As of late, the Mac series of laptops, which is a product of Apple Inc., has been garnering a lot of attention, mostly from self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers. There are many reasons why any self employed entrepreneur or freelancer might choose a Mac over any other PC. Macs are very easy to set up and manage without having an IT department.
A Mac has an impressive battery life which is longer than other PCs, and it operates smoothly at a very high speed. This means that all programs work perfectly on a Mac laptop, including various business programs.
And you’re in luck because accounting software is included in business programs, and they run seamlessly on Mac laptops, specifically for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers. So, keep on reading to learn more about our list of the best Mac accounting software that is suitable for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers.
List of the 6 Best Mac Accounting Software for Self Employed Entrepreneurs and Freelancers
Now that we know why Mac laptops are more suitable for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers, let’s learn about the best accounting software available on Mac for them. A list of the best accounting software on Mac laptops is given as follows:
1. Xero
Starting Price: Free; $25/month
Trial Period: 30 days
Type: SaaS and Cloud based accounting software
Xero is a cloud based accounting software that was created by a technology company in New Zealand. The software provides its services specifically for small and medium sized businesses out there.
Xero’s software is very easy to access and has a sleek user-friendly dashboard that allows for easy collaboration. Their software integrates the uses of over 800 third party accounting and payroll softwares, making it the overall best Mac accounting software for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Even though the basic Xero accounting software plan is free, they also have 3 subscription based plans. All 4 of the plans are given down below with details and costs:
1. Free Plan
This plan allows you to pay bills, claim expenses, make bank connections, accept payments, track projects, make pay runs, reconcile and organize your bank transactions, contact management, capture data automatically, online file storage, accounting reports, inventory tracking, manage fixed assets, look at analytics and calculate sales tax.
2. Starter Plan
For $25/month, this plan includes all the features of the free plan and further allows you to send quotes and 20 invoices, schedule 5 bill payments, capture bills and receipts, and get business insights. You can also add an expense management tool for $4/month, project and job tracker for $7/month, and an upgraded analytics tool for $7/month.
3. Standard Plan
For $40/month, this plan includes all the features of the free and starter plan while further allowing you to send unlimited quotes and invoices, schedule unlimited bill payments, and make bulk reconciliation transactions. You can also add an expense management tool for $4/month, project and job tracker for $7/month, and an upgraded analytics tool for $7/month.
4. Premium Plan
For $54/month, this plan includes all the features of the free, starter, and standard plans while further allowing you to use multiple currencies for all your bills management, bill payments, and reconciliation transactions. You can also add an expense management tool for $4/month, project and job tracker for $7/month, and an upgraded analytics tool for $7/month.
2. Zoho Books
Starting Price: Free; $10/month
Trial Period: 14 days
Type: Cloud based accounting software
Zoho Books is a one stop cloud based accounting software created by an Indian technology company. It is an accounting software targeted towards small and medium sized businesses out there.
Zoho Books has a dashboard that is handy and allows one tap access to almost everything. The dashboard also portrays an accurate picture, i.e., an overview of all your accounting resources which is perfect for freelancers to go over at a glance.
While the general Zoho Books accounting software features a free plan, it has 5 other paid subscription based plans. All 6 of the plans are presented down below with costs and details:
1. Free Plan
This plan allows you to have 1 user and 1 accountant, manage up to 1000 invoices, automate payment reminders, provide multilingual invoicing, bank reconciliation, payment gateways, credit notes, etc., along with the integration of Zoho and other apps with Email support.
2. Standard Plan
For $10/month, this plan includes all the features of the free plan while further allowing you to invite 3 users, manage up to 5000 invoices, bulk updates, 10 custom reports, recurring expenses, reporting tags, timesheet, and billing, predefined user roles, etc. along with the integration of Zoho People and Zoho Projects with Email, voice and chat support.
3. Professional Plan
For $20/month, this plan includes all the features of the free and standard plan while further allowing you to invite 5 users, have sales approval, multi-currency handling, retainer invoices, stock trading, custom roles, vendor credits, list of payments made, contextual chat, 25 custom reports, up to 10 workflow rules, etc. along with the integration of Zoho Apps with Email, voice and chat support.
4. Premium Plan
For $30/month, this plan includes all the features of the free, standard, and professional plan while further allowing you to invite 10 users, have 3 branches, custom domain, and rules, up to 200 workflow rules, vendor portal, web tabs, tax rules, cashflow forecasting report, 10 custom modules, 50 custom reports, etc. along with the integration of Zoho Apps with Email, voice and chat support.
5. Elite Plan
For $100/month, this plan includes all the features of the free and all previous plans while further allowing you to invite 10 users, have unlimited custom reports, advanced multi-currency handling, advanced inventory control consisting of Shopify store integration, warehouse management, ability to print shipping labels, track batches, and shipment tracking along with the integration of Zoho Apps with Email, voice and chat support.
6. Ultimate Plan
For $200/month, this plan includes all the features of the free and all previous plans while further allowing you to invite 15 users, have 25 custom modules, and advanced analytics, which consists of real time reports, key financial metrics tracking, prints reports as Excel or PDF, embed reports in website or applications, and have 5 million records or rows along with the integration of Zoho Apps with Email, voice and chat support.
3. QuickBooks Online
Starting Price: $17/month
Trial Period: 30 days
Type: On premise and Cloud based accounting software
QuickBooks Online is an accounting software introduced and developed by Intuit, a technology company. The QuickBooks services are targeted towards the small and medium sized businesses, to whom they offer on premises and cloud based applications.
QuickBooks is known for its simplicity and user friendliness with its top notch on the go service, which makes it one of the best Mac accounting software for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers. The software service has a low learning curve which allows beginning users to get a hang of it.
The QuickBooks Online plans are all subscription based, and they provide 3 different plans with tier based features on their website. All 3 of the plans are presented down below with costs and details:
1. Simple Start Plan
For $17/month and $183/year, this plan is for one user and one accountant; where it allows you to track your income and expenses, send custom quotes and invoices, track GST and VAT, connect your bank account, help you progress invoicing, give you insights and reports while capturing and organizing your receipts.
2. Essentials Plan
For $26/month and $280/year, this plan is for three users and one accountant; where it allows you to access all the features of the simple start plan along with bills and payments management, employee time tracking, and multi-currency transactions.
3. Plus Plan
For $36/month and $388/year, this plan is for five users, and one accountant; where it allows you to access all the features of the simple start and essentials plan along with recurring bills and transactions, inventory tracking, project profitability tracking, and budget management.
4. FreshBooks
Starting Price: $17/month
Trial Period: 30 days
Type: SaaS and Cloud based accounting software
FreshBooks is a software as a service, i.e., SaaS accounting software, that is created and operated by 2ndSite Inc. It is an accounting software designed primarily for the small and medium sized businesses out there that need good and easy access software.
FreshBooks is known for having an impossible to beat invoice system that is fully customizable and professional looking. Their built in time tracking system also allows freelancers to get paid with the right amount for every job as it syncs with the account’s invoices.
FreshBooks is a paid subscription based software, and it provides 3 different plans for its services at the moment. All 3 of the plans are mentioned down below with costs and details:
2. Lite Plan
For $17/month and $204/year, this plan allows you to have 5 billable clients, send unlimited invoices, send unlimited estimates, track unlimited expenses, accept payments via credit card and bank transfers, sales tax tracking, get reports, and access on your mobile device. You can also add an advanced payments tool for $20/month, additional team members for $10/person/month, and a gusto payroll tool starting at $40/month plus $6/month/person.
2. Plus Plan
For $30/month and $360/year, this plan includes all features of the Lite plan and further allows you to have 50 billable clients, invite an accountant, automatic expenses tracking, send unlimited invoices, send unlimited estimates and proposals, accept payments via credit card and bank transfers, recurring bills and client retainers, business health reports, double entry accounting reports, mobile mileage tracking and access on your mobile device. You can also add an advanced payments tool for $20/month, additional team members for $10/person/month, and a gusto payroll tool starting at $40/month plus $6/month/person.
3. Premium Plan
For $55/month and $660/year, this plan includes all features of the Lite and Plus plan. It further allows you to have an unlimited amount of billable clients, invite an accountant, automatic expenses tracking, track bills payments, and vendors via accounts payable, project profitability tracking, customizable email templates, customize email signatures, get payment via checkout links, financial and accounting reports, and late payment or bills reminder. You can also add an advanced payments tool for $20/month, additional team members for $10/person/month, and a gusto payroll tool starting at $40/month plus $6/month/person.
4. Custom Plan
This is a unique subscription plan which enables you to talk to a FreshBooks specialist about your business needs that have to be fulfilled. It includes all the features of the previous 3 plans and further allows you to have access to lower credit card rates and lesser ACH fees, 2 team member accounts, an assigned account manager, help with migration from other software, custom onboarding services, remove FreshBooks branding from client emails and more features based on your needs. Their advanced payments tool is already included in this plan, but you can also add additional team members for $10/person/month and a gusto payroll tool starting at $40/month plus $6/month/person.
5. Sage Business Cloud Accounting
Starting Price: $10/month
Trial Period: 30 days
Type: Cloud based accounting software
Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a suite of two different cloud based services, specifically accounting and payroll services named Sage Accounting and Sage Payroll. It is a software service suite developed and operated by Sage Group, explicitly curated for beginning freelancers and small and medium sized businesses.
Both of the services are found under the joint service named Sage Business Cloud Accounting, which makes it one of the best Mac accounting softwares for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers. Because the service provides free training for beginners and 24/7 customer support, it is the perfect service for people looking to strengthen their footing in the business field.
At present, Sage Business Cloud Accounting has 2 different subscription based plans on its website for the public to choose from. Both of the plans are mentioned down below with costs and details:
1. Sage Accounting Start Plan
For $10/month, this plan allows access to one user and lets you create and send invoices, stock management, integrate invoice payments, connect bank accounts, accounting reports, multi-currency transactions, track your owed payments or bills, and have automated bank reconciliation.
2. Sage Accounting Plan
For $25/month, this plan allows access to unlimited users and integrates all features of the Sage Accounting Start plan while enabling further access to accounts receivable and payable, billing management, invoice templates, snapping receipts with AutoEntry, sending quotes and estimates, forecast cash flow and manage purchase invoices.
Conclusion
From all the information stated above, we can conclude that choosing an accounting software has to be done on the basis of your business’s specific needs. The software service you select should be compatible with your business expenses budget and needs that have to be fulfilled.
Each accounting software has its own unique features and perks. Each of them has its own distinctive feature that makes them different from its competitors, so what you choose should not be based on how good the ratings are; it should be based on what is suitable for your individual business or freelancing needs.
The most crucial factor you need to consider when choosing an accounting software that can accommodate and scale up with your business as it grows. All of the above mentioned accounting softwares were added to the list after assessing the key features and perks to make sure they are suitable for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers.
The accounting software you choose for your business will have a significant impact on the time you spend in bookkeeping your business at the end of the month. Make sure to always try out the free trials that the accounting softwares provide to get a feel of how things work out in the specific service.
Keeping all these things in mind, you can easily weigh your options from the 5 services mentioned above and choose an accounting software suitable for your individual business or freelancing needs. Thanks to cloud based software services, it is easier than ever to gauge and select the proper accounting software for your needs as a self employed entrepreneur or freelancer.
So, what are you waiting for? Assess your business or freelancing needs and match them up with the features, pricing, overall value, customer service quality, and perks of 5 Mac accounting softwares given above. Choose one of the 5 best Mac accounting software for self employed entrepreneurs and freelancers in 2023 and get started with your business or freelance accounting now!
