Best accounting software for Mac: what to compare and 8 options
Choosing accounting software for a Mac is mostly a choice between 2 kinds of product: software you use in a web browser, and a native app made for the Mac. Several well-known options, including Xero, QuickBooks Online and FreeAgent, are used in a browser and also have iPhone and iPad apps. Native Mac apps are fewer.
This guide explains what to compare and sets out what each vendor’s own pages say about 8 options, read on 12 October 2026. It is a fact check, not a league table: the right choice depends on your business, and we do not rank the options.
We make EasyBooks, so it is in the table. We describe it in the same way as the others, from its own facts, and we say plainly what it does not do.
In this guide
- What to compare
- The 8 options side by side
- Notes on each option
- Native Mac app or browser?
- For UK businesses: Making Tax Digital on a Mac
- Where EasyBooks fits
What to compare
A short list of questions will narrow the field faster than any feature chart:
- How you want to work. In a browser, in a native Mac app, offline, or on an iPhone too.
- Your kind of business. A sole trader, a landlord, a VAT-registered business or a limited company. Some plans are built for one of these.
- Making Tax Digital, for UK businesses. That means VAT, Income Tax or both. The Income Tax rules cover sole traders and landlords, not everyone who is self-employed.
- Bank feeds. These import bank transactions automatically. Without a feed you reconcile against your bank statement instead.
- Cost after any introductory offer. Check the regular price, and whether it includes VAT.
The 8 options side by side
The products are listed alphabetically. Each cell comes from the vendor’s own page, linked in the product name, read on 12 October 2026. Prices come from each vendor’s UK page, in pounds, unless the cell says otherwise. “Not stated” means the page we read did not say, not that the feature is missing. Prices change, so check the vendor’s page before you buy.
| Product | What it is | Entry price | On a Mac | MTD for VAT (UK) | MTD for Income Tax (UK) | Bank feeds | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banktivity | Personal finance app | No GBP price. From $6.99 a month, billed annually | Native on Mac, iPhone and iPad | Not stated | Not stated | Yes, UK coverage not stated | 30 days |
| EasyBooks | Bookkeeping app with full double-entry books | From £9.99 a month in the App Store, or £13 a month on our website (Bronze). Taxes may apply at checkout | Native on Mac, iPhone and iPad, works offline | Yes, VAT Returns to HMRC (UK) | Yes, recognised by HMRC | No. Reconcile with your bank statement | 14 days, no card needed |
| FreeAgent | Online accounting software | Sole trader £19 a month, landlord £10 a month, excluding VAT | Browser. iPhone and iPad apps | Yes | Yes, on the sole trader, partnership and landlord plans | Yes | 30 days |
| MoneyWorks | Desktop accounting software from New Zealand | No GBP price. Cashbook is free, Express is NZD 30.25 a month | Native on Mac and Windows | Yes | Not stated | Not for the UK. Import files instead | 45 days |
| QuickBooks Online | Online accounting software | Sole Trader Plus £10 a month, Simple Start £16 a month (VAT treatment not stated) | Browser. iPhone and iPad apps | Yes, from Simple Start | Yes | Yes | 30 days |
| Sage | Sage Accounting and Sage Sole Trader | Sage Accounting £20 a month excluding VAT. Sage Sole Trader has a free plan, then £7 a month excluding VAT | Browser (cloud-based). iPhone and iPad app | Yes, Sage Accounting | Yes, Sage Sole Trader | Yes, Sage Sole Trader | Free plan for Sage Sole Trader |
| Xero | Online accounting software | Simple £7 a month, excluding VAT, for businesses not registered for VAT | Browser. iPhone, iPad and Android apps | Yes | Yes | Yes | First month free |
| Zoho Books | Online accounting software | Free plan, then Standard £12 a month, excluding taxes | iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Desktop use not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes, from Standard | 14 days, plus a free plan |
Introductory offers are common. At the time of reading, Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage advertised 90% off for the first 6 months, and FreeAgent advertised 50% off for the first 6 months. None of the pages we read gave an end date, so the table shows the regular prices. Entry plans also differ in what they include. On EasyBooks, for example, PDF invoices for customers start with Silver, so check what each entry plan covers.
Notes on each option
Each note repeats what the vendor says on its own pages.
Banktivity
Banktivity says it runs natively on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. Its site is about personal finance, budgeting and investing, and we found nothing on Making Tax Digital, so check with the vendor before relying on it for business accounts.
EasyBooks
EasyBooks is covered in its own section below.
FreeAgent
FreeAgent prices by business type, so a sole trader, a landlord and a limited company pay different amounts. It lists a 30-day free trial and bank feeds, and says it is HMRC recognised for Making Tax Digital for VAT.
MoneyWorks
MoneyWorks is a native desktop application for Mac and Windows made by a New Zealand company. Its site shows prices in New Zealand dollars. It says it is HMRC recognised for VAT, and that bank feeds work in New Zealand and Australia only, with file import for other countries.
QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online says it needs no software download and works in a web browser or the mobile app. The entry plan, Sole Trader Plus, does not include direct VAT submission to HMRC. VAT submission starts at Simple Start.
Sage
Sage offers 2 products on its UK page: Sage Accounting for VAT-registered businesses and Sage Sole Trader for businesses that are not. Its Mac page says Sage Accounting is a cloud-based solution for Mac users, with an iOS app in the App Store.
Xero
Xero describes itself as online accounting software and says it is HMRC recognised. Its entry plan is for businesses not registered for VAT. It lists the first month free. We did not find a native Mac app on the pages we read.
Zoho Books
Zoho Books has a free plan and a 14-day free trial. It lists MTD for Income Tax as ready and shows iPhone, iPad and Android apps. The pricing page did not say how you use it on a desktop.
Native Mac app or browser?
Say you are a photographer who edits on a Mac and keeps jobs in a spreadsheet, or a plumber who invoices from an iPhone. A browser product opens on any computer with an internet connection, and most of the ones above add apps for phones and tablets. That suits you if you want to log in from a Windows laptop or an Android phone too. Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreeAgent and Zoho Books (from its Standard plan) list bank feeds.
A native Mac app is built for the Mac. EasyBooks, MoneyWorks and Banktivity run that way, and EasyBooks works offline. If you work on Apple devices and want your books to stay open without a connection, native software is worth a look. The trade-off is the reverse of the first point: a native Mac app is not something you open from a browser or an Android phone.
Neither is better in general. It depends on where you work and what you need.
For UK businesses: Making Tax Digital on a Mac
Making Tax Digital is a UK system run by HMRC, so this section is for UK businesses.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is for sole traders and landlords registered for Self Assessment whose qualifying income is over the threshold for their start date. Not everyone who works for themselves is a sole trader, and partnerships are expected to follow later. The GOV.UK guidance and checker sets out the thresholds and dates.
If it applies, you need software that is recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Among the options above, Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreeAgent, Zoho Books and Sage Sole Trader say on their own pages that they are ready for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, and so does EasyBooks. Check the plan you are buying, because for some vendors it depends on the plan.
Where EasyBooks fits
EasyBooks is bookkeeping software for people who keep their own books on Apple devices. It has full double-entry books, so you can start with income and expenses and use more when you need it. It records sales and purchases, VAT, customers and suppliers, and gives you reports such as profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance and cash flow.
It is a native app for Mac, iPhone and iPad, and it works offline. 1 subscription covers an unlimited number of devices, businesses and transactions, and your books sync between your Apple devices. Import from a spreadsheet is available as CSV on Mac.
For UK businesses, EasyBooks prepares and sends VAT Returns, handles Making Tax Digital for VAT and is recognised by HMRC for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. It keeps UK property income as a source. For Income Tax, you keep your books and EasyBooks prepares quarterly updates from the supported records on the accounts you map to HMRC categories, with no second ledger. You still set up the accounts, keep complete records and check the figures before you send. Quarterly updates do not replace the tax return, which stays, and EasyBooks does not currently send the tax return. Whether a product also sends the tax return differs, so check each vendor’s page. We did not compare this.
It may not suit you if you need a browser version, an Android app or automatic bank feeds. EasyBooks does not have these. You reconcile your books against your bank statement. If those are not a problem, you can try it for 14 days with no card needed.
Try 1 or 2 options on your own records before you decide.
See whether a native Mac app suits you. Try EasyBooks for 14 days.
Try EasyBooks free for 14 days Or download EasyBooks:Frequently asked questions
Can I use Xero or QuickBooks on a Mac?
Xero and QuickBooks Online are online accounting software that you use in a web browser, and both have iPhone and iPad apps. QuickBooks says no software download is required. We did not find a native Mac app for either on the pages we read.
Is there native accounting software for Mac?
Yes. Of the options compared here, EasyBooks, MoneyWorks and Banktivity say on their sites that they run natively. Banktivity is personal finance software, and MoneyWorks shows prices in New Zealand dollars, so check each against your needs.
Is there free accounting software for Mac?
Some vendors list free plans: Zoho Books, Sage Sole Trader and MoneyWorks (its Cashbook edition) all do. Check how each runs on a Mac, because the pages we read do not always say. EasyBooks has a 14-day free trial with no card, and you choose a paid plan after it.
Which accounting software for Mac supports Making Tax Digital for Income Tax in the UK?
Xero, QuickBooks Online, FreeAgent, Zoho Books and Sage Sole Trader say on their own pages that they are ready for it, and EasyBooks is recognised by HMRC for it. Check the plan you are buying, and the GOV.UK guidance on whether it applies to you.
Does EasyBooks work on a Mac without internet?
Yes. EasyBooks is a native app and works offline. When you reconnect, Online Backup and Syncing syncs your books between your Apple devices.
Which is the best accounting software for Mac?
There is no single best choice. It depends on whether you want a browser or a native app, whether you are a sole trader, landlord or limited company, whether you need Making Tax Digital and whether you want bank feeds. Use the questions in this guide, then try 1 or 2 options on your own records.
Facts about other products come from each vendor’s own website and were read on 12 October 2026. Prices, plans and offers change, so check the vendor’s page before you buy. This article provides general information, not accounting or tax advice.
