Top 15 Best Software Tools for CFOs
Whether you’re full-time, part-time, or even a fractional CFO, the demands of your role are immense. You’re expected to provide financial expertise, create a solid strategy, and ensure the company’s financial performance aligns with its business goals. But, outdated systems and manual processes can slow down your operations, making it difficult to stay ahead. Your time gets swallowed by tedious tasks, errors creep in, and insights slip through the cracks. You end up firefighting when you should be strategising. In this article, we’ll list the top 15 software tools that every CFO should consider. We categorise them based on their core features, how they integrate into your existing systems and reviews. What are software tools for CFOs?
Software tools for CFOs are specialised platforms designed to streamline financial operations, provide real-time data and support strategic decision-making.Here’s a quick overview of the activities these tools help with and how:- Payment processing: handles customer payments via payment gateways
- Enterprise resource planning: offers visibility into core business processes
- Spend management: streamlines employee-initiated expense reimbursements
- Human resources: manages and automates tasks related to human resources
- Payroll management: manages compensations and financial records of employees
- Accounting: automates accounting-related tasks for data accuracy and better insights
What are the benefits of using tools for CFOs?
Choosing the right set of tools for finance teams is crucial for tracking business-critical financial planning activities, staying compliant with ever-changing regulations and creating a single source of truth (SSOT) for finance stakeholders.Here are some of the benefits that you can experience with tools for CFOs:
Better planning and productivity
The best finance tools also help you automate routine tasks, leading to reduced chances of errors and fewer manual processes. This adds to your team’s productivity and data-driven decision-making capabilities and helps you assess business situations better.
15 Best software tools for CFOs
When it comes to choosing the best software tools for CFOs, you have multiple options to choose from. These tools come with different features, pricing options, and integrations. Evaluate the pros and cons of each tool before choosing one.Here’s a quick look at our selection: Accounting tools1 – Freshbooks: best for intuitive time tracking and project management2 – Wave Accounting: best free accounting features 3 – Zoho books: best if you use other Zoho tools in your tech stackSpend management tools4 – Spendesk: best for centralised spend control 5 – Rydo: best for automated expense tracking6 – TravelPerk: best all-in-one business travel toolPayment processing tools7 – Stripe: best API support 8 – Paypal: best widely accepted payment platformHuman resources tools 9 – Workday: best for large enterprises10 – Breezy HR: best for small to medium-sized businessesEnterprise resource planning11 – Acumatica: best for small to mid-sized businesses12 – Microsoft Dynamic 365: best for large enterprises13 – Odoo: best open-source ERP solutionPayroll management tools14 – Paychex: best for compliance support15 – Patriot: best affordable payroll services for small businessesLet’s look at each of these below:
1. Freshbooks: best for intuitive time tracking and project management
G2 Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars, based on 772 reviews as of August 20242. Wave Accounting: best free accounting features
G2 Rating: 4.3 / 5 stars, based on 293 reviews as of August 20243. Zoho Books: best if you use other Zoho tools in your tech stack
G2 Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars, based on 285 reviews as of August 20244. Spendesk: best for centralised spend control
G2 Rating: 4.7 / 5 stars, based on 402 reviews as of August 20245. Rydoo: best for automated expense tracking
G2 Rating: 4.4 / 5 stars, based on 735 reviews as of August 20246. TravelPerk: best all-in-one business travel tool
G2 Rating: 4.6 / 5 stars, based on 1,535 reviews as of August 20247. Stripe: best for API support
G2 Rating: 4.2 / 5 stars, based on 323 reviews as of August 2024
8. PayPal: best widely accepted payment platform
G2 Rating: 4.4 / 5 stars, based on 2,098 reviews as of August 20249. Workday: best for large enterprises
G2 Rating: 4.1 / 5 stars, based on 1,558 reviews as of August 2024
10. Breezy HR: best for small to medium-sized businesses
G2 Rating: 4.1 / 5 stars, based on 1,558 reviews as of August 2024Enterprise resource planning tools
Enterprise resource planning software or ERP tools are crucial for optimising routine business processes and having a bird’s eye view of the entire business operations. Here are some of the most efficient ERP tools for CFOs to choose from:
11. Acumatica: best for small to mid-sized businesses
G2 Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars, based on 1,558 reviews as of August 202412. Microsoft Dynamics 365: best for large enterprises
G2 Rating: 3.9 / 5 stars, based on 683 reviews as of August 202413. Odoo: best open-source ERP solution
G2 Rating: 4.2 / 5 stars, based on 261 reviews as of August 202414. Paychex: best for compliance support
G2 Rating: 4.2 / 5 stars, based on 1,553 reviews as of August 202415. Patriot: best affordable payroll services for small businesses
G2 Rating: 4.8 / 5 stars, based on 555 reviews as of August 2024
How to choose the best tools for finance teams?
Selecting the right tools for your finance team is crucial for driving both productivity and business growth. With so many options available, it's essential to make informed decisions that align with your organisation's needs.Here are key factors to consider when choosing the best finance tech stack: