7 Helpful Accounting Apps

If you’re a small business owner, most likely you are running your finances through computer software that creates invoices, tracks expenses, process payments, etc.  But with the world getting more and more mobile, why not have access some of these accounting tools at your fingertips?  Being able to keep track of certain things as they’re happening has the advantage of greater accuracy and less time spent in the office going over the numbers.  While your desktop software is absolutely necessary for more in-depth accounting features, using your iPhone or iPad for your basic expense needs has its instant advantages.  Using cloud technology guarantees its up-to-date no matter which device you access it from.

Easy Books 

(Free)

This app keeps track of your basic finances, with a mobile version of the Easy Books software available.  Its free version allows you to send invoices to your customers as well as create quick estimates and reports to see an overall view of your expenses.  This app allows you to pay for individual features as you need them.  The advantage is that you're not paying for more than what you need, and as your company grows you have the option to add more.  If you have the Easy Books desktop software version, information will automatically sync between the mobile version.

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Kashoo

(Subscription ~$20/month)

Designed for the iPad, this is a full-featured accounting app.  Free for your iPhone once you sign up for the monthly service, it keeps track of nearly everything you need for your small business.  Tracking payments and transactions, creating invoices and recording expenses, you can even snap a photo of your receipts and they are scanned in.  This app also allows data sharing between you and your business partner or accountant.  Set regular intervals for this app to automatically create a financial report for you.

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Shoeboxed

(Subscription -$10/month)

This app will be a lifesaver when it comes time to file taxes for the small business owner.  Take a photo of your bills and receipts, the app will automatically extract data like: vendor, date, total amount and payment type.  This app creates a database for all your transactions that you can easily search through at any time using the information you’ve entered by uploading a photo.

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Mint

(Free)

While the Mint app is listed for personal finance, it has the basic, minimal tools to help you see where your money is going.  It keeps track of your spending from your credit cards and your accounts and creates user friendly graphs for a full view picture of your finances.  Mint will automatically categorize your spending once you add accounts and cards to the app to keep track of.  Mint offers a general view of your transactions to help the entrepreneur or small business owner focus on operations.

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InDinero

(Price varies)

InDinero works a lot like Mint, except it is tailored to your specific business.  Add accounts and credit cards to have it automatically track your expenses, InDinero will create comparisons like spending vs. revenue.  A little more in-depth, it allows you to keep track of inventory costs as well as travel expenses or insurance costs.

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QuickBooks for iPhone

(Free with subscription -$13/month)

A great companion to the desktop software,  QuickBook mobile offers similar services such as invoice issuing, tracking payments and sales.  An excellent tool in your arsenal while away from the office.

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Freshbooks

(Subscription -$20/month)

Very user friendly, its a contender to the QuickBooks app.  Also offering invoice services, financial tracking and business profits, this app allows for easier invoice creation by tracking the time spent by you or employees on a specific project.  It also creates charts to help make better tax decisions for your business when it comes time to file.

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Lots of these apps offer free trials to make it easier to decide which works best for you business.  There are loads of options and features out there to help your small business finances stay healthy and your revenue progressing.  Spending less time doing paperwork and having automatically generated graphs and comparisons can save you money and help you think on your feet.  So empower yourself and your business to move with the times and away from your office.

Best Mileage Trackers for Keeping Up This Year (For iOS)

So it’s come time to do your taxes, and you realize how inaccurate, unused, sparse or missing your mileage data spreadsheet is.  It is hard to paint a clear picture for work mileage deductions, or even compensation from an expense account if your record keeping is not complete.  No one wants to lug around a ledger, or go back to the office after a business trip to record exactly how far you’ve gone.  Help yourself and your accountant this year, by keeping up with your miles in the technology age.  While apps don’t necessarily make your record keeping less boring, it certainly makes it more convenient.  Here are a few reviews of the best apps available.  Consider getting your money’s worth this year just with a few clicks at your fingertips.

Mileage Tracker +

$9.99

Previously Trip Cubby, Mileage Tracker + is just as praised.  Easily log and store your trips by setting beginning and end destinations, this app will add up the miles for you.  Frequently travelled routes can be saved for easy access at any time, and reports can even be exported within the app.  You can track business miles and even count charity and medical miles as well.  Mileage Tracker + uses current standard IRS rates.

Auto Miles

Free ($4.99)

Auto Miles does exactly what the title implies, it detects when you’re driving and starts keeping track.  Every mile you travel will be stored in this app.  If you have a personal trip you don’t want put on your expense report or claim, simply swipe and delete.  The 5s version of the iPhone and up uses M7 or M8 motion technology to do this for spot on mileage.  This app is free up to 100 miles before you have the option to upgrade to the full version for $4.99.  Most businesses or individuals that need mileage apps usually log more than 100 miles, so its more of a free trial.  You can export the data to a spreadsheet for your expense reports to your accountant or finance office.  If you frequently forget to log your miles, this is a good app for you.

klicks

$2.99

If you need on the go tracking, like easy access to start logging after you’ve already started your journey, klicks is all about automatic input.  Typing your end destination and choosing from options automatically provided in the search field, your current location is used as the starting point.  Previously selecting your preferences in Settings, it will automatically record your round trip.  Click to add the trip to your journey log and export it through email in a .csv file.

These top rated apps should get you revved up about staying organized this year for next tax season.  Not only get the most out of your mileage, but have the records at your fingertips.  You want to make sure you can store data from all your business trips, as well as have an easily exportable format for yourself and your accountant.  You may also want to consider a maintenance feature within the app for vehicle upkeep.  While this is by no means a comprehensive list, it should get you thinking about what will work best for you.  Bon voyage!

(All apps available in the app store)