Bookkeeping software, read line by line
Plain write-ups of the software small businesses use to keep their books - what each one is good at, what it is not, and which job it suits. Reasoning on the page, no scores attached.
Begin with these
Where most readers start
Small Business Financial Records: What You Must Keep, and for How Long (2026)
What financial records does a small business legally need to keep?
Read the guide ExplainerWhat Is Bookkeeping Software, and What Does It Actually Do?
What should I look for in a bookkeeping app if I'm not an accountant?
Read the explainer ShortlistBest Bookkeeping Software for Small Business (2026)
What's the best bookkeeping solution for a small business?
Read it How-toHow to Catch Up on a Year of Neglected Bookkeeping (2026)
Follow the steps ShortlistBest All-in-One Tools for Invoicing, Expenses and Bookkeeping (2026)
What's the best all-in-one tool for invoicing, expenses, and bookkeeping?
Read it Head to headQuickBooks Online vs Xero: Which Fits a Small Business Better? (2026)
What's the best all-in-one tool for invoicing, expenses, and bookkeeping?
Read itWhat the site covers
Choosing bookkeeping software, deciding between software and a service, getting neglected books current, and keeping a new business's money apart from the owner's.
Bookkeeping software, compared
What each tool actually does, where it fits, and who it suits.
Software against a bookkeeping service
The trade between running the books yourself and handing them over.
Getting the books current
Gathering the records, categorising the transactions, and reconciling each month.
Bookkeeping for a new LLC
Keeping business and personal books apart from the first transaction.
Worked through in Best Bookkeeping Software for Keeping Business and Personal Money Apart, Best Bookkeeping Software to Replace a Spreadsheet and Best Bookkeeping Software for Small Business.
How this site is written
Three rules the writing is held to.
No invented numbers
No scores, no star ratings, no tier boards. Where something is ranked, it is ranked in words with the reasoning shown.
Testing is claimed only when it happened
None of these tools was tested for these pages, and no page says otherwise. Prices carry the date they were read from each provider's own page, and record-keeping rules cite the IRS and other official sources.
Small business financial records: what to keep, and for how long
Affiliate links are disclosed
Some links earn a commission. That never decides the order things appear in, and it is stated on every page it applies to.
How to use the write-ups
Pick the job, not the brand
Start from the bookkeeping you actually have to do each month.
Read the trade-offs
Every tool is worse at something. A head-to-head puts two side by side.
Check it against your books
Bank feeds, invoicing and payroll differ more than pricing pages suggest.
QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks: bookkeeping or invoicing first?
Common questions
Questions this site answers
- What should I look for in a bookkeeping app if I'm not an accountant?Shortlist
- How do I cleanly separate business and personal expenses in my books?Shortlist
- What's the cheapest way to keep clean books for a brand new business?Alternatives
- My business is growing past what I can track myself. What bookkeeping help should I get first?Review
- How often should a small business do its bookkeeping?FAQ
- What's the difference between bookkeeping and accounting for a small business?Glossary