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Zoho Books vs QuickBooks

Zoho Books logo

Zoho Books

Software

Simple, smart accounting software for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuickBooks logo

QuickBooks

Software

Smart, simple online accounting software for small business

From
$30/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; QuickBooks chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • They diverge on capability: Zoho Books covers Expense tracking, QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Zoho Books and QuickBooks differ
AttributeZoho BooksQuickBooks
Starting priceFree$30/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded19961983

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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

  • Expense tracking
  • Financial reports
  • Tax compliance
  • Zoho CRM
  • SOC 2
  • GDPR
  • Web support
  • Ios support

Only in QuickBooks

  • Income & expense tracking
  • Payment processing
  • Financial reporting
  • Tax preparation
  • Bill management
  • Mobile apps
  • Square
  • Shopify

Both cover

  • Invoicing
  • Bank reconciliation
  • PayPal
  • Stripe

What people use each for

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

Zoho Books

  • Invoicing
  • Expense managementnot QuickBooks
  • Tax preparation

QuickBooks

  • Bookkeepingnot Zoho Books
  • Invoicing
  • Expense trackingnot Zoho Books
  • Financial reportingnot Zoho Books
  • Tax preparation

Both are used for invoicing, tax preparation, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

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

QuickBooks

  • Chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • Even the top Advanced tier caps bulk invoice uploads at 1,000 transaction lines per batch
  • Payroll is a separate paid add-on billed per employee per month (USD 6 to 10 depending on plan) on top of the base subscription

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

QuickBooks

$30/month
  • Simple Start$30/month
    • Income & expense tracking
    • Invoice & payments
    • Tax deductions
  • Essentials$60/month
    • Everything in Simple Start
    • Bill management
    • Time tracking
  • Plus$90/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Inventory tracking
    • Project profitability
  • Advanced$200/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Dedicated account team
    • 25 users

Which should you pick?

Choose Zoho Books if

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

Choose QuickBooks if

  • You need income & expense tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want payment processing.
QuickBooks review

Questions people ask

Is Zoho Books or QuickBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Zoho Books starts at Free and QuickBooks at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Zoho Books or QuickBooks?
Zoho Books has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Zoho Books and $30/month for QuickBooks.
Does Zoho Books or QuickBooks run on more platforms?
Zoho Books runs on Web, iOS, Android. QuickBooks runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Zoho Books for free?
Yes. Zoho Books has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. QuickBooks starts at $30/month.
What is Zoho Books best used for?
Zoho Books is most often used for invoicing, expense management, tax preparation. Of those, expense management is not what QuickBooks is typically brought in for.
What can Zoho Books do that QuickBooks cannot?
Zoho Books covers Expense tracking, Financial reports, Tax compliance, Zoho CRM. QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking, Payment processing, Financial reporting, Tax preparation. Both handle Invoicing, Bank reconciliation, PayPal, Stripe.

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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