Knowing the cash inflow and outflow of your business is crucial for keeping track of your company’s performance. Digital tools can help you assess expenses, create a budget, and invest money wisely. Many finance tools offer bar graphs and charts for interpreting complex data, making information easy to understand. This makes running and managing your business easier.

Below we’ll take a look at the best financial tools for 2024 and how they can help your organization. 

How You Can Benefit From Using Financial Tools

Financial tools are great for time-consuming tasks such as budgeting, money management, and calculations. They are ideal for quick data analysis and tracking financial activity. 

Let’s take a look at how financial tools can be useful in your business: 

Budgeting and Balancing

These tools have integrated systems to keep track of expenses, payrolls, received sums, and other expenses. You can easily see where the expenses are going and how they may be streamlined to be used in a better way. 

Using the Cloud

Storing the information on the cloud will improve that workflow as the information will be accessible at all times. Moreover, it will leave more space on offline systems, making them more efficient and flexible. You can easily keep records online and access them from anywhere without the fear of losing them.

Better Financial Efficiency 

Financial management tools can help improve efficiency and accuracy in handling money matters. Tasks like payroll management, invoicing, and billing become easier with automated software. This will save everyone’s time at work to focus on more productive things. 

Cash Flow Management

When you choose a tool with features that track your banking statements, card expenses, and liquidity, managing cash flow will become easier. Knowing where your money moves the most will give insights into better investment opportunities.

Decision Making 

Financial management tools improve decision-making abilities because they can can offer insights and real-time finance processes to improve the current workflow. With effective strategies in place, business owners can make informed decisions to increase profits.

Improved Tax Compliance

As an organization must follow tax compliance, knowing where the finances are flowing is crucial. However, it can be hard for small and large businesses to handle bookkeeping by themselves. Specific tools can streamline the complex process of calculating taxes and generating tax reports. Moreover, automating these tasks can reduce any errors related to tax filing while staying up to date with current laws and regulations. This can eliminate potential tax fraud or penalties.

Data Security

Using a secure platform to manage your business finances will keep sensitive data in one place since all the data can be encrypted and stored on the cloud. This data will only be accessible to a few people, limiting potential data leaks.

The 10 Best Financial Tools for 2024

1. Wave

Wave is a budgeting tool that helps small businesses and freelancers with bookkeeping activities. It’s ideal for financial reporting, invoice scanning, expense/income tracking, and double-entry bookkeeping. 

It is easily accessible on a computer (Windows/Mac) as well as a mobile app. You can create custom invoices and link several bank accounts at once. Wave offers an intuitive dashboard to make entries. You can integrate it with PayPal, Shoeboxed, Etsy, and Square. 

Furthermore, you can use wave-generated reports for tax returns, making the whole process simpler. 

Features:

• Custom invoicing 

• Third-party app integration 

• Easy-to-access reports

• Intuitive dashboard

• Multiple bank account links 

• Generate quick invoices

Pricing:

Starter plan – $0

Pro plan – $16/month (billed monthly)

2. doola

doola not only helps with business formation but is also a convenient bookkeeping platform that can reduce your organization’s paperwork. It’s one of the most comprehensive finance tools out there. You can use it to generate invoices, create quarterly financial reports, and update transactions in real-time. It caters to both US and international business owners operating a US-based business.

doola has a registered agent service to tackle business compliance regulations. This can be beneficial in complying with legalities and tax rules in your region. Moreover, the platform will send you important compliance reminders and annual report deadlines. 

With doola, you can include add-on services like VoIP, tax advising, and multiple bank account assessments. It’s a true business-in-a-box platform making banking, compliance, and communication accessible in one go. 

Features:

• Affordable plans

• Annual report filing

• 24/7 customer support

• Tool integration on multiple platforms 

• Manage banking and business compliance on one platform

Pricing:

Starter – $297/yr

Total compliance – $300/month

3. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is a versatile tool for bookkeeping and monitoring finances. You can use it to generate and process payrolls, track financial data and business expenses, and keep records. It’s ideal for keeping financial statements, balance sheets, and income receipts. You may even create/edit customer invoices and estimates on the go using the QuickBooks app.

Another cool thing about QuickBooks is the graphs and charts with your business’s financial information. The visuals make it interesting and super easy to understand. You can find both Windows and Mac versions of the app. 

Features:

• Syncs bank account and credit card

• Develops financial statements

• Simple finance reports and details for tax filing

• Free guided setup 

• Comprehensive financial reports 

• Paid multiple-user platform 

• Receipt capture and mileage tracking 

Pricing:

Starter – $15/month

Premium – $100/month

4. Xero

Xero is a user-centric cloud-based platform that integrates all your accounting needs. You may use it to create, import, and store recurring invoices and transactions. 

It has over 700 tools to manage financial transactions, inventory, and payroll management. Xero has a detailed financial overview to track business payments, which is accessible to an unlimited number of users. 

You can rely on Xero for expense calculation, recordkeeping, and invoicing without any errors as compared to manual entries. Overall, it can turn time-consuming tasks into hassle-free updates on the apps. 

Features:

• Get money back for expenses

• Keep records of payments and invoices

• Track new and old projects on one platform

• Generate records and reports of property and equipment

• Automated recordkeeping

• Supports unlimited users

Pricing:

Starter – $29/month

Premium – $62/month

5. Expensify

Expensify will help you keep track of all your expenses and organize them strategically. It is a hassle-free money-monitoring tool that can integrate with multiple accounts. You can upload cash receipts and expenses from the mobile app or computer system. 

All the data is included in automatic reports as needed. This data may be used for tax calculation, accounting, and reimbursement. The platform offers both individual and group plans to choose from. You may integrate Expensify with QuickBooks and Xero for better management. 

Furthermore, Gusto and Zenefits are also easy to sync in this personal money management software. 

Features:

• Automatic smart scanning

• Entry categorization 

• GPS mileage tracking system

• Multiple app integrations

• Third-party integration

• Time-tracking

• Unlimited users allowed

Pricing:

Collect – $5 per user per month

Control – $9 per user per month

6. Zoho Expense

Zoho is an online accounting tool that also offers productivity and SaaS applications. The expense tracker and Zoho Book have receipt upload and currency conversion features. It has automated pay solutions to promote cashless transactions. 

Startups and businesses can benefit from having a variety of management tools on one platform. Apart from employee/member user accounts, Zoho offers an admin view to track all your expenses and reports. 

Moreover, users can track customer invoices and estimates for better business opportunities. And with data represented as graphs and charts, it’s easier to review the expenses. 

Features:

• Collaborate with clients on the platform

• Automatic payment notifications

• Bookkeeping and SaaS tools

• Accessible display dashboard

Pricing:

Starter – $0

Premium – $2.40 per user per month

7. Workato

One of the best personal budgeting apps, Workato is a fast automation platform that has ten times more speed than other finance tools. It can connect with several application apps, such as CRM and RPA.

Moreover, you can use the automated data flows to ensure seamless integration. The drag-and-drop feature for workflow builder makes it easier to manage the data without building any codes.

The app has reporting and forecasting features for CPQ, invoicing, billing, and revenue calculation. With Workato, you can request payment records, payrolls, and returns for all the asset flow in the business. 

Features:

• Add business tools and financial software

• Record custom triggers and processes

• Workflow builder 

• Collaborate with team members

• Advanced features for custom codes

Pricing:

Annually – $15,000 to $50,000

Pay for one Workspace + Recipes (as needed)

8. Tidemark

Tidemark is an enterprise performance management (EPM) system with analytical and planning tools for finances. It has cloud-centric financial reports done by intuitive apps. With cloud-based planning and forecasting, it’s easier to make better decisions. 

The cross-platform support and interaction system is another diverse feature of Tidemark. It allows holistic business by closing the gap between finance and operations in business. 

You can use the up-to-date information for all FP&A processes and their insights to reduce financial losses and maximize operations. 

Features:

• Cash flow management

• Lifecycle management of assets

• Accounting chart report

• Currency management

• Forecasting and budgeting

• Financial reports

Pricing:

Flat fee – $800 to $1000

9. Tableau

Tableau works as a data interpretation tool as it breaks down the raw data and customizes it with easy visuals. It makes the input data more interactive and understandable, so you don’t have to spend hours on it. This way, a business can make quick financial decisions. 

Tableau can automate data updates and filter the data for companies and individuals. As it eliminates the manual entries, you won’t have to generate separate reports on complex expenses. 

Features:

• Data blending from multiple sources

• Charts and graphs for finances

• Live data sharing and analysis

• Collaboration with teams

• Dashboard for analytical data breakdowns 

Pricing:

Explorer License – $42

Tableau Creator License – $70

10. FreshBooks

FreshBooks is an accounting software tailored for small business owners, solopreneurs, and freelancers, focusing on simplifying invoicing and financial management. It’s great for creating professional-looking invoices, tracking expenses, time tracking, and project management, making it a comprehensive tool for managing business finances.

Available on both desktop (Windows/Mac) and mobile platforms, FreshBooks enables users to send invoices on the go, manage expenses by taking photos of receipts, and track billable time directly from their devices. The platform supports integration with numerous third-party apps such as Stripe, Shopify, PayPal, and Gusto, enhancing its functionality.

The software also features robust reporting tools that assist in preparing for tax season, with the ability to easily generate profit and loss statements, expense reports, and tax summaries.

Features:

• Professional invoicing

• Expense tracking with receipt capture

• Time tracking for billable hours

• Project management tools

• Third-party app integrations

• Comprehensive financial reports

Pricing:

• Lite plan – $7.60/month

• Plus plan – $13.20/month (billed monthly)

• Premium plan – $24/month (billed monthly)

Get Started With doola  

There you have it, those are the 10 best financial tools for 2024. Whether you have a big firm or starting a small business, these are indispensable tools to manage finances and cash flow. 

If you have any questions regarding doola’s comprehensive finance platform, tax compliance, or forming a US LLC from anywhere in the world, grab a free consultation with one of our experts and we’d be happy to answer your questions.

Let’s doola it!