Introduction: Beyond the Sticker Price

Every piece of software is a big deal for a small business. The cost question, however, is key — and the answer is seldom just one number. General ledger software can cost anywhere from a few dollars per month to several hundred, depending on the extent of functionality and number of users you need, as well as the pricing model used by the vendor.

Knowing this range of costs is essential to a good investment. You could spend less only to not have those key features and need to shift at a higher cost overall. On the other, an overly expensive one might stretch your budget too far with features that you don’t yet need. This guide will de-mystify the complex world of payment pricing so you can budget wisely for the financial lifeblood of your business.

The Price Tiers: What You Pay For Your Spend

There are typically three levels of pricing for small business GL software and they each tend to be slightly different in terms of features available and the kinds of users targeted.

Tier 1: Starter / Simple Accounting Softwares ($10 to $50/ month)

Platforms such as QuickBooks Online and Xero own this tier. They’re best for solopreneurs and very small businesses getting their accounting feet under them.

What You Pay For: Monthly per-user subscription. The bottom tier often covers a single user, with extra costs for more users.

What’s Missing: There's no bank reconciliation, and the highest-tier plan is lacking cash-flow and sales tax reports.

The "Hidden" Costs:

Add-Ons: Advanced inventory, time tracking or robust project accounting require you to upgrade to higher-tier plans or utilize third-party integrations at an additional cost (which can essentially double your monthly outlay).

Payment Processing Fees: If you opt for their integrated payment processing, will have to pay transaction fees on all your paid invoices.

Payroll: This is nearly always a separate, costly add-on.

Tier 2: Scalable Business Management Platforms ($50 – $200+/user/month)

The tier encompasses strong ERPs such as Intersoft ERP and other systems for mature businesses that have graduated from entry-level bookkeeping.

What You Get: A per-user subscription with a fuller suite of options than just accounting.

What You Get: A comprehensive, native GL for superior with robust and easy-to-use reconciliation, proven project accounting, in-depth asset management and more. There are no “modules” to bolt onto, the central system is built for complexity.

Unless You Don’t Want to Spend a Lot of Dough The Value Add: Per user, it costs more than Most packages but is geared toward eliminating separate subscriptions for everything (eg inventory, project management, advanced reporting etc). This is usually leading to a total less “money spend”, as well as an optimal, single site-setup in terms of efficiency.

Tier 3: Enterprise-Only Platforms (Custom Pricing – $Thousands/month)

Programs such as NetSuite or SAP Business One are written for big, complicated businesses — and priced that way, often with a hefty annual contract.

Predicting the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of Products

It’s about more than the subscription fee. The true TCO includes:

Implementation & Onboarding Fee: Some vendors require a one-time fee to setup the system, transfer your data and set it up, training etc. This varies from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Training costs: The price of your team's time to get up to speed on the new system. A user-friendly system with decent support resources help to keep these costs low.

Cost of Integrations: If your GL system does not have features built-in that you need, then you need other software to give them to you -- which produces a brittle, expensive layer cake of programs.

The Cost of Inefficiency: This is the least transparent cost. A low-cost system that needs manual workarounds, makes mistakes or doesn’t give you the intelligence you crave is an enormous — and growing — expense in lost time and missed opportunities.

The Intersoft Sells Value: ERP Clarity and A Integration

Here at Intersoft ERP we are big believers in open and honest pricing that should be based on value. We get it, you just need a small business warranty with more power than an entry level machine but not ready for a full blown enterprise model.

Our pricing system is made to be an investment into one consolidated technology stack. You are receiving one, epic platform that will handle your entire business not just your books. This removes the shock costs of add-ons and bolt-on’s so you have upward visibility for a simple predictable monthly bill, driving improved value through operational effectiveness and intelligent reporting.

Questions About Cost to Ask

When shopping around, ask more than the price. Ask:

Is The Pricing Per User? Do You Have Multiple Types Of Users (Full Access vs. Approver)?

What is the cost of this? Inventory, project costing, and advanced reporting—are they included or add-ons?

Do you charge for set up or data migration?

Are you going to increase price in the future?

Conclusion

The price of small business general ledger software is an investment in your company’s efficiency and financial savvy. Entry-level stuff is OK, but in the end, as your business grows up you get introduced to systems like Intersoft ERP. Still? Read on! You’ll also get around the dead-end of disconnected apps and construct a financial infrastructure that will fuel your growth for years to come — even if you’re springing for a slightly higher per-user fee.