ZipBooks

Beside the cost (I'm on the pro version and it's still cheaper than the basic version of Xero and others), it automatically creates all the reports I need and shows them in a way that means I don't need an accounting degree! So my general ledger, my profit and loss statements - it's all there for me! Everything is so simple to use that I spent the first couple of weeks overthinking the whole thing - because it can't be that simple right?! The layout is so easy to navigate, the chart of accounts is simple to understand, and when I need a hand (I've managed to mess things up in my ignorance of double entry accounting) the customer support team are right there and get my problem sorted so quickly!

My biggest con is that it's really USA-centric. I'm not in the States so I can't connect my bank account to the system so I have to manually import my statements. For me, it's well worth the effort because the system saves me time and stress in so many other ways. Also I'm a sole trader so I don't have many accounts to sort out. I can imagine it would be different for someone with a bigger company or more regular turnover.

The bang for you buck with ZipBooks is amazing! Their free version has a lot of features and you can really do a lot with it. The lowest tier is even more powerful and still costs less than other accounting platforms. The simple layout and design of the software is also a big plus and it makes it dead easy to use.

The only issue I've found with ZipBooks is as follows! The free and lowest tier options are amazing but they do lack some of the in depth features that you're going to find with some platforms designed for experts. The higher tier option have everything you'd need to compete with any of ZipBooks' competitors, but it's a little pricier. It's still definitely reasonable, and overall this isn't much of a complaint.

Easy to use for someone with no accounting knowledge. Perfect for an MLM or hobby turned business. I love, love, love that their customer service is responsive.

The reporting features are seriously lacking. No balance statement, COG's are lumped together on the Income Statement, no division of income sources and no field on the Income Statement is clickable for a detailed report. Invoice and Expense pages are long with one arrow to the next page on the top and when editing an invoice or expense and saving, you are brought to the "1-50" page instead of the current page you were working on.

ZipBooks is the most affordable, feature rich accounting software I've ever used. It allows me to accomplish everything I need, from sending expenses, to tracking time and expenses, to invoicing. I've used other software and it either didn't include time tracking or it was too expensive for my small business.

Their web app is also incredibly easy to use and is design very well. It's all organized in a way that makes sense and the charts/reports are beautiful.

The biggest issue I have with ZipBooks is their mobile app. I'm running it on my iPhone and it seems like it's just a web-app published in a shell, storing no local information. It's difficult to track time or send invoices that haven't been saved as a draft. Sent invoices also display in reverse order – with the cache clearing every time I open the app.

If they built a full-featured, native app I think ZipBooks would be perfect.