If you’re like us, the thought of filing your annual return and sorting through your receipts and papers can be daunting. Using apps and software like these are great for lifting the stress, and allowing you to conveniently prepare and easier manage your taxes. Spend less time on frustrating paperwork and more time doing the work that gets you paid!

We’ve listed Softwares & Apps, aimed at Small Businesses that we think will help, based on how easy they are to use, pricing and their pros and cons.

QuickBooks

QuickBooks are an accounting software mainly targeted towards small and medium-sized businesses. Essentially, Quickbooks is a detailed bookkeeping tool. The software allows you to track invoices, keep payroll admin in check, keep all of your cash flow and expenses organised, and even automatically generate your tax returns. Due to QuickBooks being so detailed, it can take a while to become acquainted with the service and may be hard to understand if you’re just looking for a simple bookkeeping tool.

The customer service team for QuickBooks hold glowing reviews, holding a 4.7 review on TrustPilot UK (https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/quickbooks.intuit.com). The QuickBooks software can be used on your mobile device through their app, though it’s not as detailed or extensive as the desktop version. QuickBooks monthly cost is currently as follows: £1.20/mo for its simple start plan, £2/mo for its essentials plan & £3/mo for its Plus plan.

Pros:

Low Monthly Fees
Huge variety of features
Great Review on TrustPilot
Has a mobile App
Offers a free 30-day trial

Cons:

Takes a while to learn all the features
Some reports of technical issues / system crashes

FreshBooks

Freshbooks is a web-based accounting software geared towards small and medium-sized businesses. Similar to QuickBooks, FreshBooks supports invoice creation, payment acceptance, expenses tracking, financial reporting and generally keeping all of your cash flow and expenses organised.

The software is easier to use than QuickBooks, with many of its users noting its easy-to-use setup, along with its exceptional way of staying on trend, constantly updating their mobile app with add ons and features. FreshBooks monthly pricing is as follows: £4.40/mo for its Lite Plan which lets you bill up to five clients, £7.60/mo for its Plus plan which lets you bill 50 clients, £12/mo for its Premium plan where you can bill as many as 500 clients.

Pros:

Easy To Use and Set Up
Wide variety of features
Great Mobile App
Offers a 30-day trial

Cons:

Some users have noted that a 30-day trial is not long enough to settle into the software.
Requires a fee for additional users
Cant track income or expenses by class

Xero

Xero is easy-to-use accounting software for small to medium-sized businesses. It simplifies the accounting process and similar to QuickBooks and FreshBooks it covers purchases, bills and expenses, inventory, and payroll. Xero’s website lists its features: you can pay bills, claim expenses, accept payments, payroll and bank reconciliation to name a few.

It takes quite a while to explore all of the features it has to offer, but once you get acquainted with the software, Xero is easy to use. It is easier to learn than QuickBooks. Xero has a mobile app, which although is slightly basic, is very easy to use and allows you to track your money on the go. Its score on TrustPilot is slightly lower than both QuickBooks and FreshBooks with some customers noting that its customer service is of slightly less quality than the previous two. Pricing wise, it is more on the expensive side, with its Started plan being £10/mo, Standard Plan being £24, and Premium plan being £30.

Pros:

Easy To Use
Simple to use Mobile App
Variety of Features

Cons:

Expensive
Customer Service could be better

Zoho

Zoho Books is online accounting software that manages your finances, gets you VAT ready, automates business workflows, and helps you work collectively across departments. Zoho Corporation is not a dedicated financial services company like Intuit. It is, instead, a developer of multiple different online productivity applications., one being Zoho Books. As listed on their website, their features include invoicing, bills, expenses, banking, VAT and online payments to name a few,

They offer a mobile app, which is just as great as their desktop service. The app’s format is easily one of the best, it’s easy to use, very up to date in its format and look and lets you gain insights, track your payables and understand your financials. Zoho’s pricing is more on the expensive side in comparison to QuickBooks and FreshBooks, however, they offer a FREE option for businesses earning less than 35k GBP per year. Their standard rate is £10/mo, the professional rate is £20/mo & the premium is £25/mo.

Pros:

Great Mobile App and User Interface
Free Option
Great Variety of Features

Cons:

Expensive Monthly Rates