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Best Small Business Accounting Apps Of 2021

May 26, 2021
Bill Kimball

mobile accounting app

Kashoo is best for businesses looking for an accounting tool with invoice management as the core feature, along with strong accounting report generation capabilities. Kashoois a cloud-based accounting tool that helps your business manage invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting, as well as synchronize ledger and balance sheet data with bank account entries. This solution also helps manage credit card payments from clients and vendors to keep you updated and help manage cash flow. Expensify is one of the premier mobile apps for expense account development and management. TurboTax Small Business is a downloadable program for the Windows operating system. In order to use it on a Mac computer, you have to use one of the software’s online editions. From a pricing perspective, it is within the budget of most small businesses.

Receipts by Wave has very limited functions, but it is extremely easy to use. The receipt will be sent to your online Wave account, where it will create a new transaction that you can review next time you log in. Receipts by Wave is not available in the Google Play store, but you can download the Android app directly from Wave. While the app is limited to invoicing, the invoicing function is very thorough.

Just like the other small business accounting apps we’ve discussed thus far, the FreshBooks mobile app is free to download—as long as you have a FreshBooks account. With a business accounting app, you can access your financial data and accounting tools on your mobile device, thereby maximizing your ability to manage your operations, regardless of location. If you’re a small business owner on-the-go, having access to your accounting software wherever you are can be particularly important. Although many top accounting platforms are web-based, meaning you can use them anywhere you have internet access, you may want a system that offers greater mobility—like an accounting app.

Do I Have To Pay Separately For The Mobile App?

Check out our review of the best virtual and outsourced bookkeeping services to find an accounting solution that works for you. The drawback to using apps over software is that most apps only do so much. The desktop versions of most accounting plans have more features and reports than the apps do. Plus, desktop versions are just easier to read—with a bigger screen, it’s easier to see your program’s navigation and options and to read reports.

Mobile accounting can work smoothly even with all users using different devices or mobile OS. Mobile accounting is the ability to access and process accounting information, which could be data, applications, etc. over the devices that are not restricted by the physical locations. We shortlisted accounting software from GetApp’s accounting directory with an overall user rating of 4+ from among the most reviewed products at the time of drafting this article . Zoho Booksis an all-in-one cloud-based accounting tool that helps businesses handle end-to-end accounting tasks, from invoice management to reporting. QuickBooks Onlineis a cloud-based system that synchronizes your business’ bank transactions in a financial dashboard. This dashboard helps users collaborate with others and provides detailed reports related to your finances.

mobile accounting app

Fit Small Business content and reviews are editorially independent. Pair your watch with your android device and receive notification whenever your customers view invoices, accept or decline estimates, and make payments. See how well your business is doing by running reports on how much you’ve made and expenses you’ve incurred, all with a single tap. Snap pictures of your expense receipts with your phone and attach them to the expenses you’ve recorded. Get a consolidated snapshot of all your bank account, credit cards, loans, and investments in one place.

Expensify can also be used on a company level for a small business. Companies use Expensify for expense reporting, card management, approvals, and reimbursements for managers as well as employees. The software can be automated in order that reports are automatically sent to managers and to accounting. In addition to helping the small business with budgeting, inDinero prepares financial reports like profit and loss statements, statements of cash flows, and assists in financial forecasting. It is compatible with most accounting and bookkeeping apps like Bill.com and QuickBooks Online. It is useful for paying your business’s bills to their suppliers or your accounts payable. If you use this app for accounts receivable, you can invoice your credit customers.

Record All Your Small Business Expenses

Your information is synced across all your devices so you can always access your data wherever you are, on whichever device you’d prefer. The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication. Choose an accounting tool within your business’ budget, and base your decision on your unique feature requirements to avoid paying for functionality you don’t need. Users like the tool’s invoice management feature, and noted that they could design invoices using different templates for unique clients. Most users like this free tool and the number of features offered under its free plan. Sage Intacct is best for financial service businesses that provide financial advice to B2B clients.

By opting tohost your applications with trusted providers, you can gain accessibility of the applications on the mobile devices and manage the accounting tasks from anywhere. A friendly solution for you to move to mobile accounting without changing much of your working structure is hosting your desktop applications with cloud hosting providers. With time, the hardware technology of your local device can become outdated. It will not support certain updates or may not be able to process the heavier tasks. The affordable option is to go with the mobile accounting in alignment with the cloud option. So, you can let go of your worries concerned with the local devices and save yourself from the efforts of backing up the data. And if you are using a reliable cloud hosting service for your accounting applications, the data backup is maintained by the provider for free.

mobile accounting app

Keep track of where your business is heading with cashflow figures, bank balances, profit and loss and tax deadlines all on hand. With all your figures in one place, FreeAgent is the only small business accounting app you need. Much like most other small business accounting apps, the Zoho Books’ app will be free to download but will require a Zoho Books account. Just like all of the previous small business accounting apps we’ve covered so far, the Sage app will be free to download, but certainly not free to use. AlthoughSage software may not have the same recognition as QuickBooks or Xero, Sage still offers some of the best small business tools available—including their accounting software and mobile app. Xero too offers a small business accounting app with their software—making Xero another great option for business owners who want access to their business finances wherever they go. How does the QuickBooks mobile accounting app accommodate the system’s top-of-the-line features?

He most recently spent two years as the accountant at a commercial roofing company utilizing QuickBooks Desktop to compile financials, job cost, and run payroll. Zoho Invoice provides an app for your mobile labor force to track and assign their hours to clients and projects while on the go. Zoho Invoice integrates with an entire suite of apps from Zoho that can be used to manage your entire business, including Zoho Books, which is a comprehensive bookkeeping system. You can try Zoho Invoice for free for up to five customers and one user.

While the app is simple to use, it lacks more advanced features like GPS tracking and report viewing. Users can attach images of receipts to transactions, which is great for recordkeeping, but the receipt data is not extracted and can’t be used to create transactions. The greatest benefit of mobile accounting software is that users can access their company’s accounting system from anywhere.

Mobile Accounting Apps

Expensify can be used to track receipts and expenses for sole proprietorships or for employees to track and send copies of receipts and expenses to managers. “Cash is king” is the old saying always heard in business and it is particularly relevant to small business. No matter what the financial statements of a small business says, if the business does not have a good cash position, it is going to fail. A lot of transactions seem to be abandoned when using Square, so business managers have to watch out for that. There is no charge for cash or check transactions using Square and it gives you a daily sales report for everything. You can use the software if you are accepting payments at your storefront. If you are accepting payments away from your store, you can use the app on the phone or tablet.

In addition to determining whether or not any given accounting software actually offers an app, you’ll also want to ensure that the app will work for your business. So, which systems offer the best accounting apps as part of their service? Therefore, when you’re considering your different accounting software options, you’ll want to ensure that the system you choose includes a well-designed, highly capable mobile app. Would you prefer to work with an accounting professional instead of using apps and in-house software?

So it makes no difference if you change from Android to iPhone – or if you switch between phones, tablets and desktops throughout the day. Send invoices directly from your mobile device, straight after you finish a piece of work. You won’t have to spends your evenings on billing, and you’ll be far less likely to forget about sending an invoice. Mobile billing helps you get invoices out faster, which can do wonders for cash flow. You may be out meeting clients, working on-site or traveling between jobs. If you have an office – at home or anywhere else – you probably don’t spend a lot of time in it.

That can change the way you work completely if you have become accustomed to the local accounting solutions. With cloud-based mobile accounting at your service, updates install automatically without disturbing the task. From natural calamities to man-made accidents, there are a number of reasons that can damage the local device, which could lead to loss of data permanently. The rising abilities of mobile devices and improvements with security solutions have enhanced the reliability of mobile accounting solutions. Since the accuracy and security of accounting are as critical for businesses as for professionals, reliability has to be a necessary element with every innovation in the accounting industry. The idea is to let the accounting operations continue over a device that the user is familiar and comfortable with.

Sudden panic about whether you have enough in the bank to meet an upcoming tax deadline? Just check your Tax Timeline on the FreeAgent accounting app to see when your tax is due and how much the bill will be. FreeAgent is cloud accounting software, which means that you can access and edit your accounts from multiple devices and they’ll all stay in perfect sync. At Fundera, Randa specializes in reviewing small business products, software, and services. This being said, it’s worth looking into the app providers we’ve discussed as you search for your accounting software—there’s no doubt that any of these applications can serve your business well. Like the other apps on our list, GoDaddy’s bookkeeping app automatically syncs your information between your online account and mobile device. The Zoho Books accounting app allows you to manage your business finances on-the-go, with unique features for iOS, Android, and Windows devices.

  • From a pricing perspective, it is within the budget of most small businesses.
  • The next application on our list of the best apps for small business accounting is Zoho Books—an accounting software designed for smaller businesses.
  • Along with listing the financial transactions, you can process certain transactions and banking tasks as well with the same application.
  • With the FreshBooks app, you’ll be able to access a significant amount of the features that FreshBooks includes with their web-based software.
  • Snap pictures of your expense receipts with your phone and attach them to the expenses you’ve recorded.
  • The Square app is free and Square also gives you a free credit card reader.

With access to mobile accounting, you and your team members don’t have to be in the office to get work done. Mobile accounting apps allow you to work on the go from your phone, or at home on your desktop or laptop computer. Now, you can stay on top of your accounting on your own time—talk about convenience. Moreover, although you may be interested in an accounting software system without a mobile app, choosing one with an accounting app will certainly be beneficial to your business. With a mobile accounting app, you can track your business’s finances no matter how far away from the office you are. Not all accounting software companies offer apps, so if you want to do accounting on the go, we recommend checking out these 10 providers.

You can do things on the fly that might otherwise ruin your weekends. Instead of stuffing receipts into your pocket or work bag, you can photograph them with your phone. The image is stored with your accounts, so you don’t have to worry about losing track of what’s been spent.

QuickBooks Self-Employed is a scaled-down version of QuickBooks Online that focuses on income and expenses instead of also tracking assets and liabilities. Perhaps best of all, with the Self-Employed Tax Bundle your data can be transferred automatically to your tax return at the end of the year. Most mobile accounting apps are independent systems that link up with a company’s license for desktop software. However, some mobile accounting systems will integrate more directly with a core cloud-based desktop product at the home office. Cloud-based systems, which are increasingly popular, require less hardware than on-premises software.

Square is compatible with a number of other apps, including delivery apps that you can access through the Square dashboard. Square also supports inventory management, particularly for retailers. If your small business is on a tight budget, or if you are a very small business with limited needs, the Wave bookkeeping app may be for you. In terms of free bookkeeping apps, it may be the best on the market. This app is free for its most basic pricing plan and it has several features you should look for in terms of mobile bookkeeping.

mobile accounting app

Based on new plan, pricing, and app rating information, we’ve removed ZipBooks from our top 10 list. FreshBooks now nabs a top-five spot for its invoicing app, and Kashoo comes in 10th place for its iOS-only app. Sign up to receive more well-researched small business articles and topics in your inbox, personalized for you. Additional users can be added to any plan for $2 per user per month. Compare the features of each plan in our QuickBooks Online comparison guide.

Benefits And Potential Issues Of Mobile Accounting Software

The business can then present its Certified Public Accountant a host of financial information at year’s end to assist with tax preparation. The inDinero app pulls your bank and credit card statements from all of your banks. There is no need to shoebox receipts due to this feature and inDinero places your expenses in the proper categories for you immediately. In this way, you can develop your budget and inDinero will generate reports that will show you how you are doing. Square is an excellent point-of-sale app for small businesses that accept credit cards and those that have an online store or website presence. FreshBooks has a time-tracking feature that, if you are a freelancer, allows you to track your billable hours. While QuickBooks Online limits you to 1-5 simultaneous users depending on which plan you choose, you can have unlimited simultaneous users on FreshBooks.