12 Best Apps for Small Business Owners in Australia

Running a small business from home can look wonderfully flexible from the outside. In reality, it can mean replying to a customer while packing school lunches, chasing an overdue invoice during netball practice, and wondering why the receipt you need has apparently joined a witness-protection program.

The right apps will not run your business for you. Sadly, none of them can also unload the dishwasher. But a good small-business toolkit can cut down repetitive admin, help you get paid faster and make it easier to see what is actually happening behind the scenes.

We have focused on apps that are widely used by Australian businesses, have strong user feedback on independent software-review platforms, and solve a specific everyday problem. You do not need all 12. Start with the one thing that is currently making you sigh the loudest.

If you are still at the “I have an idea, a laptop and a great deal of optimism” stage, read our small business start-up checklist before signing up for every free trial in sight.

At a glance: the best small-business apps

How we chose these apps

A popular app is not automatically the right app for your business. We looked for tools that are available in Australia, have an established record with small-business users, and are regularly praised for being useful rather than merely impressive in a demo.

The best choice depends on how you make money. A cake maker taking weekend orders has different needs from a virtual assistant, a tradie, an online shop owner or someone running a beauty business from the spare room.

Before paying for anything, ask:

• What job is taking me the most time every week?
• Do I need to take payments, manage stock, schedule staff or follow up clients?
• Will this app work with my accountant, bookkeeper or existing systems?
• Can I start on a lower-cost plan and upgrade only when I need to?
• Will I actually use it after the first enthusiastic Tuesday?

1. Xero: Best for everyday accounting and invoicing

For many Australian small businesses, Xero is the app that becomes the financial control centre. It can help with invoicing, bank reconciliation, bills, expenses, GST tracking and reporting, which is a much nicer arrangement than trying to reconstruct your month from a pile of receipts and a vague feeling.

Users regularly rate Xero highly for its clear dashboard, invoicing tools and bank-feed functionality. It is especially useful when you work with a bookkeeper or accountant, because they can usually access the same information without you emailing spreadsheets back and forth.

Best for: Sole traders, service businesses and small teams that want a modern accounting platform.
Watch out for: Subscription costs can rise as you add features, so compare plans carefully and ask your accountant what level you genuinely need.

2. MYOB: Best for Australian tax, GST and growing businesses

MYOB remains a strong choice for Australian businesses, particularly those wanting accounting, GST, invoicing, payroll and reporting in one system. Its local focus is helpful when BAS deadlines and Australian tax requirements are part of your regular admin reality.

It is worth comparing MYOB with Xero rather than assuming one is automatically better. Some business owners prefer MYOB’s Australian tax and business-management features, while others find Xero’s interface more intuitive. The right answer is the one that you and your accountant will actually keep up to date.

Best for: Businesses that want Australian accounting software with room to grow.
Watch out for: Spend time setting up your chart of accounts properly at the beginning. Boring? Yes. Worth it? Also yes.

3. Rippling: Best for payroll and people admin

Once you employ people, admin becomes more than just remembering who is bringing morning tea. You need accurate records, clear pay processes and a system that can grow with your team.

A dedicated payroll platform such as Rippling can help businesses manage employee information and payroll processes in one place. It may be particularly useful for small businesses that are growing past the stage where everything lives in one person’s head and a colour-coded spreadsheet.

Always check that the platform suits your award, employment type, superannuation obligations and reporting requirements before making a decision. Payroll is not the part of the business where “close enough” is a comforting strategy.

Best for: Businesses hiring staff or contractors and wanting more structured people admin.
Watch out for: Payroll and HR needs vary widely, so check local compliance features and integrations before signing up.

4. Square: Best for taking payments in person

If you sell at markets, pop-ups, events, salons, cafes or from a physical counter, Square is one of the easiest payment platforms to consider. It offers card-payment tools alongside features such as invoices, online selling, appointments and customer management.

The appeal is simple: customers can tap a card or phone, you can keep sales moving, and you are not left doing awkward mental maths while somebody waits with a toddler and a rapidly melting iced coffee.

Best for: Market stalls, home bakers, beauty businesses, retailers and service providers.
Watch out for: Compare transaction fees and hardware costs against your expected sales volume.

5. Shopify: Best for selling products online

If your business sells physical products, Shopify is one of the best-known ecommerce platforms for a reason. It gives you a storefront, product pages, payment options, inventory tools and integrations without requiring you to build a website from scratch.

It works well for businesses that have moved beyond taking orders through DMs and hoping nobody accidentally messages “I’ll take it” at the exact same time as someone else.

Best for: Product-based businesses, handmade sellers and brands ready for a proper online store.
Watch out for: Monthly fees, payment fees and paid add-ons can add up. Start with the simplest setup that covers what you need.

6. Canva: Best for marketing when you are not a designer

Canva is one of the most useful apps for small-business owners because it helps you create decent-looking marketing materials without needing a graphic-design degree or a complicated software tutorial.

Use it for social posts, service menus, price lists, flyers, simple videos, presentations, email headers and branded templates. Independent reviewers consistently praise its easy learning curve and huge template library, although some of the most useful features sit behind the paid plan.

Best for: Anyone creating their own marketing, especially home businesses and solo operators.
Watch out for: Do not let the templates turn every post into a different personality. Set up brand colours, fonts and a few repeatable layouts.

7. Trello: Best for getting tasks out of your head

When you are doing the work, selling the work, replying about the work and occasionally hiding in the pantry for five minutes, it helps to have one place to see what needs doing.

Trello uses simple visual boards, lists and cards. You can create columns such as “New enquiries”, “Waiting for payment”, “This week” and “Done”, then move each task along as it progresses. It is simple enough for a one-person business but can also work well with a small team.

For a deeper project-management comparison, see our guide to the best project-management tools for small businesses.

Best for: Content planning, client work, order tracking and simple team workflows.
Watch out for: Keep your board simple. Twenty columns and 400 labels is not organisation; it is arts and crafts with anxiety.

8. Google Workspace: Best for the everyday basics

Google Workspace is not flashy, but it quietly does a lot of heavy lifting. Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Meet can give a small business a dependable home for email, appointments, quotes, shared documents and file storage.

A professional business email address is also a small but meaningful trust signal. It is much easier for customers to take [email protected] seriously than an email address created during a 2011 obsession with glitter.

Best for: Sole traders and small teams that need email, files, calendars and collaboration.
Watch out for: Set up shared folders and file-naming rules early, before FINAL-final-actually-final-v3.pdf becomes your system.

9. HubSpot: Best for keeping track of leads

It is very easy for potential customers to get lost in the inbox. Someone asks for a quote, you reply while waiting at school pickup, life happens, and suddenly it is three weeks later.

HubSpot CRM gives you a place to keep customer details, track enquiries and record where each lead is in your sales process. Its free CRM can be a useful starting point for service businesses that need a clearer system for following up.

Best for: Consultants, coaches, agencies, photographers, B2B services and businesses with longer sales conversations.
Watch out for: It can become more complex as you add marketing and sales features. Start with contacts, notes and one simple pipeline.

10. Mailchimp: Best for newsletters and customer updates

Social media is useful, but you do not own your followers there. An email list gives you a direct way to tell customers about new products, appointment availability, seasonal offers or the fact that you are taking a well-earned break.

Mailchimp is a familiar email-marketing option for small businesses. It can help you build signup forms, create email campaigns and automate simple welcome messages. It is particularly useful for product businesses, local services and anyone who wants customers to return rather than buy once and vanish into the internet.

Best for: Regular newsletters, launches and customer updates.
Watch out for: Email marketing works best when it is useful. Discounts are great, but helpful tips, reminders and genuine updates are what keep people subscribed.

11. Deputy: Best for staff rosters and time tracking

If your business has casual staff, changing shifts or people working across different locations, Deputy can help manage rosters, availability, timesheets and team communication.

It will not stop someone from texting “Sorry, I forgot I had a thing” ten minutes before their shift. But it can at least make rostering clearer and give you a better record of hours worked.

Best for: Hospitality, retail, beauty, childcare, events and service businesses with hourly staff.
Watch out for: Check your award requirements and how the app fits with your payroll platform before rolling it out.

12. LastPass: Best for keeping business passwords secure

A small business can quickly accumulate logins for email, accounting, social media, banking, web hosting, booking systems, suppliers, cloud storage and more. Writing them in a notebook or sharing them through messages is not ideal, even if the notebook is very organised.

A password manager such as LastPass can generate and securely store unique passwords, making it easier to share access with the right people without sending sensitive details around.

Best for: Any business with more logins than it can reasonably remember.
Watch out for: Use a strong master password, turn on multi-factor authentication and remove access promptly when someone leaves the business.

The offline tools that still earn their keep

Apps are brilliant, but not every useful business system belongs on a screen. Tax records, supplier paperwork, insurance documents and signed forms still need a sensible home.

For businesses working from a spare room or compact office, a 4 Drawer Steel File Cabinet can keep A4 paperwork together and out of family reach. If floor space is tight, an under-desk two-drawer filing cabinet may be a more practical fit.

For day-to-day client notes, stock counts or a printed weekly checklist, an Olympia Bamboo Menu Clipboard A4 is a simple option for keeping one active set of paperwork together. It is not high-tech, but neither is finding the quote you need exactly when the customer calls.

If you work from home, your business overheads also include the electricity used by your laptop, lighting, equipment and the never-ending kettle. It can be worth taking five minutes to compare energy plans available in your area or looking at Energy Locals electricity plans when you are reviewing household and business costs. Availability, rates and plan suitability will vary, so always compare the details before switching.

Start with the app that fixes your biggest headache

The best business app is not necessarily the one with the most features. It is the one that gives you back time, reduces mistakes or makes it easier to get paid.

For most new small businesses, a sensible starting stack is:

• One accounting app: Xero or MYOB
• One payment option: Square for in-person sales or Shopify for online products
• One planning app: Trello
• One communication and file system: Google Workspace
• One marketing tool: Canva

Add payroll, rostering, CRM and email marketing as your business needs them. You are building a business, not collecting apps like they are reward points.

And if you are still deciding which kind of business to start, our list of small business ideas for stay-at-home mums may give you a few practical places to begin.

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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