It’s National Download Day — a look at popular accounting apps

Today, December 28, is National Download Day, according to the internet powers that be (most likely the gaming industry). According to National Day, which keeps track of the various national days declared by individuals, companies or otherwise, by far the most popular downloads between Christmas and New Year’s are game apps, followed by shopping, and health and fitness apps.

But what better way to celebrate than to take a look at apps that take care of financial matters — namely, accounting apps. Here are the most popular apps on the most popular accounting software app marketplaces.

From Intuit’s QuickBooks App Store:

TSheets: This software company, which makes timesheet software, was acquired by Intuit late last year. The app allows employees to clock in from anywhere and provides visibility into who’s working where and on which projects. Approvers can approve timesheets remotely too, and the app syncs with QuickBooks Online for payroll or expenses.

Receipt Bank: This app uses OCR (optical character recognition) technology to pull data from receipts and other documents and input the information directly into QuickBooks Online. Users can take a picture of a receipt to submit it for expenses, and Receipt Bank does the rest. The app also allows for cloud storage of all the data.

Fathom: The Fathom app provides analysis and metrics tools to help clients see how their business is performing. The metrics assess profitability, cash flow, growth and other key performance indicators. The app works with QBO to turn accounting data into actionable business intelligence and visual performance reports.

Applications icons are displayed on an Apple iPhone

Gaia Squarci/Bloomberg

From Xero’s App Marketplace:

PayPal: An ubiquitous payments app, PayPal’s integration displays a “pay now” button on Xero invoices. Customers can click the button and either pay with their PayPal account or enter their credit or debit card details. The accountant or business user will receive the money in their PayPal account straight away.

Futrli: Futrli is a forecasting and insights app that helps businesses and advisors make strategic decisions based on real-time data. The app provides visualization of forecasts, reports and KPI dashboards, allowing accountant advisors to answer key business questions for their clients. The company is also a women-led business, helmed by developer partners Amy Harris and Hannah McIntyre.

Spotlight Reporting: Another reporting and forecasting app, Spotlight Reporting was named App Partner of the Year by Xero in 2015 and 2016. The app provides a range of comprehensive performance reports, three-way forecasting, customizable dashboards, and advanced consolidated reports for multi-entity businesses and franchises. The company adopts a partnership model with customers, providing a dedicated customer success specialist for onboarding and growth, thought leadership and training resources, and a support team that operates 24/7 globally.

From the Sage Intacct Marketplace:

Expensify: Another standard in the accounting world, Expensify provides mobile expense reporting with OCR and AI technology. The app’s integration with Sage Intacct automatically imports department, location, class, projects, customer and user-defined dimensions from Sage Intacct to Expensify; configures accounting and approval workflows; separates card expenses from out-of-pocket expenses automatically; and imports pre-existing employee records from Sage Intacct to Expensify.

AvidXchange: AvidXchange provides “purchase to pay automation,” or in other words, is an invoicing and billing app. The app provides paperless invoicing, automated purchase requests and integrated electronic payments. The app allows users to track and manage approvals via smart workflows accessible from any device, and provides an overall view of processes and operations that establish standards to develop strategies for performance improvement.

Nexonia Expenses: Nexonia is another corporate expense reporting app with additional features built in, like timesheets, multi-entity, VAT and multi-currency capability, branding and more. According to Nexonia, the app was built to “support the complexities of Intacct,” which of course is an enterprise resource management software that goes beyond simple accounting.

Building a cohesive suite of apps for your accounting practice can save a lot of time and automate much of an office’s workflow. Perhaps use today to do some research on how to make 2019 a year of improved efficiency through technology.


Ranica Arrowsmith