Small business accounting software for non-accounting types Free. Easily understand and manage your income and expenses. Track everything and connect to other Wave products such as payroll, payments, and invoicing. Everything is automated and in a single package. QuickBooks is the #1 rated small business accounting software. See why 7 million small businesses trust us with their online accounting. Try us free today. It’s true—when you’re starting out, spreadsheets seem to be an easy, temporary solution to financial management. However, the keyword is temporary. The free accounting software is really just a front-end for a web-based service, but that's no bad thing unless your business struggles to get a decent internet connection. Read our review of NCH. This free program is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 or later. From the developer: Accounter is online and free accounting software for small and medium scale organization providing detailed information on flow of money and transactions happening in your company.

Aug 13,2019 • Filed to: PDF Tips

Keeping track of your finances and expenses is one way to ensure you remain on top of your money situation. Doing that without the right program can be difficult, which is why there are so many personal accounting programs to choose programs. Yet, choosing the right one can be just as difficult. In this article, we are going to be looking at some of the best personal accounting software for you to choose from. Some are free, others charge a small fee but each one has features that are designed to make it easy for you to keep track of your money.

Top 5 Best Personal Accounting Software for Mac and Windows

#1. PDFelement Pro

Accounting requires documentation and therefore you need the best PDF software to make it easier to not just organize the documents but also edit and maintain them. The best personal accounting software for mac and Window to help you with this kind of documentation is PDFelement Pro. With the help of this personal accounting software, your works with accounting will be easier and faster.

Pros:

• It allows you to edit both text and images on the PDF document.
• You can also use it to add a password and a watermark to protect documents that you don't want to share with the wrong individuals.
• But perhaps the most useful feature for accounting purposes is iSkysoft's form filing feature. With it, you can fill in both interactive and non-interactive form fields very easily. This feature would come in handy when filling in tax forms.
• You can also use it to easily organize the PDF files you have by bookmarking them or using the bates numbering system to make indexing easier.

Cons:

• No cons observed so far.

We hope that one or more of the above personal accounting software can help you meet your expense tracking and budgeting needs. Documentation that is a major part of accounting can be created, edited and organized using PDFelement Pro.

#2. iBank

iBank 5 is a program that is designed to help you keep your earnings and expenses in check. It has features that can download transactions from your bank and credit card accounts although you can just easily import these transactions into the program. It also budgeting options to allow you track how you spend your money.

Pros:

• Integrates with your bank accounts and credit card accounts.
• Supports multiple currencies.
• Syncs data with iPhone and iPad apps.

Cons:

• It is only available for Mac users.
• At $59.99 it is a little bit out of reach for most users although it does have a 30-day free trial.

#3. Moneydance

Moneydance is another personal finance program that comes packed with all the features a user would need to manage their finances. It easily downloads banking information in just a click and can handle transactions in multiple currencies. Available for Windows, Mac and Linus, Moneydance also comes with iOS apps that provide detailed transactions

Pros:

• Adding banking information is very easy.
• It is available for Mac, Windows and Linux.
• Supports multiple currencies.

Cons:

• It is a difficult program to use especially for beginners even though there are detailed tutorials on how to use the program.
• It is bit on the expensive side at $50.

#4. Quicken Personal Finance Software

Quicken is a recognizable program that has been around for quite a while. During that time, the program has added more features designed to help the individual keep track of their finances. Although it originally started out as a Windows compatible program, it has grown to be available for both Windows and Mac and even comes with iOS and Android apps that sync with the desktop version. Reporting is excellent and the dashboard is easy to navigate. The free version however is limited in features although the Starter Edition, Quicken Home and Quicken Business can offer more options.

Pros:

• It has a clean user-interface that makes it very easy to use the program.
• Reporting is easy and so is importing data from bank accounts and credit card accounts.
• It has Android and iOS apps.

Cons:

• The free version lacks some reporting features that can make proper assessment difficult.

#5. You Need a Budget

Also known as YNAB, You need a budget is a personal financial management tool that is designed to make it easy for beginners to track their expenses and make a budget. It is more of a tool to teach proper financial practices than a personal accounting app but also has a lot of tools that make tracking money easier. It will help users avoid overdrawn accounts and help a person remain on budget. It also comes with companion iOS and Android apps that sync with the information you have on the desktop version.

Pros:

• It provides tools to help you not just keep track of expenses but also create a budget and stick to it.
• You can sync data with your YNAB iOS or Android apps.
• It has a clean user interface that is very simple to use and ideal for the beginner user.
• You get 34 days free trial and only pay $5 after.

Best Accounting Software For Mac

Cons:

• Advanced features like tax estimates are missing.

#6. AceMoney

AceMoney is another simple yet highly effective free personal accounting software that comes packed with features to help you keep your expenses on track. It has been translated into very many different languages and has features that are ideal for tracking expenses and budgets, allowing you to maintain a proper record of how you make and spend money. It supports more than 150 currencies and financial data can be imported from accounts, other financial software or spreadsheets. It is available for both Mac and Windows and it will cost you about $40 to purchase.

Pros:

• It is available for both Mac and Windows OS.
• It has excellent tracking capabilities, allowing users to track both expenses and budgets.
• You can easily import information from other sources.

Cons:

• It lacks mobile apps.
• The user-interface is not as organized or attractive

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but there is such a thing as free accounting software.

OK, that analogy only works if you don’t think about it too hard; just like a lunch, accounting software isn’t actually free. But the fact remains that many businesses aren’t aware of the numerous free and open source accounting software options out there, or—if they are—how to navigate the market and find their ideal product.

Before splurging on a more extensive and expensive solution, businesses with limited budgets should explore free and open source accounting software that could meet their needs.

To save you some time, we did the first research step for you. Here are five of the most popular free and open source accounting options out there, based on Google search results as of August 2019.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Free accounting software:

Open source accounting software:

Why you must consider paid solutions, too
How we chose featured products

Let’s dive in.

Free accounting software

The majority of free accounting solutions out there are, in reality, limited versions of more expensive, high-end solutions—but that doesn’t mean they’re devoid of functionality. These three accounting solutions, while not as advanced as their paid counterparts, are built on a foundation of features capable of meeting the needs of your small or midsize business.

SlickPie

Dashboard in SlickPie (Source)

SlickPie is an expense management solution geared toward small businesses. This cloud-based software offers more than just expense-related activity, however; users have access to live bank feeds, recurring invoices, and payment processing, as well as a host of features designed with the small-business owner in mind.

The free version includes email support and access for up to 10 companies, while the pro version, priced at $39.95 per month, offers phone support and up to 50 companies. Outside of that, the free software offers all the same features as the paid version.

Other features include:

• Automated receipt data entry
• Online invoices
• Multicurrency support
• PayPal, Stripe, and credit card processing
• Late payment reminders
• Support for multiple companies

Wave

Dashboard in Wave (Source)

Designed with the small-business owner in mind, Wave prides itself on its simplicity and ease of use. Its intuitive user interface keeps the most important financial data front and center, accessible immediately after signup via any device with a web browser.

The idea here is that keeping things simple relieves much of the stress associated with accounting software. But don’t be deceived by this bare-bones approach; for a free piece of software, Wave is rich in features. This includes informative user dashboards, unlimited income and expense tracking, and customizable invoicing and sales tax processes.

Other features include:

• Fast setup
• Bulk transaction updates
• Exchange rate conversions
• PayPal, Shoeboxed, and Etsy integration
• Unlimited bank and credit card accounts
• Bill and invoice reminders

ZipBooks

Dashboard in ZipBooks (source)

Like most free accounting systems, ZipBooks offers a complimentary starter pack in addition to paid options. It does offer notable useful features for small businesses.

For no cost, users can send unlimited invoices, process digital payments, and manage as many vendors and customers as they need. This cloud-based solution also boasts integration with third-party applications such as Square, PayPal, Slack, and Gusto, giving organizations the freedom and flexibility to do business on their terms.

Other features include:

• Custom invoices, quotes, and estimates
• Ability to toggle between cash- and accrual-based reporting
• Vendor and customer detail tracking
• VAT, taxes, and invoice discounts
• 1099 payment and expense recording
• Balance sheet and profit and loss reporting

Open source accounting software

If you need an accounting system that you can modify to meet your business’ unique needs, open source software is a great option to consider. Users can download the source code—usually for little or no cost—and mold it into their ideal accounting system.

Open source systems require a certain degree of development expertise. But if you have a dedicated IT department, employ a coding expert, or are willing to hire a third-party consultant, open source software offers a viable alternative to the more monolithic—and pricey—solutions on the market.

GnuCash

Checkbook-style register in GnuCash (Source)

This on-premise accounting solution offers a robust set of features—recurring transactions, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting among them. What’s more, it’s as affordable as it gets (i.e., free) and endlessly customizable.

The GnuCash register is like a digital checkbook of sorts, with the ability to split transactions, display multiple accounts in a single window, and tailor the appearance to your liking. But the software’s signature quality is its “double entry” feature, which mandates that all transactions must debit and credit accounts in equal measure—keeping your books balanced at all times.

Other features include:

• Track individual stocks and portfolios
• Regularly updated stock and mutual fund quotes
• Check printing
• Payroll management
• Auto-fill frequent transactions
• Income and expense categorization

LedgerSMB

Invoice product selection in LedgerSMB (Source)

LedgerSMB is an on-premise, accounting-focused enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for small and midsize businesses. As a foundational software designed to integrate with other systems and processes, it’s an ideal solution for companies craving the flexibility to streamline their workflows. It also caters to a variety of industries, from retail businesses to trade organizations.

Built-in functionality includes the basics like general ledger and invoicing, but because it’s an ERP, its reach extends much further. And since it’s open source, LedgerSMB is customizable to your business’ needs, regardless of discipline.

Other features include:

• Inventory management
• Fixed-asset accounting
• Export files as PDF, HTML, CSV, or Microsoft Office documents
• Support for 45 languages
• Time tracking and billable hours invoicing
• Track purchasing processes by vendor, purchase orders, and invoices

Why you must consider paid solutions, too

While the systems outlined above might work for some organizations, they won’t work for all. In many cases—even yours, potentially—investing in a reputable paid solution will pay dividends in the long run.

Paid accounting software typically offers more substantial functionality, deeper insights, and more comprehensive technical support than free and open source options. For growing businesses in particular, dropping some cash for a more advanced system will extend the lifespan of your investment and ensure you’re not looking for a new vendor a year or two down the line.

To help guarantee that your search is sufficiently informed and thorough, we put together a list of top-rated accounting systems using our signature FrontRunners offering. Download the PDF—complete with an overview and features list for each product—at the link below.

3 Best Accounting Systems Backed by User Reviews

Download this guide to see top CRM systems based on real user reviews.

How we chose featured products

To identify the systems featured here, we Googled the terms “free accounting software” and “open source accounting software” during the month of August 2019 in an incognito window with the location set to the U.S. Provided they met the following criteria, the top solutions on the first page of search results are presented/included above in alphabetical order:

Mac Accounting Software Reviews

• Offer a free, standalone version of the software (not a trial version of the software where you must purchase a product after a limited amount of time).
• Meet our accounting software definition:
  Accounting software enables accounting professionals in any type of organization to manage accounts and perform various accounting and financial operations such as record keeping, financial reporting, billing, and invoicing.