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Build your tech stack

Find and integrate the right business apps for your organization’s needs, pain points and goals.

Wave

Xero

![wave vs xero](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5sugdCn6aDk9tLXDC9b64u/0c03997eabe9896532076f0357b4749a/wave_vs_xero.png)

Xero is one of the most popular accounting systems on the market, known for its clean user experience and ease of use. But it's certainly not the only option for business owners looking for reliable accounting software. Wave is a popular alternative to Xero that has a unique selling point: it's free.

But how do the two accounting platforms stack up, and are you better off paying for [Xero](https://www.xero.com/) or using [Wave](https://www.waveapps.com/) for free?

Here's our in-depth comparison of Xero vs. Wave to give you everything you need to know before making a decision.

&nbsp;

* [When to choose Wave](#choosing-wave)
* [When to choose Xero](#choosing-xero)
* [Comparing Wave vs. Xero feature sets](#wave-vs-xero)
* [Ease of setup and use](#ease-of-use)
* [Invoicing](#invoices)
* [Track expenses](#expenses)
* [Reporting](#reporting)
* [Integration options](#integrations)
* [Wave vs. Xero pricing](#pricing)
* [Summary: when to choose Wave vs. Xero](#summary)
* [Sync Xero and Wave with your other apps](#sync-other-apps)

----

## Comparing Xero vs. Wave in 2020 – which is the best accounting software for you?

What's the difference between Wave and Xero? The main differentiator is that Wave is free and Xero is not. But there are a few other reasons why one accounting software can be a better fit for your business than the other. Read on for our outline of when it's best to choose Wave or Xero.

&nbsp;

## When to choose Wave{#choosing-wave}

&nbsp;

![Wave accounting dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4VscjOiNwW6riyDbIbFmTW/38543ace5d9a09f6dbf64ac18e5bddbb/Screenshot_2019-10-04_at_17.40.03.png)

### 1. You're on a tight budget

While Xero has price plans ranging from $9 to $60 per month, Wave accounting software is free.

You might be wondering if it's really free. The short answer is yes. Their accounting and invoicing software is free and you get unlimited, instant access to all features after signing up with no need for a credit card.

The only things you'll need to budget for are payroll functionality and access to expert services. There are also fees for credit card transactions. [Jump to our comparison of Wave versus Xero pricing](#pricing) to find out more about what you need to pay for with Wave.

&nbsp;

### 2. You're a freelancer or small business owner

If you want a budget-friendly accounting and invoicing solution, Wave is a great __free alternative to Xero__.

Wave is designed for businesses with one to nine employees and offers a straightforward but customizable solution that's ideal for freelancers in marketing, design and business consulting, as well as small agencies.

In June 2020, Wave launched [Wave Money](https://www.waveapps.com/blog/news/wave-money-the-future-of-small-business-banking) as "the future of small business banking". This will offer customers a business bank account plus debit card and mobile app with built-in bookkeeping. It's currently in limited release and only available to US-based, single-owner businesses.

<RelatedPost slug="best-freelance-management-tools-2020" /> 

&nbsp;

### 3. You're in the US or Canada

One of Wave's main limitations is its accessibility for customers outside of North America. This is where Wave's automatic bank feeds, payroll and add-on services such as accounting advice are available. 

For customers outside the US and Canada, there's a chance you'll be frustrated at the lack of options for automated accounting in your region. You can head over to their [bank feeds list](https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/208624076-Connect-your-bank-account-to-Wave) to check if yours is included.

----

## When to choose Xero{#choosing-xero}

&nbsp;

![Xero dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1CznsXfJnVHfrpe5bW4c66/73e65c7932ba71ec0b78f575cc5d7863/Xero_dashboard.png)

### 1. You're outside North America

While Wave's benefits are mainly limited to customers in the US and Canada, Xero thrives outside of it. Xero is a firm favorite in New Zealand, where it was founded, as well as Europe.

That's not to say Xero isn't popular with customers in the US – it absolutely is, and gives competitor and market-leader QuickBooks a run for its money. Accountants love Xero and many are specifically trained in supporting their clients with the software, which is not the case with lesser-known Wave.

<RelatedPost slug="xero-vs-quickbooks-online" />

&nbsp;

### 2. You're a freelancer or small business with higher revenue or more complex requirements

Like Wave, Xero is a fantastic choice for small businesses and freelancers. It's especially beneficial if your business has additional needs, such as billing clients in multiple currencies or [integrating inventory](https://apps.xero.com/us/function/inventory) and point of sale transactions. 

Xero is extremely customizable, although this flexibility does come at a higher price than Wave, especially if you need the $60/month plan to access all features.

&nbsp;

### 3. You're happy to pay for great user experience and features

For some businesses, saving money on a free product isn't as beneficial as paying for extra value. Xero is known as the "online accounting software for beautiful business" and its user experience and minimalist interface is hard to beat.

If you loved using Xero during your free trial and it frees up more time than other solutions, we'd recommend you go for it – especially if you only need the low or mid-priced plan.

----

## Feature comparison of Xero vs. Wave{#wave-vs-xero}

&nbsp;

### Ease of setup and use{#ease-of-use}

__Wave is designed for freelancers__ and very small businesses, and it's very straightforward to get set up with. After signing up and inputting your business name and type, you can add your bank accounts and import up to 3 months' historic transactions if it's one of 10,000+ connecting banks. You can then add your products, services and customer data. With PieSync, you can [instantly sync this from your other apps](https://www.piesync.com/wave/) to Wave.

As mentioned earlier, __Xero is a joy to use__. It's simple to get started with and it's incredibly easy to maintain organized accounts. With a feed set up with your business bank accounts (even including TransferWise and PayPal), all you need to do is reconcile expenses to have everything ready for tax time.

&nbsp;

### Invoicing{#invoices}

__Wave's free product__ includes unlimited custom invoicing, which is a major win for freelancers and businesses that primarily need accounting software for this purpose.

![chrome-invoice-professional-invoices](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6jV3dQGOxujTL8vKp6xFHD/d3b2545b76a8bbb7977c0ed51ab6750a/chrome-invoice-professional-invoices.jpg)

&nbsp;

Meanwhile, __like nearly everything else in Xero__, invoices are a piece of cake to set up and send. You can use default invoice templates or create your own if you want something more personalized. Some invoice template edits can be tricky, such as customizing or adding new columns, but for most businesses it's a breeze to start invoicing clients.

![Xero invoicing](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6SFzY6aXwHjyPyzzACauUP/4e3c185f5af7043ac3c9a472f316b14f/Xero_invoicing_vs_Quickbooks.png)

&nbsp;

### Track expenses{#expenses}

__Wave includes unlimited expense tracking__, which stands out here - Xero gates their expenses feature behind higher plans and add-ons. Wave's Receipts app for iOS and Android lets you scan receipts on the go and avoid hoarding paper receipts or wrestling with messy spreadsheets.

__Xero also has a user-friendly app__ to manage invoices and bills, reconcile bank transactions, and monitor spending on the go. It has a high rating of 4.7/5 on both the Apple and Google Play stores.

To track expenses outside of reconciled bank transactions within Xero, you'll need to choose the $60/month plan with access to the Expenses feature. If you're outside the US, Xero's Expenses feature (and Projects) is available as a paid add-on instead.

&nbsp;

### Reporting{#reporting}

__With Wave__, the Chart of Accounts section of your dashboard offers a simple overview of Assets, Liabilities, Income, Expenses and Equity accounts to keep your accounting up-to-date all year round:

&nbsp;

![Wave Chart of Accounts in user dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6ajPgjN9CPSAqH2WtkzEWF/5c917506ee78c77719c5330ca7aab6b3/Wave__Bronze_Raven_Photography__Chart_Of_Accounts_2018-09-21_10-09-23.png)

&nbsp;

At a glance, you can also view useful reporting for cash flow statements, profit and loss, balance sheets, sales tax reports and more.

![Wave accounting cash flow reporting](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5jb1SKfaeSDqQWvWoXjOj7/de35a36ff0438d260b700d487781498e/10095-wave-accounting-1559142156-7136211.jpeg)

&nbsp;

__Xero's reporting suite__ is extremely easy to navigate and draw conclusions from. You can instantly see your key metrics on the main dashboard, while the Business Performance Snapshot offers deeper insights for the time frame of your choice:

![Xero business performance dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3PMMyiSfD0FBFIHvHqLWXL/42bb902dffe93562f0ce98c5f993d9bd/Business-Performance-Dashboard__1_.jpg)

&nbsp;

To dig even deeper into your financials, [Fathom is a great app](https://www.fathomhq.com/xero) with a seamless Xero integration that offers a more in-depth view of your business's cash flow and profitability:

&nbsp;

![Fathom for Xero](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6CX7HZWB33QRF1fhstWakC/b49c76dee765212fb4d06a135f18019d/Fathom_for_Xero.png)

&nbsp;

### Integration options{#integrations}

What about connecting Wave and Xero with your other business apps? Here's how the two accounting platforms compare when it comes to integrations.

__Wave offers integrations__ with PayPal, Shoeboxed and Etsy. You can also now [integrate your Shopify orders and payouts with Wave](https://apps.shopify.com/wave-sync), which is a great bonus for small ecommerce stores.

As Wave is a PieSync partner, you can [sync your contact data in Wave](https://www.piesync.com/wave/) two ways with hundreds of other business apps to maintain the latest information everywhere. 

__Xero has a fantastic range of integrations__ in their [App Marketplace](https://apps.xero.com/us/function/inventory). These include apps for inventory and point of sale such as DEAR Inventory and Vend, document signing apps like Proposify, and reporting tools such as Syft and Fathom.

For precise two-way syncing of your contact data from Xero to other business apps including your CRM, you can also [use PieSync for thousands of integration options with Xero](https://www.piesync.com/xero/).

<RelatedPost slug="small-business-accounting-apps" />

----

## Wave vs. Xero pricing{#pricing}

Wave's Invoicing, Accounting, Receipts and Payments products are all free to use, but there are a few features of Wave that you need to pay for. These include:

__Transactions__: With Wave, you pay 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction per credit card transaction for non-European issued cards, and 1.4% + 20p per transaction for European issued cards.

__Payroll__: If you want to [pay your staff with Wave](https://www.waveapps.com/payroll), their payroll service for companies in the US and Canada includes a $20-35/month base fee, plus $6 per active employee and independent contractor paid.

__Wave Advisors__: If you're in North America, you can get even more benefits from Wave by paying for a [Wave Advisor](https://www.waveapps.com/wave-advisors). Their accounting coaching is available from $79/month, while bookkeeping and a tax service for US businesses start at $129 per month.

&nbsp;

__If you choose Xero__, you can select one of three paid plans: Early, Growing and Established. 

Most businesses will choose the Growing $30/month plan for access to unlimited invoices, bills, and reconciled bank transactions. However, some freelancers and very small businesses will be able to get away with the limits of the Early $9 plan and keep to a smaller budget.

![Xero pricing plans 2020](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5Lx6gxnp0TlE2XiGi7BR8S/dc31a570a07983136d5b460fdb431d55/Screenshot_2020-08-07_at_12.12.31.png)

----

## Summary: when to choose Wave vs. Xero{#summary}

If you're a very small business or freelancer in North America, __Wave__ might be the ideal accounting software to organize your business and simplify tax time. However, if you have higher revenue, more complex requirements or plan to scale, Xero is likely to be a better choice. __Xero__'s user experience and beautifully-designed interface are also hard to beat.

To help you make up your mind whether to choose Wave or Xero, here's our quick comparison:

&nbsp;

| When to choose Wave | When to choose Xero |
| ---------- | ---------- |
| You're on a tight budget | You're happy to pay for great user experience and features |
| You're a freelancer or very small business owner | You're a freelancer or small business with higher revenue or more complex requirements |
| You're in the US or Canada | You're outside North America |

&nbsp;

**Looking for other accounting systems to compare with Xero and Wave?**

* [Wave vs. QuickBooks: which is the best accounting tool?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/wave-vs-quickbooks/)
* [Xero vs. QuickBooks Online: what’s the best cloud accounting tool for your business?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/xero-vs-quickbooks-online/)
* [FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks: which is the best accounting tool?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/freshbooks-vs-quickbooks/)

----

## Sync Xero and Wave with your other apps{#sync-other-apps}

Whether you choose Wave or Xero, make it easier for your accounting software to play nicely with your other apps by creating a two-way sync between them.

PieSync connects contact, lead and customer data two ways between all of your key apps, from your accounting software to your CRM, marketing apps, and other essential tools. Get started with a 14-day free trial to maintain a single source of truth in all your apps.

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Is Wave or Xero a better fit for your small business? Compare the two platforms and learn which accounting software is the best choice for you.

Wave vs. Xero: which is the best accounting software for your business?

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App Comparisons

wave logo xero logo wave vs xero app comparison

wave vs xero

Stripe

Square

![stripe vs square](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1JSBCROF3GGJijyKeev6ku/b10b6b14000f184e63f1d58e0203dba2/stripe_vs_square.png)

It's never been easier to start a business from anywhere in the world. Entrepreneurs can use cloud-based software to manage their business remotely and collaborate with team members they've never met in person. And with payment technology, anyone can instantly accept payments from customers on the other side of the globe.

Two of the most popular payment gateways are Stripe and Square. Stripe is the most well-known brand of the two and popular as a go-to choice for online payment processing, often as an alternative to PayPal. It's also highly customizable and scalable.

On the other hand, Square is best known for making payments accessible for businesses of all sizes and levels of tech-savviness. Square started with an affordable card reader that quickly became popular with brick-and-mortar stores and has since expanded to much wider payment functionality.

But how do Stripe and Square stack up, what's the difference between them, and how can you make the best choice for your business? Here's our head-to-head comparison of the two platforms.

* [Introducing Square and Stripe](#square-and-stripe)
* [When to choose Square](#choosing-square)
* [When to choose Stripe](#choosing-stripe)
* [Online payments](#online-payments) 
* [Point of sale](#point-of-sale)
* [Stripe vs. Square pricing](#pricing)
* [Quick summary: when to choose Stripe vs. Square](#summary)
* [Sync Stripe and Square with your other apps](#sync-other-apps)

---

## Introducing Square and Stripe{#square-and-stripe}

&nbsp;

| | Square | Stripe |
| ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| Best for | Small businesses and brick-and-mortar stores | Startups, software platforms, ecommerce platform users |
| Excels at | POS with a quick set-up for straightforward online sales | Highly customizable payment flows for online sales |
| Billing | Pay-as-you-go, no monthly charges or lock-in | Pay-as-you-go, no monthly charges or lock-in |
| Complexity | Low unless you opt for Square's developer tools and API | Mid-to-high if you want customization |
| Customer service | 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri | 24/7 |

&nbsp;

### About Square

[Square](https://squareup.com/) believes everyone should be "able to participate and thrive in the economy" and that no one should be left out because the cost is too great or the technology too complex. This has been their ethos from the beginning, when they started out with a little white card reader popular with small retail stores and cafes that didn't want to lose a large chunk of their profits to payment processing costs.

They now enable sellers to accept chip and PIN and contactless payments, as well as offering a Cash App to allow people to send money instantly to family or friends. Square's CEO and Co-founder is Jack Dorsey, also CEO and Co-founder of Twitter, who launched the company in 2009.

&nbsp;

### About Stripe

[Stripe](https://stripe.com/) offers "payments infrastructure for the internet". Millions of businesses of all sizes – from startups to large enterprises – use Stripe’s software and APIs to accept payments, send payouts and manage their businesses online. Irish entrepreneur brothers John and Patrick Collison founded Stripe in 2010.

&nbsp;

----

## Comparing Stripe vs. Square in 2020 – which is the best payment solution for you?

Both Stripe and Square are two of the biggest names in payment platforms. But they're not always the best fit for the same types of businesses. Here's how to tell the difference and decide which is the best choice for you.

&nbsp;

### When to choose Square{#choosing-square}

#### 1. You want ease and affordability

Square's philosophy is that anyone should be able to participate and thrive in today's economy – which means providing an alternative to other more complicated solutions, including Stripe.

It's a fantastic choice to start accepting payments through multiple channels quickly and easily without any coding or unnecessary hassle.

![Square multichannel payments](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5jtuIXd95Un6vaMs3xYaxI/e47e9ff95d3c087594aba80ba663ae60/Screenshot_2020-10-02_at_17.47.06.png)

&nbsp;

#### 2. You have a brick-and-mortar store

Square is an excellent fit for retail stores, cafes and restaurants. With the Square ePOS (electronic point of sale) system, you can accept every way your customers want to pay and link your transactions seamlessly with your online store. This includes credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, digital gift cards and invoices.

Square also offers Square Appointments, an appointment-scheduling POS system. There's also Square for Retail plus Square for Restaurants, offering a specialist POS for front-of-house and back-of-house operations including pickup and delivery.

Square is much more accessible globally than Stripe's point of sale solution, Terminal, which is currently only available to businesses in the US and Canada.

&nbsp;

#### 3. You process occasional online sales

If your business generates some online revenue, especially as a secondary revenue stream to a physical store, Square can be a great choice to power your online payments.

Square stands out from Stripe by offering an all-in-one online shopping experience, including a store website builder and seamless functionality for online food ordering with pickup or delivery, online retail, and donations for fundraising. In comparison, Stripe only offers a checkout experience.

![Square website builder for restaurants](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5wziRvxFfHYKuIvSLd6mGl/b9a1f2a697ee934acb361c210e1f557c/Screenshot_2020-10-02_at_17.47.45.png)

&nbsp;

If you already have a website, you can simply integrate [Square Online Checkout](https://squareup.com/gb/en/online-checkout) with easy checkout links to streamline the payment experience for you and your customers.

However, for ecommerce stores that are operating at scale, Stripe tends to be a better choice than Square due to its huge scope for customization.

&nbsp;

### When to choose Stripe{#choosing-stripe}

#### 1. You want a highly customizable solution or API

Stripe is trusted by many of the world's biggest brands to power their online payments. Its major selling point is flexible integration options that fit your desired complexity. 

To keep things super simple, you can just choose a quick hosted payment page with [Stripe Checkout](https://stripe.com/payments/checkout). 

But if you have the tech know-how, you can design your payments process with fully customizable flows via [Stripe Elements](https://stripe.com/payments/elements), their prebuilt UI elements. You can also contact them to build a fully API-based integration with your own UI.

To stay on top of your sales, Stripe has a user-friendly dashboard where you can see how every channel is performing at a glance.

![Stripe user dashboard for reporting](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2NxLm6IPOvgSgVRLI9wipX/9b1d88db17ccbbea6b71595067416046/Stripe_user_dashboard.png)

&nbsp;

#### 2. You have an established ecommerce store

Because of its level of customization, Stripe is a great choice for growing ecommerce stores that want a payment flow that thrives at scale.

Ecommerce businesses can choose to create their own payment flow or benefit from Stripe's huge range of third-party integrations. For the many ecommerce stores using [Shopify](http://shopify.com/) to power their business, Stripe integration is a piece of cake and often one of the first steps after setting up a store.

Stripe is also an extremely common integration for online course platforms such as [Kajabi](https://kajabi.com/) and [Teachable](https://teachable.com/), making it a go-to choice for online business owners and solopreneurs. Stripe's recurring billing tends to be cheaper than Square's, which is another perk here for subscription-based service providers.

&nbsp;

#### 3. You have a fast-growing startup

[Stripe Connect](https://stripe.com/connect) offers a set of programmable APIs and tools to facilitate payments on a software platform or marketplace, making it a go-to choice for fast-growing startups.

You can use prebuilt or custom flows to onboard users, accept payments in 135+ currencies, and process payouts quickly and control how funds flow. On the Connect dashboard, you can monitor exactly how your business is doing.

![Stripe connect dashboard for marketplaces and software providers](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/12nt159V5sA5ZusgqpQjTz/d8032e685ffe355daaf6fbe824d58282/Stripe_Connect_for_platforms_and_marketplaces.jpg)

Stripe also handles compliance and risk management, offering card data tokenization to help with PCI compliance and verification systems to manage KYC checks among other value-adds.

----

## Feature comparison

### Online payments{#online-payments}

__Stripe__'s core focus is on online payments, and it's here they really thrive. There's a complete stack of payment options to choose from including simple checkout pages and embeds, subscriptions, and recurring payments and solutions for SaaS platforms and marketplaces.

![Stripe online payments flow](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6udLi6Mrx4Jha0Ic9cKEYX/a0697c796624c34029cc8205d5a9a2f3/Screenshot_2020-10-05_at_13.36.31.png)

&nbsp;

The disadvantage for some smaller businesses is that Stripe offers a checkout solution, not an all-in-one storefront. It needs to be connected to another website or ecommerce platform, like Shopify. If you want everything in one package, take a closer look at Square instead.

With __Square__, it's extremely straightforward to start selling online with easy checkout links. Even if you don't have a website, you can give whatever you're selling a name and price and create a link to sell it online. 

On the Square dashboard, you can see how your online and offline channels are performing in one place.

![Square online payments and reporting dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/64hDt1Uo7V1JCrsWa35qcD/1a697da78abbb02b50ea3eb7cb473c8b/Screenshot_2020-10-02_at_17.43.53.png)

&nbsp;

If you want to build a website, that's simple with a Square Online Store. You can use the website builder to create a site that looks great on all devices with zero code required and launch for free with no monthly fee. You will only pay when you make a sale at 2.5% per transaction. 

With the services Square for Retail and Square for Restaurants, it's also an excellent choice for businesses in these industries.

&nbsp;

### Point of sale{#point-of-sale}

[Terminal](https://stripe.com/terminal) is __Stripe__'s point of sale solution, which offers flexible developer tools, pre-certified card readers and cloud-based hardware management. The key characteristic of Terminal is that it *extends* your online presence into the physical world: it's the best fit for businesses that are online-first, rather than the opposite. 

Stripe's main limitation for in-person payments is that Stripe Terminal is currently __only available to businesses in the US and Canada__.

Stripe hardware includes pre-certified card-readers with cloud-based fleet management. This starts at $59 for the BBPOS Chipper™ 2X BT and $299 for the Verifone® P400.

![Stripe hardware for POS payments](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3qoW3fMO81ucexGeU0M71Q/2498d20f997047d40aebae51f9a205ca/Screenshot_2020-10-05_at_13.28.21.png)

&nbsp;

__Square__, on the other hand, was initially built for customer-facing small business merchants, especially in retail. Although their feature set has grown a lot since then, this is still the use case where they stand out from competitors.

With the Square ePOS (electronic point of sale) system, you can accept every way your customers want to pay. This includes credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, digital gift cards and invoices.

Square gives shops, restaurants and other customer-facing small businesses everything they need to create a straightforward and connected payment infrastructure, from in-person sales to subscriptions and online payments.

Square hardware includes a Square Register for $799, Square Stand for $169, and a Square Terminal for $299. These are also available with affordable monthly plans to distribute the cost across three, six or twelve months. There are also extremely budget-friendly Square Readers from $10 to $49.

![Square hardware for POS payments](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5VXVWdSqhp8Wo1j1eWatPc/e5ea4f3c25ac309ea6efeadd6f06b8b9/Screenshot_2020-10-05_at_12.14.10.png)

![Square hardware for POS payments](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/45J3pK8dIXoNMCkZsxjUbu/52afbf26ea4e23adb2ec80e77f4d245c/Screenshot_2020-10-05_at_12.15.25.png)

&nbsp;

| | Stripe | Square |
| ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| Overall | Accept payments, send payouts and manage your business online. | Whether in person or online, take all kinds of payments quickly and securely. |
| Online payments | Highly customizable checkout and payment flows. Need to connect it with a website or ecommerce platform. | Choose between a free online store for an all-in-one solution, or simple checkout links. |
| Online Store | - | Accept payments, send payouts and manage your business online. |
| Mobile payments app | - | Accept payments on your smartphone or tablet alongside the card reader or with manual entry. |
| Point of sale / in-person payments | Stripe Terminal offers flexible developer tools, pre-certified card readers and cloud-based hardware management. | ePOS enables payments by credit and debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, digital gift cards, invoices, and more. |
| Payments for platforms | Stripe Connect offers programmable APIs and tools to facilitate payments on your software platform or marketplace, process payouts, and manage compliance. | Build commerce solutions for your own business with the Square API and developer tools. |
| Subscriptions and invoicing | Use Stripe Billing to bill customers with subscriptions or invoices. Benefit from flexible billing logic, free trials, prorations, overages, and smart retries. | Use the Card on File feature within Square Invoices to process recurring or subscription-type payments. |
| Payouts | Standard [payout timing](https://stripe.com/docs/payouts) depends on country and account type. With Connect, programmatically send payouts as soon as the next working day to your sellers, freelancers or service providers and offload KYC and verification requirements. | With Square’s standard transfer schedule, transfers are initiated every weeknight for payments taken Monday-Friday before midnight. |
| Fraud and risk management | Offload KYC and verification to Stripe. Stripe's Radar machine learning is included in all plans and offers powerful fraud-fighting tools with billions of data points across the Stripe network. | All plans include free fraud monitoring and detecting. For more fraud prevention, Square now offers Risk Manager as a customizable risk management system. From 6¢ per online transaction you can assess risky payments, block repeat fraud, quickly identify trends, and make your own rules. |

---

## Stripe vs. Square pricing{#pricing}

Is Stripe or Square cheaper? Both Stripe and Square offer very similar pricing, but there are some subtle differences.

Stripe stands out by letting you accept ACH direct debit payments (or bank transfers) and also works out cheaper for recurring or card-on-file transactions, making it a better choice for larger businesses with a subscription model.

&nbsp;

| | Stripe | Square |
| ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| Online card transactions | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.9% + 30 cents |
| In-person card transactions | 2.7% + 5 cents | 2.6% + 10 cents |
| ACH direct debit transactions | 0.8% with $5 cap | - |
| Recurring / card-on-file transactions | From 0.5% for Starter or 0.8% for Scale | 3.5% + 15 cents |

---

## Quick summary: when to choose Stripe vs. Square {#summary}

What's the difference between Stripe and Square? While customizable online payments is Stripe's jam, Square exists to make payment technology more accessible to businesses of all budgets and tech-savviness, especially brick-and-mortar stores.

For highly customizable online payments, Stripe is a fantastic choice. For straightforward in-person payments with occasional online sales, Square is one of the best on the market.

Here's our quick summary of Square vs. Stripe:

&nbsp;

| When to choose Square | When to choose Stripe |
| ---------- | ---------- |
| You want ease and affordability | You want a highly customizable solution or API |
| You have a brick-and-mortar store | You have an established ecommerce store |
| You process occasional online sales | You have a fast-growing startup |

----

## Sync Stripe and Square with your other apps{#sync-other-apps}

For the best results from Stripe and Square, make sure to **integrate your payment platform with your other business apps**. With a two-way sync via PieSync, you can connect your contact data to all the right places in your business, so you're always looking at the most up-to-date and reliable information.

See your options for syncing [Stripe](https://www.piesync.com/stripe/) and [Square](https://www.piesync.com/square/) with PieSync or get started with a free 14-day trial.

cta-11-see-the-latest-contact-data-everywhere

11 (FULL) - All - see-the-latest-contact-data-everywhere

cta-half-11-see-the-latest-contact-data-everywhere

11 (HALF) - All - see-the-latest-contact-data-everywhere

Two of the most popular payment solutions are Stripe and Square. To help you decide which one is right for you, here's our head-to-head comparison.

Stripe vs. Square: which is the best payment gateway for your business?

stripe logo square logo on yellow background

stripe vs square

Stripe vs. Square: which is the best payment platform for your business?

![Comparing zapier vs piesync for data syncing](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/67UN0GMrrWfD3TljHRPhOO/1a4f42a096dfcbd643522ca26b7a5e08/piesync-vs-zapier.png)

How many apps is your business using? If you're like most, the answer isn't one or two. [According to research in 2020](https://www.blissfully.com/saas-trends/2020-annual-report/), the average small business uses 102 different apps, while each mid-market business uses an average of 137 apps. *That's a lot of data.*

These apps bring a lot of power to your business, spanning a multitude of functions and departments. But it's not always easy to __get your apps to talk to one another__.

To solve this, you need to sync your apps. Although you can connect some apps with native integrations offered by the platforms you're using, these can be limited. For the best results, you need an app that's designed for the job.

Two of the best tools specifically designed to connect your apps are [PieSync and Zapier](https://www.piesync.com/piesync-vs-zapier/). But what's the difference between them, and how can you choose the best fit for your business? Read on for our head-to-head comparison.

&nbsp;

* [Introducing PieSync and Zapier](#piesync-vs-zapier)
* [When to choose PieSync](#choosing-piesync)
* [When to choose Zapier](#choosing-zapier)
* [Examples of using PieSync and Zapier](#examples)
* [When to use Zapier and PieSync together](#using-piesync-and-zapier)
* [Comparing pricing](#pricing)
* [Summary: when to choose Zapier vs. PieSync](#summary)

---

## Introducing PieSync and Zapier{#piesync-vs-zapier}

&nbsp;

### About PieSync

[PieSync](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) is designed to __continuously sync contact data between your apps,__ in real time and two ways. This means more reliable, up-to-date and enriched data on every platform. You have control over the direction of your sync, and can choose one-way and two-way connections between your apps. 

With PieSync, you can sync contact, company and lead data, including any historical data you have already collected. PieSync has been based in Ghent, Belgium since its beginning in 2012 and was [acquired by HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com/company-news/piesync) in 2019.

&nbsp;

### About Zapier

[Zapier](https://zapier.com/) enables "easy automation for busy people". It connects your apps with __automated one-off, one-way workflows__ that move info between your apps following the exact rules you set. 

With more than 2,000 connecting apps, it enables a huge range of imaginative automations to save you time in and out of work. Zapier has been a 100% distributed team since the company began in 2011.

----

## When to choose PieSync{#choosing-piesync}

&nbsp;

### 1. You're working with contact data

The best way to tell if PieSync or Zapier is a better fit for your business is asking if you need to sync contact data.

If you do, PieSync is an excellent fit. This is exactly what it's made for: creating a tailor-fit bridge between your apps to continuously sync the right contact data based on personalized conditions.

As it supports two-way syncing, whenever anything changes in one app, it's instantly reflected in your synced apps. Unlike Zapier, PieSync syncs __historical data__, so you're not starting from scratch when you sign up.

PieSync is designed for:

* [Contact data syncing](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/contacts-sync/)
* [Company data syncing](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/company-sync/)
* [Lead data syncing](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/lead-sync/)

![PieSync two-way contact data sync](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4tRrp0qKvZP7GP6K2CENr8/5b1455ead185f8e1217921c25901e4b3/PieSync_two-way_contact_data_sync.png)

&nbsp;

### 2. You want to work with the same, correct and updated information in different apps and devices

While Zapier offers one-way trigger-action automations, PieSync creates __a two-way mirror between your contact databases__. You can make it so the contact data in your email marketing list and CRM exactly match, or set up a sync so that only customers are synced with your support software. 

When any of the contacts that match your rules change, so does the data in the synced app. This gives your team an accurate view in every app.

For example, you could create a continuous two-way sync between your contacts in Google Contacts and HubSpot:

&nbsp;

![Connecting HubSpot and Google Contacts with PieSync](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3bzeVtnSBTM6j5jFL8QZ1Z/1492bb35348aded588c5ef477d26283a/Screenshot_2020-09-15_at_16.43.26.png)

&nbsp;

### 3. You want reliability and accuracy

Because PieSync focuses on keeping contact databases in sync, it's optimized for keeping your data __accurate and consistent__ across multiple apps at any time. It does this by:

* Enabling __custom syncs__ based on lists, groups, tags, and other contact properties.
* Using __automated and custom field mapping__ to perfectly align data between your apps.
* Syncing your apps __in real time__, so all of your data is always up-to-date when something changes.

![PieSync customizable two-way data sync](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4FPw1vS7L2tvJjGb7s43cR/81bc0d254627912f1784244351af6705/Screenshot_2020-09-15_at_17.02.32.png)

----

## When to choose Zapier{#choosing-zapier}

&nbsp;

### 1. You don't need to sync contact databases

Zapier isn't made for handling large amounts of data between apps, so it's not a good fit for keeping contact databases in sync. Instead, it's a great solution for one-way, trigger-action automations from App A to App B. 

Your Zaps might include contact data - such as alerting your team of new HubSpot leads on Slack – but these are small, one-off pieces of data. To create a [true two-way sync between your apps](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/contacts-sync/), PieSync will be a better fit.

![Automation with Zapier](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/22LvILgr0AGNcZeRPjym2A/82c8799d1fe86256925464ec45b7ae73/automate-_1_.png)

&nbsp;

### 2. You want automation, not a true sync

If PieSync is about *syncing*, the best word to associate with Zapier is *automation*. It's a fantastic app for saving time, reducing workload, and achieving much more than you could with your individual apps. If you want App A to trigger App B to do X, Y and Z,  Zapier can probably solve it.

Here are a few examples of Zaps you could create between project management app Asana and Slack:

![Examples of Asana and Slack zaps](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/f38U7ujZbUIulQlZY196U/882d15816eca847b864f661813ff0351/Screenshot_2020-09-15_at_16.42.51.png)

&nbsp;

### 3. You want flexibility

Zapier thrives when you want to create super flexible and imaginative automations. With 2,000 connectors, the sky really is the limit. For example, you could automatically send email attachments to Dropbox and let your colleague know about it on Slack.

![Most popular Zapier connections](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4Yl2Req3eGdelC4YVlU6x0/54de6cc8e21703a663ebd6cd0de32882/Screenshot_2020-09-15_at_16.47.36.png)

----

## Examples of using PieSync and Zapier{#examples}

Looking for some real-world examples of how you could use Zapier and PieSync? Here are a few use cases to help you understand the difference between the two solutions:

| PieSync use cases     | Zapier use cases     |
| ---------- | ---------- |
| Syncing your CRM and email marketing app so the data always perfectly matches      | Triggering a Slack notification when there's a new customer in HubSpot      |
| Syncing customers from your CRM to your support platform       | Adding new leads in Pipedrive to a Google Sheet       |
| Syncing sales-ready leads from your email marketing app to your CRM with a sales label      | Generate receipts in QuickBooks Online for new Stripe charges       |

----

## When to use Zapier and PieSync together{#using-piesync-and-zapier}

If you're having a tough job choosing between Zapier and PieSync, not to worry. Many businesses choose to use Zapier and PieSync together for great results.

Think of PieSync as a way to strengthen the foundations of your data, and Zapier as the fancy lighting, rugs and decorations on top. You can keep your contact databases perfectly in sync with PieSync *and* layer trigger-action automations on top of it with Zapier.

Because PieSync helps to clean and enrich your data, it can also help you to __get better results from your Zaps__.

----

## Comparing pricing{#pricing}

Both Zapier and PieSync have volume-based pricing that depends on the number of syncs or zaps you need to carry out. Here's how they compare.

&nbsp;

### Zapier pricing

[Zapier pricing](https://zapier.com/pricing) is based on Zaps and Tasks. Every unique connection between your apps is a __Zap__.

A __Task__ is counted every time a Zap successfully moves data or takes action, for instance each time you create a Google Doc for a Google Calendar event.

Zapier has a Free plan, although this is limited to 100 Tasks per month and five single-step Zaps.

![Zapier pricing in 2020](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/19OpIFFx7dDlzC3Oy5suIJ/cf69a73231794ebce724457ad01e797b/Screenshot_2020-09-15_at_16.19.42.png)
&nbsp;

### PieSync pricing

PieSync [keeps pricing simple](https://www.piesync.com/pricing/) with two plans: Starter from $39/month and Pro from $49/month. The price depends on the number of contacts in your database, so you only pay for exactly what your business needs at any time.

There's also a [14-day free trial](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) to set up your first syncs and see how it helps your business.

![piesync pricing plans](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5pUfmMbv1BphsphJa3zgel/90b4d8c202a832587caed86de24f8a95/Screenshot_2020-10-02_at_12.06.00.png)

---

## Summary: when to choose Zapier vs. PieSync{#summary}

While Zapier thrives with imaginative automations based on triggers, PieSync is unique in that it creates a continuous two-way sync of your contact data in real time. 

It's not a case of *which app is better*, but which app is right for your business needs. And as we mentioned further up the page, you can [use Zapier and PieSync together](#using-piesync-and-zapier) for great results!

Here's our summary of the best use cases for both PieSync and Zapier:

&nbsp;

| When to choose PieSync     | When to choose Zapier     |
| ---------- | ---------- |
| You're working with contact data       | You're not working with contact data       |
| You want to work with the same, correct and updated information in different apps and devices       | You want automation, not a true sync       |
| You want reliability and accuracy       | You want flexibility       |

&nbsp;


Zapier and PieSync might look like similar solutions for connecting your apps, but they're built for different use cases. Here's how to choose the best fit for your business.

PieSync vs. Zapier: which is the best solution for connecting your apps? 

Comparing zapier vs piesync for data syncing

PieSync vs. Zapier: which is the best solution for connecting your apps?

SendGrid

![Mailgun vs SendGrid comparison](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/79IzppJqfbs1B7koeNLzRU/da40b78c28bd65c7bfe521b50f23001d/mailgun_sendgrid_logo.png)

Every organization has unique requirements for email. While some businesses need a solution to send simple marketing newsletters and drip workflows, others need an advanced __email infrastucture__ for high-volume and transactional sending.

In this app comparison, we're focusing on the technical end of that spectrum and two of the strongest email platforms for developers: SendGrid and Mailgun.

Both tools deliver a great solution for high-volume sending, transactional workflows, and market-leading deliverability. But how do Mailgun and SendGrid compare, and how can you decide which email service is best for your business?

Read on for our head-to-head comparison of the two apps, including a comparison of features, pricing and ideal use cases.

&nbsp;

* [Introducing Mailgun and SendGrid](#mailgun-and-sendgrid)
* [When to choose Mailgun](#when-mailgun)
* [When to choose SendGrid](#when-sendgrid)
* [Feature comparison](#feature-comparison)
 * [Deliverability](#deliverability)
 * [Marketing emails](#marketing)
 * [Tracking](#tracking)
 * [Integrations](#integrations)
 * [Support](#support)
* [Comparing SendGrid vs. Mailgun pricing](#pricing)
* [Summary: when to choose SendGrid vs. Mailgun](#summary)

---

## Introducing SendGrid and Mailgun comparison{#mailgun-and-sendgrid}

### About Mailgun

[Mailgun](https://www.mailgun.com) markets itself as "The Email Service for Developers", offering powerful APIs that enable you to send, receive and track email effortlessly. Mailgun boasts a 99.99% uptime SLA and provides their email services to 225,000+ businesses, offering a powerful email API, Mailjet for email marketing, email validation, burst sending, inbox placement to predict deliverability issues, and more.

&nbsp;

### About SendGrid

In addition to being one of the best transactional email tools on the market, [SendGrid](https://sendgrid.com/) also offers email marketing features including easy-use design templates and sign-up forms. SendGrid is a leader in trusted email delivery for over 80,000 paying customers who use their service to send over 70 billion emails every month. SendGrid was [acquired by communications platform Twilio](https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/15/twilio-acquires-email-api-platform-sendgrid-for-2-billion-in-stock/#:~:text=Twilio%2C%20the%20ubiquitous%20communications%20platform,in%20an%20all%2Dstock%20transaction.&text=SendGrid%20will%20become%20a%20wholly,be%20converted%20into%20Twilio%20stock.) in 2018.

&nbsp;

Both Mailgun and SendGrid have an all-star client list on their homepage, such as __Microsoft and Lyft__ for Mailgun, and __Uber and Airbnb__ for SendGrid. 

As well as their email services, they also include additional features such as customizable analytics, in-depth segmentation, and advanced deliverability. With their powerful feature sets, it's no surprise they're trusted by the crème de la crème. 

But what's the difference between Mailgun and SendGrid, and which choice is best for you? Let's dig in.

---

## When to choose Mailgun{#when-mailgun}

### 1. You want ease of use

Mailgun offers brilliant [API documentation](https://documentation.mailgun.com/en/latest/), including libraries for popular languages like Python, Ruby, Java, C# and PHP, so developers can easily integrate email into their app.

Mailgun has a tribe of supporters [on G2](https://www.g2.com/compare/mailgun-vs-twilio-sendgrid-email-api), many of whom applaud the software's top-class ease of use and implementation. As of August 2020, Mailgun is rated 9.0 for ease of use, 9.1 for ease of admin, and 8.9 for ease of setup. 

For comparison, SendGrid averages 8.3 in these metrics. To make their email tool even more user-friendly, Mailgun also launched a new UI as of April 2019.

![New Mailgun design](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6KgArAjqT8S1K8YxCO2Bst/9af74d94a2e4c1585dccf7d65cbeddc5/new-mailgun.png)

&nbsp;

### 2. You want to cut down on spam and throwaway emails

Mailgun’s [email validation service](https://www.mailgun.com/email-validation) is also popular among its users. It runs in real time and bulk tests on your emails to check that they actually exist. This cuts down on bounces and boosts your overall deliverability.

![MailGun email validation](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5XB8bMMnB5wzU4AaY6jPDx/450270aaff5820fc002ce38758051337/MailGun_email_validation.png)

&nbsp;

Another perk: Mailgun has built a real-time suggestion service into their email validation service. When the tool picks up on a common typo (e.g. "@yaho.com" instead of "@yahoo.com"), it'll return it along with invalid status, so you can offer the suggestion to your user.

&nbsp;

### 3. You're not sending millions of emails just yet

Mailgun is a great choice for small websites and businesses that need a transactional email solution but won't be sending millions of emails from the get-go. 

With Mailgun's Pay As You Grow plan, you can send 5,000 free emails per month for three months, then switch to a pay-what-you-send model. This costs from $0.80 per 1000 emails.

![Mailgun email validation service](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5CDofe4moxgi0UxCzIZFyu/8ba812bfd54b48c13e61b243555a9424/art_2x.png)

----

## When to choose SendGrid{#when-sendgrid}

### 1. You want more complexity

SendGrid isn't the most simple email service on the market, but for many developers, _that's a good thing_. Their software is extremely customizable. 

As a SendGrid customer, you can benefit from their RESTful APIs that are built on HTTP and return JSON for clear implementation. And with their comprehensive open-source libraries, you can code in your preferred language and consult use cases in Node.JS, Ruby, Python, Go, PHP, Java and C#.

![SendGrid RESTful APIs code](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3RWXK14rO3uHpwxod9Izls/0d77f7e98d358d590fe4c9b0249b20bf/image-solutions-api-box-v3.jpg)

&nbsp;

SendGrid’s Pro 100k plan (starting at $89.95/month) includes a dedicated IP address, as well as **dedicated IP warm up** to gradually increase your email traffic automatically and **pooling** to send emails to control groups across multiple dedicated IP addresses.

Mailgun also includes one dedicated IP address in its Growth plan that starts from $80/month. However, dedicated IP pools are only available with the Scale plan from $90/month

&nbsp;

### 2. You want to send marketing emails with the same tool

If you want great API/SMTP **and** email marketing features, SendGrid is a great choice. Although Mailgun [lists email marketing functionality](https://www.mailgun.com/email-marketing), it's less developed than SendGrid's for now.

SendGrid has all the usual features for transactional emails, but offers the added benefit of email marketing services, which you can add to your subscription. This means that you can manage your transactional email and email marketing campaigns from the same dashboard. 

With SendGrid Marketing Campaigns, it's free to store up to 2,000 contacts and send up to 6,000 emails/month. Alternatively, the Basic plan starts at $15/month to send up to 5,000 contacts and 15,000 emails/month.

![SendGrid email marketing templates](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6vJtFah4tIMoneHEQKjAwt/d129989159cb651ab6b571e2cdffa127/05-Test-and-Learn.png)

&nbsp;

If you purely need an email service for marketing, however, it's worth comparing SendGrid with alternatives such as Mailchimp which might be more accessible for your team.

<RelatedPost slug="mailchimp-vs-sendgrid" />

&nbsp;

### 3. You're working at scale

Although neither tool will let you down when you need to unexpectedly send a million emails on a Monday morning, SendGrid is slightly more popular with larger enterprises than Mailgun. This reflects its excellent flexibility and value for money when sending high volumes.

----

## Feature comparison of SendGrid vs. Mailgun{#feature-comparison}

&nbsp;

### Deliverability{#deliverability}

When you're sending transactional emails, especially at scale, **it's crucial to have an email tool with high deliverability**. You can't let your email end up in spam, or be delivered three hours later.

Does Mailgun or SendGrid have better deliverability? Both services seem to offer similar results, but here's what we know about each of them.

&nbsp;

#### SendGrid deliverability

SendGrid has led the way for transactional email since the company started in 2009 – and it's only gotten stronger since. SendGrid prides itself on its deliverability, scalability and in-depth email expertise.

SendGrid shares that customers who use their [Expert Services](https://sendgrid.com/solutions/expert-services/) have a **97% average delivery rate**, compared to an industry average of 85%. 

SendGrid offers advanced authentication with SPF and DKIM to prevent phishing and spoofing, plus artificial intelligence functionality. This includes ACE, their Adaptive Communications Engine, which is becoming an encoded AI across their platform to increase deliverability and adapt to changing ISP rules. 

SendGrid's massive scale (they send over 70 billion emails per month) generates the big data necessary for machine learning and drives results for every customer.

![SendGrid sender authentication](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3gwSzIOm1JeyhllsQXYLsN/5430b76ad0b95ca6061efa121f1c4197/SendGrid_07-Deliverability.png)

&nbsp;

#### Mailgun deliverability

Mailgun also offers a [managed deliverability service](https://www.mailgun.com/managed) to provide API support, IP and domain reputation management, ongoing consulting and proactive monitoring of your email program.

[Mailgun shares](https://www.mailgun.com/deliverability-services) that it has an average __delivery rate of 97.4%__, including the .4% to nudge ahead of SendGrid here.

They also mention their emails have an average bounce rate of 0.42%, which is well under the industry average of 2%.

&nbsp;

### Marketing emails{#marketing}

#### SendGrid for marketing emails

SendGrid has a [dedicated product](https://sendgrid.com/solutions/email-marketing/) built for marketing campaigns, which offers everything a marketer needs:

* Email automation 
* Signup forms 
* Email testing 
* Email design 
* Email templates 
* Email statistics

One of SendGrid's top benefits is balancing user-friendliness and complexity for marketing teams, which sets it apart from Mailgun here. SendGrid has a very popular template creation tool for building personalized emails from scratch, or incorporating and leveraging existing or preset templates in your campaigns.

![SendGrid email marketing template builder](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6JM5t4a1V1LendXxQEAKqr/1916ab5a0051dd34b8fcd5bcea5d06ca/solutions-campaigns-video-1540x939.jpg)

&nbsp;

#### Mailgun for marketing emails

As they make clear on their website, Mailgun is an email service for developers – not marketers. That said, Mailgun now offers [Mailjet](https://www.mailgun.com/mailjet/): their dedicated email marketing feature. You can create email templates and automate, send and monitor your email marketing campaigns. As with other Mailgun emails, you can benefit from the product's impressive deliverability.

However, they don't yet seem to have invested in it to the same extent as SendGrid, which has made it really easy for marketers to create and send emails.

![Mailjet email marketing product](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6xGp9Q50lo3xuylF1ZILlp/d197116455f3d5b3671d51b94823a92d/pasted_image_0.png)

&nbsp;

### Tracking{#tracking}

#### SendGrid tracking

SendGrid does a great job at emphasizing the metrics that matter and helping you to get to know your contacts with audience insights. You can track data in real time on customizable dashboards and run more customized analysis using data exports.

![SendGrid analytics](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6oyZt84kBvthMkJjaBkifD/d7e7da7ec1b5d0af579a4075e3e3e02b/SendGrid-Analytics.jpg)

&nbsp;

#### Mailgun tracking

Mailgun understands how important reporting is, and delivers in-depth, real-time data insights with easy segmentation and drill-down capabilities. Not only does this make it simple to track what's working, but you can also use your data to send the most personalized and relevant emails going forward.

On the reporting dashboard, you can compare metrics for accepted, dropped, incoming, delivered and suppressed emails.

![Mailgun reporting dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1R02NVUeOC8rSH6vWdvptR/49094a8abcd9b3dfeadf8a8af71bedb1/expirable-direct-uploads_2Fa396a8cd-50dc-4890-bf6f-f630af402414_2Freporting.png)

&nbsp;

### Integrations{#integrations}

__SendGrid__ has a wide range of partners in their [marketplace](https://sendgrid.com/partners/marketplace/), including [Simon](https://sendgrid.com/partners/simon-data/) for better data and [Ongage](https://sendgrid.com/partners/ongage/) for an advanced front-end to manage your email ops.

__Mailgun__ has a more [limited number of integrations](https://www.mailgun.com/partners/), although it has strong partner connections with platforms such as [Customer.io](https://try.mailgun.com/customer-io/) for automated customer messaging and [Omnisend](https://try.mailgun.com/omnisend/) for automated ecommerce workflows.

<RelatedPost slug="keep-customer-data-up-to-date-everywhere" />

&nbsp;

### Support{#support}

When comparing Mailgun and SendGrid on customer service, SendGrid offers more support at a lower price point. This is worth keeping in mind if you want access to live chat support without paying for a high-volume plan.

That said, some customer review platforms regard Mailgun as having a better quality of support. [On G2](https://www.g2.com/compare/mailgun-vs-twilio-sendgrid-email-api), SendGrid is rated 7.7/10 compared to Mailgun's 8.7/10.

&nbsp;

#### SendGrid support

With SendGrid free plans, you can only access ticket support. With the Basic plan (from $15/month) you get ticket and chat support. With an Advanced plan from $60 month, you can also get phone support.

&nbsp;

#### Mailgun support

On a Pay As You Grow plan, you can access limited 24/7 ticket support. With the Growth plan from $80/month, you can also access instant chat support. Live phone support is only available on the Scale plan from $90/month.

| Support offered | SendGrid | Mailgun |
| ---------- | ---------- | ---------- |
| Ticket support | All plans | Limited with Pay As You Grow, 24/7 with Foundation plan ($35/month) |
| Instant chat support | With Basic plan ($15/month) | With Growth plan ($80/month) |
| Live phone support | With Advanced plan ($60/month) | With Scale plan ($90/month) |

----

## Comparing SendGrid vs. Mailgun pricing{#pricing}

How much you pay for Mailgun or SendGrid depends on how many emails you need to send and what you need to do with the tool.

Both Mailgun and SendGrid offer certain features for free. Mailgun offers 5,000 free emails per month for three months, then you only pay for what you send. SendGrid gives you 40,000 free emails for your first 30 days then 100/day forever.

**What you get for free with Mailgun and SendGrid:**

| **Mailgun** | **SendGrid** |
| ------------ | ------------ |
| 5,000 free emails per month for 3 months, then you only pay for what you send (from $0.80/1000 emails) | 40,000 emails for 30 days, then 100/day forever
 | Suppression management | Dynamic template editor
 | 5 days of log retention | Email analytics
 | Limited 24/7 ticket support | Ticket support

&nbsp;

### Mailgun pricing 

Mailgun offers four pricing plans for their product: 

* Flex (or Pay As You Grow)
* Foundation: from $35/month for 50,000 emails
* Growth: from $80/month for 100,000 emails
* Scale: from $90/month for 100,000 emails

&nbsp;

![Mailgun pricing 2020](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3scuQSBJsXap3NECq9dHZs/eb1a6ca2ce5704c187d9fc10b1277498/Screenshot_2020-08-29_at_17.05.36.png)

&nbsp;

### SendGrid pricing

With SendGrid, how much you pay depends on whether you need an Email API plan or Marketing Campaigns plan.

With the Marketing Campaigns product, you can design and send email marketing campaigns and automations.

&nbsp;

![SendGrid marketing campaign plans pricing 2020](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5ioDXcnwZCTJLxI8s89LG0/fabf7f86e77da0f3c7958ed5abc3cdba/Screenshot_2020-08-26_at_10.12.24.png)

&nbsp;

And with Email API, you can integrate email into your app or website. 

&nbsp;

![SendGrid email api plans pricing 2020](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1ELU4QEGASGOuYDArJ2cnI/64a4d1ef80a282fde771a1f1ed84e466/Screenshot_2020-08-26_at_10.12.51.png)

&nbsp;

## Summary: when to choose SendGrid vs. Mailgun {#summary}

Both Mailgun and SendGrid eliminate the pain points of managing your own server and radically simplify transactional email for developers. When comparing the two tools, the difference between them is subtle.

Here's our quick summary of when to choose Mailgun or SendGrid:

| When to choose Mailgun | When to choose SendGrid |
| ------------ | ------------ |
| You want ease of use | You want more complexity |
| You want to cut down on spam and throwaway emails | You want to send marketing emails with the same tool |
| You're not sending millions of emails just yet | You're working at scale |

&nbsp;

**Looking for other email marketing apps to compare with Mailgun and SendGrid?**

* [Mailchimp vs. SendGrid: which is the best email tool for your business?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/mailchimp-vs-sendgrid/)
* [Constant Contact vs. Mailchimp: which email marketing software is best?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/constant-contact-vs-mailchimp-which-email-marketing-software-is-best/)
* [ConvertKit vs. Mailchimp: which email marketing software is best?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/convertkit-vs-mailchimp-which-email-marketing-software-is-best/)
* [GetResponse vs. Mailchimp: which email marketing tool is best?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/getresponse-vs-mailchimp-which-email-marketing-tool-is-best/)
* [AWeber vs. Mailchimp: which email marketing software is best for you?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/aweber-vs-mailchimp-which-email-marketing-software-is-best-for-you/)
* [MailerLite vs. Mailchimp: which email marketing software is best?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/mailerlite-vs-mailchimp-which-email-marketing-software-is-best/)

----

Whether you decide that Mailgun or SendGrid is better for your business, you're going to be using one of the best services for high-volume and transactional email on the market. 

To make it the best possible addition to your tech stack, make sure to connect it to your other tools using an iPaaS solution like PieSync. 

For instance, you can connect data in real time between your CRM and email app, or instantly add new customer information to your support software.

cta-2-sync-customer-data-everywhere

2 (FULL) - All - sync-customer-data-everywhere

cta-half-2-sync-customer-data-everywhere

2 (HALF) - All - sync-customer-data-everywhere

Is SendGrid or Mailgun better for your business? We've weighed up the pros and cons of the two transactional email tools for a 360-degree comparison.

Mailgun vs. SendGrid: which is the best email service provider?

Mailgun vs SendGrid email service comparison

Mailchimp

cta-5-connect-your-apps-empower-your-business

5 (FULL) - All - connect-your-apps-empower-your-business

cta-half-5-connect-your-apps-empower-your-business

5 (HALF) - All - connect-your-apps-empower-your-business

Both Mailchimp and SendGrid are wildly successful, but which email tool is better for your business's particular needs? Here's how they match up in our head-to-head comparison.

Mailchimp vs. SendGrid: which email marketing software is best in 2020?

SendGrid vs Mailchimp email marketing software

Mailchimp vs. SendGrid: which is the best email tool for your business?

Quickbooks

![wave vs quickbooks](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6800fterFkNrqhW7StTUUs/a3c2bb6658fac86b020e047966b6fc38/wave_vs-.png)

When you run your own business, you soon find out it's not just about _doing what you love_. As an entrepreneur or freelancer, you may need to wear many hats: as head of sales, marketer, customer service lead, and whether you love it or loathe it, **chief finance officer**.

If you don't have seamless processes for managing the flow of money in your business, you have trouble on your hands. However, financial software is here to help.

With the many accounting and invoicing tools on the market, you can simplify, streamline and even automate your financial tasks.

Two of the best accounting systems for small businesses and freelancers are [Wave](https://www.waveapps.com) and [QuickBooks](http://quickbooks.com). But how do they stack up?

&nbsp;

* [Comparing QuickBooks and Wave – which is the best accounting software for you?](#comparing)
* [When to choose Wave](#choose-wave)
* [When to choose QuickBooks](#choose-quickbooks)
* [Comparing Wave vs. QuickBooks feature sets](#feature-sets)
 * [Track income and expenses for accounting](#income-expenses)
 * [Integrations](#integrations)
 * [Customer sentiment](#customer-sentiment)
* [Wave vs. QuickBooks pricing](#pricing)
* [Summary: when to choose Wave vs. QuickBooks](#summary)

---

## Comparing QuickBooks vs. Wave in 2020 – which is the best accounting software for you?{#comparing}

The main difference between the two accounting systems is that __Wave is free and QuickBooks is not__. 

Another difference is that QuickBooks is one of the most comprehensive finance tools on the market, while Wave is a better choice if you want simplicity instead of complexity.

Before we get started, know that in this post we're focusing on [QuickBooks Online](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/online/) - Intuit's cloud product that's available on any device - rather than their desktop solutions.

&nbsp;

## When to choose Wave{#choose-wave}

### 1. You want to save money{#wave-save-money}

While QuickBooks has price plans ranging from $25 to $150/month, Wave accounting software is free. 

But is Wave _really_ free? Yes! Their accounting and invoicing software is free and unlimited, so you get instant access to all features after signing up. You also don't need a credit card to sign up.

[Jump ahead to our pricing comparison of Wave vs QuickBooks to find out what Wave charges for and how they make money.](#pricing)

![Screenshot 2019-10-04 at 17.40.03](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4VscjOiNwW6riyDbIbFmTW/38543ace5d9a09f6dbf64ac18e5bddbb/Screenshot_2019-10-04_at_17.40.03.png)

&nbsp;

### 2. You're a small business owner or freelancer{#wave-small-businesses}

Wave is __built for businesses with one to nine employees__ and is ideal for freelancers, consultants, designers, writers and small agencies. 

Their features are straightforward but comprehensive enough for any early-stage or intentionally small business, and it’s a breeze to send simple yet fully customizable invoices for a range of products and services. 

Wave also [announced Wave Money in June 2020](https://www.waveapps.com/blog/news/wave-money-the-future-of-small-business-banking), their take on "the future of small business banking". This will offer their customers a business bank account with a debit card and mobile app with built-in bookkeeping. We're really excited to see how this benefits Wave users as it becomes more widely available. It's currently in limited release and only available to US-based, single-owner businesses.

If you want a budget-friendly accounting and invoicing solution, Wave is a great free alternative to QuickBooks.

![chrome-invoice-professional-invoices](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6jV3dQGOxujTL8vKp6xFHD/d3b2545b76a8bbb7977c0ed51ab6750a/chrome-invoice-professional-invoices.jpg)

&nbsp;

### 3. You want simplicity{#wave-simplicity}

Using Wave for your accounting is a breeze. The user experience is clean, bright and incredibly simple to navigate. Wave offers a surprisingly comprehensive feature set for a free accounting tool, and everything is neatly organized so it's easy to find what you need.

Alternatively, QuickBooks lets you do more with the system, but can be clunky and overwhelming for those just starting out. Looking at [user reviews for ease of use on G2](https://www.g2.com/compare/quickbooks-online-vs-wave), Wave is rated 9.0/10 and QuickBooks Online is rated 8.1/10.

&nbsp;

### 4. You need quick and easy setup{#wave-set-up}

Wave is free forever, so you don't need a trial or demo to get started. Once you've signed up, you have access to all the features you need.

As Wave is so easy to set up and use, it's a better choice than QuickBooks if you're not sure what you're looking for or are less tech-savvy.

If you're looking at other simple alternatives to QuickBooks, you might also come across FreshBooks. Here's our [comparison of FreshBooks and QuickBooks](https://www.piesync.com/blog/freshbooks-vs-quickbooks-which-is-the-best-accounting-tool/):

<RelatedPost slug="freshbooks-vs-quickbooks-which-is-the-best-accounting-tool" />

&nbsp;

## When to choose QuickBooks{#choose-quickbooks}

### 1. You want a more comprehensive accounting solution{#quickbooks-comprehensive}

Don't get us wrong, Wave doesn't fall short because it's free – it offers an incredible amount of features and contends with many paid accounting apps.

However, QuickBooks Online is probably the most comprehensive accounting tool on the market – especially if you have the budget and requirements to justify the higher price plans.

With QuickBooks, you can take advantage of advanced reporting, inventory management, mileage tracking and so much more. That said, most small businesses will have less need for the features at a higher price point.

![QBO Reports.jpg](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5cv1cZIa5gKEqGxL76rbX/11cb331f77f4ae542a3e7efc2b180b5a/QBO_Reports.jpg.png)

&nbsp;

### 2. You have a bigger business or work in retail{#quickbooks-bigger-business}

QuickBooks can be quite heavy for freelancers and very small businesses, even when using its Essentials plan. However, while Wave is built for businesses with up to nine employees, QuickBooks has no upper limit and tends to thrive as you scale and need more advanced features.

If you have a retail business, QuickBooks Online is also a better financial tool for you. Its inventory management features and easy integration with [QuickBooks Point of Sale](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/point-of-sale/) makes running your business easy-peasy.

&nbsp;

### 3. You plan on scaling your business soon{#quickbooks-scaling}

Switching business tools can be a pain. If you know you're going to focus on scaling your business soon, you might want to avoid tools that are designed with small businesses in mind, such as Wave. 

QuickBooks is a wonderful tool for small to mid-sized businesses that plan on getting bigger: you can be sure that you'll have all the features you need as you scale.

![QBO Homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6xsirIQLmq62CGJn6xZF1h/b02f04cdcf57f87ecdfe5f0865785931/QBO_Homepage.jpg)

&nbsp;

### 4. You want features that Wave doesn't have{#quickbooks-more-features-than-wave}

It's hard to beat free accounting and invoicing software, especially if you're a freelancer or very small business. However, Wave cannot – and shouldn't – offer every possible feature for niche use cases. This is more QuickBooks' jam. 

It's hard to find something that QuickBooks can't do, especially considering Intuit's range of other products that can easily slot together, like [QuickBooks Point of Sale](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/point-of-sale/).

**It can be worth paying for QuickBooks instead of Wave when:**

* You have a retail business and inventory management is important to you
* You need to track mileage
* You need to track time (although tools like [FreshBooks](http://freshbooks.com) offer this at a lower price point)
* You want more advanced reporting
* Your accountant specializes in QuickBooks, as many do in the US

----

## Comparing Wave vs. QuickBooks feature sets{#feature-sets}

Is Wave better than QuickBooks? The honest answer is that it depends on your business, your budget and the **features that are important to you**.

If you're looking for free accounting software, Wave is one of the best tools to try out. Wave offers a brilliant range of **core accounting and invoicing features**, and small business owners should find everything that they need in that department. It also offers payments, receipts, multiple users and even multiple businesses to be managed in the same free account. 

Although Wave has a very comprehensive feature set, **there are some aspects that QuickBooks covers that Wave does not**. These include time tracking, mileage and inventory management.

Here's our comparison table of Wave versus QuickBooks feature sets to give you a quick overview:

|**Wave plans** | **Features** |
| ------------ | ------------ |
| Wave (free) | - Unlimited bank and credit card connections - Unlimited income and expense tracking - Unlimited guest collaborators - Run multiple businesses in one account - Unlimited customizable invoices - Receipt scanning - Online payments |

&nbsp;

|**QuickBooks plans** | **Features** |
| ------------ | ------------ |
| QuickBooks Essentials ($25/month) | - Send invoices and accept payments - Manage bills and expenses - Track sales and tax – Capture and organize receipts - 1 user |
| QuickBooks Plus ($70/month) |*Essentials features, plus:* - Track project profitability - Track inventory - Track time - 5 users |
| QuickBooks Advanced ($150/month) | *Plus features, plus:* - Smart reporting - Custom user permissions - Premium care & training - Enhanced custom fields - 25 users |

&nbsp;

### Track income and expenses for accounting{#income-expenses}

__With QuickBooks__, it's simple to connect your bank accounts, credit cards, PayPal and Square and categorize and run reports on your expenses.

The mobile app lets you take photos of receipts and it'll automatically match it up with existing transactions. This takes a lot of the hassle out of one of the most frustrating parts of bookkeeping. 

QuickBooks is designed to get you in the best possible position when tax time rolls around, but it also keeps you up-to-date throughout the rest of the year. 

The built-in cash flow statement is an especially useful indicator of how much money you have to cover your bills and what's left for non-essentials.

![QuickBooks profit and loss indicator](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/Mh6zHJpvsf9b9ElTOVVUy/d486f254a4d0c50726a88ad63ed8d67b/Screenshot_2020-08-05_at_11.27.01.png)

![QuickBooks cash flow reporting](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6ihehNAdDmqsOogKRJIvVs/eb88472f187e3284c52fbf49302a9659/Screenshot_2020-08-05_at_11.31.05.png)

&nbsp;

__Wave__ has a built-in integration with PayPal and a range of banking integrations, although live bank feeds are only currently available for [customers in the US.](https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/208624076-Connect-your-bank-account-to-Wave)

In the Chart of Accounts section of your dashboard, you get a simple overview of your Assets, Liabilities, Income, Expenses and Equity accounts to keep your accounting updated year-round:

&nbsp;

![Wave Chart of Accounts in user dashboard](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6ajPgjN9CPSAqH2WtkzEWF/5c917506ee78c77719c5330ca7aab6b3/Wave__Bronze_Raven_Photography__Chart_Of_Accounts_2018-09-21_10-09-23.png)

&nbsp;

Like QuickBooks, the [Wave Receipts app](https://www.waveapps.com/receipts) for iOS and Android lets you scan receipts on the go and say goodbye to paper receipts and spreadsheets.

Wave also has useful reporting for cash flow statements, profit and loss, balance sheets, sales tax reports and more. Like most other Wave features, these are super simple for small businesses and freelancers to understand at a glance.

![Wave accounting cash flow reporting](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5jb1SKfaeSDqQWvWoXjOj7/de35a36ff0438d260b700d487781498e/10095-wave-accounting-1559142156-7136211.jpeg)

&nbsp;

### Integrations{#integrations}

__QuickBooks__ has a great library of [native integrations](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/integrations/), including connections to 400+ business apps. 

__Wave__ only has built-in and supported integrations with Google Sheets and PayPal, but you can sync it to your other apps using solutions like PieSync ([best for two-way contact syncing](https://www.piesync.com/why/)) and Zapier (best for one-way trigger-action automations).

With PieSync, you can also connect both [QuickBooks](https://www.piesync.com/quickbooks/) and [Wave](https://www.piesync.com/wave/) to hundreds of other business tools to see your latest contact data in every app. 

[Get started with a free trial of PieSync](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) to create a two-way sync between Wave and QuickBooks and your other business tools.

&nbsp;

### Customer sentiment{#customer-sentiment}

Overall, both Wave and QuickBooks are [loved by their customers](https://www.g2.com/compare/quickbooks-online-vs-wave). Wave's average rating of 4.4/5 stars from 200 reviews showcases its small but passionate fanbase, while QuickBooks' 4.0/5 stars from a whopping 2,349 reviews reveals its huge satisfied user base.

Wave edges ahead of QuickBooks when it comes to ease of use and ease of set up, while QuickBooks wins on its range of features.

As another popular accounting software that customers love, you can also [compare QuickBooks with Xero](https://www.piesync.com/blog/xero-vs-quickbooks-online/):

<RelatedPost slug="xero-vs-quickbooks-online" />

----

## Wave vs. QuickBooks pricing{#pricing}

The main difference between Wave pricing and QuickBooks pricing is that Wave is free. However, take a moment to compare the two systems' plans to make sure you have access to all the features you need.

&nbsp;

### Wave pricing

Wave's free plan includes:

- Unlimited bank and credit card connections
- Unlimited income and expense tracking
- Unlimited guest collaborators
- Run multiple businesses in one account
- Unlimited customizable invoices
- Receipt scanning
- Online payments

So how does Wave make money? And what will you need to pay for?

**Transactions**: [Wave offers several products](https://www.waveapps.com/onewave): Invoicing, Accounting, Receipts and Payments. Of these, Payments is pay-per-use and the others are free.

With Wave, you pay 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction per credit card transaction for non-European issued cards, and 1.4% + 20p per transaction for European issued cards. 

Where your customers are located will depend if Wave works out cheaper than [QuickBook's price per transaction](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/bank-transactions/what-are-the-fees-for-quickbooks-payments/00/535052):

![Quickbooks payment fees](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6xWkadYt2RM3DUqUBnkuHl/c0bd3d59cb1d36ac6c39473368c02379/Screenshot_2020-08-05_at_10.33.45.png)

**Payroll**: There's also a fee if you want to [pay your staff with Wave](https://www.waveapps.com/payroll) – their payroll service for companies in the US and Canada includes a $20-35/month base fee, plus $6 per active employee and independent contractor paid.

**Wave Advisors**: If you're in North America, you can get even more benefits from Wave by paying for a [Wave Advisor](https://www.waveapps.com/wave-advisors). Their accounting coaching is available from $79/month, while bookkeeping and a tax service for US businesses start at $129 per month.

&nbsp;

### QuickBooks pricing

Quickbooks Online has three price plans: Essentials ($25/month), Plus ($70/month) and Advanced ($150/month). You can try Essentials and Plus for free for 30 days, or call for a product demo of Advanced. 

QuickBooks also offers 50% off for your first 3 months if you buy without a free trial period.

Here's the difference between what you get in each QuickBooks plan from [their pricing page](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/#):

![QuickBooks Online pricing plans compared](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/0OHRPV9XTDb2rCQ0DNeUA/ecda317c32c56c55f7c0fdd0b3af01ea/Screenshot_2020-08-05_at_11.06.47.png)

---

## Summary: when to choose Wave vs. QuickBooks{#summary}

So, when should you choose Wave and when is QuickBooks a better choice? Here's a simple comparison of the two financial software options:

| **When to choose Wave** | **When to choose QuickBooks** |
| ------------ | ------------ |
| You want to save money | You want a more comprehensive accounting solution |
| You're a small business owner or freelancer | You have a bigger business or work in retail |
| You want simplicity | You plan on scaling your business soon |
| You need quick and easy setup | You want features that Wave doesn't have |

Wave is also limited for businesses outside of North America, so QuickBooks or an alternative like Xero might be a better choice if you're in other parts of the world.

&nbsp;

__Looking for other accounting software to compare with QuickBooks and Wave?__

* [FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks: which is the best accounting tool?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/freshbooks-vs-quickbooks-which-is-the-best-accounting-tool/)
* [Xero vs. QuickBooks Online: what’s the best cloud accounting tool for your business?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/xero-vs-quickbooks-online/)

----

Deciding between QuickBooks and Wave as your accounting system depends on your business size, industry, and the features that matter most to you. Wave is fantastic for early-stage businesses and freelancers, while QuickBooks scales beautifully and most accountants love it.

However, one thing you need to make sure of regardless of your software choice is that it __integrates with the rest of your tech stack.__

PieSync makes it easy to sync your contact data two-ways between [QuickBooks](https://www.piesync.com/quickbooks/) and [Wave](https://www.piesync.com/wave/) and your other apps. This means you're always looking at the right information about your customers in every app. 

With hundreds of options to connect your apps, you can perfectly align your accounting software with your customer support tool, CRM and the other apps your business relies on.

QuickBooks is the tried-and-tested accounting software for businesses of all sizes, Wave is a free alternative with a passionate fanbase… which tool is best for your business? Here's our head-to-head comparison to help you choose.

Wave vs. QuickBooks: which accounting tool is best for small businesses?

wave vs quickbooks

Wave vs. QuickBooks: which is the best accounting tool?

FreshBooks

![Comparing freshbooks vs quickbooks](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/q8QHXmQ0PB8pTEAEdWnaM/7867b7132d128bbd7c1afe4692e6cc11/freshbooks_vs_quickbooks.png)

As a small business, accounting software can transform your working life. It's the easiest way to monitor money flowing in and out, bill customers, and simply process your finances at the end of the year.

If you're a freelancer or an agency, there are other benefits to using accounting software: you know exactly how much time you've spent on each client and project, and can easily process invoices when it's billing time.

Two of the most popular accounting tools for small businesses are [FreshBooks](https://www.freshbooks.com) and [QuickBooks Online](https://quickbooks.intuit.com). While they are both powerful tools and popular for good reasons, they work best in different use cases and for different types of businesses.

Read on for our summary of FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks and work out which accounting tool is best for you.

P.S. Also considering Xero? [Read our comparison of Xero vs. QuickBooks Online here](https://www.piesync.com/blog/xero-vs-quickbooks-online/). 

&nbsp;

* [Introducing FreshBooks and QuickBooks Online](#freshbooks-vs-quickbooks)
* [When to choose QuickBooks Online](#choosing-quickbooks)
* [When to choose FreshBooks](#choosing-freshbooks)
* [Comparing pricing](#pricing)
* [Summary: when to choose QuickBooks Online vs. FreshBooks](#summary)

----

## Introducing FreshBooks and QuickBooks Online{#freshbooks-vs-quickbooks}

### About FreshBooks

Founded in 2003, FreshBooks has evolved to be the "all-in-one small business invoice and accounting solution" to help entrepreneurs and small teams spend less time on accounting and more time doing the work they love.

FreshBooks offers a highly user-friendly feature set for invoicing, expenses, time tracking, projects, estimates, and more.

&nbsp;

### About QuickBooks

QuickBooks is one of the most well-known accounting platforms on the market and part of the Intuit product family founded in 1983.

When we talk about QuickBooks in this post, we're focusing on [QuickBooks Online](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/online/) (QBO), the cloud-based accounting tool from Intuit, rather than their traditional desktop version. Cloud-based SaaS solutions are always our top recommendation, since you can [keep all your business apps synced and updated](https://www.piesync.com/why/) with much less manual work.

----

## When to choose QuickBooks Online{#choosing-quickbooks}

When should you choose QuickBooks Online over FreshBooks? Here are five scenarios when the accounting software giant can make the most sense for your business.

&nbsp;

### 1. If your business sells products

QuickBooks is a stand-out accounting choice if you're selling products or retail goods, while FreshBooks is our top pick for managing clients and billing as a freelancer.

With QuickBooks, you can record your daily sales from every channel and sync sales systems like PayPal, Square and Shopify. QuickBooks also offers [inventory management](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/inventory/) to easily see what you have in stock and on order from your vendors.

![QuickBooks-Inventory TECH-GUIDE WEB Step-12F](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1j4SDiWtI61DLtTl3XOtQu/75c72d05112f81152491fb58ab765d73/QuickBooks-Inventory_TECH-GUIDE_WEB_Step-12F.jpg)

&nbsp;

If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, take a look at [QuickBooks Point of Sale](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/point-of-sale/) to simplify your in-person transactions. As you'd expect, it integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks Online, so you can see your POS purchases alongside all your other accounting data.

&nbsp;

### 2. If you need a scalable accounting solution

QuickBooks offers fully-fledged accounting software that's built to scale. It's designed for a wider array of business types and sizes than FreshBooks – and has a very comprehensive set of features. [One Capterra review](https://www.capterra.co.uk/reviews/141374/quickbooks-online) from a long-term QuickBooks user says: "The proverbial 800-pound gorilla still works!"

![img row za cloud all devices 540 353 2x](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5uANrQbvCwGzDRUiQja60i/5598c83329c8a42f443e9a979f099daf/img_row_za_cloud_all_devices_540_353_2x.png)

&nbsp;

### 3. If you want just one financial tool in your stack

QuickBooks is a great all-in-one solution for your accounting and invoicing needs. There are no major gaps – and if there are, other QuickBooks products like QuickBooks Point of Sale will fill many of these. This means you can get away with a **smaller app stack**.

On the other hand, FreshBooks is focused on a narrower audience: freelancers, small businesses and solopreneurs looking for simple and hassle-free software. Since it avoids complexity, you're more likely to need to [sync FreshBooks with other tools](https://www.piesync.com/connections/freshbooks) to achieve some custom outcomes, but this is simple to do.

&nbsp;

### 4. If your accountant prefers QuickBooks

While your accountant's preferences aren't the most important factor, being aligned on the tools you're using can make both your lives easier.

QuickBooks tends to be the top choice for accountants in the US, but it's also quickly grown in popularity worldwide in the last few years and now offers many country-specific bank feeds, integrations and tax compliance features.

FreshBooks is still quite focused on North America, so if you're based outside of it your tax return might be faster with QuickBooks than FreshBooks.

![011317 0125 QuickBooksO1](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/70EK9swO4LaFhXnQAEKJgw/be4ff6119ba0c8eba651b8fde22c9fd6/011317_0125_QuickBooksO1.png)

&nbsp;

### 5. If you have a mid-sized or fast-growing business

If your business is currently mid-sized or fast-growing, QuickBooks Online will likely be a better fit for you. FreshBooks has a fantastic feature set for small businesses, but when your business grows, you may need to switch tools. 

If you try out QuickBooks and love it now, you'll likely still love it when your business doubles or triples in size.

----

## When to choose FreshBooks{#choosing-freshbooks}

What about FreshBooks? Here's how to know if FreshBooks is a good QuickBooks alternative for your business.

&nbsp;

### 1. If you're a freelancer

FreshBooks is designed with small business owners in mind, especially freelancers. If you listen to entrepreneurship podcasts, you might have heard their ads and recognize their brand.

Of businesses that [reviewed FreshBooks on G2](https://www.g2.com/products/freshbooks/reviews#reviews), 20.6% are in marketing and advertising – many of which will be self-employed consultants. Most QuickBooks Online reviewers, by contrast, are accountants (what did we say earlier about accountants loving QB?)

![team-time-tracking-hero-1](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2WRBvKuqzE3bA8LABQIrLn/48e017ced1576bb224543187b63a6591/team-time-tracking-hero-1.png)

FreshBooks makes it **easy to track time spent per client or project**, so you can check your productivity in any time period. And when it comes to invoicing, you can quickly turn the hours into an invoice or mark hours as already billed without creating an invoice from them.

Other FreshBooks advantages include simple project management, integration with Stripe to get paid online, and automated and manual invoice reminders for unpaid bills.

&nbsp;

### 2. If you're just getting started with your business

If you're working on a side hustle or just getting started with a small business idea, you may not want to go all-in with a fancy accounting software just yet.

FreshBooks is a better choice than QuickBooks Online for simplicity, although QBO's complexity has its own advantages – you can do much more with the system.

![50176](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4TbkM0da3fKZIPs8VzklwH/2919ef141dce80a08070896fd0366ad4/50176.png)

&nbsp;

### 3. If you want user-friendly software that's quick to set up

FreshBooks' main benefit is that it's extremely easy to use. [On G2](https://www.g2.com/products/freshbooks/reviews), it has a rating of 9.2/10 for ease of use, compared to QuickBook's 8.1/10.

FreshBooks also receives consistently high feedback for ease of setup and ease of admin. If you want to reduce as much complexity as possible with your accounting processes, FreshBooks is a great pick.

![1511981711 Freshbooks dashboard redesigned(1)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6Mq8YAjw5IdGmAr816fX8m/f503e9d8c650d2145a73ad85bbaa341e/1511981711_Freshbooks_dashboard_redesigned_1_.png)

&nbsp;

### 4. If you prioritize quick responses from support

FreshBooks' support team gets a whole lot of love. [One long-term user](https://www.g2.com/products/freshbooks/reviews/freshbooks-review-1451127) writes that for the relatively few times it may be needed, FreshBooks support is extremely responsive. They offer a website contact form, an actual email address managed by humans and toll-free phone numbers. 

With your personal support key, you can easily give the FreshBooks team secure access to your account to make any fixes or help you set things up. FreshBooks is also known for having a great refund policy, which makes upgrades and downgrades more straightforward.

&nbsp;

### 5. If you want native integrations with your other tools

FreshBooks has a remarkably easy-to-navigate [integrations library](https://www.freshbooks.com/integrations) with the most popular tools for small business owners. When it comes to CRM integrations in particular, FreshBooks offers accessible out-the-box syncs, including tested connections with HubSpot, Capsule and AgileCRM.

Both FreshBooks and QuickBooks Online also offer [two-way syncs with hundreds of apps via PieSync](https://www.piesync.com/why/), which makes it a breeze to connect your accounting app with the rest of your app stack no matter which tool you choose.

----

## Comparing QuickBooks pricing vs. FreshBooks pricing{#pricing}

Both FreshBooks and QuickBooks are affordable accounting tools for small businesses and solopreneurs, but their pricing depends on your business size and the features you need.

__QuickBooks'__ basic plan, Essentials, starts at $25/month and ticks all of the boxes for small business accounting needs, offering core features for tracking income and expenses, capturing and organizing receipts, invoicing, accepting payments, and checking key reports and metrics. The main limitation of QBO’s Essentials is its access for only one user. 

If you want to track time and inventory and access more reporting, including for project profitability, you'll need to opt for the Plus plan, available at $70/month.

The highest QBO plan, Advanced, is offered for $150/month. This gives you access to features such as batch invoices and expenses, automated approvals and reminders, management reports and fields, and custom reporting fields. 

You can also add payroll to any plan as an add-on, which costs between $45 + $4/employee/month to $125 + $10/employee/month depending on the functionality you need.

![QuickBooks Online pricing August 2020](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1NDd2UYSKCm2ORlbsom8yd/be00b2877a31bea47456f30b6ba5b069/Screenshot_2020-08-07_at_12.13.06.png)

&nbsp;

__FreshBooks__' entry-level plan, Lite, is offered at $15/month, making it more affordable than QuickBooks Essentials. This plan has so many advantages for freelancers and very small teams - especially the unlimited customized invoices, expenses, time tracking and estimates. If you need time tracking on a budget, FreshBooks is the perfect choice.

A disadvantage of FreshBooks is the maximum number of billable clients per plan. With the Lite plan you can only manage and invoice 5 clients, which is very limited for most businesses. 

However, this jumps up to 50 clients with the Plus plan, which is offered at an affordable $25/month, the same cost as QuickBooks's basic plan, and includes unlimited proposals and recurring invoices. FreshBooks Premium supports 500 clients.

![Freshbooks pricing versus Quickbooks](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/YIyM84F0eha3dcR9QIcP1/67166d539d90fc645c5506bbfdabb218/pricing-packaging-freshbooks.png)

&nbsp;

If __managing and invoicing many clients__ is important for your business, QuickBooks might be your better choice. QBO also offers the better solution for retail businesses that need to __track inventory__.

Alternatively, if you need to __track time__, FreshBooks offers this at a much lower price point.

----

## Summary: when to choose QuickBooks Online vs. FreshBooks{#summary}

While QuickBooks is the stronger all-round accounting tool for businesses of all sizes, FreshBooks tends to be the better choice for small and one-person businesses.

| When QuickBooks is best  | When FreshBooks is best  |
| ------------ | ------------ |
| Your business sells products  | You're a freelancer or solopreneur   |
| You need a scalable solution and aren't scared of complexity  | You're just getting started with your business  |
| You want just one financial tool in your stack   | You want user-friendly software that's quick to set up   |
| Your accountant prefers QuickBooks   | You prioritize quick responses from support  |
| You have a mid-sized or fast-growing business  | You want native integrations with your other tools  |

&nbsp;

__Looking for other accounting systems to compare with FreshBooks and QuickBooks?__

* [Wave vs. QuickBooks: which is the best accounting tool?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/wave-vs-quickbooks-which-is-the-best-accounting-tool/)
* [Xero vs. QuickBooks Online: what’s the best cloud accounting tool for your business?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/xero-vs-quickbooks-online/)

----

Whichever accounting tool you choose, make sure to integrate it with the rest of your app stack. [Use PieSync to sync your contacts two ways](https://piesync.com) between your CRM and accounting software and know exactly which contacts have changed their contact information, subscription plan, or other data in all apps.

Both [FreshBooks](https://www.piesync.com/freshbooks/) and [QuickBooks](https://www.piesync.com/quickbooks/) are supported by PieSync, as are all leading CRMs, email marketing systems, accounting apps, customer support software, and more.

FreshBooks or QuickBooks... which accounting software should you choose? We weigh up the pros and cons to help you make the right choice for your business.

FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks: which is the best accounting tool?

freshbooks vs quickboos

SendinBlue

Trying to choose between Mailchimp and Sendinblue? Look no further. We’ve compared the two email marketing tools to help you make the best choice for your business.

 Sendinblue vs. Mailchimp: which email marketing software is best in 2020?

sendinblue vs mailchimp

 Sendinblue vs. Mailchimp: which email marketing software is best?

Xero and QuickBooks Online are two of the most popular accounting software platforms. Here's our comparison of their pros and cons to help you decide between them.

Xero vs. QuickBooks Online: what’s the best accounting software? 

Comparing Xero versus QuickBooks Online

Xero vs. QuickBooks Online: what’s the best cloud accounting tool for your business?

Freshdesk

Zendesk

If customer service is giving you headaches, it's time to upgrade your software. Here’s how to decide between two of the best helpdesks: Zendesk and Freshdesk.

Zendesk vs. Freshdesk: which is the best customer support software?

customer service tools freshdesk vs zendesk

Salesforce

Marketo

![marketo vs salesforce marketing cloud](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7jWj0p9dSdPcj5bgo6E5KC/b27eda5aec28c360ce98b5eff0146f2f/marketo_vs_salesforce_marketing_cloud.png)

Salesforce and Marketo are both enterprise marketing platforms, but they thrive in different use cases. 

Salesforce has a huge customer base – [150,000 users](https://www.salesforce.com/campaign/worlds-number-one-CRM/) and counting – and has seven years on Marketo, having launched in 1999. 

However, the biggest difference between these platforms is that they were __originally designed to target different types of marketers__. 

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is more of a business-to-consumer (B2C) platform, and Marketo is a business-to-business (B2B) platform.

Despite their differences, both Salesforce and Marketo are among the world’s most-used marketing technology platforms. But which one is best for you? It all depends.

At times, it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but when all is said and done:

- [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/channels/) has a relatively complex data model. This is great for flexibility, but it requires more data management expertise.
- [Marketo](https://www.marketo.com/), on the other hand, is still designed for large corporations but tends to be a better choice if you have smaller data sets.

Of course, there’s much more to this.

In recent years, Salesforce has grown into a complex labyrinth of clouds, apps and analytics. For the purpose of this guide, we’re going to __compare Marketo with Salesforce Marketing Cloud__, which is just one component of the Salesforce family of apps. 

You can also compare Marketo with Pardot, Salesforce's B2B marketing automation tool:

<RelatedPost slug="pardot-vs-marketo-which-marketing-automation-tool-is-best" />

&nbsp;

__Jump to:__

- [When to choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud](#choosing-salesforce)
- [When to choose Marketo](#choosing-marketo)
- [Can you use Salesforce Marketing Cloud with Marketo?](#salesforce-with-marketo)
- [Comparing Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Marketo features](#comparing-features)
- [Setup](#setup)
- [Ease of use](#ease-of-use)
- [Marketing automation](#automation)
- [Reporting and analytics](#reporting)
- [Customization](#customization)
- [Customer support](#customer-support)
- [Pricing comparison](#pricing-comparison)
- [Summary: When to choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs. Marketo](#summary)
- [Use PieSync to connect your apps with Marketo and Salesforce](#piesync)

---

## When to choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud{#choosing-salesforce}

### You have more complex data

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is well-suited to marketers who have large, complex data sets, like those found in B2C contexts. You'd be hard-pressed to find a marketing platform that can handle more complexity than Salesforce.

Flexibility is the real benefit here, but with this comes extra responsibility. For many tasks, you will need at least intermediate knowledge of data management principles, if not more.

&nbsp;

### You want to create multi-touch campaigns

Salesforce lets you reach customers at various touch-points in your marketing pipelines with its Journey Builder feature. The journey will be bumpy if you don’t have the required data management know-how, but this shouldn’t be a problem for most medium to large companies with in-house marketing teams and tech support. 

The destination for these companies will be well worth the wait, as Journey Builder facilitates cross-channel campaigns brilliantly, allowing marketers to move prospects through their funnels without breaking a sweat.

![salesforce customer journey builder](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6m4WToa24hDyqORdJqE6JE/b93eb25f1fe91ce13ed7a22a7eafed8b/journey-management-overview.gif)

&nbsp;

### You want to manage all of the things

You can think of Marketing Cloud as the framework and other Salesforce products as the building blocks.

Here are the different Salesforce marketing tools you can add to Marketing Cloud:

![Salesforce Marketing Cloud product family tools](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7yMaJn10eps5pPvHYJQdAJ/bc6b7fa2cd56a4643114c7e995b7636e/Journey_Builder.png)

Marketing Cloud offers plenty of variety and flexibility for your set-up, but you need an impressive budget to put behind it. With the separate modules for email management, automation, data and more, this also makes the platform's user interface more complex than Marketo.

If you're trying to choose between Marketing Cloud and Pardot, Salesforce's B2B automation tool, [here's our in-depth comparison](https://www.piesync.com/blog/salesforce-marketing-cloud-vs-pardot-which-marketing-tool-is-best-for-2020/):

<RelatedPost slug="salesforce-marketing-cloud-vs-pardot-which-marketing-tool-is-best-for-2020"/>

----

## When to choose Marketo{#choosing-marketo}

### You want a simpler interface

We just mentioned that the Salesforce UI can take a while to get used to, so Marketo’s your platform if you prefer a simpler approach. Everything you need to manage campaigns is accessible from the Marketing Activities screen, and there are separate menus for more detailed actions and views.

![Marketo workflow builder](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1ZrDmJCInJYchsJYTSomeV/0acd8724f432986a86b799db3412e496/Screenshot_2020-03-04_at_16.13.53.png)

&nbsp;

### You’re newer to this

Not everyone can be a marketing wiz, and we get that. While Marketo is far from being an entry-level system, it’s certainly easier to navigate than Salesforce, and this will suit marketers who don’t want to overcomplicate things.

&nbsp;

### You want scope for simpler customization

There’s a misconception that Marketo adopts a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing, but this certainly isn’t the case. Although there’s less customization than Salesforce, you can still personalize your email and social campaigns just the way you like. Plus, there are external APIs if you want to customize further.

----

## Can you use Salesforce Marketing Cloud With Marketo?{#salesforce-with-marketo}

You could, but you’d be over-complicating things! It’s best to choose one of these platforms and stick with it. 

Interestingly, Marketo was built for Salesforce CRM, and some people find it integrates better with that than Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Sure, this is subjective, but Marketo’s strengths lie in its simplicity. 

You might find PieSync useful if you’re already using Salesforce CRM. It offers a [deep two-way contact data sync between apps](https://www.piesync.com/why/) so you can improve contact management and target the right leads - and the sync works with both Marketo and Salesforce Marketing Cloud, as well as hundreds of other apps.

----

## Comparing Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Marketo features{#comparing-features}

### Setup{#setup}

To get started with __Salesforce Marketing Cloud__ you will need to:

- Install and configure Salesforce Marketing Cloud in Salesforce CRM
- Grant access to your admin
- Create users
- Choose permission sets
- Manage/add assignments
- Update security

Here's the [in-depth setup guide](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/modules/marketing-cloud-connect/install-mc-connect) from Marketing Cloud.


Alternatively, the key steps for getting started with __Marketo__ are to:

- Create your account and log in
- Create Marketo users
- Set up authorized support contacts
- Customize landing page URLs
- Allow email deliverability
- Configure protocols (probably the hardest part!)
- Submit URLs for email pages/landing pages
- Integrate the CRM of your choice
- Add tracking codes to your web pages

Here's [Marketo's setup documentation](https://docs.marketo.com/spaces/flyingpdf/pdfpageexport.action?pageId=2949469) that talks it through in more detail.

Before choosing between Salesforce and Marketo, it's worth comparing their respective documentation and seeing how you get on. Unless you invest in 1-1 training or support, that's what you'll be spending a lot of time looking at after making your marketing software choice.

&nbsp;

### Ease of use{#ease-of-use}

__Marketo__ definitely wins this one. Salesforce isn’t rocket science, but it’s significantly more complex than its rival. This isn't always a bad thing, and it's a reason why so many customers choose it and love it. With time, you’ll likely get used to either system, but if it’s simplicity you require, we recommend Marketo.

If you have a smaller business or want much more user-friendliness, there are many more straightforward marketing platforms that will likely be a better choice. One of the best alternatives to Salesforce and Marketo for smaller businesses is [HubSpot](https://hubspot.com/):

<RelatedPost slug="hubspot-vs-marketo-which-marketing-software-is-best-for-you"/>

&nbsp;

### Marketing automation{#automation}

Both Salesforce and Marketo are powerful marketing automation platforms. So what's the difference?

Journey Builder is __Salesforce__'s B2C journey management tool for cross-channel personalized experiences at every step of the customer lifecycle.

It's one of Marketing Cloud's stand-out features, offering seemingly endless possibilities for personalization, split-testing and other powerful automation options.

![Salesforce journey builder automation](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1XzTnBEv2CdUV4WQtZIOUX/e2123bd7e91c4b1ef7c8825448e67d17/c777fb4e39fb2a9acd4095580fd1cf76_unit-5-5.jpg)

&nbsp;

Email management is a crucial component of any marketing campaign, and Salesforce does all the hard work for you with triggered "sends" that let you connect with customers pre- and post-purchase. Even if you have limited knowledge of code, you’ll find it pretty easy to create B2C email workflows with Marketing Cloud. 

![Salesforce email studio](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7JCFmcHewZsd45sYPgfCgp/f69b99b9e4c00357c929154362c7800d/email-create-2.png)

&nbsp;

__Marketo's__ perfect user is a large enterprise that needs extensive marketing automation. You can create highly personalized workflows in the Marketing Activities dashboard, taking actions such as sending emails, adding contacts to a list, or changing their program enrollment or engagement score.

![Marketo workflow builder](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1ZrDmJCInJYchsJYTSomeV/0acd8724f432986a86b799db3412e496/Screenshot_2020-03-04_at_16.13.53.png)

&nbsp;

To streamline email management, Marketo makes it easy to manage communications with its Smart Campaigns feature. There are fewer customization options compared to Salesforce, but this platform will do nearly everything you need it to. There’s no code, either, making Marketo a go-to choice if you want to keep life simpler.

![Marketo email templates builder](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3JYnredgloFXm0xrBNadpP/a6dc3c8458fc47f167185944492a89a9/starter_templates.png)

&nbsp;

Remember: if you're looking for the best-fit software for __B2B__ automation, you're better off with [Salesforce Pardot or Marketo](https://www.piesync.com/blog/pardot-vs-marketo-which-marketing-automation-tool-is-best/).

&nbsp;

### Reporting and analytics{#reporting}

Both Salesforce and Marketo have built-in analytics tools that provide you with deep insights into your customers. 

As __Marketo__ is more of a B2B platform, you can advertise your services to companies as they progress through your marketing lifecycle and gain valuable intelligence along the way. 

![marketo reporting and analytics](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6pmrhn1PxMmPv3KKoVdXMO/ca0bb40e22e88ffea0fddfcb79f6a90b/marketo_reporting_and_analytics.png)

&nbsp;

__Salesforce__ offers customer-driven data with multiple metrics that will influence campaigns and help you generate leads, track customer behavior and discover new insights every day.

![Salesforce Interaction Studio](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/rkRJ7qJ1qIxCZFVtOlv64/c0f3cd82a7122ee9d4bd45ae0ca03dbc/interaction-studio.gif)

&nbsp;

### Customization{#customization}

Customization is king with __Salesforce__, and you can personalize marketing communications in almost any configuration that you can imagine. 

You can [incorporate AI into your campaigns](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/12/create-personalized-content-marketing-cloud.html), create personalized experiences and develop content blocks and widgets, as just a few examples.

Many options are right there on your dashboard, but you can take a deep dive and uncover a treasure trove of customization options that you’ll love. 

With __Marketo__, customization is still possible and in many cases more user-friendly than with Salesforce. However, it tends to be more limited than the complexity offered by Salesforce.

&nbsp;

### Customer support{#customer-support}

Both Salesforce and Marketo provide users with a wide range of support options, including phone, email, live chat, technical guides, online FAQs and more. However, much of this comes at a cost, so make sure to understand what your options are and how they fit your budget.

If you want to save your budget for the product itself, you’ll also find various tutorials on YouTube and Reddit.

----

## Pricing comparison of Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs. Marketo{#pricing-comparison}

__Salesforce Marketing Cloud__ pricing is extremely complicated, but we’ll do our best to explain. First, there’s no free trial option. This is a testament to Salesforce’s powerful position in the marketplace, which is unlikely to change any time soon. 

There’s also no set pricing. You’ll need to ask for a quote, and someone will get back to you.

Some elements of Salesforce can seem fairly affordable, such as the Marketing Cloud framework, but your investment will see sharp increases as you add other features to the mix. To make the most of Salesforce, you'll likely want to add these.

__Marketo__ pricing isn’t that much more transparent. However, there’s a free trial, so you can dip your toes in the water. If you like what you see, there are [four different pricing plans](https://www.marketo.com/marketo-engage/pricing-packaging/):

- Select
- Prime
- Ultimate
- Enterprise

![Marketo Engage pricing](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/ZLHuGO7fZ8KrrSxvncGEo/32267dae492122f548be57dd824be6ff/Screenshot_2020-03-04_at_16.38.54.png)

&nbsp;

We’re told that prices start from around $900 per month for up to 10,000 contacts. However, you’ll need to contact the company for a full quote.

Marketo supports up to 10 different users, with additional costs for extra users based on the plans above. Note: Marketo doesn’t offer any refunds, so bear that mind.

Neither Salesforce nor Marketo are designed with small businesses in mind. But for larger businesses, investing in software like Marketo and Salesforce could provide you with a significant return on investment.

You’ll be able to fine-tune your marketing campaigns, generate leads, increase visibility, engage customers and boost sales – for the right business, these can be priceless.

---

## Summary: when to choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs. Marketo {#summary}

Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Marketo are two very different marketing enterprise platforms, but one isn’t necessarily "better" than the other. 

Despite dominating the market, Salesforce can be a cheaper option if you don't need extra bells and whistles (a big if), and it certainly packs a punch when it comes to customization and features. 

Marketo, on the other hand, is easier to use, making the platform a great choice for marketing rookies as well as companies that want to focus on B2B. 

Each one of these platforms meet the requirements of different marketers.

__Here are a few examples of when it can be better to choose Salesforce or Marketo:__

- You’re __a small company with around 10 employees__ and a healthy budget, and you want to market your products to __customers__. __Salesforce__ might be a good option for you because of its B2C capabilities. Even though this software is more complicated than Marketo, it could be the better option to drive your marketing efforts.
- You are a __large company with 1,000 employees__, and you want to market your services to other __large companies__. __Marketo__ might be a good option for you because of its B2B capabilities. It can work out cheaper or more expensive than Salesforce depending on the features you need, so ask both providers for a quote to compare this.

&nbsp;

##### Here's our summary of when to choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs. Marketo:


| When to choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud | When to choose Marketo |
| ---------- | ---------- |
| You have more complex data | You want a simpler interface |
| You want to create multi-touch campaigns | You’re new to this |
| Your business is B2C | Your business is B2B
| You want to manage all of the things | You want scope for simple customization |


&nbsp;

##### Looking for other advanced marketing solutions to compare with Marketo and Salesforce?

* [HubSpot vs. Marketo: which marketing software is best for you?](https://www-preview.piesync.com/blog/hubspot-vs-marketo-which-marketing-software-is-best-for-you/)
* [Pardot vs. Salesforce Marketing Cloud: which marketing tool is best for 2020?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/salesforce-marketing-cloud-vs-pardot-which-marketing-tool-is-best-for-2020/)
* [Pardot vs. Eloqua: which marketing automation software is best in 2020?](https://www.piesync.com/blog/pardot-vs-eloqua-which-marketing-automation-software-is-best/)


---

Whether you decide to use Salesforce or Marketo, it’s important you keep your software integrated with the rest of your tech stack in order to seamlessly manage your customer data. 

PieSync lets you [keep your contacts moving freely between apps](http://piesync.com/why/) with two-way syncs. [Get started with a free trial here](https://app.piesync.com/signup/).

Marketo vs. Salesforce... which marketing software is the best fit for your business? We've compared the two enterprise systems in-depth to help you make the best decision.

Salesforce vs. Marketo: which marketing tool is best in 2020?

marketo logo vs salesforce marketing cloud logo on pink background

marketo vs salesforce marketing cloud

[Active Campaign](https://www.activecampaign.com/) is an all-in-one marketing tool with extensive functionality such as email marketing, sales and CRM. Built for SME's, it provides a broad range of tools such as campaign segmentation, dynamic content, and A/B testing for your Marketing.

activecampaign

ActiveCampaign

We updated our ActiveCampaign sync by hooking into their latest API. What's new? 

- Rules with regards to contact scores are available (greater than, less than)
- Improved sync reach: the initial sync now takes into contacts not part of any list
- More field mappings available! Bounce status and create/update timestamps!
- Contact notes in ActiveCampaign can now be mapped read-only to a text box in your other app

activecampaign updated sync

Updates to the ActiveCampaign sync

Mixpanel is an advanced analytics platform for mobile & web. It helps businesses grow by helping them understand how their users behave and use their products by tracking actions people take rather than page views. Mixpanel's mission is to help the world learn from its data.



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Mixpanel

Our connector for Mixpanel has been equipped with the ability to connect to the eu.mixpanel.com - if you happen to have your data stored specifically within the EU territory. 

mixpanel regio

EU based Mixpanel accounts

[HubSpot CRM](http://hubspot.com/piesync) is an all-round customer relationship management tool that offers an incredible range of features for all businesses, from small startups to large enterprises. This complete CRM platform helps companies increase leads, accelerate sales, streamline customer service, and much more.

hubspot logo

HubSpot

[Available since today](https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-contacts), the HubSpot Marketing Hub features __marketing contacts__ - contacts that are able to receive marketing emails and be targeted with ads. In contrast, __non-marketing contacts___ cannot be marketed to... but also do not count against your contact tier. 

This means that you can now, with much greater comfort, store __all of your contacts data__ inside of HubSpot Marketing Hub. 

The PieSync filters & mappings now also reflect this new feature in HubSpot.


hubspotmarketing

HubSpot Marketing Contacts available in filters and mappings

Constant Contact is a marketing platform, giving your team the tools to create highly effective email marketing, social media campaigns, online surveys, and event marketing. Availability of hundreds of templates and extensive resources will make your lists grow!
Don't have Constant Contact, start your [free trial](http://www.constantcontact.com/signup.jsp?pn=piesync) now.


constantcontact

Constant Contact

We've applied a considerable update to our [Constant Contact sync](https://www.piesync.com/constantcontact). 

As Constant Contact are in the process of refreshing their user interface -  rolling this out throughout the next months - we already wanted to make sure the elements in our sync correspond to the new field and naming conventions. 

It's more than a happy accident that this unlocked a whole series of new sync functionality for you! Custom fields and more!

constancontact updated field mappings

Custom fields for Constant Contact and more

Contacts+ is the most powerful fully-connected contact management platform for professionals and enterprises who need to master their contacts and be awesome with people. Contacts+ cross-platform suite of Apps and APIs enhance contacts with 360-degree insights, while keeping them organized, in-sync, up-to-date, and safe.


Phone & E-mail

Sync Phone & Email apps you use everyday to automate your business and be more productive. {{ connectorCount }}+ Phone & Email contact sync integrations currently available. Click on your favorite app to get started.

Contacts+ Logo Mark (1)

Contacts+

Nimble shows you detailed customer profiles in just a single view so you can get to know your customers in person. Sales and marketing features, activity management tools and a responsive social listening system will make sure you have all the insight you need!


nimble

Nimble

For many of its [CRM connectors](https://www.piesync.com/connections/crm/), PieSync applies ownership automatically, [or at least gives you control through the rules as to how it should be transferred in the sync](https://www.piesync.com/help/faq/can-i-sync-contact-owner-source-fields/). 

Two popular supported contact management tools, namely Nimble and Contacts+, featured a concept of ownership since quite some time, but only recently have we updated our sync connectors for you to control this too.

Use the sync rules to control ownership. Set up multiple rules if you need multiple owners synced with one another. [More info](https://www.piesync.com/help/faq/can-i-sync-contact-owner-source-fields/).


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