How to Select Accounting Software in 2025

Financial management is certainly an ordeal for any business, be it a massive corporation or a small company that is just starting out. To some extent, with practical knowledge and math skills it is possible to do accounting even in Google Sheets. Still, modern software with automation functions accelerates this process by a considerable amount.

More and more accounting solutions are making their appearance on the market, so it is as important as ever to do prior research before choosing one for your company. Most services’ pricing is not cheap, hence making a poor decision may literally cost you a fortune. Luckily, there are also very affordable solutions for accounting. Site.pro provides its users with invoicing software for small businesses. It has all the features for managing finance on-cloud basis, such as automatic and quick invoice recognition. Furthermore, it is well-optimized for global use, supporting different currencies, languages and formats, including legal forms.

This article is aimed at helping entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals to make a nuanced and weighted decision. You will learn what factors you should consider before committing to a service, what kinds of software are available and general pricing. We’ve also prepared a list of the best accounting software of 2025, let us dive in!

Decide What to Look for

As much as every business needs a bookkeeping system one way or another, businesses operate on different scales. What suits a global business might not work as well for a small company that consists of only a dozen people. And being self-employed is a whole other story.

Even though there are established and highly advertised accounting solutions, it doesn’t make them automatically perfect for your organization. That is why, to save time and money, you should first decide what exactly you are looking for in accounting software.

For instance, as an owner of a local business you might want to prioritize:

Features. They might include invoicing, payroll tracking, tax management, built-in analytics, etc. Carefully list everything your organization needs and check what accounting software offers.

Pricing. You would probably go for more affordable options.

Hardware requirements. Some programs for accounting demand powerful computers and are not designed for ordinary laptops.

Proficiency in accounting. It will depend on a person managing the budget of your organization, be it yourself or someone in your team. Not all accounting software is equally user-friendly. Your level of proficiency dictates what kind of software you will be easily able to handle without having to go through a tedious learning curve.

Types of Accounting Software

After making up your mind and having your company’s demands evaluated, it is time to learn more about accounting software in general. Start with big categories, this way, it will be simpler to filter software that doesn’t meet your needs. As a general matter, accounting software can be divided into two aspects — data location and pricing model.

On-premise

A program working on-premises means that it is installed directly on a device. Such programs are also commonly called ‘desktop-based’. Every operation is performed on a local server and the data is stored directly on the hard drive. Therefore, accounting data is only available from one place and every update to the system must be performed manually.

Advantages:

Doesn’t need access to the Internet. Unlike its cloud-based counterpart, on-premise software can run perfectly fine without a stable Internet connection.

Control over the data transfer. Your accounting data is stored inside your organization on your own servers.

Disadvantages:

Expensive. The software itself and the installation require a considerable payment.

Isn’t accessible on mobile devices or computers other than the one it is installed on.

Hardware requirements are relatively high.

Cloud-based

Cloud-based software is accessible directly through a browser, like any other website. It operates online and doesn’t take space on your device. Cloud-based software is fast and can be easily accessed through most devices, like tablets, smartphones or even TVs. Some companies develop whole apps for their accounting software. It opens up a possibility to manage accounting wherever you are, which is especially convenient for international teams.

Advantages:

Low pricing. Cloud accounting is much cheaper than its desktop counterpart.

Flexibility. Available from any device at any given time.

Automatic updates. Your program will always be up-to-date.

Runs smoothly on any device.

Disadvantages:

Requires a stable Internet connection. Without the Internet you won’t be able to perform any operation.

Potential security vulnerability. If a software company is compromised, so will all of your data. That’s why it is crucial to settle for a company you trust with your financial data.

On-premises works best for big businesses with high budgets, while cloud-based suits small enterprises and individual workers, including accountants who work on freelance.

It’s important to note that only cloud-based software offers both free and paid plans. Free software might sometimes have limited functionality, but it is often more than enough for a self-employed person. For example, Site.pro has an invoice generator that allows for issuing advanced invoices, transfer-acceptance acts, commercial voice and more for free.

7 Steps to Follow When Selecting Accounting Software

It is always easier to carry out a decision when there is an algorithm of steps for one to follow.

Estimate the size of the business and your own accounting skills.

Decide on the budget available. Ask yourself what your upper limit is.

Think about the long-term aspects. If your business grows bigger, will software be able to keep up?

Gather options. Aim for as many as possible, but try not to get lost in them.

Compare the options. Creating a sheet would be helpful for making cost and feature comparisons easy to see.

Read reviews. Learn from other entrepreneurs and accountants and their opinions, but stay skeptical. Not every review online is written by someone who actually used the product they’re reviewing.

Make a final decision.

Pro-tip: companies, especially those who sell cloud-based software, provide a free trial. It is an optional step, but it’s always better to try out a free version of a service if possible, before committing to payment.

Best Accounting Software of 2025

Site.pro

Site.pro is an accounting software for small businesses operating on cloud. It has free invoicing, convenient integrations with other applications and platforms and an income and expense accounting register. Site.pro is designed to be user-friendly to the fullest and doesn’t require proficiency in accounting to start using it.

Moreover, it provides synchronisation with trading portals and import of bank and payment system statements. Site.pro’s mission is to make accounting easy and accessible for everyone.

Advantages:

Allows for effective teamwork in one system

Automatic import of bank statements

Friendly to accounting companies

Free and 100% automatic invoice recognition

QuickBooks

QuickBooks is a widely popular accounting solution aimed mostly at medium and small enterprises. It’s easy-to-use, and the program itself is intuitive even for beginners. QuickBooks encompasses both basic accounting and more advanced management. It has a free trial for 30 days, but doesn’t provide a completely free version.

One of the good things about QuickBooks is that it scales with the growth of the organization. An account can be upgraded at any time. Unfortunately, it is not well-suited for non-profit organizations and lacks some global features.

Advantages:

Easy to learn

Good for medium and small businesses

Rich integration options

Paychex

Paychex is a software that offers specific features for payrolls and HR management. It works from a browser, but also has a mobile app. It’s a good solution for teams that consist of a couple dozen people, providing hiring and accounting resources in one place. Paychex includes filing taxes and has a built-in voice assistant. However, its pricing isn’t very clear and the interface may feel outdated.

Advantages:

Plans are customizable

High security level

Easy payroll

NetSuite

NetSuite is business management software which has a wide range of features. It allows for accounting, CRM, HR and e-commerce. Its strength lies in its universality. NetSuite prides itself on being very scalable and finding use in both startups and large businesses. Unfortunately, it has one major drawback — the cost. Not only is NetSuite quite expensive, but the price for subscriptions can change over time.

Advantages:

A lot features

Flexible integration

Easily scalable

Xero

Xero is an accounting software of general use. It has a moderate cost and a free trial for new users to try out all the features. No free version is available. Its payroll features are somewhat limited, which can prove to be a problem in the long run. However, Xero provides options both for businesses and accountants, it particularly aims to help small companies with financial organizing.

Advantages:

Affordable prices

Time-tracking function

Accounting app for mobile

Conclusion

With the right tools in hand and a little bit of acclimatization, financial management can become quick and easy. Choose accounting software wisely and help your business grow even faster. Good luck!