7 Best Desktop Accounting Software (2024)

Individuals and company owners use accounting software to enter income and expenses and manage their accounts. It is more accurate and efficient than manual processing. It also saves time with features like automation and provides the owner with a location to keep essential records and receipts that they can access at any time.

Most companies usually prefer cloud-based accounting software for a variety of reasons. But one main drawback is that they will only work with an internet connection. This can be troublesome in areas where the internet is problematic or if signals need to be stronger.

In such cases, it can become quite a hassle if you need immediate access to your financial data or need to make a few changes. And sometimes, firms that require a very high level of confidentiality (e.g., Law firms) do not prefer cloud-based accounting systems because of the fear of the data being made accessible to third parties.

So sometimes, clients prefer to switch over to desktop accounting software. Before diving into the best desktop accounting software and the many valuable features they may give, let’s look into what desktop accounting software is.

Trending Accounting Solutions

What is Desktop Accounting Software?

Desktop apps or Software is a localized version of a service or web program that enables the user to communicate with the application processing without linking directly to the web service.

This desktop software has grown in popularity because it provides cross-platform solutions to extensive web services and the added benefit of not affecting the infrastructure in the event of a malfunction.

Top 7 Best Desktop Accounting Software (Summary)

Brand	Starting Price	Best for
1. Freshbooks	$17 – $55 per month	Small Businesses
2. Zoho Books	$10- $200 per month	Sole proprietors
3. Sage	€12 – €27 per month	Every Business
4. AccountEdge Pro	Free 30 days trial	Automation
5. Manager.io	Free	Small businesses
6. Odoo	$7.25 – 13.60 per month	Multipurpose function
7. VT Software	£75 – £150 per year	Integration

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1. Freshbooks – Best Crypto Accounting Desktop Software

With Freshbooks, recording income and expenses is simple. With this software, you can produce clear and easy business reporting and save time. It offers Quick Expense Creation directly from the Expenses tab, so you don’t need to click to create an expense.

If you need to invoice a client, record a payment, or calculate the time spent on a project, Freshbooks lets you do it in as little as 2 minutes. It provides extra information by classifying tabs and improves profitability with Double-Entry Accounting tools. Its tabs include profit and loss, chart of accounts, balance sheet, sales tax summary, and balance sheet.

In addition, Freshbooks is one of the best crypto accounting desktop software that is particularly good for businesses and those with only one operator and owner.

Pricing:

Freshbooks offers four different pricing plans with a free trial and a demo. These includes:

• $17.00 per month for Lite with five billable clients.
• $30.00 per month for Plus, the most popular with 50 billable clients
• $55.00 per month for Premium with unlimited billable clients
• Custom pricing plans are also available for businesses with unlimited billable clients and specialized features.
•  Currently, 90% off for three months on all four plans

Highlights and Hidden Gems:

• User-friendly and intuitive.
• Low prices at a reasonable level.
• A double-entry accounting report is available.
• Easy to use: You can save hours learning about the software and searching tutorials. The dashboard is self-explanatory.
• Rich in features: It’s free accounting software with more features than any other. It has all the features you would expect in an accounting package, and the company always adds more features.
• Specific record: Freshbooks Desktop can easily track your invoices and expenses. With Freshbooks, you can also prepare your tax returns on time.
• Customizable: The open-source nature of Freshbooks software makes it highly customizable. The code is available to developers who can customize and improve the modules depending on the company’s needs.

Disadvantages and Limitations:

• A little bit expensive if you don’t use all its features.
• Miscategorization of items after import.
• The mobile app has some technical bugs present.
• Users’ limitations and restrictions of billing clients.
• Lack of automatic enumeration for all your invoices and expenses.

Also Read: Accounting Software for Startups

2. Zoho Books – Best Online Desktop Accounting Software

It’s one of the best accounting software for desktops since it supports unlimited invoices. Both small companies and large companies can use it. Consulting firms and marketing agencies can also use it. Zoho software lets you manage business expenses and cash outflows and track buyer, service, and client commitments.

Zoho is a preferred accounting software with a simple interface and user-friendly mechanism. It helps improve your security by providing end-to-end accounting, easy collaboration, and an integrated platform. All these features make your complex accounting easier and help your organization and small businesses.

Pricing:

Zoho offers a free plan. Here are the basic plans provided by Zoho:

• Standard: $10 per month billed annually.
• Professional: $20 per month billed annually.
• The Premium: $30 per month billed annually.
• The Elite: $100 per month billed annually.
• The Ultimate: $200 per month billed annually.

Highlights and Hidden Gems:

• Limitless invoicing
• Bills from vendors are to be recorded and tracked.
• The ability to track expenses
• Monitoring and recording transactions involving bank cards and credit cards
• Accurately reconcile bank accounts and credit cards.
• You can quickly and easily set up Zoho because it is intuitive. A good accounting solution for small businesses with advanced accounting functionality. It’s great that the system is automated since it saves time.
• It’s also simple to use, so it’s excellent for updates on the go. The reporting is straightforward and convenient for keeping track of business performance. Fully customizable so that invoices and emails to customers are branded.
• A simplified data entry and accounting procedure are built into the software, accounting components, tax functions, and essential accounting functions. Although it is also free software, it offers you so many benefits.

Disadvantages and Limitations:

• Non-existent support and weak documentation.
• It is considered non-reliable for bank links.
• Plan restrictions are implemented on users.
• Sudden closure of certain admin/owner accounts.
• It has limited integration options available.
• Automatic matching needs to be better.

3. Sage – Best Cloud Based Desktop Accounting Software

Sage, a cloud-based desktop accounting program, is software that allows you to manage and automate desktop accounting. Sage is our top choice for the best desktop accounting application for many users since the product is user-friendly.

Many regular financial procedures, especially account payable and receivables, may be automated. If your company has its account, it may view your books and utilize the program without paying any additional expenses. Sage has powerful features that streamline desktop accounting functions for maximum quality and effectiveness.

Common bookkeeping mistakes are also avoided with the use of Sage. It works closely with HMRC to guarantee that the tax return software complies with the most recent laws, including Making Tax Digital.

Pricing:

Sage accounting offers a free trial, and its pricing plan includes the following:

• You can avail of 70% off for six months.
• Sage accounting start plan: $10 per month.
• The most popular Sage accounting plan is $7.50 per month.

Highlights and Hidden Gems:

• Cash flow management
• Task automation
• Sales optimization
• Dashboards and extensive reports.
• No prior knowledge is required. They frequently introduce new tools to help to manage your business easier.
• The ability to relax is guaranteed with bank-level security, and there is no requirement for backups.
• Reduce burden by using real-time data for your team and accountant.
• Get powerful features on your phone, tablet, or computer anytime you need them.

Disadvantages and Limitations:

• Journal entry needs more efficiency.
• A technical and Sage expert is required to get the benefit.
• Time-consuming and take time to understand.
• Staff training is mandatory to use Sage properly.
• Lack of proper documentation and weak customer support.

Also Read: 5 Best Mobile Accounting Software

4. AccountEdge Pro – Best Small Business Desktop Accounting Software

Next on our list of the best desktop accounting software is AccountEdge Pro. It is a powerful small business accounting software for the desktop. AccountEdge is a premium accounting software for Mac and Windows that provides the most comprehensive and user-friendly accounting solution for small businesses in any region.

AccountEdge Pro provides easier accounting management, such as more accessible job budgeting and analysis, new job windows, job status, custom job listing and fields for jobs, and related transactions. It also helps and faster your accounting business with robust emailing that provide email templates.

Pricing:

AccountEdge Pro offers two different pricing plans for Mac and Windows users that are given below: There is a free 30-day trial available.

Mac:

• AccountingEdge Pro starts at $499. Full-featured desktop accounting for ten users.
• To get Priority ERP, you have to contact the administration.

Windows:

• AccountingEdge Pro starts at $499—full-featured desktop accounting for ten users.
• To get Priority ERP, you have to contact the administration.

Highlights and Hidden Gems:

• There is a Versatility of sales taxes.
• AccountEdge Pro does not have a currency lock-in.
• Users can also build an e-commerce site with AccountEdge.
• Learning to use it is easy, with no steep learning curves.
• Users can send and receive money, make bank deposits and electronic payments, print checks, and make bank reconciliations using AccountEdge’s banking software.
• Businesspeople can coordinate, process, and document their financial data with AccountEdge Pro, allowing them to concentrate on their core business.
• Users can create and monitor purchase orders and bills using its purchase orders feature.
• Accounting, automated payroll, sales and transactions, contact management, inventory monitoring, online orders, time billing, and more are all included in its feature set.
• Create any tax your country needs, with statements that provide you with the information you need for your tax forms.
• They can use Shopify to sell goods online, synchronize current inventory for online sales, and download online orders straight to AccountEdge.
• AccountEdge gives you nearly everything you need to get your business into action.

Some other Features:

• Invoicing.
• Banking.
• Quote creation.
• Purchase orders.
• Payroll management.
• Billing and much more.
• Inventory management.
• E-commerce platform set-up.

Disadvantages and Limitations:

• Slow operations, tasks take longer time to complete.
• Lack of access to older transactions, even not read-only format.
• Checkout is glitchy and shows technical errors.
• Weak documentation and delayed customer service.
• The user interface needs improvement and should be up to date.

Also Read: Accounting Software For Partnerships

5. Manager.io – Best & Unlimited Features Desktop Accounting Software

Manager.io is a free accounting tool for small businesses that operate offline and run on Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can download it freely from its official website and use its cloud edition.

It features cash management, fixed asset management, customer statements, remittance advice, balance sheet, accounts receivable, estimates and quotes, billing and invoices, and many more. A manager is continuously updated to keep getting better and improving their accounting.

The Manager will make accounting for your business a breeze. With all the unique features and convenience utterly free of cost, the Manager proudly storms into the room of the best Desktop accounting software. It is the most comprehensive and has unlimited featured software.

Pricing:

The best advantage of Manager is that it’s free, works offline, and is cross-platform.

• Free: You can use this Software free forever. You can enjoy full-featured accounting for as long as you like.

Highlights and Hidden Gems:

• The Manager has a User interface that explains itself.
• It includes main accounting components, tax functions, and data entry and accounting procedures that are simplified.
• It gives you these numerous benefits even though it’s free Software that asks nothing of you!
• The plan is intended to be extremely simple and intuitive, so you’ll be up and running as quickly as possible without reading the paperwork.
• Spare yourself the hours of getting to know the software.
• This is the most feature-rich free accounting software available.
• It has all the accounting features you’d expect, and they’re constantly working on incorporating even more.
• The Manager could soon be everyone’s Go-to Software.
• If you need a strong internet connection and can’t be bothered with cloud-based software, look no further, as the Manager will work online and offline to give you an accounting experience to remember for decades.

Some other Features:

• All the essential accounting features.
• Tax functions.
• Intuitive user interface.
• Double-entry system.
• Cross-platform.

Disadvantages and Limitations:

• Lack of system checks and account labels.
• Poor management of cheques and no sync options.
• Importation of bank transactions is fragile.
• Each feature has some downside as well.
• Lack of automatic connection with banks.

6. Odoo – Best Employees Deserve Desktop Software

Odoo makes running a company more manageable and more effective. Odoo’s business applications are highly detailed, wholly integrated, and simple to use, and they serve a wide variety of industries.

Odoo is a fantastic software that employees deserve and help you to run your business with the help of integrated apps, simplified and make you a happy user. It boosts your sales, integrates your services, and streamlines your operations.

Fingent’s relationship with Odoo means that its clients use one or more Odoo apps to improve their business performance.

Pricing:

Odoo offers two packages, either annual-based or monthly-based. The plans are given below.

• It offers a free trial.
• For one app only, it is free.
• Standard: $7.25 per user per month for all apps. (Annually)
• Custom: $10.90 per user per month for all apps. (Annually)
• Standard: $9.10 per user per month for all apps. (Monthly)
• Custom: $13.60 per user per month for all apps. (Monthly)

Highlights and Hidden Gems:

• You can quickly build a professional website, handle relationships, develop and launch your testing campaigns, and manage online payments with Odoo.
• Your Odoo software can handle your warehouse, accounts, and invoicing.
• Odoo is made up of over 30 key modules that are revised on a routine basis.
• Also, the app store contains over 16,000 third-party apps/plug-ins.
• Customers can start with a subclass of features and add tools as required because it’s a modular framework.
• Odoo, formerly OpenERP, is cloud-based or on-premises accounting software that companies of all sizes can use.
• Odoo software is highly customizable due to its open-source nature.
• Developers can access the code and customize it and make improvements to the modules based on the company’s needs.
• Odoo can also connect to other networks, such as payment processors and third-party shipping systems like Amazon’s and QuickBooks’.
• Odoo offers applications that work together seamlessly, regardless of the business’s needs.
• Odoo, despite being a relatively new competitor, offers robust ERP features and a user-friendly interface comparable to leading companies such as SAP and others.
• Odoo comes with a collection of practical communication tools. They keep track of internal messages on your purchase orders, invoices, and ordering using messaging systems.
• Odoo automates the entire invoicing process, saving customer data entry time.

Some Other Features:

• Purchase orders.
• Fundamental accounting tools.
• Open-source.
• Scalable.
• Royalty-free.

Disadvantages and Limitations:

• Overall needs a lot of improvements.
• Poor documentation and user interface.
• Delayed response from customer service.
• Implementation partners are of no use.
• Accountants are not using this Software for accounting.
• Videos uploaded on the official website need deep guidelines.

Also Read: ECommerce Accounting Software

7. VT Software – Best Excel-based Desktop Accounting Software

For sole proprietorships and partnerships, VT software is an Excel-based accounting program. It is the best accounting software for accountants, bookkeepers, and small businesses. This Software is MTD for Making Tax Digital for VAT compliant and also recognized by HMRC.

VT software Final Accounts is an easy-to-use platform that manages cash flow, cost monitoring, sales management, and more. It has three types of accounting listed below:

• VT Final Accounts: for accounts production and filling.
• VT Transaction +: for bookkeepers.
• VT Cash Book: for free cash accounting.

User-friendliness is one such aspect that makes VT one of the best desktop accounting software markets.

Pricing:

VT software offers a free trial for 60 days. Its plans are listed below:

• VT Transaction +: Single user £75 + VAT per year per user.
• VT Transaction +: Additional users £75 + VAT per year per user.
• VT Final Accounts and VT Transaction +: Single user £150 + VAT per year per user.
• VT Final Accounts and VT Transaction +: Single user £75 + VAT per year per user.

Highlights and Hidden Gems:

• VT software Transaction+ is Windows-based.
• Accounting/bookkeeping program with a lot of many users.
• VT can be used for multiple purposes and situations.
• It has established a name as a reliable choice among users looking for an offline platform to suit their accounting needs.
• VT satisfies users in terms of functionality and features.
• The integrated ledger system of VT Transaction+ is centered on double-entry concepts and includes a cashbook and consumer and supplier ledgers.
• There is not any limit to the accounts and transactions that can be stored in VT Transaction+.
• It’s also capable of processing and adjusting trial balances.
• VT Transaction+ is versatile and straightforward, with quick data entry and quick editing of transactions and entries.

Some Other Features:

• Expense tracking
• General Ledger
• Revenue recognition
• Cash management
• Tax management
• Excel-based.

Disadvantages and Limitations:

• Overall, no significant disadvantages or limitations.
• Expensive for academic operations.
• Web app and Mac is still to come.
• Only email support is available.
• Dictionaries need to be updated.
• Setting up watchlists and watchwords needs improvements.

Also Read: Accounting & Payroll Software For Small Business

The difference between cloud and desktop-based Software

A desktop application is any program installed on a single device (laptop or desktop) and used to complete various tasks. In a networked environment, specific desktop applications can be used by multiple users.

On the other hand, Web application growth quickly began supplanting desktop apps due to portability and improved functionality. The first software applications created were desktop applications that could only be used on independent computers.

Web application growth became more critical with the rise of the internet and internet shopping. Online applications are typically developed using a client-server architecture with a web browser as the client interface.

One of the factors why web applications are becoming so popular is because of this. While web applications have a slight advantage over desktop applications, desktop applications have a minimal risk of becoming obsolete.

Desktop Accounting Software For Businesses

While desktop accounting software is helpful in times of poor connectivity, they pose multiple problems compared to accounting software on the cloud. Accounting software that isn’t cloud-based will make running a company complex. Desktop apps will consume much of your time and effort while providing little benefit.

An accounting system in the cloud will help the business save time and resources. Online accounting allows company owners to maintain contact with their data and their accountants.

Many add-ons can be used with the app to help you run your company more efficiently. New add-ons are released regularly! There is no need to install additional programs in the cloud. But you’ll have to install and run the programs in desktop software.

Alternatively, in the cloud, you pay a monthly subscription fee for the app.

Conclusion

All five of the above Software are flexible tools and give tons of convenience in terms of accounting. While desktop software does have drawbacks, they also have the feature of being accessed at any time without an internet connection.

The above 5 are your five best desktop accounting software.

Read More

• Personal Accounting Software
• ECommerce Accounting Software
• Free Small Business Accounting Software
• Multi-Company Accounting Software

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