Accounting software sits at the foundation of every trade business. It connects to your job management tool to automatically pull invoices, reconcile payments, and generate ATO-compliant BAS statements. Xero dominates the AU tradie market, but MYOB holds strong with older businesses. QuickBooks is worth considering if you have an overseas accountant.
Integrates with nearly everything and your accountant probably already uses it — just know the price keeps creeping up and support can be hard to reach.
Handles AU payroll and compliance better than Xero, but the interface feels dated and the ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller. Worth it if your accountant prefers it.
Cheaper than Xero and perfectly capable for basic bookkeeping. The catch is fewer AU integrations and some accountants won't touch it, so check with yours before switching.
Strong standalone payroll engine for award-heavy trade businesses. Does the compliance side well, but it's another subscription on top of your accounting and HR tools.
Interesting concept combining banking and accounting, and it saves time on reconciliation. But Tyro's acquisition adds uncertainty, and the feature set is still thin compared to Xero or MYOB.
Clean, simple tap-and-go payments without the hassle of a bank merchant facility. The flat rate is easy to understand, but it's not cheaper than a negotiated bank rate once your volume grows.