Enter your business details to see what each option would cost you. Prices are live from our database and shown in Australian dollars.
Choosing accounting software is one of the first real decisions a small business makes, and it is a sticky one: once your transactions, payroll and reporting live in a platform, moving is work. The good news is that the Australian market is mature, so the question is less "which one is good" and more "which one fits how you actually run your business". Below are our ranked picks, then a live calculator so you can cost each at your own invoice count and headcount.
How we chose
Small businesses weigh accounting software differently from sole traders or enterprises. We ranked on the things that matter at this size: total monthly cost once users and payroll are counted (not just the sticker price), how well the software handles Australian BAS, GST and Single Touch Payroll, whether it grows with you into inventory and multiple users, and the depth of the local support and accountant network. Pricing is pulled live from our database and shown in Australian dollars.
What small businesses should prioritise
The biggest hidden cost is users and payroll. A plan that looks cheap can become the dearest once you add a second user or run a pay run, because some platforms charge per seat or per employee while others bundle it. If you have any staff, price the option with payroll included, not the base subscription. The second thing to weigh is where you will be in two years: if you expect to carry stock or add team members, a platform with inventory and unlimited users saves a painful migration later.
Australian compliance is table stakes
Every serious contender here lodges your BAS, tracks GST and reports Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 to the ATO without a manual export, and keeps pace with award and superannuation changes. Because compliance is handled across the board, it should not be your deciding factor. Let cost, users, payroll and inventory needs make the call instead.
Switching is easier than you think
If you are moving from spreadsheets or another platform, the main contenders offer guided conversion that brings across your chart of accounts, contacts and recent history. The practical advice is to switch near the end of a BAS quarter so your reporting periods stay clean, and to reconcile both systems for one overlap month before you retire the old one.
The verdict
For most Australian small businesses, Xero is the pick: unlimited users, included payroll and the widest accountant network make it the safe, scalable default, and its cost is competitive once staff are counted. If you are watching every dollar, Zoho Books is the value champion, free under $50K revenue and cheap beyond it. Choose MYOB if you want the lowest entry price with deep local compliance and inventory, and QuickBooks if strong reporting at a low price matters most. Use the calculator above to see which lands cheapest for your invoice count and team size.