Zoho Books At a Glance
Zoho Books offers a free plan and five subscription options that range from $15 per month to $240 per month, billed annually. Not only do the higher-level plans allow for more users and invoices, but they also include advanced features like purchase approvals, vendor portals and custom modules.
With Zoho, you can send customized invoices and connect to payment gateways so customers can pay for your products and services online. You’ll also be able to link one or several bank accounts to important transactions and categorize them automatically for fast and easy reconciliation.
The dashboard will give you a clear view of your highest expenses, total receivables and payables and sales. You may also create a variety of business reports, such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements. Plus there’s a tax tool you can use to set a default tax rate, calculate sales tax and file 1099s for contractors.
No matter which plan you choose, you can take care of your accounting needs on the go with the Zoho Books app, which is available at the Apple Store or Google Play store. The app will allow you to generate and send invoices, record expenses and receive quick business insights.
If you get stuck while using the software, you’ll have access to a variety of support resources. You can call Zoho, send an email or use the live chat feature on the website. The site also contains a knowledge base, frequently asked questions (FAQs) page, business guides, videos, forums and webinars.
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Intuit QuickBooks
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OR experience QuickBooks risk free with a 30-day free trial
Expert help, invoicing, maximize tax deductions, track mileage
Other Benefits
Zoho offers three add-on options that can increase the functionality of the software. If you find a Zoho plan that meets your needs but you’d like to add more users, you can add a user to your account for $2.50 per month.
In the event that you need to send hard copies of invoices or estimates to your customers, the Zoho Books Snail Mail add-on may come in handy. You can use its credits to send paper documents to customers across the country and world.
To take your accounting processes to the next level, you might want to consider the Zoho Books auto-scan add-on. It will allow you and your accountants to scan financial statements so that Zoho can extract key information automatically and input it into your account. For $8 per month, you’ll receive access to 50 scans per month.
Fine Print
Zoho offers several plan options but restricts the number of users you can have on your account. While you may solve this issue with the add a user add-on, you’ll have to pay an additional fee to do so. Also, the Enterprise plan, which is the top plan, caps the number of users to 10. Other solutions allow an unlimited number of users.
How Zoho Books Stacks Up
| Zoho Books | QuickBooks | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes Advisor Rating |  |  | |
| Starting Price | Free; $15 per organization, per month | $30 per month | $15 per month |
| Free Trial | 14 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Unlimited Inventory | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ – For up to five clients |
| Expense Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory Management | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Mileage Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ – With Plus plan or higher ($10 per month) |
| Customer Support | Phone and email support, live chat, website support resources | Live chat, video tutorials, phone and email support | Phone and email support, live chat, knowledge base and help center |
| Read Reviews | — |
Before you decide whether Zoho Books makes sense for your business, it’s a good idea to compare it to some of the other accounting software. While Zoho excels in the customer support department by offering phone and email support, live chat and a wealth of website resources, its free trial is only 14 days.
Both QuickBooks and FreshBooks allow you to try their software for 30 days. They also offer more third-party integration options than Zoho, making them a better pick for scalability. See more details on the competition in our full roundup of the best accounting software for small businesses.
Featured Partners
1
Xero
90% off for 6 months
Yes
30 days
2
Sage Intacct
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Intuit QuickBooks
$17.50 / month; 50% off the first 3 months
OR experience QuickBooks risk free with a 30-day free trial
Expert help, invoicing, maximize tax deductions, track mileage
Bottom Line: Is Zoho Books Right For You?
If you’re in search of a feature-packed software that won’t break the bank, Zoho Books should be on your radar. You’ll likely find a plan that meets your needs, especially if you’re a small or medium-sized business. However, if you can’t be limited based on users or require greater integration options, you might want to look for an alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Zoho free?
Zoho does have a free plan for businesses with an annual revenue of less than $50,000, which can be a great solution if you have a startup, sole proprietorship or home-based business that needs a basic accounting system. You’ll enjoy access to many useful features so that you can automate your accounting and bookkeeping without the high cost.
Does Zoho offer a free trial?
If you want to try out Zoho before you commit to a paid plan, you can do so. There’s a 14-day free trial that can give you an idea of whether it’s a good fit for your specific business.
What are Zoho add-ons?
Zoho offers three add-on options: add a user, snail mail and auto-scans. These can allow you to add users to your account, send paper estimates and invoices and scan financial statements to extract important data into the software.
What features should I look for in accounting software?
The best accounting software programs all provide similar features, so when considering which one is best for your business, you need to consider which features are the most important to your situation. This will help you decide which accounting software meets your needs best. Certain software is best for actions like accounts payable (A/P) and banking and cash management while others are geared more for retail companies, offering cost tracking, inventory management and collecting and submitting sales tax. Other features you may want to consider include whether the software has a mobile app, how good its customer service is and how well it does with accounts receivable (A/R) and financial reporting.
