ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE FOR IRISH BUSINESSES
Compare accounting software for Irish businesses, from invoicing and VAT tools to bank feeds, payroll integrations and accountant access.
Compare accounting software
Four accounting packages actively sold to businesses in Ireland, compared on their published plans, prices and features. Providers are listed alphabetically. Stuama.ie is not a partner of any provider listed, and inclusion is not a recommendation.
Irish accounting software sold as one all-in-one plan, with unlimited users and Irish support and training.
Four plans, from a one-user starter plan to Advanced for up to 25 users.
Two Sage Accounting plans: a one-user Start plan and a fuller plan with unlimited users.
Starter, Standard and Premium plans, with VAT 3 and RTD preparation for Irish VAT.
Prices and features checked on 28 September 2026. Providers can change their plans, pricing and features. Check the provider’s own website before subscribing. Sage lists its prices plus VAT. Stuama.ie shows prices in euro only; Xero’s Irish pricing page publishes its prices in US dollars, so no Xero price is shown. Offers are for new customers and are shown separately from standard prices.
The same four providers, compared on the features Irish small businesses ask about most. Where a feature depends on the plan, the table names the plan it starts on.
| Feature | Big Red Cloud | QuickBooks | Sage | Xero |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest standard price | €60 a monthOne plan | €21 a monthSimple Start | €19 a month + VATAccounting Start | See Xero’s Irish pricing page (external site) |
| New-customer offer | €30 a month for 12 months | 90% off for 6 months | 90% off for 3 months | 80% off for 3 months |
| Users | Unlimited | 1 to 25, by plan | 1 on Start; unlimited on Accounting | Unlimited users |
| Invoicing and quotes | Invoicing, including mobile invoicing | Invoices and quotes | Invoices; quotes on Accounting | Invoices and quotes |
| Bank feeds and reconciliation | Bank connections and reconciliation | Bank feeds | Automatic bank reconciliation | Bank feeds and reconciliation; bulk reconciliation on Standard |
| VAT | VAT return preparation and management | VAT tracking | Calculates and creates VAT returns | VAT 3 and RTD preparation, exported for ROS |
| Accountant access | Accountant and team access | Accountant user on Simple Start, Essentials and Plus | Not confirmed | Accountant and bookkeeper collaboration |
| Multi-currency | Not confirmed | Essentials and above | Accounting plan | Premium |
| Inventory | Not confirmed | Plus and above | Accounting plan | Not confirmed |
| Payroll | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Separate add-on | Not confirmed |
| Support | Irish support and training | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
A dash means the feature was not confirmed in the official sources we checked on 28 September 2026, not that it is unavailable. Ask the provider about anything you rely on, such as payroll, a mobile app or support hours.
Start with how you work today: who raises invoices, who pays bills, how often you do the books, and what your accountant needs at year end. Then compare plans on the features you would actually use.
A business sending a handful of invoices a month has different needs from one with hundreds of sales and supplier bills. Check any limits on invoices, bills or transactions before you pick an entry-level plan.
A limited company produces annual financial statements, so full double-entry records and good reports matter more. Many sole traders need little more than invoicing, expenses and bank matching; our guide for sole traders separates the essentials from the extras.
Count everyone who needs a login: owners, staff who raise invoices, a bookkeeper and your accountant. Entry plans are sometimes single-user, and user limits are a common reason to upgrade.
If someone else does your books or year-end accounts, check that they can log in to the same file, whether their login counts towards your user limit, and whether they already use the package.
If you are registered for VAT, you need VAT on every invoice and bill, at the right rate, and reports that match your VAT returns. See accounting software for Irish VAT below.
Accounting software and payroll software are often separate products. If you employ staff, check how payroll is handled and how wages and deductions get into your accounts.
Retailers, wholesalers and makers who track stock need inventory on their plan. It is often only on the mid or upper tiers.
If you invoice customers in sterling or dollars, buy from overseas suppliers or hold a foreign-currency account, check that the plan handles other currencies for both invoices and bank accounts. It is rarely on the cheapest plan.
Look at the tools you already use: card payments, online shop, point of sale, payroll, expenses or a CRM. A direct connection saves re-keying and makes reconciliation quicker.
At a minimum you want profit and loss, a balance sheet, aged debtors and a VAT report. Budgets, cash-flow forecasts and management accounts help once the business grows.
You will use the software every week. Use a trial or introductory offer to raise a real invoice, match a week of bank transactions and run a report before you commit.
Check which support channels are included, their hours, and whether help is available locally. Setting up VAT codes and opening balances is when most businesses need it.
Accounting software keeps your sales, costs and bank transactions in one set of records, so the numbers your accountant uses at year end are the same ones you check during the year.
Create branded invoices with your VAT number, send them by email and see which are paid, due or overdue.
Set a monthly retainer, rent or service fee to invoice itself on schedule instead of copying last month's invoice.
Record supplier bills and receipts, often by photographing them, so costs and VAT on purchases are not missed.
Match every bank transaction to an invoice, bill or expense so your records agree with the bank statement.
Apply the right VAT rate to each sale and purchase, and total them by period for your VAT return.
Run profit and loss, balance sheet and aged debtor reports at any point, not just when the accounts are done.
See what is owed to you and what you owe, and when, so a large bill or slow payer is not a surprise.
Give your accountant a login to the same records instead of sending spreadsheets and bank statements.
If your business is registered for VAT, Revenue expects you to keep full and true records of your VAT transactions, with sales and purchases recorded at their VAT rates. You file VAT returns (the VAT 3) through Revenue Online Service (ROS), and most VAT-registered businesses also file an annual Return of Trading Details (RTD).
A bank feed brings your business bank transactions into the accounting software automatically, usually daily. It is the feature that saves the most time for most small businesses, because it replaces typing in or uploading bank statements.
You authorise the connection from inside the software, through your bank's own login. Some providers name the Irish banks they connect to; check yours is listed.
Payments in and out appear in the software with the date, amount and bank reference. Where no feed is available, most packages accept an uploaded statement file.
The software suggests a match: a customer payment against its invoice, a direct debit against a supplier bill. Rules can code recurring items such as rent or phone bills.
When everything is matched, your records agree with the bank balance. Unmatched items stand out, which is how missing invoices and duplicate payments get caught.
Reconciling weekly takes minutes; leaving it until the VAT return or year end means working through months of transactions from memory. If you take card payments, connecting your payment provider as well lets payouts be matched to the sales behind them.
Invoicing is where accounting software pays for itself fastest: invoices go out sooner, look consistent and are easier to chase. Check how each package handles the parts of billing you do most, or see our guide to invoicing software if invoicing is most of what you need.
Paying employees means calculating pay, tax and deductions and reporting them to Revenue. Accounting packages handle this in different ways, so check before assuming payroll is covered.
Option 1
Records sales, costs, VAT and bank transactions. Wages appear as a cost, but the software does not calculate pay or deductions. Suits businesses with no employees, or where an accountant or bureau runs payroll.
Option 2
A dedicated payroll product or bureau calculates pay, tax and deductions and reports to Revenue. Totals are then posted into the accounts, by hand or through an integration.
Option 3
Some providers sell payroll alongside their accounting product. It is usually a separate subscription; Sage, for example, says payroll can be added separately to Sage Accounting.
None of the four providers compared above lists payroll as included in the accounting plans we checked. If you employ staff, ask the provider how payroll works for Irish employers and what it costs.
The software is largely the same; what you need from it differs. This is general information, not tax or accounting advice for your business.
A single-user entry plan is often enough. The main risk is mixing personal and business spending, which a separate account and a bank feed make much easier to avoid. Our guide to accounting software for sole traders covers what to prioritise and what can wait.
Companies usually need more from reporting and user access, so check that the entry plan covers the balance sheet and the number of logins you need.
Cloud accounting works best when you and your accountant use the same file. Instead of posting a folder of statements and spreadsheets at year end, you invite them in and they work on the live records.
Ask your accountant which package they already support before you choose. Many firms work across several, but a practice that knows your software will usually get through year-end work faster.
Most packages let you add your accountant as a user. Check whether that login counts towards your plan's user limit.
Invoices, bills and bank transactions are entered once, in one place, and everyone sees the same figures.
A bookkeeper can reconcile the bank and fix miscoded items during the year, not months later.
Your accountant can post adjustments and run reports directly, which cuts the back and forth.
No more competing spreadsheets or emailed copies, and no doubt about which version is current.
Moving from spreadsheets or another package is manageable with a plan. Pick the date you will switch, then bring across what you need to carry on trading without losing history. Your accountant can help with the opening figures.
The start of a VAT period or financial year is cleanest, because reports in each system then cover whole periods.
Bank balances, amounts owed to and by you, and balance-sheet figures as at the changeover date, ideally agreed with your accountant.
Most packages accept contact lists by file, so you are not re-typing names, addresses and VAT numbers.
Bring in each open item individually so payments can be matched when they arrive.
Some businesses import full history; many bring summary balances and keep the old system for reference.
Finish and file the VAT return for the last period in the old system, and set up VAT rates in the new one before the first invoice.
If payroll moves too, bring year-to-date pay and deduction figures for each employee.
Cloud accounting is already mainstream among Irish businesses. In the CSO's Information Society Statistics – Enterprises 2025, 52.9% of enterprises surveyed used cloud-based finance or accounting software.
New companies keep arriving too: the Companies Registration Office recorded 26,533 new company incorporations in its 2025 annual report. Setting up proper records from the first invoice is far easier than rebuilding them before the first set of annual accounts.
53%
of enterprises in the CSO survey used cloud finance or accounting software (52.9%)
26,533
new companies incorporated, CRO Annual Report 2025
CSO figures cover enterprises with 10 or more persons employed. Sources: CSO, Information Society Statistics – Enterprises 2025; CRO, Annual Report 2025.
There is no single best option. The right package depends on your VAT position, how many people need access, whether you need multi-currency, inventory or payroll, and which software your accountant uses. Compare the providers above on the features you would use, then try your shortlist with real invoices and bank transactions. If you are deciding between two of the most common options, see Xero vs QuickBooks for Irish businesses.
It is not a legal requirement, but you do need accurate records of income and expenses, and of VAT if you are registered. Many sole traders find software with invoicing and a bank feed quicker and more reliable than spreadsheets, especially once they have regular customers. See accounting software for sole traders.
Yes. It applies VAT rates to invoices and bills, keeps running totals and produces VAT reports for each period. Some packages prepare figures for the VAT 3 and RTD. You remain responsible for using the correct rates and for the return you file.
No. It replaces much of the manual bookkeeping, but it does not prepare statutory accounts, give tax advice or decide how a transaction should be treated. Most businesses that use software still use an accountant, who works in the same records.
Usually, yes. All four providers compared here offer some form of accountant or multi-user access, though details differ: some plans include an accountant login on top of your user limit, others count it. Check the plan before you invite them.
Yes. Switching at the start of a VAT period keeps your VAT reports cleanest, and the start of a financial year is simplest of all. Mid-year works too if you carry over opening balances and unpaid invoices. See switching accounting software above.
Practical guides to help you work out what you need from accounting software before choosing a package.
FEATURED GUIDE
How two of the most common packages structure their Irish plans, and what that means for users, VAT, multi-currency, stock and cost after the offer ends.
SOLE TRADERS
The essentials, the optional extras and when you need more.
INVOICING
Invoice tools, accounting software and job-management apps explained.
Look at how you actually manage invoices, VAT, banking and reporting, and who needs access. Then compare plans on price, users and the features you would use, not the longest feature list.
Looking for other business services? Return to the Stuama.ie homepage to compare card payments, business websites and business insurance.