ZipBooks is another online accounting software subscription service that provides a few different ways to track inventory, handle invoices, accept payments and deal with payroll. ZipBooks is advertised to be simple to use, even available and accessible to entrepreneurs that rarely use a computer or smartphone for business purposes.

Pros

• Free version available for startups with little to no funds. Paid subscription plans offer diversity and are affordable for most small businesses.
• Extremely easy to use online accounting software with lots of “smart intelligence” features
• Project and time tracking features are very helpful and some of the best among online accounting software.
• Very professional looking invoices with automatic payments.

Cons

• Offers mobile version, however, not currently available for Android devices.
• Despite the “smart intelligence”, ZipBooks doesn’t provide its own in-house customer support and help.

Features

ZipBooks is promoted to not be over complicated. The tools used are designed for small businesses with limited to zero accounting staff and can assist entrepreneurs with finances that have basic to no understanding of using software.

Any successful business person understands that the moment billing and other types of tracking get delayed or misreported, the success of the operation is at stake. Unfortunately, tracking all the accounting on your own is very time consuming. It is why online accounting software like ZipBooks was designed to take away a lot of the busy work.

What is great about ZipBooks is like Wave Apps, there is a free service that can provide basic accounting needs for a small business or freelancer. Meanwhile, three different types of paid subscriptions (more information, below) can get you connected to more features and accounting services.

ZipBooks is highlighted by its billing management. The invoices you can create are remarkably customizable. They include the ability to insert a logo, theme the invoice with select colors, contact information, and more. Invoices are then monitored as they are sent to customers, and also note overdue charges or taxes collected. Entrepreneurs can even discover when a customer first opened the invoice.

The invoices feature something ZipBooks defines as “Invoice Quality Score”. The index is designed to provide real-time feedback on the quality of your invoices by comparing them to over 200,000+ invoices previously studied. The objective is to make your invoices stand out, with simple to understand tweaks that will help you keep customers and get paid sooner.

For those that are new to accounting or do not consider it their strong suit, ZipBooks not only provides means to streamline accounting but also provides intelligent feedback on how to improve day-to-day operations. Along with detailed reports, entrepreneurs can get more information on how they save money on taxes and avoid unwanted fees, to name a couple of examples.

ZipBooks incorporates “Small Business Science”. It means that the data-driven intelligence is guaranteed to expand past traditional financial reporting. The detailed reports can provide actionable insights, based on millions of data points and can work wonders for the future success of your small business.

In addition to all the accounting features, ZipBooks can also assist with generating customer reviews, improving search engine optimization (SEO), and get listed in local business or online directories. These are features you rarely find with other types of online accounting software.

Pricing

ZipBooks features four different pricing options for its online accounting software. A free trial is also offered before you get locked into a subscription.

Starter Plan (Free)

• Unlimited invoicing
• Unlimited bookkeeping
• Unlimited vendors and customers
• Accepts credit cards as well as PayPal
• Connect and manage one bank account

Smarter Plan ($15 per month)

• Unlimited recurring invoices with auto-bill
• Unlimited bank connections
• Time tracking
• Invoicing saved items and inventory
• Auto-import time and expenses
• Advanced bookkeeping and accounting
• Add and collaborate with team members

Sophisticated Plan ($35 per month)

• The Smarter plan plus secure document sharing
• Smart tagging to track location, project and custom labels
• Secure document sharing and easy bank reconciliation
• Advanced reporting on a number of different business metrics

Services Plan (starts at $125 per month)

• Everything in the Sophisticated plan plus company tax savings analysis and recommendations
• A “ZipBooks Scholar”, or personal bookkeeper that prepares and sends designated monthly reports
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Is ZipBooks appropriate for small business?

ZipBooks is not only intuitive, but also designed with a lot of smart features to improve the overall quality and efficiency of your operation. The smart insights and suggestions offered through “Invoice Quality Score” and “Business Health Score” analyze your small business performance against thousands of others, and constantly provide suggestions to make improvements. The results are the opportunity to retain customers, get paid faster, and also save money. There are a few slight knocks on ZipBooks, but overall it is a very flashy online accounting software program with plenty of promise.