# Accounting

> “Find accounting software”. Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

Accounting software is local first: it has to file your country's tax forms and match what your accountant uses. In the UK, Xero and QuickBooks both cover invoices, bank feeds and reconciliation, and most bookkeepers know at least one. Holded does the same job for Spain, with the official tax forms built in. Stripe sits beside any of them to take card payments and subscriptions, and Chaser sends reminders from your own email until a customer pays.

Last checked: 2026-10-01

## Ranking

1. **[QuickBooks](https://suiteintent.com/t/quickbooks?m=GB)**: Accounting and invoicing for small businesses. · Best for small businesses with an accountant · Pricing on request
2. **[Chaser](https://suiteintent.com/t/chaser?m=GB)**: Payment reminders that chase unpaid invoices for you. · Best specifically for chasing late invoices · Pricing on request
3. **[Xero](https://suiteintent.com/t/xero?m=GB)**: Cloud accounting for UK small businesses. · Best overall · Pricing on request · 30 days ([Deals](https://suiteintent.com/deals/xero))
4. **[Stripe](https://suiteintent.com/t/stripe?m=GB)**: Online payments, subscriptions and invoices. · Best for online payments · Free plan
5. **[Holded](https://suiteintent.com/t/holded?m=GB)**: Invoicing and accounting software for Spain. · Best for businesses in Spain · Pricing on request

## Side by side

| Tool | Price | Ease of use (1-5) | Team size |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| QuickBooks | Pricing on request | 4 | solo, small team, growing team |
| Chaser | Pricing on request | 4 | small team, growing team |
| Xero | Pricing on request, 30-day free trial | 4 | solo, small team, growing team |
| Stripe | Free plan | 3 | solo, small team, growing team, large team |
| Holded | Pricing on request | 4 | solo, small team, growing team |

## Why these picks

- Independent reviews: [Zapier](https://zapier.com/blog/best-invoicing-software/), [Fit Small Business](https://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-invoicing-software/) (Last checked: 2026-10-02)
- Prices last checked: 2026-10-01
- Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

## Head to head

- [Holded vs Quipu: accounting software for Spain](https://suiteintent.com/compare/holded-vs-quipu)
- [QuickBooks vs Xero for bookkeeping in Germany](https://suiteintent.com/compare/quickbooks-vs-xero)
- [Stripe vs Paddle: who handles your SaaS billing](https://suiteintent.com/compare/stripe-vs-paddle)
- [Xero vs FreshBooks: invoice and chase payments](https://suiteintent.com/compare/xero-vs-freshbooks)

## Rules that apply

- [Spain's autónomo taxes: forms 303, 130 and dues](https://suiteintent.com/compliance/autonomo-impuestos): What a self-employed person files in Spain: quarterly and annual VAT, income tax on account, 15% or 7% withholding, deadlines and social security.
- [Spain's B2B e-invoicing: Ley Crea y Crece](https://suiteintent.com/compliance/es-b2b-einvoicing): Spain will require structured e-invoices between businesses: the formats, the payment status duty, the free state tool and the expected 2027 and 2028 dates.
- [Making Tax Digital: VAT and Income Tax in 2026](https://suiteintent.com/compliance/making-tax-digital): Self-employed or a landlord in the UK? See who must keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC, the 2026 to 2028 thresholds and exemptions.
- [Selling online in the UK: tax and HMRC reports](https://suiteintent.com/compliance/uk-selling-online-tax): Selling clothes, crafts or services online in the UK? See when HMRC taxes it, the £1,000 allowance, what platforms report and the Self Assessment dates.
- [UK VAT threshold: when to register at £90,000](https://suiteintent.com/compliance/uk-vat-threshold): Close to £90,000 in UK sales? See how the rolling 12-month test works, when to register, when you can cancel and how the flat rate scheme works.
- [VeriFactu: invoicing software that complies](https://suiteintent.com/compliance/verifactu): Spain's VeriFactu rules for invoicing software: what changes for autónomos and companies, who is exempt and the 2027 deadlines, from official sources.

## MCP setups

- [Let Claude create invoices and payment links in Stripe](https://suiteintent.com/mcp/claude-stripe-invoices)

## Questions

### Xero or QuickBooks for a UK limited company?

Both run invoices, bank feeds and reports in the cloud, and both send payment reminders. Xero is widely used by UK accountants and connects to hundreds of apps. QuickBooks has a huge accountant ecosystem too, with payroll and time tracking as add-ons. Ask your accountant which one they work in, since sharing the same books saves you fees.

### Is there accounting software I can use for free?

None of the accounting apps here has a free plan: QuickBooks, Xero and Holded are all paid. Stripe has no monthly fee and charges per successful transaction, but it handles payments and invoices rather than your full books. A spreadsheet can carry a new sole trader for a few months. Once you register for VAT, paid software usually costs less than the time you spend on manual returns.

### Do I need Chaser if my accounting software sends reminders?

Xero and QuickBooks both send basic payment reminders, which covers many small firms. Chaser goes further, with personalised reminders from your own email address on schedules you set. It syncs with Xero and QuickBooks, so chasing stops the moment an invoice is paid. It pays off when late payment is a monthly problem and you have many open invoices.

### How do I connect Stripe payments to my books?

Stripe takes card payments, runs subscriptions and sends invoices, then pays out in batches. Your accounting software needs to split each payout into sales and Stripe fees, or your bank feed will not match. Xero and QuickBooks both connect to Stripe for this. Reconcile payouts weekly so a mismatch does not grow into a quarter's worth of guesswork.

### Which accounting software works for a business in Spain?

Holded is built for Spain, with invoicing, accounting and inventory in one app. It prepares Spain's official tax forms, such as modelo 303, and supports e-invoicing. QuickBooks and Xero focus on the UK and US, so they suit Spanish firms less. Check that any tool you choose meets the Verifactu rules for invoicing software.