Accounting Software for SaaS Companies; Which is The Best Option?

Software-as-a-Service – SaaS companies, have unique accounting needs due to their subscription-based business models that rely on recurring revenue. Effective financial management is critical for SaaS companies to accurately forecast revenue, comply with reporting standards, and make data-driven business decisions. 

Choosing the right accounting software that is designed for recurring revenue and subscription businesses is an important consideration. This article will highlight the importance of selecting accounting software that can handle the complexity of subscription financials that are standard for SaaS companies. 

Why Is Choosing the Right Accounting Software Important for SaaS Companies? 

When you consider things like revenue recognition, deferred revenue, prepaid subscriptions, and churn metrics, you’ll soon realise that choosing the right accounting software can be a complex challenge for SaaS companies.

To help inform your decision, we have outlined the top accounting software options on the market today for SaaS businesses. This review will assess critical features like recurrence management, revenue recognition tools, integrations, analytics, and suitability for subscription-based financial planning. 

By the end, SaaS companies should have a better understanding of which platform would best meet their accounting, financial reporting, and analytics needs. Let’s get stuck in. 

Xero

Xero is likely the best fit for growing SaaS companies that want a full-featured platform that can scale with their business. The features, integrations, and analytics make Xero an ideal solution as an organisation’s needs become more sophisticated over time. The costs also become more justified for larger businesses.

Xero offers robust accounting features tailored to subscription businesses, including recurring invoices and billing management tools. It also provides extensive integrations with various payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal for streamlined cash flow. Xero has strong financial and management reporting capabilities and is known for its simple, user-friendly interface.

One downside of Xero is that it can be more expensive than some competing options depending on the features and number of users required. There can also be a learning curve in understanding and implementing some of its more complex accounting functionalities.

ProfitBooks

ProfitBooks is likely the right fit for SaaS startups based in India that desire an affordable option to manage taxation (GST) for their subscription businesses. It is best suited for  cost-conscious firms that do not require extensive global reach that other accounting firms may require. 

The ProfitBooks platform features GST-ready invoicing, automation, filing, and reports designed around Indian tax requirements. It offers affordable and tiers pricing plans, as well as an interface available in Hindi and English. 

For SaaS companies seeking a fully customised accounting solution, ProfitBooks.net also offers a powerful white-label option. You can easily ditch the hassle of building your own software and rebrand ProfitBooks as your own, complete with your logo and branding. 

Another benefit of ProfitBooks is their limited-time lifetime deal for their accounting software. With this offer, you can pay a single fee and enjoy access to all the platform’s features, including future updates. This deal is perfect for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses who want powerful accounting tools without breaking the bank.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks stands out for its very simple and intuitive interface focused primarily on streamlining client and invoice management. It has flexible billing and payment options and integrates with many major payment gateways. Plans are affordable for solopreneurs and very small teams.

On the flip side, FreshBooks has more basic accounting functionality and is not equipped to handle more complex financial reporting needs. So companies needing advanced revenue recognition, global consolidations, or customised segments will likely require an upgrade.

This software is Ideal for solopreneurs, freelancers, agencies, and very small services firms. For independent contributors or tiny teams with basic accounting needs and a priority placed on client management, FreshBooks hits the marks.

Chargebee

Chargebee differentiates itself by being purpose-built specifically for managing subscription billing and revenue operations. It automates complex recurring billing models and usage-based pricing tailored to SaaS and subscription-based businesses. 

Chargebee also provides powerful analytics and metrics focused exclusively around subscriber behaviour and churn to inform pricing, discounts, and retention campaigns.

The robust subscription management toolkit makes the platform best suited for more mature SaaS companies. 

The only downside with Chargebee is that it does not offer more generalised accounting features like ledger management, broader reporting, or payroll. It also currently integrates with fewer third-party applications compared to platforms like Xero or QuickBooks.

Zoho Books

Zoho Books strikes a balance of being affordably priced while still being robust enough to scale. It’s ideal for small SaaS startups and bootstrapped teams who will appreciate the intuitive interface, integration with Sales and Marketing Zoho apps, and flexibility to add more complex capabilities over time if needed.

A major advantage of Zoho Books is its affordable pricing tiers for small businesses. It has a clean, intuitive user interface that makes accounting approachable for non-finance teams. Zoho Books seamlessly integrates with other Zoho productivity apps like CRM as part of an integrated suite. For core financials, Zoho Books offers solid tools for invoicing, expense reporting, payment management, and project costing.

One potential downside of Zoho Books is that its reporting functionality is not as deep as higher-end options like Xero. Companies needing advanced metrics or customisations may desire more sophisticated tools over time. It also has limited inventory and warehouse management features compared to QuickBooks or other ERP-like accounting platforms.

So which is best?

With the rise of the subscription business models, effectively managing recurring revenue streams is essential for SaaS companies to scale successfully. Yet financial operations can become extremely complex. Choosing accounting software that’s designed specifically to automate processes like subscription billing, revenue recognition, and churn analysis is a key piece of the puzzle.

As we’ve explored, solutions like Xero, Zoho Books, and Chargebee are leading options in the market today purpose-built to handle the intricacies of subscription finance. The right platform also centralises data, provides real-time analytics on subscriber metrics, and integrates with sales and payment tools for a comprehensive view of the business.

It’s important to assess your current size, growth stage, geographic markets, revenue streams, and reporting needs when determining what level of functionality is right for your SaaS. Systems like FreshBooks and ProfitBooks work well for early-stage entrepreneurial businesses, while Xero and Chargebee are built to scale to support more advanced needs down the line.

The recurring revenue models common in SaaS companies necessitate forward-thinking tools to insightfully manage subscriber lifetime value. So taking time to evaluate accounting software specifically engineered to automate complex subscription finances can pay major dividends as emerging SaaS companies progress on their growth journey.

If you enjoyed this article, you should also check out: Why Do Distributors Need Inventory Management Software? | Small Business Lending Statistics and Trends | How Can Global Professional Services Help Companies? | What is Compliance Technology?.