using Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, or Zoho Inventory.
Key features
- Auto-scan receipts and track expenses with ease to cut down on manual work.
- Automate bank feeds and reconciliation for effortless account syncing.
- Handle multi-currency transactions and VAT submissions (depending on the plan).
What do customers like about Zoho Books?
Zoho Books offers an all-in-one accounting solution with seamless integration across business functions. It provides strong customization, easy invoicing, GST filing, and delivery challan creation. The mobile app enhances accessibility, making it ideal for small to medium businesses.
What do customers dislike about Zoho Books?
The monthly invoice limit and restricted access to advanced features in lower-tier plans can be limiting. Additionally, customer support response times are often slow and need improvement.
Pricing
Zoho Books offers a free plan which is good for businesses who just want to try out an accounting platform without investing in it while the standard plan is priced at $15/month per organization, billed annually.
The professional plan is priced at $40/month and the premium is $60/month per organization when billed annually.
All these plans come with a free trial, as long as your revenue for the financial year doesn’t exceed the threshold of $50K.
6. Oracle NetSuite
More than just accounting, Oracle NetSuite is an integrated, cloud-based ERP that helps businesses manage complicated financials across multiple locations.
From automated subscription billing to advanced tax management, it smooths out global operations with features such as multi-currency and compliance reporting, coupled with project tracking.
Its powerful reporting and analytics help large enterprises dive deeper into financial data, optimize billing, and stay audit-ready.
Key features
- Track the most important SaaS metrics easily, including MRR, churn rate, and customer lifetime value.
- Complete accounting services, including general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, and financial reporting.
- Manage multi-currency transactions, exchange rates, and international business operations.
- Built-in tax reporting, audit capabilities, and compliance support for various regions.
What do customers like about Oracle Netsuite?
Users like how Oracle offers a complete, customizable ERP package tailored to business needs. It provides a clear audit trail for tracking organizational actions and features advanced search and reporting capabilities for efficient data management.
What do customers dislike about Oracle Netsuite?
Some users find the implementation process challenging, making it hard to maximize efficiency. Additionally, the lack of transparent pricing makes it difficult to compare Oracle with competitors.
Pricing
The pricing is available only on request and also offers a free trial.
7. Wave
Wave is a cloud-based accounting tool built specifically for early-stage startups and entrepreneurs.
It offers basic features such as invoicing, expense management, and basic financial reporting, making it a very affordable solution for startups that want financial clarity without the overhead.
However, it might not be a good fit if you’re a company with complex accounting processes or if you’ve already used SaaS accounting software before due to its limited features as compared to the competitors.
Key features
- Create unlimited professional invoices and manage bookkeeping records at no cost.
- Accept online payments through credit cards, bank transfers, and Apple Pay, enabling clients to pay with a single click.
- Connect your bank accounts to automatically import and categorize transactions.
- Smart dashboard to organize income, expenses, payments, and invoices, providing a clear view of your cash flow.
What do customers like about Wave?
Wave offers a clean, user-friendly interface ideal for basic bookkeeping. It provides essential features like invoicing, payment processing, and useful reporting tools.
What do customers dislike about Wave?
Users report issues with billing bugs, including a lack of payment failure notifications, leading to significant revenue loss. Support response times are slow and ineffective, with unresolved issues. Dashboard stats can be confusing, and the discount feature is cumbersome, impacting reporting accuracy.
Pricing
The starter plan is free while the pro plan starts at $16/month if billed monthly and includes features such as online payment acceptance, auto-import bank transactions, digitally capturing receipts and tracking expenses, etc.
Factors to consider while choosing a SaaS accounting software
Choosing a SaaS accounting software in itself is a matter of great consideration. If done wrong, it can cost businesses and might even disrupt their operations.
This is why keeping these factors in consideration can help businesses choose a tool that not only helps with their present issues but also scales comfortably with the growing business demands.
1. Does it solve your pain points?
Choose software that addresses your team’s specific struggles. For example, if invoicing is a challenge, prioritize tools that streamline recurring billing. Or if you are struggling with data entry, then go for tools that practice real-time accounting.
2. Will it integrate with your current system seamlessly?
Check how well the software connects with:
- Your ERP for accurate data flow.
- CRMs to track transactions.
- Payment gateways for smooth billing.
Weak integrations can create more manual work and inefficiencies.
3. Can it scale with your business?
Often tools have limited features and cannot handle complex accounting operations. Therefore, it’s essential to look for platforms that:
- Handle increasing transaction volumes.
- Support multi-currency and multi-entity operations.
- Generate metrics like MRR and EBITDA for investors.
Scalable software prevents costly migrations as your business grows.
4. Does it match your business model?
You don’t want software that lacks accounting features for your business type. Therefore, select software tailored to your needs, whether you’re in e-commerce, B2B, or SaaS. Industry-specific tools can streamline operations without unnecessary features.
5. Are there any hidden costs?
Most of the time, tools charge more than the subscription fees. You need to look out for hidden costs, including setup and training costs, data migration expenses, and premium support fees. Transparent pricing ensures no hidden surprises later.
To wrap it up
Tracking expenses, reconciling transactions, and preparing reports can be overwhelming for any business, be it a small, mid-size, or large enterprise. Moreover, as the businesses grow in number, so do the challenges associated with managing multiple revenue streams while ensuring tax compliance.
That's where the right accounting software makes all the difference. By automating invoicing, expense tracking, and financial insights in real-time, SaaS accounting software eases operations, cuts down errors, and keeps businesses audit-ready.
The key is choosing the right solution to fit your needs, one that integrates well with your workflow and scales with your business so you can focus on what truly matters.
