Choosing the right accounting or bookkeeping software is essential for maintaining accuracy, saving time, and ensuring your business stays compliant. For accountants Brisbane, technology is reshaping how they manage client data, streamline reporting, and simplify workflow. The right accounting software does more than just record numbers, it drives performance and improves financial decision-making.
In 2025, businesses and professionals alike are exploring specialised accounting software designed for automation, scalability, and ease of use. With so many tools available, choosing the best accounting package that integrates well with your operations can be challenging. That’s why we’ve curated a list of the 5 most trusted accounting software in Australia in 2025, comparing their features, pros, and pricing to help you make an informed choice.
Whether you’re a small business owner, an outsourced bookkeeper, or part of a growing firm, finding the top accounting software tailored to your needs can redefine your financial management. In this guide, we break down what sets these solutions apart, empowering you to choose smarter, streamline processes, and achieve better results with confidence.
What is accounting software?
Accounting software is a specialised computer program that assists firms with financial transactions, recordkeeping, and reporting. These software solutions include tools and features that simplify numerous accounting chores, including invoicing, bookkeeping, payroll management and financial analysis.
Numerous options are available to organisations, ranging from small business accounting software to adaptable software that can fit the needs of any size firm.
Why Australian businesses need specialised Accounting software?
Specialised accounting software gives Australian businesses real-time financial clarity, faster closes, and a single source of truth across invoicing, expenses, projects, and payments—without relying on spreadsheets or manual work. It streamlines bookkeeping, reduces data-entry errors, and helps teams collaborate efficiently with role-based access, audit trails, and automated workflows tailored to local operations.
Key benefits required for Australian Businesses
Modern Australian businesses demand accounting solutions that go beyond compliance, delivering automation, insight, and collaboration to drive sustainable growth.
- Operational efficiency: Automated bank feeds, rules-based reconciliations, recurring invoices, and smart expense capture cut admin time and accelerate month-end.
- Real-time visibility: Live dashboards for cash flow, P&L, and aged receivables help owners and managers act quickly on trends and exceptions.
- Better decision-making: Customised reporting, tracking categories, and project/job costing reveal profitability by client, service line, or location.
- Seamless collaboration: Bookkeepers, managers, and owners work in the same accounting package with permissions, comments, and activity logs.
- Scalability: Cloud-first tools scale from sole traders to multi-entity groups, adding users, modules, and integrations as complexity grows.
- Deep integrations: Connect with POS, eCommerce, inventory, CRM, payments, and time-tracking to eliminate duplicate entry and maintain data consistency.
- Mobility and uptime: Mobile apps and secure cloud access keep workflows moving for on-site teams, remote staff, and multi-location operations.
- Data integrity and security: Version control, encryption, backups, and MFA protect financial records while preserving an end-to-end audit trail.
How to choose the right Accounting Software?
Start by mapping your needs, then trial 2–3 shortlisted tools against real workflows to confirm fit on features, compliance, integrations, usability, and total cost over 24–36 months.
Business size and needs
- Map core workflows (invoicing/AR, AP/expenses with approvals, payroll, bank feeds, reporting, inventory/projects) to required modules and user roles so features match real processes.
- Validate scale thresholds: transaction volumes, number of entities, locations, and currencies; ensure native support for multi‑entity consolidation and multi‑currency to avoid add‑on sprawl later.
- Confirm industry fit: service firms may need time tracking and job costing; product businesses often require inventory, landed costs, and purchase workflows.
Budget
- Compare steady‑state (post‑discount) tier pricing plus add‑ons (payroll per employee, inventory, extra users), not just headline discounts.
- Include migration/onboarding, training, and potential integration costs in year‑one; model year‑two costs as a true run‑rate.
- Evaluate ROI from automation (bank rules, invoice reminders, auto‑reconciliation, payroll runs, scheduled reports) to justify total cost of ownership.
Ease of use
- Prioritize clear navigation, batch actions, and mobile accessibility so non‑accountants can complete routine tasks without friction.
- Look for templated workflows (quote‑to‑invoice, bill‑to‑payment, month‑end checklists) and contextual help to reduce training time.
- Pilot with real data in a sandbox to test learning curve, error messages, and the speed of common tasks.
Must-have features
Selecting accounting software isn’t just about brand preference, it’s about finding a tool that aligns with your business workflows and financial management goals. The right platform should simplify daily accounting tasks like:
- Invoicing and Accounts Receivable (AR): Simplify billing with automated invoice creation, payment tracking, and integration with online payment gateways for faster collections.
- Bank Feeds and Reconciliation: Auto-sync transactions from your bank accounts and match them with your books to ensure accurate, real-time financial data.
- Accounts Payable (AP) and Expense Management: Manage vendor bills, approvals, and expense tracking seamlessly to control spending and maintain cash flow visibility.
- Core Reports and Budgeting: Generate real-time financial statements and budgets that help monitor performance, forecast trends, and guide decisions.
- Payroll Processing: Automate salary calculations, tax deductions, and payslip generation while ensuring timely employee payments and compliance.
- Inventory and Project Tracking: Track stock levels, job costs, and project profitability efficiently to improve planning and operational control.
- Integration and Scalability: Choose a platform that connects with CRMs, e-commerce tools, and payment systems, and grows as your business expands.
Cloud vs On‑Premise Accounting Software
1. Cloud Accounting Software
Ideal for flexibility, cloud solutions offer remote access, automatic updates, and real-time collaboration from any device, all with lower upfront costs.
2. On‑Premise Accounting Software
Best suited for businesses with strict data security or compliance needs, on‑premise systems provide full control over data storage and system management.
Customer support
- Seek multi‑channel support (chat, phone, email), Australian business‑hours coverage, and defined SLAs for faster resolution.
- Review help centre depth, community forums, and partner networks for implementation and advanced scenarios.
- Confirm change management resources: onboarding, admin training, release notes, and success managers for smoother adoption and updates.
Integrations and scale
Selecting accounting software with strong integrations and room to grow ensures efficient workflows and fewer manual touchpoints across finance and operations.
Core integrations
- Categories: payroll, CRM, e‑commerce, POS, banking, and BI to keep data consistent and reports reliable.
- Benefits: eliminates duplicate entry, reduces errors, accelerates reconciliations, and improves decision‑ready reporting.
Popular integration options
- E‑commerce and payments: Shopify (sales sync), Stripe (payment processing).
- CRM and workforce: HubSpot (customer management), Deputy (staff scheduling).
- Expenses and documents: Receipt Bank/Dext (expense capture), Xero Hubdoc (document management).
- Field service and trades: ServiceM8, Tradify, NextMinute (job management).
- Automation: Zapier for broader app‑to‑app workflows and custom automations.
Scalability essentials
- Multi‑entity: support group structures, intercompany, and consolidated views without manual merges.
- Multi‑currency: handle FX rates, revaluations, and cross‑border transactions natively.
- Marketplace depth: a wide, vetted app ecosystem for payroll, inventory/projects, analytics, and payments to extend capabilities over time.
- Operational scale: role‑based access, audit trails, and performance at higher transaction volumes, user counts, and channels.
How to evaluate
- Verify certified connectors for the tools above, data sync frequency (real‑time vs batch), and field‑level mappings.
- Test end‑to‑end flows (order‑to‑cash, procure‑to‑pay) in a sandbox to confirm accuracy and error handling.
- Review vendor roadmaps, SLAs, and security standards to ensure integrations remain stable as you grow.
Cost and ROI
Selecting accounting software should balance subscription tiers and add-ons against implementation effort and the time saved by automation, so you can quantify ROI credibly for Australian businesses of different sizes.
- Outsourced bookkeeping: typically AU$40–AU$80 per hour; common monthly retainers AU$500–AU$2,500 based on transaction volume, payroll headcount, and reporting scope.
- In‑house bookkeeper: AU$60,000–AU$80,000 salary per year, excluding on‑costs like superannuation, leave, software seats, and training.
- Practical benchmark: many SMEs find AU$1,000–AU$1,800/month outsourced coverage for AR/AP, reconciliations, payroll cycles, and monthly reports undercuts fully loaded in‑house costs, with option to scale to AU$2,500 for higher complexity.
To know the detailed analysis of In-house vs outsourced bookkeeping cost check Cost of a Bookkeeper: Hiring In-house vs Outsourced
1. Xero: The Best Accounting Software in Australia
Xero is undoubtedly one of the most popular accounting software systems for Australian businesses, its short learning curve, clean UI, and mobile-first experience that helps new owners get running fast without deep accounting knowledge. It offers strong value by bundling more capabilities at lower plan costs than many rivals, though advanced analytics/reporting can attract extra fees; overall, it remains a high‑value choice for SMEs across industries. For deeper workflows, its ecosystem of 1,000+ integrations supports payroll, inventory, POS and e‑commerce at scale.
2. FreshBooks: The Best Billing and Invoicing Software
FreshBooks is a billing and invoicing software programme designed to enable sole traders with service-based enterprises to get paid on time. Its higher-tier plans include accounting tools such as bank reconciliation, accountant access, and accounts payable, which help small and medium-sized enterprises keep their books up to date.
FreshBooks has fewer accounting capabilities than more powerful software like Sage Intacct or Xero, but it’s a great, low-cost solution for budget-conscious small enterprises with a few employees. Furthermore, it integrates with many more third-party apps than Sage or Zoho Books, which can help busy business owners streamline and simplify their processes.
3. Zoho Books: One of the Best Free Australian Accounting Software
Zoho Books is one of the primary products offered by Zoho Group, an Indian firm valued at more than $1 billion. It is a full-featured suite and the best free accounting software in Australia.
Unlike most accounting software, Zoho offers a free package that most SMBs may use without the need to upgrade. Its free version is available to businesses with less than $50,000 AUD in yearly revenue, which includes the vast majority of startups and small businesses.
The free edition is rather complete, with features such as multilingual invoicing, client management, the option to integrate multiple bank and credit card accounts, automated payment reminders, repeating bills, and invoice customising.
Zoho Books is suitable for many types of businesses, including retailers and manufacturers, and includes inventory management capabilities that allow enterprises to track their goods in real-time. These tools include warehouse management, serial number tracking, and batch tracking.
4. Sage Business Cloud: Best Accounting Software for Medium Businesses
Sage Business Cloud is a dependable and effective option for small businesses that want basic accounting software. With its extensive functionality and user-friendly layout, it is a fantastic alternative for organisations looking to optimise their accounting procedures. It enables users to manage their accounts, track expenses, and create financial reports.
The software employs double-entry bookkeeping, ensuring that all transactions are accurately documented. You can easily create and send invoices to customers, as well as track payments. The software allows a variety of payment options, including credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfers.
5. Wave – Budget friendly Accounting Software for Australian Startups
Wave is an accounting software platform that differs considerably from NetSuite Cloud Accounting and Zoho Books in that it only includes the capabilities required for small business accounting software.
Its product enables businesses to generate invoices in seconds, making it an efficient accounting software solution for organisations with a large staff. In addition to fixed invoicing, the platform provides recurring billing options for repeat customers.
It also has a payment mechanism that allows enterprises to accept payments via bank deposit, credit card, Apple Pay, and other services. As a result, it can serve as a viable alternative to existing payment processing providers such as PayPal, Stripe, and Adyen.
Wave’s platform may be coupled with a variety of third-party programs, including Zapier, Shopify, Mailchimp, and Google Sheets. However, compared to other accounting software platforms such as FreshBooks and QuickBooks, it interfaces with fewer applications.
Accounting Software Packages for different business types
Choosing the right package depends on business complexity, user count, and required modules such as payroll, inventory/projects, and multi‑entity/currency; Australian vendors commonly tier features and price by capability and seats. Benchmark ranges below align to entry, mid, and advanced tiers from leading platforms with FY25 plan updates in mind.
| Business type | Recommended package | Key features | Monthly cost (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | Xero “Starter” or Zoho Books “Standard”; Wave for very lean needs | Core invoicing, bank feeds, basic reporting, single user; optional light payroll via add‑on where supported | AU$15–AU$35 typical entry tier; Wave at AU$0–AU$20 for add‑ons |
| Small business | Xero “Grow/Comprehensive” or QuickBooks “Essentials/Plus” equivalent; Zoho Books “Professional”; FreshBooks “Plus” | AR/AP with approvals, multi‑user, projects or basic inventory, budgets, app integrations, optional payroll | AU$40–AU$100 mid‑tier with add‑ons/users |
| Accounting firm | Xero Practice tools plus upper business tier; Zoho Books + Zoho Practice suite; FreshBooks Select | Multi‑client management, advanced reporting, workflow/integrations, enhanced support | AU$90–AU$160 upper SMB tiers |
| Enterprise | Xero “Ultimate/Advanced configuration” with add‑ons; Sage Business Cloud higher tier; Zoho Books + Inventory + Analytics | Multi‑entity consolidation, multi‑currency, inventory/jobs, advanced controls and analytics | AU$160–AU$350+ advanced tiers with add‑ons |
Notes: Ranges reflect Australian list‑price bands and typical configurations for the named products; Xero plans have been restructured in FY25 (e.g., Ignite/Grow/Comprehensive/Ultimate), so inclusions and pricing may differ from legacy labels and should be verified.
- Sole traders: prefer Wave for zero‑cost basics or Zoho Books Standard/Xero Starter for stronger bank feeds and compliance workflows; add payroll only if employing staff.
- Small businesses: Xero Grow/Comprehensive or QuickBooks mid‑tiers offer deeper approvals and integrations; Zoho Books Professional balances cost with projects/inventory; FreshBooks suits service firms needing time tracking and client billing.
- Accounting firms: align a practice suite (e.g., Xero practice stack or Zoho practice tools) with a robust business tier for clients to standardize workflows and reporting.
- Enterprise: when multi‑entity or multi‑currency is critical, validate consolidation, role‑based controls, and inventory/job costing; Sage Business Cloud higher tiers and Xero Ultimate‑class stacks with add‑ons are common patterns.
Implementation timeline
Practical tips: Evaluate post‑discount pricing, per‑employee payroll and seat costs, and marketplace depth for integrations (e.g., e‑commerce, payments, CRM) to avoid re‑platforming as you scale in 2025.
The right accounting software should simplify your day-to-day, surface real-time insights, and scale with your growth, so finance moves from record‑keeping to smarter decision‑making. Prioritise essentials like invoicing/AR, AP with approvals, payroll, reporting, and reliable integrations, then validate fit with a short pilot and total cost after promos. With the right stack, you’ll cut manual work, improve accuracy, and gain faster, clearer visibility over cash flow and performance.
Need help setting up, migrating, or running your books? Contact Outbooks Australia for Outsourced Bookkeeping Services, Contact us via email info@outbooks.com.au or call 0451 320 102
Frequetly Asked Questions
Parul is a dedicated writer and expert in the accounting industry, known for her insightful and well-researched content. Her writing covers a wide range of topics. She is committed to producing content that not only informs but also empowers readers to make informed decisions.