Unlock the admin stack that fits
Pick your country, your kind of business and the job you need doing. We rate the tools that run the tedious side of a business, and rank whole stacks for what you care about.
Every score is public, and the arithmetic is on the page.
Nine ratings from 1 to 5, weights you can read, and one piece of arithmetic. Price to start and Local fit change by country, because a tool that can't file your tax isn't a cheap option — it's the wrong one.
Explore the best tools and stacks to run your business
tools
Ranked for a small business, under “Best all-rounder”.
1. Zoho Books
The free plan covers one user and your accountant, the first paid plan three users, and each person after that a few dollars or pounds a month.
- Starting priceFree, then $20/mo (Standard)
- Intro offerNo intro discount
- Adding a personThe first paid plan has 3 users, then $3/mo each
- Worth knowingThe Global edition is sold in 100+ countries, without a local tax return.
2. QuickBooks Online
Phone and chat support are offered on every plan, which is rarer than it sounds.
- Starting price$38/mo (Simple Start)
- Intro offer50% off for 3 months; the regular price is $38/mo
- Adding a personNext plan: $85/mo for 3 users
- Worth knowingThe Global edition works anywhere but files no local return.
3. FreshBooks
Built around invoicing rather than bookkeeping, which is why freelancers find it quick to live in.
- Starting price$23/mo (Lite, 5 clients)
- Intro offerLite is $1/mo for a year; its regular price is $23/mo
- Adding a person$11/mo per team member; your accountant needs Plus or above
- Worth knowingOne product worldwide; the local tax work is thinner outside the UK.
- Watch out forCheapest plan caps clients or invoices
4. Xero
Bank feeds and a large app marketplace mean most other tools already talk to it.
- Starting priceUS$29/mo (Starter plan), US$32/mo from 1 Nov 2026
- Worth knowingMulti-currency is on the dearer plans, not the entry one.
- Watch out forCheapest plan caps clients or invoices and introductory price rises after the first months
Ranked for a small business, under “Best all-rounder”.
1. Stripe
No monthly fee, and the card rate is the same whether you bill once a month or fifty times; Stripe’s own invoices add 0.4% each.
- Starting price2.9% + 30¢ per payment, no monthly fee
- Other currencies+1.5% for cards from abroad, +1% to convert currency
- Worth knowingTakes payments in 135+ currencies, which is what makes it the cross-border default.
- Watch out forTakes a fee on every payment
2. FreshBooks
Built around invoicing rather than bookkeeping, which is why freelancers find it quick to live in.
- Starting price$23/mo (Lite, 5 clients)
- Intro offerLite is $1/mo for a year; its regular price is $23/mo
- Adding a person$11/mo per team member; your accountant needs Plus or above
- Worth knowingOne product worldwide; the local tax work is thinner outside the UK.
- Watch out forCheapest plan caps clients or invoices
3. PayPal
A client can pay a PayPal invoice without either of you setting up anything else.
- Starting price2.99% + $0.49 per card payment on an invoice, no monthly fee
- Other currencies+1.5% for payments from abroad, and a 3–4% spread to convert currency
- Worth knowingAccepted almost everywhere, at a fee that climbs for cross-border payments.
- Watch out forTakes a fee on every payment
4. Zoho Books
The free plan covers one user and your accountant, the first paid plan three users, and each person after that a few dollars or pounds a month.
- Starting priceFree, then $20/mo (Standard)
- Intro offerNo intro discount
- Adding a personThe first paid plan has 3 users, then $3/mo each
- Worth knowingThe Global edition is sold in 100+ countries, without a local tax return.
5. QuickBooks Online
Phone and chat support are offered on every plan, which is rarer than it sounds.
- Starting price$38/mo (Simple Start)
- Intro offer50% off for 3 months; the regular price is $38/mo
- Adding a personNext plan: $85/mo for 3 users
- Worth knowingThe Global edition works anywhere but files no local return.
Ranked for a small business, under “Best all-rounder”.
1. Stripe
No monthly fee, and the card rate is the same whether you bill once a month or fifty times; Stripe’s own invoices add 0.4% each.
- Starting price2.9% + 30¢ per payment, no monthly fee
- Other currencies+1.5% for cards from abroad, +1% to convert currency
- Worth knowingTakes payments in 135+ currencies, which is what makes it the cross-border default.
- Watch out forTakes a fee on every payment
2. PayPal
A client can pay a PayPal invoice without either of you setting up anything else.
- Starting price2.99% + $0.49 per card payment on an invoice, no monthly fee
- Other currencies+1.5% for payments from abroad, and a 3–4% spread to convert currency
- Worth knowingAccepted almost everywhere, at a fee that climbs for cross-border payments.
- Watch out forTakes a fee on every payment
Ranked for a small business, under “Best all-rounder”.
1. SignWell
Paid plans carry unlimited documents, so sending more contracts never costs more — only adding another sender does.
- Starting priceFree for 3 documents a month, then $12/mo ($10/mo on a yearly plan), unlimited documents
- Worth knowingOne product for everyone, in US dollars, compliant with US and international signature law.
- Watch out forPrice goes up with each person using it
2. Docusign
Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and Microsoft 365 are there from the cheapest plan; Slack, Teams and Stripe need the tier above.
- Starting price$11/mo on a $132 yearly plan (Personal, 5 envelopes a month)
- Worth knowingSignatures are recognised in 180+ countries, billed in US dollars.
- Watch out forCheapest plan caps clients or invoices and advertised price needs a yearly plan
Ranked for freelancers and consultants, under “Best all-rounder”.
1. QuickBooks and PayPal
Familiar books and the payment button clients recognise.
- QuickBooks Online$38/mo (Simple Start)
- PayPal2.99% + $0.49 per card payment on an invoice, no monthly fee
- Best forGetting going this afternoon with tools your clients already use.
- Watch out forThe dearest way to get paid of the pairs here, and dearer still in the US and New Zealand.
2. Zoho Books and Stripe
The cheapest way to run proper books: Zoho Books is free until your revenue passes about US$50,000, and Stripe charges only per payment.
- Zoho BooksFree, then $20/mo (Standard)
- Stripe2.9% + 30¢ per payment, no monthly fee
- Best forStarting out, or a side business that has to cost almost nothing.
- Watch out forFewer connections to other tools than Xero or QuickBooks.
3. QuickBooks and Stripe
The books most accountants know, with low card fees.
- QuickBooks Online$38/mo (Simple Start)
- Stripe2.9% + 30¢ per payment, no monthly fee
- Best forAnyone whose accountant asked for QuickBooks.
4. Zoho Books and PayPal
Free books and a payment method every client knows.
- Zoho BooksFree, then $20/mo (Standard)
- PayPal2.99% + $0.49 per card payment on an invoice, no monthly fee
- Best forA new freelancer who wants no monthly bill at all to begin with.
- Watch out forPayPal takes the biggest cut of the payment tools, especially in the US and New Zealand.
5. FreshBooks and Stripe
Invoicing first, bookkeeping second, and Stripe is the payment rail FreshBooks itself runs on.
- FreshBooks$23/mo (Lite, 5 clients)
- Stripe2.9% + 30¢ per payment, no monthly fee
- Best forA freelancer with a handful of clients who bills more than they bookkeep.
- Watch out forFive billable clients on the entry plan, and the tier that lifts that costs close to double.