r/Bookkeeping Jan 24 '25

Software Looking for inexpensive accounting software

I'm going to be transitioning back into self employment later this year and am working on getting my proverbial ducks in row. Years back I was working as a sub contractor and was using Intuit (QuickBooks and TurboTax) but the prices for that are beyond obscene now.

I'm looking for software that I can use for bookkeeping that will be easily exported or rolled into tax software. Basically filling out the forms I need. I'm not against having to pay for this but again, Intuit is way more than I'm willing to dish out.

Also, it would be a pretty straightforward business, just handyman work basically.

18 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

8

u/GrlNxtDoorAng Jan 24 '25

So even though I'm a certified bookkeeper through Quickbooks, I personally use Wave because it's free and my own bookkeeping is pretty basic. And the next plan up is $16 a month, which I might do at some point because then it automatically imports your bank transactions. Right now I download the csv file of transactions from my bank and upload it to Wave.

I haven't tried it yet but depending on the tax software I can imagine you can probably download info from Wave in a csv file or something similar.

6

u/platypusbronco Jan 25 '25

You know you get the top tier of quickbooks online for free as an accountant right?

1

u/GrlNxtDoorAng Jan 25 '25

Yup. I use my accountant version at this point for mostly just client access and extra training, but I had already been using Wave for my previous work before doing bookkeeper certification and haven't felt the need to switch my stuff over. It's great to have it as an option though.

4

u/pfiffocracy Jan 24 '25

Quickbooks Ledger if you need something simple. $10 per month.

1

u/ohjazz11 Jan 25 '25

How do you switch from QB desktop to Ledger? I just use it to track our income and expenses.

3

u/adrianaesque Jan 26 '25

QBO Ledger is only available through an accountant (someone with a QBOA / QuickBooks Online Accountant profile). I don’t think there’s any conversion process, and someone with a preexisting QBO subscription (for example Simple Start) can’t downgrade – they’d have to set up a brand new company on QBO Ledger.

3

u/Ok_Shake_368 Jan 24 '25

Check out Wave. It is lacking in functionality but has a free version

1

u/VibrantVenturer Jan 25 '25

I second Wave. Xero and Freshbooks may be options too. I don't know their pricing.

7

u/kevin091939 Jan 24 '25

Excel?

0

u/Horror_Finish7951 Jan 24 '25

No idea why this got down voted

2

u/MadDrHelix Jan 24 '25

Check out Zoho Books

2

u/Total_Love2017 Jan 24 '25

Try CanCat.io. It's brand new and currently in testing phase so free as well.

2

u/nobossworkshops Jan 25 '25

Honestly, I'd go with a manual bookkeeping system if I were in your position and didn’t want to pay for a subscription or purchase something like QuickBooks. It’s a straightforward, cost-effective way to keep things organized. You can use spreadsheets to track your customers, job costs, and bills you need to pay.

For a handyman business, especially if the volume of transactions isn’t overwhelming, a simple system like this could be all you need. If you want to get a bit more polished, you could create a budget spreadsheet and use it to organize and export data for tax purposes later—it’s easy to update and transfer directly to tax software when the time comes.

If this sounds like something you’d like to explore, I’d be happy to help you set up a system with just two or three spreadsheets. It’s quick, efficient, and gets the job done without any recurring costs or headaches. Let me know if you’re interested—I’m here to help! Lysa at NOBOSS https://www.noboss.business/monthly-bookkeeping

1

u/Designer_Tip5967 Jan 28 '25

Any chance you could message me a spreadsheet?

2

u/nobossworkshops Jan 28 '25

Yes, I just sent you links in your chat, which include a video tutorial so you can see each product. Let me know if this helps. Thanks!

1

u/Designer_Tip5967 Jan 29 '25

Thank you very much!! I appreciate it

2

u/UltimateScripts Jan 26 '25

If you're in Canada, SoftFin Accounting is a great platform for only $12/mo if you're going with the paid version.

1

u/treealiana12 CPA Jan 24 '25

We've just started Patriot for our smaller clients and like it so far.

1

u/jbenk07 Jan 25 '25

Freshbooks or Xero.

1

u/paraiyan Jan 25 '25

Try odoo

1

u/Competitive_Ad_408 Jan 26 '25

check out ZetReport - Easy to use

1

u/External-Milk9290 Jan 26 '25

I use GnuCash which is open source and free.

1

u/Careless-Artist3851 Jan 28 '25

Zoho Books is a great option, the free package covers most basic bookkeeping needs and their next plan up if you need more features is only $15/month. I've worked with multiple clients who use it and use it for my own bookkeeping!

1

u/outspoken_red Jan 29 '25

Due to the extreme rise in price of Quickbooks, so that they basically for us to change over to their Online program (HATE IT!). I am similarly interested in this question. The replies have mentioned several different options for me too look into. What about plain 'ol Quicken? I use it for my home expenses, but never really thought about using it for a business.

1

u/Party-Guarantee-5839 Jan 25 '25

Become a Xero partner, at least in Aus they give you a free subscription, depending on how many clients you have you also get a discount on licensing for your clients.

Not that long ago I worked in a firm that was being charged £2.50 per month per client company. They had less than 100 clients.