Which is better for freelancers and consultants in the US? It depends on what you care about, so here are both answers and the arithmetic under them.
QuickBooks and PayPal takes two of the four lenses and Zoho Books and PayPal none, 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 PayPal | Zoho Books and PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Best all-rounderQuickBooks and PayPal by 4 | 74 | 70 |
| Best on a budgetToo close to call | 60 | 60 |
| Easiest to startQuickBooks and PayPal by 6 | 84 | 78 |
| Best as you growToo close to call, 2 apart (QuickBooks and PayPal is nominally ahead) | 76 | 74 |
QuickBooks and PayPal splits the work across QuickBooks Online and PayPal. Zoho Books and PayPal splits the work across Zoho Books and PayPal.
| Category | QuickBooks and PayPal | Zoho Books and PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ||
| Accounting |  QuickBooks Online |  Zoho Books |
| Invoicing | ||
| Invoicing | QuickBooks Online | Zoho Books |
| Taking payments | ||
| Taking payments |  PayPal | PayPal |
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.
Familiar books and the payment button clients recognise. Little to set up on either side, and support you can phone.
The dearest way to get paid of the pairs here, and dearer still in the US and New Zealand.
Getting going this afternoon with tools your clients already use.
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.