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About ZipBooks

ZipBooks Review: Accounting Software for Lawyers

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Lawyerist Rating for ZipBooks

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Rating Breakdown

Our Rating: 4.5/5

Our rating is based on our subjective judgment. Use our resources—including our rating and community ratings and reviews—to find the best fit for your firm.

4.5/5

Overview
Featured Rating

What is ZipBooks?

Our review finds that ZipBooks is a decent option for attorneys who want to handle business accounting outside of their practice management software. Users will want to make sure their other software works and plays well with the platform before migrating their financial data.

Starting Cost: Free

Pros
  • DIY
  • Free Tier
  • Project Accounting
Cons
  • Lack of Integrations
  • Not for Legal Field
  • Difficult Trust Account Mgmt
Overview
Featured Ratings

ZipBooks Review: Accounting Software for Lawyers Features

Customer Experience & Support

/5

Price & Value

/5

Security

/5

Innovation & Future-Proofing

/5

Overview
Featured Rating
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ZipBooks Review: Accounting Software for Lawyers Video

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Product Details

Apps
  • iOS
  • Web

Core Features

For Accounting & Bookkeeping, the following are essential features, and you should therefore expect to see a check in every box in this section.

Yes
No

Free Trial

Basic Bookkeeping

This means simple double-entry bookkeeping.

Connect Bank Accounts

Link your bank accounts for up-to-date transaction information with little or no manual data entry.

Billing/Invoicing

Online Payments

This means the ability to accept credit card or echeck payments within your accounting software, either through its own payment portal or via a third-party integration like PayPal or Square. Most online payments involve a separate processing fee.

Timekeeping

Mileage Tracking

Keep track of miles traveled visiting clients or heading to the courthouse, making it easier to tally for taxes or billing purposes or add to your expense reports.

Bill Payment

Pay your firm's bills without leaving your accounting software.

Statement Reconciliation

Helps with the complex task of balancing your business accounts. Does not necessarily include more advanced reconciliation features like three-way trust account reconciliation.

Payroll

Payroll includes automatically calculating employee taxes, printing checks, and paying by direct deposit.

Tax Preparation

Some accounting software can also be used to prepare taxes for your firm so you can review, approve, and even pay your taxes all in one place.

Reporting

Businesses need reports to help assess key business performance indicators like profit and accounts receivable. Some products have more robust reporting features than others.

Foreign Currencies

Check Printing

Contact Management

Store contacts for invoicing or billing purposes.

User Management

User Management means the software allows your firm to differentiate between persons who have access to the information and adjust their levels of access based on their relevant users statuses.

Split Origination Reporting

This means that the product allows your firm not only to track where a file came from but also to allocate a percentage of the origination to individual users.

Recurring Payments

Some providers will allow you to set up recurring payments for your clients that will be automatically debited based on selections your clients make.

Trust Account Management

This means the product allows you to differentiate between client trust accounts and track them individually. It also means that the product helps you manage your three-way reconciliation.

Compare ZipBooks Similar Products

Select another product to compare:

ZipBooks

4.5/5

ZipBooks Logo
Pros
  • DIY
  • Free Tier
  • Project Accounting
Cons
  • Lack of Integrations
  • Not for Legal Field
  • Difficult Trust Account Mgmt

Bench

Bench Bookkeeping Accounting Logo for Lawyerist Affinity Benefits Partner program
Pros
  • DIY
  • Bookkeeping Service
  • Cloud-based
Cons
Read Bench Review

Accounting Girl

4.6/5

Accounting Girl Logo
Pros
  • Advanced Trust Accounting
  • Bookkeeping Service
  • CFO Services
Cons
  • Lack of Integrations
  • Not DIY
  • Not for Large Firms
Read Accounting Girl Review

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I use ZipBooks?

ZipBooks is a web-based software and can thus be used on any device running a modern web browser. Their website is also mobile-responsive, for easier use on smartphones and tablets.

What is the price of ZipBooks?

The software has pricing tiers ranging from free (Starter; 1 user and 1 bank account) to $15/mo. (Smarter; 5 users, multiple bank accounts, and time tracking), and $35/mo. (Sophisticated; unlimited users, tagging, shared documents, quicker reconciliation, better reporting, and locking of completed books).

Is ZipBooks secure?

Yes. ZipBooks uses bank-grade 256-bit TLS encryption for data in transit. When stored on ZipBooks’ servers, the data is encrypted using either AES256 or AES128. ZipBooks does not store any credit card data for ePayments—it’s all tokenized and “seen” only by your chosen payment provider. Finally, ZipBooks’ data centers feature “safeguards like custom-designed electronic access cards, alarms, vehicle access barriers, perimeter fencing, metal detectors, and biometrics.”

Does ZipBooks integrate with my Law Practice Management Software?

No. ZipBooks does not directly integrate with any LPMS product. It integrates with several payment providers and with Gusto.

Can ZipBooks handle my law firm's trust accounting?

ZipBooks is not designed specifically for legal. The trust account-specific features and reports that a law firm would need are not available.

Is ZipBooks good for solos?

ZipBooks is designed to be approachable for the small business and sole proprietor. Their support section even offers an “Accounting 101” article on “Accounting basics for non-accountants.”

Will ZipBooks connect to my online bank account?

Yes, ZipBooks can connect to online bank accounts. The support transactions from “thousands of financial institutions, including many of the top banks in the U.S. and Canada.”

Can my law firm manage users with ZipBooks?

Yes. Every plan above the free “Starter” tier supports five or more users.

Will my law firm's accountant be able to use ZipBooks?

Yes. You could make the firm’s accountant a user in your system. ZipBooks provides a special “Accountant Access” feature that makes it easy to share information with your financial professionals.

Can my firm accept ePayments with ZipBooks?

Yes, you can run ePayments via integrations with Square and PayPal.

Additional Details about ZipBooks

Security

ZipBooks uses data centers to store your data that have on-site security guards and biometrics to restrict access only to authorized individuals. They also have third-party security experts run routine audits to make sure their security measures are up to the highest industry standards. Your data is backed up in a number of different locations, so you’ll always have cloud access as long as you have a connection.

Payroll

While ZipBooks does not have payroll features, they work closely with Gusto (including a Gusto integration) to manage your payroll needs. If you use a different payroll provider, ZipBooks can help you import that data into its software as well.

Who ZipBooks is for

ZipBooks is aimed at solos and small businesses seeking web-based accounting. It is not focused on the legal market. For example, it does not specifically cater to trust accounts. In addition to core financials, ZipBooks also directly connects to major banks and accepts electronic payments via Square and PayPal.

ZipBooks is not for attorneys whose accountants don’t use the software. Most firms would be better off with QuickBooks or Xero, depending on what software their accountant requires.

Not sure where to begin? Download our Field Guide

Take the guesswork out of researching, purchasing, and implementing the right legal tech products and services for your law firm. Our Field Guide answers your essential questions and breaks down the features most important to your business, so you can buy with confidence.

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