A Zoho Books alternative with CRM, attendance and payroll built in
Last reviewed by the Agency Cloud team at Nilede Technologies
Short answer
Zoho Books is an accounting app. Agency Cloud is an operations app for agencies and service businesses: GST invoices and payment reminders, plus a sales pipeline, proposals clients sign online, attendance, leave and payroll, all in one place. If you mainly need bookkeeping, Zoho Books fits. If you want invoicing joined to your sales and your team, Agency Cloud fits.
- Invoices, CRM and HR share the same customers and people
- Proposals signed online turn into customers you can invoice straight away
- Attendance, leave and payroll without a second subscription
- Free plan with no time limit
Agency Cloud and Zoho Books side by side
| Agency Cloud | Zoho Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Day-to-day operations for service businesses | Accounting and bookkeeping |
| How it is priced | One flat monthly price for the account | Per organisation per month, free plan below a revenue limit |
| GST invoices | Yes, several taxes per invoice, such as CGST and SGST | Yes |
| GST e-invoicing | No | Yes, on paid plans |
| Lead pipeline and follow-ups | Yes | No, needs Zoho CRM |
| Proposals signed online | Yes | No, needs another app |
| Attendance and leave | Yes | No, needs Zoho People |
| Payroll | Yes (calculation and payslips) | Only on higher plans |
What Zoho Books offers is taken from its own website on the review date. Check the source below for current plans and prices.
Who should choose Agency Cloud over Zoho Books?
Agencies, studios and consultancies that send proposals, bill retainers and run a small team. In Agency Cloud a won lead becomes a customer, the signed proposal sits on that customer, and the invoice follows. The same app tracks who is in the office, approves leave and works out salaries.
Your accountant can still keep the books: reports export to CSV and PDF, and the tax summary report lists the tax on every invoice for the period.
What invoicing features are included?
- Estimates that become invoices in one click
- Recurring invoices for retainers, made from an existing invoice
- Partial payments, tax deducted at source (TDS) recorded against the payment, and write-offs
- Automatic payment reminders on a schedule you choose
- Invoices in your customer’s currency, with your logo and tax number on the PDF
- Bills from suppliers, and income, expenses, profit and loss and tax summary reports
When Zoho Books is the better choice
- You need full double-entry accounting, bank feeds and reconciliation.
- You must generate GST e-invoices or e-way bills from your billing software.
- You do not need a sales pipeline, attendance or payroll.
Questions
Can I use Agency Cloud and Zoho Books together?
Yes. Some teams invoice and run sales and HR in Agency Cloud, and give their accountant CSV exports to post into their accounting software.
Does Agency Cloud support IGST?
Yes. Taxes are rates you name yourself, so you can set up IGST, CGST and SGST and choose the ones each invoice needs.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The free plan has no time limit and needs no card. Paid plans add the CRM, HR, payroll and more, with a free trial.