QuickBooks vs Zoho Invoice

2023. Intuit launches generative AI–powered digital assistant for small businesses and consumers



Intuit, the prominent U.S. financial and accounting software company, has introduced its inaugural customer-centric generative AI-driven solution known as Intuit Assist. Functioning as a digital assistant, it is seamlessly integrated into Intuit's suite of platforms and products, including TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp. With a consistent user interface, Intuit Assist leverages contextual datasets to deliver personalized recommendations to the company's vast customer base of over 100 million small businesses and consumers worldwide. This innovative offering also facilitates human assistance through Intuit's live platform when necessary. The digital assistant was created using GenOS, Intuit's proprietary operating system based on generative AI, which was launched in June to empower developers in incorporating AI across the company's product portfolio.


2021. Zoho Invoice is now free for SMBs



Zoho Invoice is now offering complete free access to small and medium-sized businesses. This decision reflects Zoho's strong dedication to empowering the SMB community. With Zoho Invoice becoming free, the developers are reinforcing their commitment to enhance user experience by investing in regular updates and new features. The ultimate goal is to streamline the invoicing process and make it as simple as possible for users.


2020. Intuit acquires inventory management software TradeGecko



Intuit, a US-based business and financial software company, has made a deal to purchase TradeGecko, a Singaporean software-as-a-service company specializing in online inventory and order management software for small businesses. The acquisition, valued at $80 million, aims to combine TradeGecko's inventory and order management capabilities with Intuit's QuickBooks accounting platform. This integration will enable QuickBooks Online customers to effectively launch and oversee products across online and offline sales channels. Additionally, they will be able to handle orders and inventory fulfillment from different channels and multiple inventory locations, as stated in the announcement.


2017. Intuit acquired time-tracker TSheets



Intuit, the company renowned for products like QuickBooks, has recently made a significant acquisition. They have acquired TSheets, a time-tracking service and employee scheduling app with a customer base exceeding 35,000, for a total of $340 million. Given the substantial overlap in their target markets, primarily catering to small and medium-sized businesses, it's evident that QuickBooks and TSheets complement each other. In fact, Intuit reveals that the two companies already share 12,000 customers, indicating an existing synergy. This acquisition is not primarily aimed at acquiring new customers but rather at enhancing the QuickBooks ecosystem. It's worth noting that TSheets already integrates with QuickBooks. Throughout my discussions with Intuit in recent months, it has become apparent that their current product plans revolve around minimizing friction, particularly in relation to QuickBooks, aligning with their commitment to creating seamless experiences for their users.


2014. Intuit acquired cloud integration service ItDuzzit



Intuit is further expanding its cloud platform for small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) through the acquisition of itDuzzit, a startup offering integration tools for connecting various web and mobile apps within enterprises. This can be likened to the functionality of IFTTT but tailored for business needs. Intuit's intention is to incorporate itDuzzit into its QuickBooks platform, which not only provides accounting services but also offers a growing range of additional services for businesses. itDuzzit competes with similar platforms like Zapier and Cloudwork. The platform currently supports integration with numerous apps, including Asana, Box, Coinbase, Freshbooks, PayPal, and Shopify, with the promise of adding more apps in the future. In essence, this acquisition allows Intuit to provide its customers with a seamless way to utilize these integrated apps on its platform, alongside Intuit software, even if Intuit doesn't have a direct hand in each of those services.


2014. Zoho Invoice became available for Windows Surface and Windows Phone



The Windows phone and Windows Surface users can now access and utilize the Zoho Invoice app. With this app, users can efficiently manage their income and expenses, whether they are in the office or on the go. It offers the ability to create invoices within minutes and send them to clients with just a tap. Payments can be recorded as soon as the invoice is paid, ensuring accurate tracking. The app also simplifies the process of tracking reimbursable expenses. Users can conveniently add all their contacts using either a tablet or a phone. The Dashboard provides Quick Insights, offering valuable information at a glance. Additionally, time tracking for projects becomes effortless, allowing users to log the time spent on tasks or start a timer directly from their Windows Phone app.


2014. Intuit buys Lettuce for $30M to add inventory and order management to Quickbooks



Intuit has expanded its portfolio by acquiring Lettuce, a platform designed for online order and inventory management, aiming to solidify its position as the leading provider of cloud-based office solutions for small and medium businesses. Unlike typical acquisitions where the purchased product is either shut down or its technology repurposed for a new service, Intuit plans to keep Lettuce functioning as an independent application. Additionally, Intuit intends to enhance the integration of Lettuce into its flagship small and medium business accounting product, Quickbooks, building upon the existing integration to provide a more comprehensive solution.


2010. Zoho Invoice 2.0 becomes an online accounting app



Zoho released version 2.0 of its online invoicing service Zoho Invoice. One of the major updates is the appearance of Expenses module, so now the service can be used as an online accounting app for service companies. Of course, it lacks legal compliance, but it's a great solution for estimating, tracking time, money expenses and revenues. In addition, the latest release includes a beautiful design, multi-user access to the company account (for collaboration) and an open API, that enables to integrate Zoho Invoice with other applications. Thanks to the tighter integration with Zoho Mail you can link email history which tracks your email exchanges with your clients to the invoice. ***


2008. Zoho Invoice - Review

Zoho Invoice, an invoicing service offered by Zoho, complements their range of on-demand solutions. It competes with similar services like FreshBooks and follows a freemium pricing model, offering the product for free to contractors generating five or fewer invoices per month. The user experience is straightforward, with a tabbed interface separating different functions. While it integrates with other Zoho products, it still feels like a separate offering. Zoho Invoice provides customization options, allows data sharing with CRM and project management systems, and offers features such as automated thank-you notes and invoice reminders. It supports multiple currencies and tax lines, and integrates with PayPal and Google Checkout for seamless invoicing and payment receipting. The real value of Zoho Invoice lies in its integration with other Zoho products, although there is potential for more cross-application aggregation. Security is ensured through Zoho's comprehensive security policy and data storage in Tier 1 data centers. While the service allows data export, a complete data dump option would be desirable. Zoho Invoice also offers APIs for integration with its own products and data importation from other platforms. Overall, Zoho Invoice provides a robust and user-friendly invoicing solution, with additional benefits like multi-tax and multi-currency support.


2008. Intuit launches QuickBooks Online Edition



Intuit dominates the accounting software industry, with its flagship product QuickBooks enjoying immense popularity among small and medium-sized businesses, boasting over three million users. In response to the increasing demand for web-based and online accessible solutions, Intuit introduced QuickBooks Online Edition (QBOE). Although QBOE has been available for several years, its adoption has been gradual yet steady. QBOE fulfills essential business requirements, offering comprehensive double-entry accounting capabilities that enable accurate balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and trial balances. The home screen serves as the starting point for users, distinguishing QBOE from other online accounting applications that aim to present a "dashboard view" of the business. Instead, QBOE presents a process diagram-style interface, allowing users to navigate through different functional areas of the accounting system. The Basic edition of QBOE provides fundamental features such as accounts receivable, expense tracking, and check printing, albeit with somewhat limited functionality considering its $10 monthly cost. On the other hand, the Plus version enriches the offering with additional features like estimates and invoice customization, time tracking, recurrent billing, budgeting, and online billing.