Just because you’re a Mac person doesn’t mean you have to settle for less with your accounting software. Check out these 6 great options.
A few years ago, we published an article on the best accounting software options for Mac users. This is an update of that article, but here’s the thing: There’s no such thing as “accounting software for Mac” anymore.
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Sure, there’s plenty of accounting software that you can use on your MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, etc. But while there used to be Mac software and PC software, it’s now virtually all the same with the ever-increasing expansion of cloud-based software that works seamlessly in any browser.
In other words, you’d have a much harder time finding accounting software that doesn’t work on your Mac than a program that works only on Macs. In fact, with more than 100 million active Mac users, if you found an accounting program that somehow wasn’t compatible with Mac, that alone would be cause for alarm.
Cloud software is here to stay, and the market is only getting bigger. Gartner predicts that by 2022, 28% of enterprise IT spending will have shifted to cloud applications, up from 19% in 2018. (Full report available to Gartner clients.)
6 user-friendly accounting software options for Mac
Rather than giving you a generic list of accounting software that works on Macs (which would basically just be our accounting software directory), I decided to determine which top factors users have for choosing Mac over PC and then find accounting software that best suits those users.
- Macs are typically high-end machines with consistently strong reviews from users, so I included only accounting tools with an overall rating of 4.5/5 stars or higher in our directory (based on verified user ratings) and with at least 100 reviews.
- In general, Macs are considered easier to use than PCs, so I’m including only products with an ease-of-use rating on our site of 4.5/5 or higher.
- Finally, I included only products with a native iOS app with a user rating of 4/5 or better on the App Store, since Mac users typically use iPhones and iPads as well as their desktop or laptop computers.
With those factors in mind, here’s what I found, listed in order of rating and reviews from highest to lowest:
Jump to:
QuickBooks
FreshBooks
Accounting by Wave
Zoho Books
FreeAgent
Kashoo
1. QuickBooks
| User rating: 4.5/5.0 Ease-of-use rating: 4.5/5.0 Reviews:14,700+ |
It’s no surprise that the big name in accounting software is available on Mac operating systems. QuickBooks has even had a desktop-only (not cloud-based) option available for Macs since at least the mid-1990s, making the company something of a pioneer for cross-platform functionality.
Now, any of QuickBooks’ cloud-based offerings will work fine on your Apple device, and Intuit even still offers a desktop version for Mac. The desktop version for Mac even has a few features designed specifically for Mac users:
- QuickBooks for Mac 2020 takes advantage of the Mojave OS Dark Mode.
- You can upload text searchable images with the iPhone scanner.
- Documents can be automatically shared through iCloud.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| QuickBooks is available on virtually every device, so whether your team has Macs, PCs, or smartphones, you know that everyone can use it together. | QuickBooks has very attractive entry-level pricing, but it doubles after three months. |
| With hundreds of integrations, QuickBooks is highly customizable. | QuickBooks is an enormous company, and some reviewers find that the customer service isn’t as hands-on as they’d like. |
How much does QuickBooks cost? | |
| QuickBooks Online starts at $25/month. QuickBooks Desktop for Mac is a one-time payment of $299. | |
What about the iOS app? | |
| The QuickBooks iOS app has a 4.7/5 rating on more than 100,000 reviews. It allows users to create invoices, manage expenses, and view reports. | |
The QuickBooks Online dashboard (Source)
2. FreshBooks
| User rating: 4.5/5.0 Ease-of-use rating: 4.5/5.0 Reviews:3,000+ |
Designed specifically for small businesses and the self-employed, Toronto-based FreshBooks has been around for more than 15 years. FreshBooks also has Mac users in mind. They say that their easy-to-use accounting software works on any device—desktop, mobile, or tablet—and “plays nicely” with Mac.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Users rave over FreshBooks’ customer support, and the company stakes their reputation on it. | If your company is rapidly growing—for example, if you plan on going public—you may quickly outgrow FreshBooks. |
| Even though it’s targeted at smaller companies, FreshBooks has all the important accounting features you would need, so it can handle much more than lemonade stands. | Freshbooks does a great job of keeping your books clean, but if you love forecasting and crunching numbers, it’s a little skimpy on the reporting side. |
How much does FreshBooks cost? | |
| FreshBooks starts at $15 per month for five clients and goes up to $50 per month for 500 clients. *At the time of writing, FreshBooks has a fall sale of 60% off for six months on all plans. | |
What about the iOS app? | |
| The FreshBooks app has a 4.8/5 rating on almost 8,000 reviews. It allows you to run invoices, record expenses, track time, and accept payments, all while you’re away from your computer. | |
The Invoices dashboard in FreshBooks (Source)
3. Accounting by Wave
| User rating: 4.5/5.0 Ease-of-use rating: 4.5/5.0 Reviews:800+ |
Accounting by Wave is one of the youngest tools on this list, having launched out of Toronto in 2010 before being acquired by H&R Block earlier this year. Its biggest differentiator is that it has a completely free version, as long as you don’t need to use it to accept payments or run payroll (those are optional, paid features).
So what makes Wave an attractive option specifically for Mac users? As mentioned, it’s free, so it’ll help you save for the next iPhone or MacBook upgrade. It also scores high for ease of use, making it fit in nicely with the intuitive Mac ecosystem.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It’s free without limitations on users or transactions as long as you don’t need to accept payments or run payroll. | Wave is missing an audit trail feature, leaving it vulnerable to fraudulent employees. |
| Wave offers above-average reporting features for a free tool. | The free version offers only email support, and even if you pay for payments or payroll you still only get access to chat support (no phone support). |
How much does Wave cost? | |
| Wave is free. Payments are 2.9% + 30 cents per credit transaction, or 1% per bank transaction. Payroll starts at $20 per month plus $4 per employee. | |
What about the iOS app? | |
| Invoice by Wave passes the user review test, clocking in at 4.6/5 with almost 2,000 reviews. It doesn’t completely replace the web version of Wave, but it does allow you to keep an eye on your business finances wherever you are. The biggest complaints that users have seem to be related to customer service, which is not unique to the app. | |
Recent transactions in Accounting by Wave (Source)
4. Zoho Books
| User rating: 4.5/5.0 Ease-of-use rating: 4.5/5.0 Reviews:380+ |
If you’re looking for the peace of mind of an established, international company offering Mac-friendly accounting software and you’re trying to avoid QuickBooks for whatever reason, Zoho Books might be for you. Zoho has been releasing business software since 1996, and Zoho Books is specifically tailored for Mac users, as it is designed to work with iMessage, Apple Maps, Siri, and 3D Touch. It even has an app for the Apple Watch.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Zoho Books is one of the most user-friendly options out there. In fact, it placed fourth—better than any other option on this list—on our Top 20 Most User-Friendly accounting software report earlier this year. | Zoho Books offers integrated payroll in California and Texas for now, but if you’re in any other state you’ll have to use a separate payroll app. |
| Starting at $9 per month, Zoho Books is one of the best values in accounting software this side of Wave, which is free. And unlike Wave, Zoho has almost universally praised customer service. | Zoho Books is optimized for use with Zoho’s customer relationship management system, Zoho CRM, so if you’re already using a different CRM, it won’t work as efficiently. |
How much does Zoho Books cost? | |
| Zoho Books starts at $9 per month or $90 per year for 50 contacts and two users and goes up to $29 per month or $290 per year for unlimited contacts, 10 users, and more features. | |
What about the iOS app? | |
| As mentioned above, the Zoho Books iOS app takes full advantage of iOS-specific features such as messaging and voice assistant, and users love it, giving it a 4.7/5 rating on almost 150 reviews. While some accounting software apps have minimal features, allowing you to basically just check balances and view transactions, Zoho Books allows you to create and send invoices, manage expenses, track time, view reports, and share numbers with your accountant. | |
Managing invoices in Zoho Books (Source)
5. FreeAgent
| User rating: 4.5/5.0 Ease-of-use rating: 4.5/5.0 Reviews:110+ |
FreeAgent accounting software is based in the U.K. and originally designed for British businesses, but they also have versions customized for U.S. and global businesses, and the software has full multicurrency support. Like any good cloud-based software, FreeAgent works like a breeze on the Mac platform, and its iOS app is a fan favorite.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Users are quite pleased with FreeAgent’s recurring invoice and receipt scanning features, which help take repetitive tasks out of small business accounting. | FreeAgent is designed for small businesses, so if you’re growing fast, you could outgrow it relatively quickly. |
| Users also have good things to say about FreeAgent’s customer service, which is available by email or phone. | FreeAgent is 50% off for your first six months, but after that it’s $24 per month, which is a little high compared to other options on this list. |
How much does FreeAgent cost? | |
| FreeAgent has a flat-rate of $12 per month for everything (unlimited users and clients) for the first six months, then goes up to $24 per month after that. | |
What about the iOS app? | |
| FreeAgent’s iOS app has an average rating of 4.7/5 on 20 reviews. It allows you to view your accounts, manage expenses by snapping pictures of receipts, create and send invoices, and track time. | |
Best Free Software For Mac
The main dashboard in FreeAgent accounting for iPad (Source)
6. Kashoo
| User rating: 4.5/5.0 Ease-of-use rating: 4.5/5.0 Reviews:110+ |
Once you’ve stopped giggling about the name, you’ll see that Kashoo is a comprehensive accounting tool that is easy to use right from the start on any web-connected device, including Macs. One of Kashoo’s standout features is their customer support: You get free phone and web support with your subscription, which is much easier than standing in line at the Genius Bar.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The free phone and web support is a real plus for those of us who like to have some expert guidance. | Kashoo integrates with Square for payments and Paychex for payroll in the U.S. (and PaymentEvolution in Canada, where it’s based) but beyond that, it doesn’t have much to offer as far as customization. |
| Kashoo has a flat rate, so you get every feature in the basic plan. | Some users have reported issues syncing multiple bank accounts with Kashoo, so it’s a good thing they have easily accessible customer support. |
How much does Kashoo cost? | |
| Kashoo is $19.95 per month, or $16.58 per month if you pay for an entire year up front ($199). | |
What about the iOS app? | |
| Kashoo’s iOS app has a 4.3/5 rating on more than 50 reviews. It allows Kashoo users to view reports, manage and send invoices, accept payments, and scan receipts. | |
The tax management interface in Kashoo (Source)
What’s your favorite accounting software for Mac?
Are you an accountant (either accidental or professional) and a power Mac user? If so, what’s your weapon of choice, whether it’s listed above or something else? (There are plenty of other options out there with iOS apps, as you can see by filtering for iOS deployment in our accounting software directory.)
I’d love to hear what you use and why you use it so I can recommend it to others. Just let me know in the comments or connect with me on Twitter @AndrewJosConrad.
Note: Listed pros and cons are derived from features listed on the product website and product user reviews on Gartner Digital Markets domains (Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice). They do not represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Capterra or its affiliates.
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Note:The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.
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