The Best QuickBooks Alternatives: Which One Fits Your Biggest Frustrations?

QuickBooks is usually the first accounting system people start with because everyone uses it. It feels simple and familiar. 

But as companies grow, QuickBooks starts feeling less like a solution and more like a bottleneck. Reporting becomes harder, workflows get messy, and the system strains under the weight of increased activity.

Upgrading accounting software is not something businesses do lightly, because it comes with cost, planning, and organisational change. Most companies want a system that will carry them through the next five to ten years, not just the next twelve months.

This is why moving from QuickBooks to solutions such as Xero or Zoho Books rarely makes sense for scaling teams. It solves surface-level issues but still leaves you limited when the business grows again.

This guide will walk you through the biggest reasons companies outgrow QuickBooks and shows the ERP platforms that actually address them. If any of these frustrations sound familiar, one of these systems may finally give you the room to grow.

Why Businesses Start Looking for QuickBooks Alternatives

QuickBooks works well for small companies, but accounting becomes more complex the moment you add entities, departments, currencies, or inventory. The system is not built for detailed financial reporting or multi-dimensional analysis, so teams fall back on spreadsheets to fill the gaps.

Over time this becomes more work than it's worth, and accuracy suffers as data gets duplicated or manually manipulated outside the system.

Many businesses also hit performance limits as transaction volumes grow. Reports take longer to run, screens take longer to load, and bottlenecks show up during month end.

At this point the system feels stretched, and you know it is time to move to something more powerful and reliable.

Here are the pain points that typically push teams to upgrade:

• Reporting is too rigid or confusing
• The system slows down with more data
• Multi-entity and multi-currency setup becomes a struggle
• Too many add-ons are required to extend functionality
• Job costing and project accounting are limited
• Workflows cannot scale with growth

Once these pain points appear, the natural next step is not another entry-level accounting system. It is a true mid-market ERP built to support long-term scaling. Let's dive into these core issues and understand which ERPs are the best alternatives.

Issue 1: QuickBooks Reporting Is Too Rigid or Confusing

Reporting is usually the first place where QuickBooks starts to hold businesses back. It becomes difficult to customise reports, drill into transactions, or slice financials by department, location, or project without exporting everything to spreadsheets.

If you need insights in real time, QuickBooks makes it harder than it should be.

Try This Instead: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or Sage Intacct

Both Business Central and Sage Intacct give you advanced financial reporting that scales with your organisation.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Business Central gives you flexible dimensions and automated financial statements. It also gives you real-time dashboards through Power BI and integrates directly with Excel, which helps teams build deeper analysis without manual exporting.

You also get clean consolidation tools and automated workflows that help finance teams stay organised.

Pricing:
Business Central has 2 main tiers. Essentials which is $80 per user per month, and Premium which is $110 per user per month. Typical implementation costs can range between $15,000 and $50,000 depending on the needs of the business. 

How It Solves the Reporting Pain Point
Business Central delivers the reporting structure teams wished QuickBooks had. You can segment financials by any dimension, run custom statements, and analyse data far more easily.

Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct is one of the most powerful financial reporting systems available in the mid-market. It uses dimensional reporting, which lets you break down data by location, entity, project, customer, department, and much more without rebuilding the chart of accounts.

It is built for finance teams that want control, transparency, and deeper insights.

Pricing:
Sage Intacct starts at around £550 per month for their Essentials tier, and £850 per month for their Premium tier. 

How It Solves the Reporting Pain Point
Intacct gives you reporting agility without spreadsheets. You can see profitability at every angle, which is something QuickBooks cannot offer at scale.

Issue 2: You Have Outgrown QuickBooks and Need a Scalable System

Many companies outgrow QuickBooks once they expand operations or add more teams into their processes. You start seeing signs like too many manual workarounds, workflows that no longer fit the way you operate, and a system that strains as more people rely on it each day.

QuickBooks can still function, but it takes more effort to keep everything aligned and accurate. When the software feels like it’s holding your growth back instead of supporting it, it’s time to move to something built for long-term scale.

Try This Instead: NetSuite

NetSuite is one of the most widely adopted cloud ERPs for scaling organisations. It brings finance, inventory, multi-entity operations, CRM, procurement, projects, and reporting together in a single unified platform that removes the need for disconnected tools.

Its real strength is how naturally it adapts as a business grows, whether you’re adding new teams, expanding internationally, or introducing more complex workflows. NetSuite gives you structure without limiting flexibility, which makes it a system that supports companies from early growth stages into enterprise maturity.

Pricing:
Licences usually cost $1000 to $3,000 per month, while implementation runs from $15,000 to $100,000 depending on complexity. Check out our pricing blog for more information, or if you'd like a personalised quote, you can get this instantly with our NetSuite pricing calculator below!

How It Solves the Scaling Pain Point
NetSuite eliminates the need for future migrations because it can support you at every stage of growth. It adapts easily to new entities, currencies, product lines, and processes, which makes it a true upgrade from QuickBooks.

Issue 3: QuickBooks Slows Down as Data Volume Grows

Transaction-heavy businesses often see QuickBooks slow down as they expand. Report generation takes longer, workflows feel delayed, and the system struggles to maintain performance during busy periods.

When accounting software becomes slow, the entire organisation feels the impact.

Try This Instead: Business Central or Sage Intacct

Both systems deliver significant improvements in speed, stability, and reliability.

How Business Central Solves the Performance Pain Point

Business Central processes large transaction volumes quickly and integrates tightly with inventory, warehousing, and operations. It is designed for mid-market businesses that need reliability during rapid growth.

How Sage Intacct Solves the Performance Pain Point

Intacct is trusted by finance teams who want strong performance and audit-ready accuracy. It handles heavy data loads gracefully and provides smooth workflows even when transaction volume grows significantly.

Issue 4: QuickBooks Offers Weak Project Accounting or Job Costing

Businesses that rely on accurate costing struggle to use QuickBooks effectively. It was never designed for engineering firms, manufacturers, construction teams, or professional services groups that need real-time insight into project profitability.

When you cannot see which jobs are making money, decision-making becomes harder.

Try This Instead: Acumatica or NetSuite

Both ERPs offer full project accounting and job costing tools.

Acumatica

Acumatica is known for its strength in manufacturing, construction, and distribution. It offers project accounting, job costing, scheduling, production planning, and workflow automation in one seamless system.

Its flexible licensing model makes it attractive for companies that expect to grow and want predictable costs.

Pricing:
Usage-based pricing typically ranges from $1500 to $4,500 per month, depending on modules and transaction volume.

Why It Solves the Job Costing Pain Point
Acumatica gives you detailed cost control from estimating through production. You see profitability in real time, which helps leaders make smarter decisions.

How NetSuite Supports Job Costing Requirements

NetSuite offers advanced project accounting tools with revenue recognition, time tracking, and resource allocation baked into the platform. It suits companies that want every department aligned on project performance.

Issue 5: QuickBooks Requires Too Many Add-Ons to Function Properly

QuickBooks users often accumulate multiple subscriptions for reporting, inventory, workflows, analytics, and CRM. This creates a fragile, disconnected tech stack that becomes expensive and hard to maintain.

When your accounting system relies on a pile of integrations, it is time for something more cohesive.

Try This Instead: Odoo or NetSuite

Both systems replace disconnected apps with unified, scalable structures.

Odoo

Odoo is an open-source ERP with modules for accounting, CRM, HR, manufacturing, inventory, ecommerce, and more. You can customise it deeply and choose only the parts you need.

It is a great choice for companies that want ERP flexibility without the cost of traditional enterprise platforms. It requires a fair amount of technical knowledge to customise the solution, so ensure you have development support, or a partner who can implement for you. 

Pricing:
Odoo’s pricing starts with a free single-app plan, and its paid tiers range from $7.25 to $13.60 per user per month depending on whether you need all apps, multi-company support, or hosting flexibility.

Why It Solves the Add-On Pain Point
Odoo brings everything under one roof and can be tailored heavily without massive cost. This prevents the app sprawl that frustrates QuickBooks users.

Why NetSuite Solves the Add-On Pain Point

NetSuite replaces almost every add-on you are currently using. Finance, inventory, CRM, ecommerce, procurement, and operations all share the same data structure.

Issue 6: QuickBooks Makes Multi-Entity and Multi-Currency Accounting Difficult

Running multiple entities or international operations quickly exposes QuickBooks’ limitations. Consolidations become manual, intercompany transactions get messy, and reporting becomes unreliable.

A system built for global workflows removes this stress entirely.

Try This Instead: NetSuite or Sage Intacct

These systems are the mid-market leaders for multi-entity financials.

Why NetSuite Solves the Multi-Entity Pain Point

NetSuite handles consolidation automatically and supports tax rules, currencies, and entity structures across the globe. Everything rolls into one financial view without spreadsheets.

Why Sage Intacct Solves the Multi-Entity Pain Point

Intacct provides instant consolidation, multi-ledger support, and strong intercompany automation. It reduces hours of manual work each month and improves financial accuracy immediately.

Expanded Comparison Table With Pricing

Which ERP Is Right for You

Choosing the right system becomes easier once you match your biggest pain point to the right category. If reporting is your frustration, Business Central or Sage Intacct will feel like a massive upgrade.

If you want something future-proof that covers your whole organisation, NetSuite is usually the best long-term option as it's the most popular mid-market ERP due to it's extensive functionality and ability to scale. 

Companies with manufacturing or project-heavy work will likely benefit most from Acumatica. Teams that want flexibility at a lower cost point often prefer Odoo because it can be shaped around their exact workflows.

Here are some tips to ensure you decide on the right ERP for you:

• Make sure you undergo a business process review so that you understand your requirements and where you need to optimise. This helps you go to each provider with clarity and they can help you scope out an accurate price.
• Speak to as many software's and partners as possible. You may think an ERP isn't right for you, but then you see a demo and realise it offers more than you originally thought. Speaking to multiple implementation partners of the same ERP also helps you ensure you get the best price possible. 
• Take your time. We can't stress this enough. An ERP is a big investment, and not one that should be entered into lightly. Take your time to fully assess all the options, their features, the implementation partners. Ask them to create a BRD for your solution, meet them in person to ensure they have the right attitude. All of these things will ensure you make the right decision for your business, the first time. 

Final Thoughts

When QuickBooks starts feeling more like a constraint than a comfort, it’s usually a sign your business is ready for something bigger. The right ERP will not only fix today’s reporting gaps or workflow issues, it will support how you want to grow over the next five to ten years.

Take your time, match your core pain points to the right platform, and choose a system that becomes the backbone of your operations, not just another piece of software to work around.