As a member of a nonprofit organization, you need accounting software with more than just the basic bookkeeping functions. On top of helping you manage funds and categorize expenses, nonprofit accounting software should sync with your preferred nonprofit apps, streamline donation tracking and acceptance, perform true fund accounting and help you file Form 990 at the end of the year.
Aplos is the best nonprofit accounting software for many organizations, but it might not be the right fit for you. Below, we explore the features, prices, pros and cons of Aplos and other top accounting software for nonprofit organizations like yours.
Top nonprofit accounting software: Feature comparison table
| Starting price | Free trial | Nonprofit discount | Donation/grant tracking | Our star rating | Learn more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aplos | $79/mo. | 15 days | N/A | Yes | 4.4 out of 5 | Visit Aplos |
| Xero | $15/mo. | 30 days | Yes | Yes | 4.4 out of 5 | Visit Xero |
| Sage Intacct | Custom | None listed | Yes | Yes | 4.6 out of 5 | Visit Sage Intacct |
| QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit | $1,922/yr. | 30 days | Yes | Yes | 4.5 out of 6 | Visit QuickBooks |
| Striven | $35/user/mo. | 7 days | None listed | Yes | 4.4 out of 5 | Visit Striven |
| Wave Accounting | $0 | N/A | N/A | No | 4 out of 5 | Visit Wave |
Plan and pricing information verified up to date as of 2/6/2024.
Aplos: Best overall nonprofit accounting software
Our star rating: 4.4 out of 5
Why we chose it: When it comes to nonprofit-specific accounting software, you quite literally can’t do better than Aplos. It’s used by more than 40,000 nonprofits across the U.S., from churches to charities of all shapes and sizes. And while Aplos isn’t as cheap as general accounting software, its comprehensive nonprofit features make it well worth the cost.
Choose Aplos if . . .
- You want all-in-one nonprofit accounting software, not a generic accounting solution with some nonprofit integrations.
- You want help from a responsive customer service team made up of real humans who offer specific, helpful advice.
- You want the most comprehensive, most popular nonprofit accounting software in the business.
Pricing
Aplos offers three plans, all of which include a 15-day free trial:
- Lite: Starts at $79 per month for two users. Includes foundational nonprofit accounting features like fund accounting and grant management.
- Core: Starts at $99 per month for two users. Adds budgeting, accounts payable, accounts receivable and partner integrations.
- Advanced: Starts at $189 per month for two users. Adds fund-based budgeting, fixed asset tracking and more comprehensive accounting features.
Unlike QuickBooks Online, which requires you to enter a credit card and agree to automatic monthly billing to access the free trial, Aplos’s free trial is available without a credit card. Each plan includes built-in access for two users, which makes sharing your books with an accountant both straightforward and affordable. Additional users may be added for an extra $20 per user per month.
Top nonprofit accounting features
- True fund accounting (fund-based budgeting available as an advanced feature).
- Online giving forms with secure donor portals.
- Donor and employee CRM database.
- Text-to-give feature.
- Form 990 preparation and filing.
- Nonprofit website builder included free with each plan.
- Event registration and ticketing.
- Customizable reports, including donor reports and contribution statements.
- Optional nonprofit and church bookkeeping starting at $341 per month.
- Advanced accounting features for bigger organizations with complex finances (e.g. fixed asset tracking, automatic recurring transactions, project- and department-based budgeting, income allocations and more.)
Unfortunately, Aplos’ basic plan does not include free partner integration, though Aplos does have an Open API so nonprofits with software development teams can create their own custom workflows. With the mid-tier and higher-tier plan, users can sync Aplos with apps from the following Aplos partners:
- Gusto.
- PEX.
- Church Community Builder.
- Bloomerang.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Xero: Best for small nonprofits
Why we chose it: Thanks to its ease of use and low starting price, Xero’s small-business accounting software is the ideal entry-level solution for small nonprofits new to bookkeeping. Its self-guided setup takes no more than a few minutes, and its well-reviewed mobile accounting app ensures you can check your organization’s financial health no matter where you are in the world.
Choose Xero if . . .
- Finding affordable accounting software is one of your top considerations.
- You’re part of a small organization with relatively straightforward finances.
- You rely on a variety of apps to manage most aspects of your nonprofits and prefer software that easily connects with all of them.
Our complete Xero review can tell you more.
Pricing
All three of Xero’s plans include a 30-day free trial. Xero also offers nonprofits a 25% discount off of each plan’s base price:
- Early: $15 per month ($11.25 with nonprofit discount). Includes 20 invoices, 20 quotes and five bills per month.
- Growing: $42 per month ($31.50 with nonprofit discount). Includes unlimited invoices, quotes and bills.
- Established: $78 per month ($58.50 with nonprofit discount). Includes expense tracking, advanced analytics and global currency management.
Top nonprofit accounting features
- Basic inventory tracking with each plan.
- Charity-specific reports with easy one-click sharing to volunteers, donors and other stakeholders.
- Mobile accounting app access.
- Free unlimited users with every plan.
- Access to a network of Xero-certified bookkeepers and financial advisors.
- Multi-currency management for global nonprofits (available with priciest plan only).
Xero integrates with over 1,000 third-party apps. Its top nonprofit integrations include the following:
- Dozens of payroll apps, including Gusto, Deel, OnPay, Wagepoint, Rippling, Paychex, ADP, OysterHR and more.
- Keela.
- Hubdoc.
- infoodle.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Sage Intacct: Best for multinational nonprofits
Our star rating: 4.6 out of 5
Why we chose it: If you’re part of a large nonprofit with multiple chapters and an international support base, Sage Intacct is robust enough to handle your complex finances. Sage’s automation ensures your general ledger stays up to date while requiring minimal effort on your part — which means you’ll have more time to manage your large organization. Plus, the software’s financial reports are easy to share with your board members, helping you prioritize accuracy and transparency.
Choose Sage Intacct if . . .
- Your nonprofit is large enough to warrant comprehensive, enterprise-level accounting software.
- You need a centralized platform for managing a widespread (even multinational) organization with complex, sprawling finances.
- You’re managing a wide range of donations, grants, loans and other income streams.
- You need to offer detailed, specific reports to your donors, stakeholders, funders and board members.
Pricing
Sage Intacct is complex enough that customers must request a custom quote.
Top nonprofit accounting features
- Fund accounting.
- Grant tracking.
- Automated revenue management.
- Nonprofit reporting.
- Transparent digital board books.
- Spend management and budgeting compliance.
- AI-powered intelligent general ledger.
- Industry-specific plans for organizations in the human services, community development, educational and international nonprofit sectors as well as churches.
Like Aplos, Sage Intacct has an Open API that enables customers to build customer third-party integrations. Sage also has 350+ built-in integrations, including the following:
- Salesforce.
- ClickTime Nonprofit.
- Stripe.
- Hubspot.
- Mateo Savings and Loans Software.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit: Best for large, growing organizations
Our star rating: 4.5 out of 5
Why we chose it: Intuit QuickBooks is one of the most popular, widely used accounting software programs in the world. Since it was built with non-accountants in mind, QuickBooks has enough features to support organizations with complicated finances without imposing a steep learning curve on new users.
QuickBooks Online is a simpler, cheaper cloud-based option for smaller nonprofits that don’t need many nonprofit-specific tools. However, QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit’s more robust desktop-based solution works better for midsize and growing nonprofits that need multiple eyes on their financial data.
Choose QuickBooks Enterprise Nonprofit if . . .
- You need software that lets you add up to 40 users who can collaborate on your nonprofit’s finances.
- You want the option to easily connect to a large network of QuickBooks-certified accountants and bookkeepers.
- You prefer desktop-based accounting software that doesn’t require an internet connection and keeps data on-premises.
Our complete QuickBooks Enterprise review can tell you more.
Pricing
QuickBooks offers three desktop-based plans, all of which require a 12-month commitment:
- QuickBooks Enterprise Gold: Starting at $1,922 per year (billed annually). Organizations can purchase up to 30 licenses for individual users with custom permissions and roles.
- QuickBooks Enterprise Platinum: Starting at $2,363 per year (billed annually). Organizations can purchase up to 30 licenses for individual users with custom permissions and roles.
- QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond: Starting at $4,668 per year (billed monthly). Organizations can purchase up to 40 licenses for individual users with custom permissions and roles.
Nonprofits can also add QuickBooks Payroll to any Desktop Enterprise plan. If you like QuickBooks’ features and setup but don’t need a solution as expensive or comprehensive as QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, pricing for QuickBooks Online starts at $30 per month.
Top nonprofit accounting features
- Fund- and program-based revenue tracking and budgeting.
- Customizable, in-depth reports.
- Donation and grant management (available with QuickBooks Desktop and some QuickBooks Online plans).
- Access for up to 40 users.
- Donation acceptance via credit card, check, cash, debit card and ACH payment.
- Automated report distribution (via email).
- Statements of financial position, financial activities and budget vs. actual.
SEE: The Complete Guide to Accounting Software (TechRepublic)
QuickBooks Enterprise integrates with hundreds of third-party apps. It offers the following nonprofit integrations:
- Bloomerang.
- Kindful.
- Method:Donor.
- Donor Receipts.
- DonorHub.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Potentially steep software learning curve. |
Striven: Best for transparent stakeholder communication
Our star rating: 4.4 out of 5
Why we chose it: Striven is a cloud-based ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution that brings together all the tools large organizations need on one unified platform, from comprehensive accounting to customer relationship management (CRM) software. Along with in-depth accounting tools like true fund-based accounting and grant management, Striven’s software helps organizations manage their employees, track and hire candidates, and perform a variety of other enterprise-style functions.
Most notably, Striven offers add-on “Portals” that enable communication between your nonprofit and its stakeholders. Using Striven’s stakeholder portal, it’s easy to create and share transparent financial reports with your donors, board members and other key stakeholders.
Choose Striven if . . .
- You want well-rounded, comprehensive business management software rather than standalone accounting or payroll software.
- You’re part of a large nonprofit organization with lots of employees on payroll, and you’d prefer to deal with finances and personnel management within the same platform.
- You already have a large workforce and your growing organization has plans to hire.
Pricing
Striven offers straightforward monthly pricing for its two ERP plans:
- Standard: $35 per user per month.
- Enterprise: $70 per user per month.
You can also flesh out your Striven plan with one of its three Portal plans: Customer Portal, Vendor Portal and Career Portal. Each Portal enables faster communication between your company and its customers, vendors and applicants. Pricing is as follows:
- Customer Portal: Free for up to 100 customers or $99 per month for up to 500 customers.
- Vendor Portal: Free for up to 100 vendors or $99 per month for up to 500 vendors.
- Career Portal: Free for up to 100 applications per month or $99 per month for up to 500 applications per month.
The cost for unlimited customers, vendors and job applicants is $499 per Portal plan per month.
Top nonprofit accounting features
- Fund accounting.
- Grant management.
- User portals for stakeholders.
- Nonprofit-specific reporting.
- Fund-specific forecasting and budgeting.
- Built-in compliance management.
- Donor management.
- Application tracking system (ATS) solution.
While Striven’s APIs let you build custom integrations, Striven doesn’t offer many built-in third-party integrations at this point. Customers are limited to the following native integrations:
- ShipStation.
- Authorize.net.
- Gmail and Google Calendar.
- Microsoft Calendar.
- Email Relay.
- Twilio.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Key features of nonprofit accounting software
Nonprofits have unique fiscal needs and financial obligations, including tax obligations. While accounting software without nonprofit features can work for small charities or churches, the best solutions should include some, if not all, of the following features.
Fund accounting
Fund accounting is used specifically by organizations that manage money but don’t turn a profit. Its principal focus is on ensuring accuracy, accountability and transparency.
In contrast to regular financial accounting, fund accounting tracks your money based on which “fund” the money is intended for. You can use this data to generate fund-specific reports, demonstrating to both your stakeholders and the government that you’ve used donated funds for their intended purpose only.
Advanced nonprofit accounting software or plans can include features like fund-based budgeting and cash flow forecasting on top of typical fund-based financial tracking.
Thorough financial reporting
Nonprofits are held to high standards when it comes to making their financial data readily available to their donors and board members (not to mention the IRS).
The best nonprofit accounting solutions will let you generate in-depth financial reports that you can easily share with stakeholders. Ideally, your software automatically generates those reports based on your financial data with minimal time or effort required on your part.
Donation tracking
Nonprofits don’t rely on the sale of products, goods and services to make money. Instead, they rely on donations, grants and other profit-free income streams, which means nonprofit software should help you accept, record and track donations.
Third-party integrations, including payroll integration
Do you rely on other apps to manage your nonprofit’s finances (for instance, a donation acceptance app or reporting tool)? Integrating those apps with your accounting software can cut down on the time you spend doing manual data entry.
Nonprofit accounting apps with built-in integrations are the easiest way to sync your preferred apps with your accounting software. However, an Open API or workaround like Zapier will let you build custom connections.
If you pay employees, make sure to check whether or not your nonprofit accounting software syncs with payroll software. While you can use payroll software that doesn’t integrate with your accounting solution, you’ll have to export more documents and enter more numbers by hand than you would otherwise.
How do I choose the best nonprofit accounting software for my organization?
As you sort through the options to choose the right accounting software for your unique nonprofit organization, consider your budget, financial needs, organizational size and personal preference.
Whenever possible, we recommend signing up for a free trial before purchasing a software plan. Testing the software yourself is the only real way to verify that you like the software’s setup, interface and features before committing to a purchase.
Many software companies offer unique discounts to nonprofits. If you’re worried about price or have questions about whether a certain accounting tool will work for your nonprofit or not, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the company in question.
Most software firms are more than happy to work with nonprofits and may offer discounts that ensure you can meet your organization’s mission statement without sacrificing too many donor funds to in-house software.
Methodology
To evaluate the nonprofit software reviewed above, I relied on an in-house algorithm that calculates star ratings based on the following criteria:
- Pricing (weighted to 25% of the total score). This category looks at criteria like starting prices, free trials, discounts for nonprofits and competitive pricing relative to other products on the market.
- Accounting features (weighted to 35% of the total score). This category looks at criteria like nonprofit-specific accounting features like fund accounting, grant management, donation tracking and Form 990 filing. I also considered standard accounting features like invoicing, expense management and receipt scanning.
- Ease of use (weighted to 15% of the total score). This category looks at criteria like software setup, interface accessibility, mobile app access, workflow automations and third-party app integration.
- Customer service (weighted to 15% of the total score). This category looks at criteria like customer support availability, contact options, customer service reputation and online community support.
My experience testing and researching the software — which includes considering verified user reviews from trustworthy sources — contributes to the remaining 10% of the score.
To get more specifics on how the TechRepublic team tests and evaluates the software we write about, read our in-depth software review methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best accounting method for nonprofit organizations?
Nonprofit organizations should use fund accounting, not regular financial accounting, to track their financial data. Fund accounting tracks money according to each dollar’s intended use, allowing users to generate reports based on different fund accounts. This method of accounting helps nonprofits maintain full transparency for their donors in accordance with federal law.
Is QuickBooks free for nonprofits?
No, QuickBooks is not free for nonprofits. However, QuickBooks may offer discounts for nonprofits who sign up for QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. Get in touch with the QuickBooks sales team directly to ask about discounts.
What is the best accounting software for small charities?
Xero, Wave Accounting and QuickBooks Online are among the best accounting software for small charities. Xero and QuickBooks have more nonprofit-specific features than Wave, but Wave’s completely free accounting plan will appeal to brand-new charities with just one or two individuals overseeing the organization.
