15 Leading Accounting Software for Startups for 2024

When you are a start-up, you need to get a clear picture of your level of success. Such can be done by keeping accurate records of your financial transactions. Thus, having reliable accounting software for startups cannot be overemphasized.

In this article, learn about various accounting software for startups that are available on the market today. Each one has different capabilities and is targeted at various users and industries. By going through the list, you can take note of the prominent features of each software and decide if such a solution is the right fit for your business.

Two years after the pandemic, COVID-related concerns are no longer top-of-mind for accountants as their greatest challenge. In a survey, 51% of respondents said that one of their biggest accounting challenges is keeping up with regulatory change. Other pressing issues they cited were recruiting or retaining good employees (35%) and acquiring and retaining new clients (26%).

One of the ways that accountants can solve today’s business challenges is through the use of AI. In fact, automating accounting tasks through AI is one of the key accounting trends for 2025 and is predicted to have the most impact on the industry. However, a survey by the Institute of Financial Accountants found that there is a training gap in the AI market for accountants. According to the survey, 55% of those surveyed said that, at best, they have “some” knowledge of AI. Another 15% said they do not have any knowledge at all, while 47% said they need additional training for AI. Training needs can be lessened by familiarizing yourself with accounting software that features AI-powered automation. Among which are discussed in the list below.

List of Top  Software for Startups

1. FreshBooks

FreshBooks is an ideal cloud-based accounting software for startups because it helps individuals and businesses create accurate reports and ensure tax compliance. With FreshBooks, users can make informed decisions, collaborate with their accountant, and have easily understandable financial reports. FreshBooks can be used by freelancers, self-employed professionals, businesses with contractors, and those with employees.

One of the key features of FreshBooks is double-entry accounting, which gives you actual business data and insights for you to make smart decisions. Automated bank reconciliation helps you mark and categorize transactions. Meanwhile, its account payable feature allows you to upload a photo of your bill and instantly capture the data within the tool. FreshBooks can be integrated with 21 partner app categories, including Gusto, Stripe, Bench, Fundbox, and G Suite by Google Cloud.

Price range: FreshBooks offers Lite, Plus, and Premium plans. Plans range from $6 to $20 per month to $108 to $360 per year. It also has a quote-based Select plan.

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What is unique about FreshBooks?

1. Chart of Accounts. FreshBooks allows you to access certain account types under your balance sheet and income statement accounts. Your Charts of Accounts view can be filtered by date range or currency for easier viewing.
2. Trial Balance Report. A trial balance report lets you see the sum of all your debits and credits for every account of your business using the accrual method. The report helps you find discrepancies in your account totals and ensures that your totals are the same to achieve account balance.
3. Accountant Access. FreshBooks features an accountant role that grants your accountant access to reports such as your general ledger, balance sheet, and profit roles. For an additional fee, you can hire an accountant to have your books reviewed by a fresh set of eyes.

2. NetSuite ERP

NetSuite ERP is a cloud-based accounting software that gives businesses a clear picture of their cash flows and financial performance and transforms their accounting practices. Tracking business performance is one of the strongest reasons why you should use accounting software. In the case of NetSuite ERP, companies can enjoy improved accounting accuracy, get real-time information at their fingertips, and close their books with confidence. The solution can be deployed in a wide range of industries, including retail, education, and healthcare.

One of the core features of the software is accounts payable, which automates all aspects of invoice delivery, payment processing, and collections management. You can likewise automate your review and approval workflows for your accounts payable process. NetSuite can be integrated with apps for logistics, point-of-sale, and ecommerce platforms and marketplaces via the NetSuite Connector. Supported integrations include eBay, Magento, Shopify, ShipStation, and more.

Price range: NetSuite offers quote-based pricing. The vendor charges customers with an annual fee plus, a one-time implementation fee.

NetSuite ERP

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What is unique about NetSuite ERP?

1. General ledger. NetSuite ERP’s general ledger features include automated journal-entry approval workflows. This feature confirms various criteria before posting the journal, as well as automating routine calculations.
2. Multiple books. With NetSuite, you can manage books using different accounting standards. This is possible due to prebuilt mapping capabilities that connect primary and secondary charts of accounts and book-specific functional currencies.
3. Multiple currencies and tax structures. NetSuite helps you keep precise tax records in the currency that your customers and partners use. You can record transactions in local and base currencies, as well as convert currencies using the latest date exchange rates.

3. QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting software that gives individuals and businesses the tools they need to run their business. With QuickBooks online, users can work from anywhere as they can access their books from a desktop, tablet, or mobile device. It also lessens data entry and provides readily accessible insights to your business. QuickBooks can be used by freelancers, as well as new businesses, professional services, product sellers, and non-profit organizations.

One of the key features of the software is the ability to import transactions and then sort them into tax categories. You can also generate invoices and track their status for ease of collecting payments. QuickBooks Online can be integrated with more than 650 business apps, including Square, PayPal, Expensify, and Amazon Business Purchases.

Price range: QuickBooks Online offers four plans: Simple ($12.50 per month), Essentials ($25 per month), Plus ($40 per month), and Advanced ($90 per month).

What is unique about QuickBooks Online?

1. Invoice and expenses. QuickBooks Online helps you collect payments from customers faster through credit card and bank payment options that are integrated right into the invoice. You can also create your own professional-looking invoice with your brand elements.
2. General reports. QuickBooks equips you with valuable insights that empower you to make smart decisions. You can generate reports on expenses, balance sheets, profit and loss, and more.
3. Tax deductions. With QuickBooks, you can organize income and expenses into tax categories. When it’s time to file your taxes, you can share your books with your accountant or export them.

4. Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Sage Business Cloud Accounting is an accounting software that is targeted towards small businesses that seek to simplify their accounting process. With Sage Business Cloud, users can lessen time spent on administrative work while getting more work done. The solution can be used by accountants and small business users to manage their financial transactions. Sage can be used in various industries as well, including construction, manufacturing, and wholesale distribution.

One of the key features of Sage Business Cloud Accounting is its ability to automate invoicing and administrative tasks, letting you experience first-hand one of the top accounting trends. It is capable of automatically tracking expenses as well as creating, sending, and tracking invoices. For better financial decision-making, users can collaborate in real-time within the tool. The solution can be integrated with Stripe, AutoEntry, Zynk, Collbox, and epages.

Price range: Sage Business Cloud Accounting offers two plans: Sage Accounting Start at $10 per month and Sage Accounting, which normally costs $25 per month. The vendor runs discounts for the Sage Accounting plan, which lowers the monthly costs.

What is unique about Sage Business Cloud Accounting?

1. AutoEntry. AutoEntry allows you to capture bills, receipts, and invoices online or from your mobile phone. Once uploaded, you can monitor the status of these items even while on the go.
2. Invoice tracking. Sage Business Cloud facilitates faster payment through easy conversion of quotes and estimates into invoices. Invoices can be made straight from your accounting or point-of-sale solutions.
3. Cash flow management. The forecast cash flow feature provides you with an estimate of how much money you will have or need. You can get real-time information on your cash flow from a dashboard, keeping you always up to date about your finances.

5. AvidXchange

AvidXchange is an accounts payable software geared towards middle-market businesses. This end-to-end solution promises to steer clients to their success by automating their AP process. Using AvidXchange gives customers the opportunity to shift from a manual to a digital accounts payable process. By using the solution, they can reduce costs, grow their business, and reduce fraud. The software can be deployed in various industries, such as banking, hospitality, health care, and real estate.

One of the prominent features of AvidXchange’s invoicing capabilities is its OCR technology, which saves you the hassle of manual data entry. It also allows you to pay your bills through its vast supplier network. AvidExchange can be integrated with more than 220 apps, including SAP Concur, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics, and QuickBooks.

Price range: AvidXchange offers a quote-based plan that is available upon request from the vendor.

What is unique about AvidXchange?

1. Invoice processing. AvidXchange has the AvidInvoice product for middle-market customers. It features OCR technology for receiving, tracking, and approving invoices.
2. Invoice automation. AvidBuy, the vendor’s purchase order software solution, helps solve pain points in the PO process, such as delays and coding errors. One your data is exported to your accounting system, the software conducts two-way and three-way matching.
3. Bill payments. With AvidPay, users can make their business-to-business payments online as well as set up custom workflows for their process. Transactions done within the vendor’s supplier network is fast and secure, reducing the time spent had the check been processed manually.

6. A2X

A2X is an accounting software that helps ecommerce businesses simplify their bookkeeping and have accurate financials. With A2X, users can enjoy hassle-free accounting, saving them time so they can channel their energy into growing their business. Accountants, bookkeepers, and ecommerce businesses of all sizes can use the solution. A2X provides support for online sellers using eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart to help them ride future ecommerce trends.

A2X works by detecting transactions in your chosen ecommerce platform once you connect it to the software. You can map transactions to your chart of accounts and use the advanced features to generate custom accounting reports. A2X allows you to send summarized entries for matching with your accounting system, such as Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage. From there, you can easily reconcile your books.

Price range: A2x monthly charges vary depending on the ecommerce channel you use. For example, pricing for Amazon users range from $19 to $139 per month. On the other hand, rates for Shopify are between $19 to $69 per month. They also offer a plan for sellers on multiple sales channels from $79 to $149 per month.

What is unique about A2X?

1. Product Type Grouping. With this feature, you can group various SKUs into single line items for accounting or taxation purposes. This could be useful if you need to track items by brand for profit and loss reporting for certain tax exemptions.
2. Auto-Post. This feature allows you to automatically post your settlements and payouts after setting up your account and tax configuration. The same method can be applied to cost of goods sold.
3. Bulk actions. You can perform actions on up to 50 settlements or payouts at a time. Bulk Actions menu options include bulk refresh, bulk delete, bulk send sales, and bulk export.

7. Trolley

Trolley is a payouts platform that is meant to respond to the challenges of the internet economy. The platform lets users send payouts to various regions and countries around the world in their local currencies. Trolley can be used by influencers, freelancers, ad networks, app stores and affiliate networks. Use cases include accommodations, music royalties, photo royalties, and business-to-business accounts payable.

One of the main features of Trolley is its ability to automate payout workflows. It allows you to quickly onboard users and verify information in line with banking regulations. Trolley also has features for preventing risk and fraud, as well as ensuring tax compliance. Trolley can be integrated with Slack, Xero, Salesforce, QuickBooks, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, and other apps.

Price range: Trolley offers three plans: Grow Plan ($49 per month), Platform Plan ($199 per month), and a quote-based Enterprise plan. Prices vary per country.

What is unique about Trolley?

1. Mass payouts. With Trolley, you can process mass payouts to sellers, freelancers, or service providers anywhere in the world. The service covers more than 215 countries in 36 languages.
2. Tax compliance. Trolley has a host of features to make tax compliance easy and convenient. These include TIN matching and validation, dynamic tax withholding, digital tax form collection, and more.
3. Regulatory compliance. Trolley’s fraud monitoring service is powered by machine learning and big data for detecting bad actors before you send them pay-outs. It likewise uses AI and fuzzy logic to screen individuals against global watchlists.

8. DocuPhase

DocuPhase is a business process, accounting, and workflow automation software that helps businesses with digital transformation and growing their business to scale. With DocuPhase, users can better manage cash flow and ensure invoices are paid faster. It also helps them capture and store business data. DocuPhase can be used in a variety of industries such as legal, banking, healthcare, manufacturing, and more.

DocuPhase’s suite of solutions has eight components, which include automation for accounts payable and receivable. The accounts payable component includes automatic three-way matching, instant approval routing, and automatic GL coding. On the other hand, accounts receivable features include flexible payment options and payment portals. DocuPhase can be integrated with hundreds of ERP apps, including NetSuite, Oracle, Salesforce, Workday, and more.

Price range: DocuPhase pricing is available upon request from the vendor.

What is unique about DocuPhase?

1. Smart data capture. DocuPhase is powered by OCR technology, which reads incoming documents and extracts information from them. With such technology, you can capture line-item invoice details in just one click.
2. Payment automation. DocuPhase provides users with a multi-channel payment experience, whether online, through an IVR or text-to-pay. It also features customer payment portals so they can pay bills quickly and securely.
3. Instant approval routing. DocuPhase sends invoices automatically to the approver. In this way, you avoid misplacing or duplicating invoices.

9. Zoho Books

Zoho Books is an online accounting software that helps businesses of all sizes conduct end-to-end accounting. With Zoho Books, users can leave routine tasks to the software so they can focus on more strategic tasks. It also fosters collaboration across departments and also helps in automating business workflows. Due to its versatility, Zoho Books is used in many industries, including retail, manufacturing, telecommunication, information and technology services, and more.

One of the main features of Zoho Books is the ability to send professional-looking invoices. It also has expense management, tax tracking, and bank reconciliation features. It comes with a mobile app for managing finances from anywhere. Zoho Books can be integrated with a host of apps such as Stripe, PayPal, Box, DropBox, Slack, Microsoft Office, and more.

Price range: Zoho Books offers a free plan with an extensive set of features. It also has the Standard, Professional, and Premium plan. They range from $10 to $30 per organization per month billed annually or $12 to $36 per organization per month.

Zoho Books

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What is unique about Zoho Books?

1. Expense management. Zoho Books allows you to keep a record of your bills, expenses, customer credits, and more from one repository. You can also manage recurring expenses for you to automate expense generation.
2. Estimate management. With Zoho Books, you can create invoices that are customized for your business, and enable Zoho Sign for added security. The system also allows you to send an estimate via the client portal, then turn the estimate into an invoice.
3. Bank connect reconciliation. Zoho Books allows you to import transactions from your bank or PayPal account for reconciliation. You can manage your account with features like cash flow predictions and bank rules for filtering and categorizing transactions.

10. Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense is a travel and expense management software that helps individuals and businesses fully automate their expense and reimbursement process. Recent business travel trends indicate that technology is continuing to revolutionize corporate travel. With this solution, they can control spend, manage all aspects of their business travel and expense, and audit business expenses faster. Zoho Expense can be used for expense reporting by those who are self-employed, as well as small businesses and enterprises. It can also be used in education, healthcare, manufacturing, and more.

The software’s expense management capabilities provide support for multiple methods of uploading expenses in various currencies. It is likewise capable of mileage tracking with 100% accuracy using four methods for adding mileage expenses. Zoho Expense can be integrated with Xero, Sage, Lyft, Slack, Microsoft Office 365, and more.

Price range: Zoho Expense has free and paid plans. The paid plans are: Standard ($3 per active user per month billed annually), Premium ($5 per active user per month billed annually), and Enterprise ($8 per active user per month billed annually).

Zoho Expense

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What is unique about Zoho Expense?

1. Expense limits. Get rid of unwanted expenses by setting up daily, monthly, and yearly expense limits. You can also assign categories to expense limits and apply warnings and restrictions.
2. Corporate card reconciliation. Zoho Expense automates your matching and reconciliation process by automatically scanning receipts and fetching corporate card statements. It also features a comprehensive corporate card dashboard where you can monitor the way employees are using their corporate cards.
3. Audit expense reports. Zoho Expense features an AI-driven fraud detection engine, which combs through your expense reports to automatically detect suspicious transactions. You can also run audit trail reports so you can identify whenever transactions are created, modified, or deleted.

11. Xero

Xero is an online accounting software that helps accountants, bookkeepers, and small businesses to streamline their day-to-day business tasks. With Xero, paying bills, claiming expenses, and managing your bank accounts is fast and convenient. Xero can be used by various types of small businesses such as retail, ecommerce, hospitality, nonprofit, legal, information technology, and more.

Key features of Xero include bills payment and acceptance, expense claims reimbursement, and bank feeds. It can also be used to track projects, manage contacts, capture data, and store files online. All these features are housed in a cloud-based solution with multi-level security, including encryption and multi-factor authentication. Xero can be connected to more than 1,000 third-party apps such as Square, PayPal, HubSpot, Expensify, and more.

Price range: Xero offers three plans: Early ($12 per month), Growing ($34 per month), and Established ($65 per month).

What is unique about Xero?

1. Bills payment. Xero helps you to stay on top of your bills as it gives you an overview of unpaid bills, bills in draft, waiting for approval, or bills ready to be paid. The tool also allows you to schedule payments and store your bills in one place.
2. Expense management. Xero gives you the tools to process employee reimbursements faster. Users can take photos of receipts and then receive a notification when an expense claim is submitted.
3. Bank feeds. You can connect multiple bank accounts to the software so you can see daily transactions in your bank account in Xero. You can also see your cash flow from the dashboard and categorize transactions.

12. FreeAgent

FreeAgent is an intuitive cloud-based accounting software that helps freelancers, accountants, and small businesses stay on top of their day-to-day administrative tasks. With FreeAgent, businesses can get paid faster, simplify expense tracking, and gain visibility into their projects. FreeAgent can be adapted to suit the needs of various businesses such as coffee shops, film production, software development, and more.

One of the main features of FreeAgent is its invoicing capability, which supports multiple languages and currencies. A small business dashboard showing your cash flow, invoices, estimates, and other data makes it easy to see how your business is doing. FreeAgent can be integrated with Dext, Stripe, PayPal, Sellwire, and Woo Commerce. The software also has free mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Price range: For small businesses in the US, FreeAgent costs $12 a month for six months. Afterwards, it will be billed at $24 a month.

What is unique about FreeAgent?

1. Smart insights. FreeAgent’s Radar feature brings you insights and tips tailored to your business. It will also alert you on red flags such as late payments or possible cash flow issues.
2. Sales tax. FreeAgent allows you to configure sales taxes and applies them to all required sales and purchases. You can also access sales tax reports showing taxes charged on invoices and taxes paid on purchases and payments.
3. Automated expense management. With FreeAgent, employees can snap photos of receipts and keep a running balance of their expenses. You can also stay on top of upcoming supplier payments and set up automatically recurring expenses for frequent purchases.

13. Gusto

Gusto is a comprehensive people platform that lets you manage a full spectrum of HR functions in a single solution. The solution covers full-service payroll, employee benefits, time and attendance, hiring and onboarding, talent management, and insights and reporting. With Gusto, you can have unlimited payroll runs, make tax compliance more easy, and administer employee benefits.

One of the main features of Gusto is its payroll function, which you can set up in just a few minutes. You can enforce deductions, enforce paid time-off policies, and set up multiple pay rates and schedules. Gusto can be synced with accounting software such as Freshbooks, QuickBooks, Sage, and Xero.

Price range: Gusto offers three packages with the following base prices: Core ($39 per month), Complete ($39 per month), and Concierge ($149 per month). Additional per-person costs are at $6 per person per month for the Core plan and $12 per person per month for the Complete and Concierge plans. It also has a quote-based Select plan.

What is unique about Gusto?

1. Full-service payroll. Gusto allows you to process employee payments through direct deposits or printable checks. It can also help you automatically file local, state, and federal taxes.
2. Employee benefits. With over 3,500 health insurance plans, 100 carriers, and licensed advisors, it’s possible to choose the best plan for your team and your budget with Gusto. The vendor also offers various options pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation.
3. Gusto wallet. Gusto Wallet is a mobile app that gives users instant and easy access to paycheck, banking, savings, and emergency funds. Through the mobile app, you can set savings goals and cash out funds in case of emergencies.

14. Airbase

Airbase is a spend management platform that helps companies achieve total visibility and control of your purchasing and finances. The solution is composed of three main products: corporate cards, bills payment, and employee reimbursements. Airbase can be used by CEOs, CFOs, VPs of Finance, employees, controllers, and accounting managers. It can also be deployed in early-stage companies, small to mid-market companies, and pre-IPO and public companies.

Bills payment is one of the features of Airbase, and it includes OCR technology for scanning invoices. They also offer corporate cards with high cash back rates. Getting reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses is also easier with OCR scanning and auto-population for photo receipts. Airbase can be integrated with accounting software such as Xero, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and QuickBooks Online.

Price range: Airbase offers three plans: Essentials, Growth, and Enterprise.

What is unique about Airbase?

1. Bills payments. With Airbase, you can consolidate payments made through cards, checks, ACH, and vendor credits in one platform. Meanwhile, the Invoice Inbox feature gives you the context of an invoice straight to your email inbox.
2. Corporate cards. The vendor provides an Airbase pre-funded virtual or physical card, which offers cash back and charges no interest or fees. With the cards, you can manage your budget, scan receipts, and automatically categorize transactions.
3. Employee reimbursements. With Airbase, you can set up consistent approval workflows by setting mandatory fields, budget limits, and submission time windows.

15. Reckon One

Reckon One is an accounting, business, and bookkeeping software that promises users to spend less time on managing finances so they can focus on growing their business. With Reckon One, users can enjoy a simplified accounting process, manage wages and employee leaves, and get invoices paid faster. Reckon One can be used by freelancers and creatives. It can also be used in a wide range of industries such as retail, hospitality, ecommerce, farming, and professional services.

Key features of Reckon One include real-time reporting of your daily income and expenses. It also includes bank reconciliation and a customizable dashboard with various reports. Reckon One has an Add-On Marketplace that includes apps like Ostendo, Zapier, Dext, Better Clinics, CargoOffice, and more.

Price range: The vendor offers four plans: Basics ($10 per month), Essentials ($25 per month), Essentials + Payroll ($35 per month), and Premium ($49 per month).

What is unique about Reckon One?

1. Auto-calculate GST. Reckon One automatically calculates your goods and services tax as you prepare your business activity statement. When you are done, you can send your report to the taxing authority straight from the software.
2. Bank reconciliation. Reckon One allows you to manually or automatically import bank statements to the system so you can keep an eye on your cash flow. You can sort your transactions into categories to better organize your finances.
3. Custom dashboard. Reckon One features a dashboard that you can tweak according to the needs of your business. It also allows you to drill into more than 20 reports, including income and expenses, and quarterly net position comparisons.

Adding Accounting Software to Your Tech Stack

Just like in other industries, the impact of technology on the accounting sector cannot be discounted. Through technology, accounting processes can be accelerated for start-ups to achieve the path of growth they have set for themselves. One software that can help start-ups achieve their business goals is FreshBooks, which offers a comprehensive toolkit for ensuring that your financial records are accurate.

But buying the right software is only one part of the equation. Aside from having access to the latest that technology has to offer, business leaders and employees have to keep abreast of the critical accounting software statistics to truly stand out from their competitors.

By Daniel Epstein

Daniel Epstein is a senior financial research analyst at FinancesOnline and the architect behind our Fintech and ERP content division. His main areas of expertise are blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, and the use of biometrics in fintech solutions. His work has been frequently quoted by such publications as Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, and LA Times. With more than 1,800 solutions scrutinized in the last 5 years spent on our team he always prioritized offering readers an unbiased perspective on modern financial technologies.