Top Zoho Alternatives

1. Salesforce

Overview: Salesforce has really made a name for itself as a powerhouse in customer relationship management and business automation. What's great about it is how it brings together your finances, sales, and customer management in one place, whether you're a startup just getting off the ground or a big company with lots of moving parts.

Features:

Advanced CRM and accounting integrations: Everything connects beautifully, so your financial data and customer information work together to give you the full picture of what's happening in your business.

AI-driven analytics and insights: You're not just looking at numbers—the platform uses artificial intelligence to spot patterns and actually suggest what you should do next.

Customizable dashboards and workflows: You can set things up to work exactly the way your team does, rather than forcing everyone to adapt to rigid software.

Strong automation for billing and client management: From creating invoices to chasing payments and keeping customers in the loop, the platform handles the repetitive stuff so you don't have to.

Pricing: Salesforce starts at $25 per user each month for the basics. If you need the fancier enterprise features, the price goes up depending on what customizations, add-ons, and integrations your business needs.

2. Freshworks

Overview: Freshworks has built a collection of business tools (including Freshsales and Freshbooks) that are refreshingly straightforward and easy on the budget. They've really focused on making it simple to connect with your customers while keeping your finances organized.

Features:

Simplified invoicing and payment collection: Creating and sending invoices is quick and painless, and keeping track of who's paid becomes almost automatic.

Smart workflows and automated reminders: The platform takes care of routine tasks and those follow-up emails you'd probably forget to send anyway.

Integration with accounting and CRM tools: It plays nicely with the financial and customer management software you're probably already using.

Intuitive user interface for SMBs: Everything's designed with small and medium businesses in mind, so finding what you need just makes sense.

Pricing: You can get started at $15 a month for the basic features. If you want the more advanced automation and detailed analytics, the premium plans have got you covered.

3. HubSpot

Overview: Most people know HubSpot for marketing and CRM, but it's also surprisingly good at business management. When you connect it with accounting software, it becomes a genuinely compelling alternative to Zoho Books.

Features:

Centralized CRM with invoicing integrations: You can manage your customer relationships while keeping everything connected to your billing, which is incredibly convenient.

Unified marketing, sales, and financial data: Instead of hunting through different systems, all your business information lives together in one spot, making decisions so much easier.

Powerful automation and reporting features: The platform handles workflows automatically and gives you analytics that actually help you understand what's working.

Integration with QuickBooks, Xero, and PayPal: It connects seamlessly with the accounting and payment tools most businesses are already relying on.

Pricing: HubSpot offers a free CRM to get you going, which is perfect for testing the waters. Paid plans start around $20 a month, though the exact price depends on which features your business actually needs.

4. EngageBay

Overview: EngageBay is one of those all-in-one solutions that bundles marketing, sales, and customer support together with practical financial tools for invoicing and payments. It's especially great for startups and small businesses that want everything under one roof without paying enterprise prices.

Features:

CRM, marketing, and finance automation: You can run all your customer-facing operations and financial tasks from a single dashboard instead of switching between different platforms.

Email tracking and lead management: The platform helps you keep tabs on your communications and nurture potential customers in ways that actually lead to sales.

Payment tracking and billing integration: It monitors all your transactions and works smoothly with your payment processors.

Affordable pricing for small businesses: You get features that usually come with hefty enterprise price tags, but at rates that won't break the bank.

Pricing: EngageBay starts at just $13 per user each month. They even have a free plan if you're just starting out and only need the basics.

5. Scoro

Overview: Scoro brings project management, CRM, billing, and financial analytics together in one comprehensive package. It's been built specifically for agencies and professional service providers, and you can really tell—it handles project-based work beautifully.

Features:

End-to-end business management tools: Instead of juggling multiple programs, you can manage projects, clients, and finances all from one central hub.

Automated invoicing and quoting: The platform creates quotes and invoices automatically based on your project information, saving you hours of tedious data entry.

Financial reports and real-time dashboards: You can watch your business performance unfold with financial insights that update as things happen.

Integrations with accounting software like Xero: It syncs up with popular accounting platforms, so your data flows back and forth without you having to move it manually.

Pricing: Scoro starts at about $26 per user monthly. They've got more advanced options for bigger teams and agencies with heavier demands.

Why Businesses Look for Alternatives to Zoho Books

Zoho Books does a solid job with accounting for a lot of businesses, but as companies grow or start doing business across borders, they often run into some frustrating roadblocks.

Common Challenges:

Limited global payment options and FX support: When you're dealing with customers and vendors in different countries, you need flexibility with payment methods and currency conversions. Zoho Books can feel pretty restrictive here.

Difficulty connecting with international banks: Trying to link up with banks and financial institutions outside your home country can be a real headache, and sometimes it just doesn't work smoothly.

Complex setup for multi-currency reporting: Getting your financial reports to accurately reflect transactions in different currencies shouldn't be this complicated, but the setup process can eat up way more time than you'd expect.

Limited automation outside the Zoho world: If you're using tools and platforms beyond the Zoho ecosystem (which most businesses are), you'll find that automation options become pretty restricted. Everything wants to stay in the Zoho family.

Not enough customization for bigger companies: As your organization grows and develops its own unique processes, you might find that Zoho Books just doesn't bend enough to fit the way you actually need to work.

If your business is spreading its wings internationally or you need financial automation that plays well with all your different tools and systems, it might be time to explore options that can actually keep up with where you're headed.

How InfinityApp Makes Your Financial Operations Easier

Let's be honest: managing payments across borders can feel like way more trouble than it should be. InfinityApp takes a refreshingly simple and transparent approach to international payments that actually fits how businesses work today.

Here's what InfinityApp brings to your business:

Receive global payments quickly and securely: Receive money internationally without the usual stress, endless waiting, or that nagging feeling of not knowing where your payment actually is.

Get real-time FX rates without FX Margins: You can see exactly what you're paying with live, transparent exchange rates. No more unpleasant surprises when you check your statement later.

Simplify multi-currency billing for international clients: Invoice your customers in whatever currency makes sense for them, without wrestling with complicated conversions or confusing processes.

Get instant, compliant FIRAs at no extra cost: Your Foreign Inward Remittance Advice shows up automatically after every transaction, keeping you RBI-compliant without adding paperwork to your plate.

InfinityApp just takes the headache out of global payments. Instead of fighting with complicated processes and fees that seem to materialize out of thin air, you get a straightforward system that genuinely saves you time and money while keeping everything crystal clear from start to finish.

Sign up and start receiving your payments today!

Conclusion

While Zoho Books continues to be a solid tool for many small businesses and does its job well, exploring alternatives like Salesforce, Freshworks, HubSpot, EngageBay, or Scoro can open doors to better automation, more powerful integrations, and the kind of scalability your growing business needs. And when it comes to handling international payments smoothly, InfinityApp provides the perfect complement, making your financial operations run smoother, move faster, and connect globally without the usual friction.

FAQs about Zoho Books

What is Zoho Books mainly used for?

It's an online accounting platform for managing invoices, expenses, and taxes in one spot.

Why do businesses look for Zoho alternatives?

They need more flexibility with global payments or better automation than Zoho offers.

Which Zoho alternative is best for small businesses?

EngageBay and Freshworks are top picks—affordable and easy to use.

How does InfinityApp simplify international payments?

It provides real-time exchange rates, faster transfers, and easier invoice management for cross-border clients.