Which is better for freelancers and consultants in Canada? It depends on what you care about, so here are both answers and the arithmetic under them.
Zoho Books and PayPal and Zoho Books and Stripe each take one of the four lenses, and two are too close to call. They rate within a point of each other on every measure, so the choice comes down to cost and to how each one feels to work in.
| If you care most about | Zoho Books and PayPal | Zoho Books and Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Best all-rounderToo close to call, 2 apart (Zoho Books and PayPal is nominally ahead) | 76 | 74 |
| Best on a budgetToo close to call | 74 | 74 |
| Easiest to startZoho Books and PayPal by 7 | 81 | 74 |
| Best as you growZoho Books and Stripe by 3 | 78 | 81 |
Zoho Books and PayPal splits the work across Zoho Books and PayPal. Zoho Books and Stripe splits the work across Zoho Books and Stripe.
| Category | Zoho Books and PayPal | Zoho Books and Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ||
| Accounting |  Zoho Books | Zoho Books |
| Invoicing | ||
| Invoicing | Zoho Books | Zoho Books |
| Taking payments | ||
| Taking payments |  PayPal |  Stripe |
Greyed-out rows use the same tool on both sides. A category is one job a stack has to do; a tool is one product you sign up for.
The price to actually launch, the catches that come with it, and what you give up by picking one over the other.
Free books and a payment method every client knows. The lowest fixed cost of any stack here, with the fees paid only when you get paid.
PayPal takes the biggest cut of the payment tools, especially in the US and New Zealand.
A new freelancer who wants no monthly bill at all to begin with.
The cheapest way to run proper books: Zoho Books is free until your revenue passes about US$50,000, and Stripe charges only per payment.
Fewer connections to other tools than Xero or QuickBooks.
Starting out, or a side business that has to cost almost nothing.