Migrate to ZohoBooks?

September 7, 2025 by Michelle Duford

Migrate to ZohoBooks?

TIL how to migrate from QuickBooks to ZohoBooks.

So why did I do this? For years I have been providing custom migration services from pretty much any other software to QuickBooks Online. This year I noticed something different. Suddenly I was getting requests to migrate FROM QuickBooks Online and most of the requests were to ZohoBooks.

What?! Why the sudden interest in migrating to ZohoBooks?

Especially from QuickBooks Online. I suspect it is due to a combination of the rapid price increases by Intuit plus all the changes to the QuickBooks platform (often without notice and just as often not well tested). If any one has thoughts on this, I love to hear it in the comments.

I don’t really know why the increased interest in ZohoBooks, what I do know is that it seemed like time to take a look at migrating to ZohoBooks. Since I am an expert at migrating accounting systems – how hard could it be? (Spoiler – not hard at all).

So I created an account on ZohoBooks and started looking around. I did find quickly the places where information could be migrated, so I just jumped in.

Migrating to ZohoBooks is like migrating to any other accounting package, first you set up the basics, Chart of Accounts, Customers, Suppliers/Vendors, Item List and opening balances. Sample import templates are easily found.

Importing information was straightforward. I really liked how ZohoBooks does a validation and gives a summary report on the state of the file to be imported BEFORE you do the import. This gives you an opportunity to go back to the file and make any corrections. You can also download the actual error file as well so you can go through all the lines in your import file and make any corrections.

For my test, I chose to upload journal entries. Mostly because I have a code base that already turns an export from QuickBooks into a file ready to be imported. It was easy enough to customize this and create an import ready journal file specifically for Zoho Books.

I couldn’t find anywhere a limitation on the lines in the import file and I tried some with varying number of lines. All seemed to import fine although bigger files can take some time. One thing I would have liked to see is a status on how many records have been imported, there’s just a swirling icon that indicates the progress.

Once my import was completed, I compared the Trial Balance with my test data and it all balanced quite nicely. It is my second day with Zoho, but I was able to create a number of custom reports quite quickly.

I went on to import open Invoices and Bills and setup the GST/HST. Reconciled the bank, and I was done!

It wasn’t EXACTLY the same and there are something in QBO that I did still like better. I created a chart showing the differences I found between migrating to QBO and migrating to ZohoBooks.

Feature	Zoho	QBO	Winner
Import	Clean, opportunity is given to download any errors and stop the import.	Clunky. If there is an error must screen print the error. No way to pre-check before importing	Zoho
Import line limit	Doesn’t appear to have a limit	Limited to 1000	Zoho
Documentation	Documentation for Zoho leaves a lot to be desired. Account types were misspelled, and some type were missing in the import documentation. In some cases, there was no documentation at all for some of the fields.	Very good. Lots of information and videos available.	QBO
Account name structure	Zoho doesn’t allow subaccounts to share name. All subaccounts have to have a unique name. Makes it clunky to name accounts.	QBO Allows subaccounts to have the same name. This is very handy when you are structuring a chart of accounts.	QBO
Interface	Zoho interface was clean and consistent between all modules. The current file in use was always displayed at the top right-hand side of the screen.	QBO screens do not consistently display the file name you are working on. When I first started migrations, I inadvertently picked my own file to import a chart of accounts because the import screen doesn’t show the file you are on.	Zoho
Multicurrency	Even though the file was set to multicurrency, I wasn’t able to create a Foreign AP or AR account. All transactions had to be converted to CAD, so not sure how this works in real life.	QBO lets you create multiple AR/AP accounts (actually forces you to create them for each currency).	QBO for now because it just might be I don’t understand completed how Multi-currency works in Zoho.
Customers/Vendors/Suppliers	Can have the same name	Names must be unique between Customer and Vendor/Suppliers. Causes a lot of duplicate entries.	Zoho

This was my first shot at migrating to ZohoBooks and I feel like it was a success. There are a lot of similarities between migrating to ZohoBooks and migrating to QuickBooks Online. Because it was the first one, I had a lot of manual work in excel to get the imports just right. Once I work through my process the actual migration steps will be very similar to migrating to QuickBooks Online.

Now the next time someone asks me about migrating to ZohoBooks, I can confidently say YES I can do it!

Why your accounting tech stack is important

August 7, 2025October 13, 2024 by Michelle Duford

Whats a tech stack? Why is it important?

Pre Accounting Apps

These apps can take a digital image, like a PDF or JPG file and translate it into a format that can be automatically posted into your accounting software. Three very common Pre-Accounting Apps are Hubdoc, Dext, and AutoEntry. While they all work in a slightly different manner they all have a common purpose which is to reduce and in some cases eliminate data entry.

Cloud Accounting Software

Cloud accounting software has dramatically changed how accounting is being completed. While it isn’t yet to the point where it is 100% automatic there are some real game changing features that cloud accounting brings that you just can’t match with desktop software.
– Bank feeds that instantly pull transactions from your bank account
– Rules that allow many transactions to be coded automatically
– Connections with other supporting software (‘apps’)
– Close to real time access to your financial information and reporting

Payment Apps

Payment apps now exist that automatically collect payments from your customers AND post the payment back to the accounting software. In Canada a couple that are very popular include Rotessa and Plooto. Plooto is also able to pay your vendors directly and you can approve payment on your smart phone.

Cashflow Apps

A big question for many business owners is where did my money go? By pulling directly from the accounting software the business owner is now able to analyse and plan based on very current information. Some apps in this category include DryRun, Float

Reporting and Dashboard Apps

These apps are for the business owner who is looking to grow and monitor business operations. Some of these tools are very sophisticated and can provide a wide variety of information. Many apps also have features that can permit what-if scenarios so the results of business decisions can be simulated. Some examples are Fathom, PowerBI, Spotlight.

So what does that mean for the business owner still working on the desktop? These functions still happen in the business they just take longer to complete. In general, this is because the process is either manual (cheques) or the lack of connections between the software tools require data to be rekeyed to another tool (Excel).

While it may seem to be a huge undertaking to move to the cloud and implement these technologies in your company it all starts with moving your accounting online.

Benefits of going online!

July 10, 2020June 1, 2020 by Michelle Duford

Benefits of Online Accounting

Maybe you’ve heard someone talking about cloud, paperless or online accounting and you’re wondering why people are moving to it? There are a lot of reasons business owners, bookkeepers and accountants are making this change.

Here are our favourite benefits of moving your accounting online.

It’s secure and easy to recover

Working in the cloud means you’re working on a platform with multiple layers of security. If your phone, tablet or laptop is broken, lost or stolen, all your data is safely backed up in the cloud. No more managing upgrades or backups or sending files back and forth to your accountant.

Streamline your business

Going paperless sounds great doesn’t it? It’s possible (and easy) with cloud technology! Use your phone or tablet to capture your receipts and manage your expenses easily. Say goodbye to pesky piles of paperwork taking up space and your energy.

Run your business on the go

Access your data, financial information, reports and the information you need to make business decisions on the go from anywhere, anytime, on any device. Free yourself from the office and enjoy the freedom to run your business wherever you want to be!

Improve cash flow, get paid faster and grow your business

Cloud accounting technology includes online invoicing which allows you to send invoices to customers quickly and seamlessly and follow them up automatically. Modern accounting platforms help you improve your cash flow and get paid quicker – what’s not to love?

Access real time financial data

Cloud accounting software gets you financial data in real-time. This means you’ll have the information on hand to make informed, quick and accurate business decisions when you need to.

Add more to your software

Once online you’ll have access to hundreds if not thousands of helper apps. Think of online payroll, cash management, job tracking, customer management, and reporting tools. There are also many industry specific apps that have been designed to work with accounting app like QuickBooks and Xero. If you have a pain point, there’s probably an app out there that can help.

Get information how you want it

Don’t like spreadsheets or boring reports? Quickly access reports, dashboards and other information in easy to understand visual formats. If you understand exactly how your business is performing, you’ll be better positioned to run a successful business. How can you make good decisions if you don’t have all the right information?

Collaborate with your accountant, colleagues and partners

Grant your accountant access to your file and you can expect real-time advice as well! Collaborate with your business partners and colleagues by allowing and restricting user access as you need.

We love it!

We love online accounting so much that it’s all we do! Our passion is helping businesses move to the cloud and thrive there.

Connect with us today to see how we can make this happen for your business, too.