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Accounting & Finance · head to head

Zoho Books vs Empower

Zoho Books logo

Zoho Books

Accounting & Finance

Simple, smart accounting software for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Empower logo

Empower

Accounting & Finance

All your finances. One app.

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zoho Books has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Zoho Books payroll only available in Texas and California, limiting US usefulness; Empower empower's managed advisory tiers require a minimum of $100,000 in investable assets for Personal Strategy and $1,000,000 for Private Client, with exact advisory fee percentages deferred to the Form ADV filing rather than published on the site.
  • They diverge on capability: Zoho Books covers Invoicing, Empower covers Net worth tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Zoho Books and Empower actually diverge.

Attributes where Zoho Books and Empower differ
AttributeZoho BooksEmpower
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierYesNo
Founded19962009

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting & Finance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Zoho Books

  • Invoicing
  • Expense tracking
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Financial reports
  • Tax compliance
  • Zoho CRM
  • PayPal
  • Stripe

Only in Empower

  • Net worth tracking
  • Investment tracking
  • Retirement planner
  • Cash flow
  • 401k fee analyzer
  • Bank connections
  • Brokerage accounts
  • Bank-level encryption

Both cover

  • SOC 2
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Zoho Books

  • Invoicingnot Empower
  • Expense managementnot Empower
  • Tax preparationnot Empower

Empower

  • Wealth trackingnot Zoho Books
  • Retirement planningnot Zoho Books
  • Investment analysisnot Zoho Books

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Zoho Books

  • Payroll only available in Texas and California, limiting US usefulness
  • Limited access to historical financial data compared to competitors
  • Customer support is slow with long response times and frustrating workarounds
  • Fewer integrations than QuickBooks Online and Xero
  • User limit restrictions (1-15 depending on plan) compared to Xero's unlimited users
  • Occasional inaccuracies in automatic exchange rate updates for international transactions

Empower

  • Empower's managed advisory tiers require a minimum of $100,000 in investable assets for Personal Strategy and $1,000,000 for Private Client, with exact advisory fee percentages deferred to the Form ADV filing rather than published on the site.

Pricing, plan by plan

Zoho Books

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user + accountant
    • Unlimited invoices
  • Standard$20/month
    • 3 users
    • Core accounting
  • Professional$60/month
    • 5 users
    • Advanced reporting
  • Premium$120/month
    • 10 users
    • Inventory management

Empower

$29/month
  • Free ToolsFree
    • Net worth tracking
    • Cash flow
    • Investment checkup
  • Wealth ManagementFree
    • 0.89% AUM fee
    • Dedicated advisor
    • Tax optimization

Which should you pick?

Choose Zoho Books if

  • You need invoicing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
Zoho Books review

Choose Empower if

  • You need net worth tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want investment tracking.
Empower review

Questions people ask

Is Zoho Books or Empower better?
Neither clearly leads. Zoho Books starts at Free and Empower at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Zoho Books or Empower?
Zoho Books has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Zoho Books and $29/month for Empower.
Does Zoho Books or Empower run on more platforms?
Zoho Books runs on Web, iOS, Android. Empower runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Zoho Books for free?
Yes. Zoho Books has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Empower starts at $29/month.
What is Zoho Books best used for?
Zoho Books is most often used for invoicing, expense management, tax preparation. Of those, invoicing and expense management are not what Empower is typically brought in for.
What can Zoho Books do that Empower cannot?
Zoho Books covers Invoicing, Expense tracking, Bank reconciliation, Financial reports. Empower covers Net worth tracking, Investment tracking, Retirement planner, Cash flow. Both handle SOC 2, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Zoho Books: Does Zoho Books support payroll?

Zoho Books offers limited payroll integration available only in Texas and California currently. Outside these states, users must use separate payroll software.

Source
Zoho Books: How many users can access one account?

User limits vary by plan: Free tier (1 user + accountant), Standard (3 users), Professional (5 users), Premium (10 users), Elite (15 users). Each business requires separate subscription.

Source
Zoho Books: What integrations does Zoho Books support?

Zoho Books integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Razorpay, PayPal, Stripe, Salesforce, Google Sheets, and 500+ apps via Zapier. It integrates with other Zoho products like Zoho Inventory and Zoho Projects.

Source
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