- 22 February 2022
- Albert Rockwood
The Best Small Business Apps for Small Business Owners in 2022
Running a small business has its challenges. Thankfully, in today’s world, there are a variety of small business apps to help you run your business with more ease and efficiency. We’ve compiled a list of small business apps that can help with everything from accounting to inventory and even payroll. (Please note that while most of these apps can easily and seamlessly transition from your computer to your phone, some of them are computer only.)
Small business apps for financing and accounting
Not everyone who starts a small business is an accounting genius. Keeping your numbers straight and knowing where to allocate certain funds is no easy task. But with these small business apps for financing and accounting, you’ll have a better understanding of where you can put your money and how much you have.
This name is going to pop up on this list a lot — and for good reason. QuickBooks is the industry leader when it comes to small business software, especially in accounting/finance. It has a multitiered service, so it can grow with your business. It also has a cloud-based version, which means you can take it anywhere with you!
FreshBooks, much like QuickBooks, is one of the best small business apps for accounting. It can help you oversee cash flow, expenses and invoices — plus a ton more — and it comes with great customer service.
This small business app might be more specific, but its usefulness is unmatched for any small business owner. With Expensify, you can scan receipts and easily process employee expenses on the go. It also works seamlessly with QuickBooks, making it a great companion piece.
Small business apps for inventory management
Inventory can be a daunting task, especially in today’s climate with the constant supply chain shortages, logistical issues and shipping problems. As such, it’s important to get real-time updates on all things inventory. These small business apps will do just that.
Sortly works on both your computer AND smartphone, and it also includes some amazing features, such as maintaining your catalog with custom notes and tags and looking up barcodes. It also comes with a built-in scanner. The best part? All of these features are available within Sortly’s free version.
Delivrd offers an online-based inventory management application totally free. You can also create a product catalog; count, receive and issue stock; and access your inventories transaction history. It should be noted Delivrd is exclusively a web-only service; there is no mobile app.
Small business apps best for point of sale
With the influx of smartphones, credit card machines are no longer a necessity. These small business apps for point of sale (POS) are great alternatives to cash registers and credit card machines.
- Square®
If you run a small business, there’s no doubt you’ve heard of Square. Square has cemented itself as one of the best small business apps and was also one of the first to usher in the use of small business apps in general. If you’re looking for a full POS system or just a mobile POS with a card swiper, Square is the way to go. Square offers multiple software and hardware options. With their most basic plan, you pay 2.6% plus 10 cents for every in-person payment.
This is basically QuickBooks’ answer to Square. Fully integrated into QuickBooks Online, this small business app lets you swipe a customer’s card, scan it with your phone camera or even key in details. QuickBooks GoPayment also lets you review your analytics data and monitor your best-selling items — and it can even connect to the Apple Watch®!
Venmo has branched off from being simply a person-to-person money transfer app and has now integrated into more of a business POS system. When you sign up for a Venmo business account, you will receive a free QR kit. That way customers can scan your unique QR code to open up your business’s Venmo account and pay you. For more information on how to set up an account, and to look at their fees, check out this post here.
Small business apps for communication
Getting in touch with your employees, partners and vendors has just gotten a lot more fluid, thanks to our selection of the best small business apps for communication.
Zoom is one of the most popular communication apps and has become a staple in both small and large businesses because of its ease of use. The free version of Zoom allows up to 100 participants in a video conference. However, meetings are capped at 40 minutes.
Slack is a go-to communication app for both small and large businesses alike. It’s free and supports instant messaging, group video calls and a host of unlimited apps within itself. You can even message people outside your company.
If your small business utilizes any of Google’s workplace apps, then you most likely already have a Google Meet account. It offers instant messaging and group video calls and is integrated into Google’s suite of apps like Calendar, Gmail and Docs.
Microsoft Teams comes with a list of great features to make it one of the best small business apps for communication. These features include video conferencing, instant messaging and integration of other Microsoft Office® apps like Word, PowerPoint® and Excel®.
Small business apps for payroll
Like accounting, payroll is a necessary yet complicated process. Payroll plays into several different facets of your small business, so it is not something to take lightly. These are the best small business apps to help you better understand and utilize payroll so you can keep your business running smoothly and your employees happy.
The QuickBooks app suite really is your full-service small business companion. With QuickBooks Payroll you get full-service payroll services in all 50 states, and it directly connects to QuickBooks Online to keep your payroll and finances in order. Other benefits of QuickBooks Payroll include unlimited payroll runs, next-day/same-day deposits and the ability for employees to view pay stubs, withholdings and remaining vacation day balances. Every small business should be aware of QuickBooks.
Payroll4Free.com is one of the best small business apps because of one incredible benefit: It’s free. You will have to pay extra for additional services like tax filing and W-2 processing though. But on the plus side, Payroll4Free.com offers vacation time tracking, direct deposit and paper checks, as well as live support and employee portals. It should be noted Payroll4Free.com does not have an accompanying mobile app, so you will only be able to use it on your computer.
What Gusto offers that other small business apps don’t is benefit-related information that is accessible for the employee even after they leave the company. Like other payroll apps, Gusto also offers self-service payroll portals, full-service payroll across the 50 states and phone support.
Small business apps for organization
If your small business has many different moving pieces and projects, then be sure to check out these small business apps for organization.
For any small business looking for an organization app, Basecamp is a strong recommendation and includes the ability to organize projects into six different categories, a team chatroom, a message board, project document and image banks, task lists, calendars, and a recurring check-in system. Basecamp is a one-stop shop for keeping you and your small business more organized and on track.
Maybe all the bells and whistles of Basecamp are overwhelming or simply unnecessary for you. Enter Evernote, which is simply a note-taking application. The free version allows you to create to-do lists, take notes and share those notes with employees or partners. There is a more in-depth management system called Evernote Teams that includes managing projects, workflows and deadlines across your entire business, which will cost $14.99 per user, per month.
Being a small business owner today can be a lot easier than in the past, thanks to the advancement of smartphones and their apps. From everything to accounting, payroll or even inventory management, these small business apps can keep you more at ease and help you run your small business more efficiently than ever.