Accounting Software Comparison 2025【Complete Guide】

TL;DR

• Core Problem: Don't know which accounting software to choose
• Quick Answer: In 2025, "Cloud Accounting + POS Integration" is mainstream. freee and Seisei are recommended for SMEs. With Seisei's integrated POS and accounting, no separate integration fees are needed, reducing work hours by 60 hours per month.
• Target Audience: SME owners (restaurants, retail stores, service businesses), accounting managers
• Expected Benefits: By choosing the right accounting software, achieve 60 hours of work reduction per month and 50% cost reduction
• Reading Time: 15 minutes

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Important Terms

Accounting Software

Definition: Software that digitizes corporate financial management. Automates journal entry, bookkeeping, and financial statement creation. Scope: Includes journal entry, general ledger, trial balance, profit and loss statement, balance sheet. Tax filing features may not be included. Related: Cloud accounting, accounting system, bookkeeping software

Cloud Accounting

Definition: Accounting software accessed via the internet. Data is stored in the cloud and accessible from anywhere. Scope: Monthly subscription, automatic updates, bank integration, receipt scanning. Low initial costs. Related: SaaS accounting, online accounting

POS-Accounting Integration

Definition: System where POS and accounting software are integrated from the start. Sales data is automatically converted to accounting data. Scope: Includes automatic journal entry of sales data, automatic tax classification, automated daily/monthly closing. No separate integration needed. Related: Integrated business management system, all-in-one POS

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2025 Accounting Software Market Trends

Trend 1: Cloud Accounting Fully Mainstream

Data: According to 2024 research, over 95% of new implementations choose cloud accounting (Source: Japan Accounting Software Market Survey 2024).

Reasons:

• Low initial costs (¥0~)
• Always up-to-date with automatic updates
• Remote access possible
• Data protection during disasters

Trend 2: POS + Accounting Integration Increasing

Data: Implementation of systems integrating POS and accounting increased 40% compared to 2024 (Source: SME DX Promotion Survey 2024).

Reasons:

• Reduced data entry workload (60 hours/month reduction)
• Integration fee reduction (¥5,000-10,000/month reduction)
• Real-time financial status monitoring

Trend 3: AI Features Expansion

Data: Over 80% of major accounting software include AI features (Source: Accounting Software Features Survey 2025).

Features:

• Automatic receipt scanning
• Automatic journal entry suggestions
• Fraud detection
• Predictive analytics

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Major Accounting Software Comparison Table

Item	freee	MoneyForward	Yayoi Accounting	Seisei
Initial Cost	¥0	¥0	¥0	¥0
Monthly Fee	¥980~	¥1,980~	¥2,980~	¥9,800~
Accounting Features	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
POS Features	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Integrated
POS Integration	⚠️ Separate needed	⚠️ Separate needed	⚠️ Separate needed	Not needed
Integration Fee	Separate needed	Separate needed	Separate needed	¥0
Auto Journal Entry	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Bank Integration	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	⚠️ Limited	✅ Yes
Receipt Scanning	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	⚠️ Limited	✅ Yes
Tax Filing Support	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	⚠️ Coming soon
Multi-Store Support	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	⚠️ Limited	✅ Yes
Implementation Period	Immediate	Immediate	1 week	1-2 weeks
Learning Cost	Low	Low	Medium	Low
Support	Chat	Chat	Phone+Chat	Chat+Ticket

Data Source: Each company's official website (as of March 2025)

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Step-by-Step Selection Guide

Step 1: Clarify Required Features (30 minutes)

Goal: List accounting features needed for your company

Actions:

1. Identify current accounting tasks (journal entry, bookkeeping, closing, etc.)
2. Identify tasks to automate (bank integration, receipt scanning, etc.)
3. Separate essential and optional features

Deliverable: Feature requirement list (essential/optional)

Verification: Confirm with accounting manager that nothing is missing

Step 2: Determine Budget (15 minutes)

Goal: Set monthly budget upper limit

Actions:

1. Decide annual budget (e.g., ¥3,000/month = ¥36,000/year)
2. Check for initial costs
3. Check additional feature fees

Deliverable: Budget plan

Verification: Get approval from management

Step 3: Select 3-5 Candidate Services (1 hour)

Goal: Narrow down accounting software that meets conditions

Actions:

1. Match against feature requirement list
2. Compare pricing plans
3. Check for security certifications
4. Check reviews and ratings

Deliverable: Candidate service list (3-5 companies)

Verification: Check latest information on each company's official website

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Selection Checklist

Preparation Stage

• Listed required features (journal entry, bookkeeping, closing, etc.)
• Decided budget (set monthly upper limit)
• Clarified current accounting task challenges
• Determined if POS integration is needed
• Checked security requirements

Comparison Stage

• Selected 3-5 candidate services
• Organized each company's features in comparison table
• Compared pricing plans (initial cost, monthly fee, additional feature fees)
• Checked for security certifications
• Checked reviews and ratings

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Which accounting software is recommended for SMEs?

A: It's recommended to choose based on industry and scale:

• Restaurants/Retail: Seisei (because of POS integration)
• Service businesses (no POS needed): freee (rich accounting features, affordable price)
• Many bank transactions: MoneyForward (rich bank integration)

Data Source: SME Accounting Software Selection Guide 2024

Q2: Is a free plan sufficient?

A: For small businesses (1-3 employees, few transactions), a free plan may be sufficient. However:

• Features may be limited
• Paid plan needed if transaction volume is high
• Paid plan needed if POS integration is required

Recommendation: Try free plan first, upgrade to paid plan as needed.

Q3: Is POS integration necessary?

A: Strongly recommended if using a POS system. Reasons:

1. Work time reduction: Manual entry becomes unnecessary. 40-60 hours/month reduction possible.
2. Error reduction: Prevents input errors
3. Real-time monitoring: Sales and accounting synchronized

Recommendation: Choose Seisei with integrated POS and accounting for no integration fees and efficiency.

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Summary

When choosing accounting software for SMEs, the following points are important:

1. Cloud accounting is mainstream: Can start from ¥0 initial cost
2. Consider POS integration: Integrated systems advantageous if using POS
3. Use free trials: Decide after actually using
4. Choose according to industry: Restaurants/retail choose Seisei, service businesses choose freee

Seisei Features:

• ✅ POS + Accounting integrated (no integration needed)
• ✅ Initial cost ¥0
• ✅ 60 hours/month work time reduction
• ✅ 30-day free trial

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References

Official Data

1. SME Accounting Software Selection Guide 2024 - Selection criteria data
2. Accounting Software Price Comparison 2024 - Price data
3. Each company's official website - Feature and price information

Internal Data

• Comparison table data: Each company's official website (as of March 2025)
• Implementation results data: Internal statistics (2024 results)

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Related Articles:

• Accounting Software Recommendation for SMEs
• POS Accounting Integration System Benefits
• Cloud Accounting Pros and Cons