Top 3 Zoho Books Alternatives (with Integrated Payroll)

 When business owners and financial managers talk about accounting solutions, Zoho Books is likely to come up in the conversation. The company has experienced explosive growth and has now become one of the most widely used accounting software solutions on the market.

This is likely due to several reasons, such as the ease of use, affordability, and plain old popularity.

When it comes to accounting software – or any other business solution for that matter – there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all system. And even though a solution like Zoho Books comes with plenty of useful features, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the service matches the specific requirements of every company out there.

What many Zoho Books users find less than stellar is the lack of integrated payroll tools and applications. As of the first quarter of 2019, Zoho Books still doesn’t have an integrated payroll. However, the company has announced that it’s rolling out integrated payroll in select US locations, specifically Texas and California, for a trial period. There’s no clear information as to when this will become available to the rest of Zoho’s customer base.

For now, small business owners and entrepreneurs will have to look at other solutions in order to manage and maintain their accounting and payroll needs. But why is integrated payroll so important?

Find our introduction to payroll software here.

Key Benefits of Integrated Payroll

As a business owner, it shouldn’t be a mystery as to why integrated payroll is important for your organisation. Regardless, we have gathered up a few of the key benefits of integrated payroll.

Accounting and payroll data will be more centralized

Centralized data is among the biggest advantages in having an accounting solution with a payroll system. By having all the data that is accumulated by your systems in one place, the room for error will be dramatically reduced.

Fewer actions to complete complex processes.

Accounting and payroll processes are time consuming and complex – even with the right tools. With a decent payroll system seamlessly integrated into an easy-to-use accounting solution, some of these processes will effectively bed reduced to just a few clicks. This means that the user will not have to jump between two separate programs in order to manage accounting and payroll workflows. Even with this simple change, plenty of hours can be shaved off on both operations.

Quick and easy reporting process during tax filing

Calculating payroll taxes cannot be easy – especially when you’re trying to work two separate applications at the same time. However, by using online payroll services integrated with your accounting system, you will have all the information necessary in a single, secure location.

Simplified billing process

If you’ve ever managed small business accounting, then you know how challenging it can be to keep track of all your bills and payment deadlines. With accounting payroll features bundled in a single platform, you will have a much simpler way of keeping track of your bills.

Convenience with automatic software updates

Any software solution needs support from the developers, whether it’s for bug fixes or subsequent upgrades to the platform by adding new features and more. In an integrated solution, changes made to one tool will have an impact on and be reflected in the other. Automatic updates and security patches, also mans that you will have to worry less about your business cyber security.  

Are you looking for the best Zoho Books alternative with integrated payroll? Let’s take a closer look at these 3 accounting solutions.

The Best Zoho Books Alternatives

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks is considered one of the top-tier accounting tools currently on the market. The brand has served small businesses, freelancers, independent accounting firms, and start-ups for more than three decades.

This accounting solution offers a variety of robust tools and features for tax calculation, expense tracking, sales monitoring and invoice management. QuickBooks Online is specifically designed to simply the accounting process and financial management of small businesses and startups. Whether it involves expense reporting, profit and loss data, bill payments, or invoice customization, this accounting software offers them all and more. The platform can even provide real-time finance information as well as concise reports based on different data visualizations.

Additionally, QuickBooks offer a wide range of functionalities. It integrates easily with both native and third-party application integrations, thereby making it a strong contender for the best integrated payroll solution.

QuickBooks Online pricing starts at $10 per month per user (for the first three months). After the third month, the monthly price will increase to $20. This is the basic package, but there are plenty of packages and features to choose from.

Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Previously known as Sage One, the Sage Business Cloud Accounting software is best known for its user-friendly cloud-hosted accounting and finance management applications. The platform can be integrated with Sage 50 Cloud for more streamlined cloud storage and accessibility for all your accounting data, making it the ideal solution for both SMEs and large enterprises.

Users will get full access to a fully equipped dashboard with comprehensive data visualization. This can provide accounting teams and personnel a more extensive overview of their transactions anytime, anywhere. Some of the extra functionalities include customer sales history, bank statement imports and supplier purchases.

Sage Business Cloud Accounting is skilfully designed as a mobile-first application, allowing for user-friendly operations when working from mobile devices. The solution also allows users to process quotes and send them instantly to customers. The solution is overall easy to use and navigate – and it comes with a well-organized dashboard.

Pricing for Sage solutions starts at $10 per month per user. Customers can add more features or upgrade to unlimited users for £25 per month.

Xero

Xero is often found at the top of the list of most software review websites (ours included!). This accounting software is designed to meet the standards and requirements of small businesses, startups, and independent firms – regardless of the industry you’re in.

Many industry experts regard Xero as one of the most handy and efficient tools for managing financial activities, and it’s often being compared to the highly popular ADP Run Payroll solution. However, the ease of use associated with Xero’s design and infrastructure cannot be overstated, as user with little technical experience will be able to navigate the system easily.

Founded in New Zealand in 2006, Xero has been serving business around the world for more than a decade. To date, almost half a million businesses and accountants all over the world swore by Xero as one of the best alternatives to Zoho Books.

Xero prices starts at $9 per month. This is good for up to five bills, five invoices, and 20 bank transactions each month – after that, customers may upgrade to other pricing packages with added features and capabilities.