Zoho Books Review 2024 — Is It Right for Your Startup?

Woman smiling, holding a notebook with text Zoho Books Review.

Accounting software helps startups manage their finances across the board with ease. Zoho Books is a cloud-based accounting software that aims to provide small and mid-sized businesses with an easy-to-use platform for managing their finances. In this review, we’ll take a look at the key features of Zoho Books as well as how they stack up against competitors. 

Pros and Cons of Zoho Books

Pros

  • Several Packages Available: Zoho Books offers six different packages with increasing features and functionality. 
  • Free Plan Available: Whether you’re just starting out or want to test Zoho Books’ service’s compatibility with your startup, the free plan offers flexibility and low commitment.
  • Great Customer Support: 24/7 customer support means your business is taken care of day and night. 
  • Robust Set of Features: Zoho Books doesn’t skimp on the features included in their packages, such as automatic tax calculations and invoicing, to name just a few. 
  • Mobile App Available: With Zoho Books’ mobile app, you can keep track of your business’s accounting from wherever you are. 

Cons

  • Limited Compatibility With Other Services: Zoho Books is great if you utilize their family of products, but it can be difficult to combine or integrate with other platforms. 
  • Additional Users Cost Extra: User numbers are limited even with the highest-cost plans, meaning you will have to pay extra for more than 15 users. 

Best Accounting Software: QuickBooks

We recommend QuickBooks accounting software for startups because of its ease of use, advanced tools, and affordable pricing.

Visit QuickBooks

Zoho Books Pricing & Features

Zoho Books has six packages available to choose from, each with different features and functionalities. The right plan for your startup will depend on the size and type of business you’re running. For example, if you would like to connect your Shopify ecommerce store, you may need to select one of the higher-end packages. 

Keep in mind that the pricing stated below is per organization, per month, billed annually. Prices will change if billed on a monthly basis.

Free

  • One user and one account can use the platform 
  • Manage up to 1,000 invoices per year 
  • Automated payment reminders 
  • Sleek customer portal 
  • Multi-lingual invoicing features

Standard ($15)

  • Up to three users 
  • Manage up to 5,000 invoices per year
  • Recurring expense management 
  • Ability to connect and fetch bank and credit card feeds 
  • Sales tax tracking

Professional ($40)

  • Up to five users 
  • Project expenses and invoice tracking 
  • Timesheet and billing features 
  • Sales, purchase, and timesheet approval in-platform 
  • Up to 25 custom reports

Premium ($60)

  • Up to 10 users 
  • Vendor portal available 
  • Up to 200 workflow customizations 
  • Include cash flow forecasting report 
  • Up to 60 custom reports

Elite ($120)

  • Up to 10 users 
  • Unlimited custom reports 
  • Advanced multi-currency handling 
  • Shopify store integration for up to two stores 
  • Warehouse management for up to five warehouses

Ultimate ($240)

  • Up to 15 users 
  • Real-time reports and dashboards 
  • Collaborative reporting and analytics 
  • 25 custom modules included 
  • Inventory management features and integrations

As mentioned above, the right package for your business is dependent on the type and size of the business you’re running. Selecting the plan with the right features that fit your business’s budget is crucial to finding the best accounting solution.

Zoho Books Reviews

Zoho Books is primarily used by small- to medium-sized businesses. Many customers reported success applying Zoho’s suite of products across the board to streamline processes. While others report usability limitations and a steep learning curve as negative aspects of using the service. 

Here are some verified customer reviews from TrustRadius about Zoho Books:

“We are using Zoho Books across our whole organization. Our business relies heavily on our accounting software by providing our customers with quick and accurate estimates and detailed invoices and our vendors with purchase orders. Zoho Books is an intuitive cloud based solution that meets and exceeds our expectations from a cloud accounting solution. It is very customizable in regards to the customer/vendor templates we can create, and the integration capabilities being that Zoho Books is a cloud based solution.”

“Zoho Books helps to handle all organization accounting and also supports all of the sale/providers process, even the customers’ payments are handled through Zoho.”

 “We use Zoho Books across the company to manage our accounting and invoicing with clients. It helps us know on a daily basis which clients are still owing us money, give us daily, monthly and quarterly sales and also manage our estimates that we send out. It is easy to log in and have various departments use it and administrators can have a holistic view of how departments and the company as a whole is doing.”

“Zoho has allowed us to have one system to work out of, and not have to constantly go back and forth between different systems that don’t talk to each other.”

Overall, Zoho Books boasts mostly positive reviews on TrustRadius, with many customers reporting success using the platform for their business needs.

Zoho Books Alternatives

Zoho Books is a great accounting software option. However, it is important to shop around to determine if it is the right service for your business. See how Zoho Books compares to competitor QuickBooks. 

Zoho Books

Plans range from $0-$240 per month, billed annually

Best For: Startups overall

Visit Website

QuickBooks

Plans range from $15-$100 per month, billed annually

Best For: Startups overall

Visit Website

Quickbooks and Zoho Books both offer great accounting software for businesses. However, if you are looking for software that is more payroll-focused, check out our guide to the best payroll services for startups.

The Bottom Line

Zoho Books is a viable accounting software option for startups and small businesses looking for an affordable, easy-to-use platform. With six pricing tiers to choose from, businesses can select the right features and functionality to suit their needs.

Many customers report success using Zoho Books, citing its intuitive interface, customization, and integration capabilities as major benefits. While Zoho Books may not be the best fit for rapidly scaling startups that need advanced analytics and reporting, it provides solid core accounting tools for most small- to medium-business use cases.

Ultimately, Zoho Books is worth considering for startups that want an affordable accounting solution that interoperates well with other Zoho products. However, it’s a good idea to compare Zoho Books to competitors like QuickBooks to determine the best accounting software for your specific business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zoho Books?

Zoho Books is a cloud-based accounting software platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses to manage their finances. It offers six different pricing packages with increasing features like invoicing, expense tracking, reporting, and integration with other business platforms.

Is Zoho Books trustworthy?

Zoho Books is a trustworthy, secure platform for startups and small businesses to manage their accounting needs.

How much is Zoho Books?

Zoho Books has six packages, including a free plan costing up to $240 per month if billed annually.