Which is better for freelancers and consultants? It depends on what you care about, so here are both answers and the arithmetic under them.
QuickBooks and Stripe 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 | QuickBooks and Stripe | Zoho Books and Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Best all-rounderToo close to call, 2 apart (Zoho Books and Stripe is nominally ahead) | 74 | 76 |
| Best on a budgetZoho Books and Stripe by 10 | 71 | 81 |
| Easiest to startQuickBooks and Stripe by 3 | 77 | 74 |
| Best as you growToo close to call, 2 apart (Zoho Books and Stripe is nominally ahead) | 79 | 81 |
QuickBooks and Stripe splits the work across QuickBooks Online and Stripe. Zoho Books and Stripe splits the work across Zoho Books and Stripe.
| Category | QuickBooks and Stripe | Zoho Books and Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ||
| Accounting |  QuickBooks Online |  Zoho Books |
| Invoicing | ||
| Invoicing | QuickBooks Online | Zoho Books |
| Taking payments | ||
| Taking payments |  Stripe | 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.
The books most accountants know, with low card fees. QuickBooks handles the accounts and invoices; Stripe takes the payments.
Anyone whose accountant asked for QuickBooks.
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.