The Outsourced Accounting Tech Stack: Tools That Enable Remote Finance Teams

The right technology stack is what makes outsourced accounting work. Without cloud-based tools, remote teams can't access your data, automate workflows, or collaborate effectively.

But technology also creates opportunity. With the right stack, an outsourced team can often deliver better results than an in-house team: faster closes, fewer errors, better reporting, and lower costs through automation.

This guide covers the core components of a modern accounting technology stack, from the accounting system at the center to the specialized tools that handle specific functions.

The Core: Your Accounting System

Everything flows through your accounting system. It's the general ledger, the source of truth, and the hub that other tools connect to.

QuickBooks Online

Best for: Companies under $10M revenue, simpler operations, cost-conscious businesses.

• Strengths: Low cost ($30-$200/month), easy to use, massive integration ecosystem, most accountants know it
• Limitations: Limited reporting, struggles with multi-entity, can't handle complex inventory or manufacturing
• When to move on: When you need multi-entity consolidation, sophisticated reporting, or advanced inventory management

Xero

Best for: Companies under $10M revenue, especially those with international operations.

• Strengths: Clean interface, strong multi-currency, good API, popular internationally
• Limitations: Smaller integration ecosystem than QuickBooks in the US, limited reporting
• When to move on: Similar to QuickBooks—complexity and scale push you to mid-market options

NetSuite

Best for: Companies $10M-$500M revenue, complex operations, those needing ERP functionality.

• Strengths: Full ERP (inventory, order management, CRM), multi-entity/multi-currency native, powerful reporting, highly customizable
• Limitations: Expensive ($30K-$150K+ annually), complex implementation, steep learning curve
• When to choose: When you've outgrown QuickBooks/Xero and need consolidated financials, complex inventory, or integrated operations

Sage Intacct

Best for: Companies $10M-$500M revenue who need sophisticated financials but not full ERP.

• Strengths: Best-in-class financial reporting, strong multi-entity, good dimensional accounting (track by department, location, project, etc.)
• Limitations: Not a full ERP (no inventory, order management), requires other tools for operations
• When to choose: When financial reporting and multi-entity consolidation are top priorities, but you don't need ERP operations

Bill Pay and AP Automation

Processing accounts payable manually—receiving invoices, entering them, getting approvals, cutting checks—is a huge time sink. AP automation tools eliminate the paper and streamline the workflow.

Bill.com / BILL

The market leader for mid-market AP automation.

• What it does: Invoice capture (email, upload, or scan), approval workflows, payment execution (ACH, check, virtual card, international wire)
• Key benefits: Eliminates paper, routes approvals automatically, syncs to your accounting system, provides audit trail
• Cost: $45-$79/user/month plus transaction fees
• Best for: Companies processing 50+ invoices/month who need approval workflows

Ramp / Brex Bill Pay

Corporate card providers that have added bill pay functionality.

• What they do: Combined expense management and bill pay in one platform
• Key benefits: Single platform for cards and AP, often lower/no fees, modern interface
• Cost: Often free or minimal fees (they make money on interchange)
• Best for: Companies already using their corporate cards who want to consolidate vendors

Melio

Simpler bill pay focused on small businesses.

• What it does: Pay any vendor by ACH, check, or card (even if they don't accept cards)
• Key benefits: Free ACH payments, simple interface, quick setup
• Cost: Free for ACH, 2.9% for card payments
• Best for: Small businesses under $5M revenue who need simple bill pay without complex approvals

Expense Management

Tracking employee expenses—corporate cards, reimbursements, receipts—requires dedicated tools.

Ramp

Modern corporate card with built-in expense management.

• Key features: Virtual and physical cards, automatic receipt matching, spend controls, real-time visibility
• Standout: Strong automation (AI categorization, duplicate detection), good integrations, 1.5% cashback
• Cost: Free (they make money on interchange)
• Best for: Companies with 10+ employees who want spend control and automation

Brex

Similar to Ramp, with strength in the startup/VC-backed market.

• Key features: Corporate cards, expense management, bill pay, travel
• Standout: Higher limits for startups (credit based on bank balance, not revenue), integrated travel booking
• Cost: Free for core features
• Best for: VC-backed startups who need high credit limits without personal guarantees

Expensify

The original expense report software, now with corporate cards.

• Key features: Receipt scanning, expense reports, approval workflows, reimbursements
• Standout: Strong receipt OCR, works with any corporate card or personal card reimbursement
• Cost: $5-$18/user/month
• Best for: Companies that need expense reporting for any card (not just their own corporate card)

Payroll

Payroll is specialized—you need a dedicated system that handles tax calculations, filings, and compliance.

Gusto

Popular SMB payroll with good user experience.

• Key features: Full-service payroll, benefits administration, HR basics, compliance
• Standout: Clean interface, easy setup, good accountant access
• Cost: $40-$80 base + $6-$12/employee/month
• Best for: Companies with 5-100 employees in straightforward situations

Rippling

Modern HR platform that includes payroll.

• Key features: Payroll, benefits, HR, IT (device management, app provisioning), PEO option
• Standout: Unified employee system (one place for HR, payroll, IT), strong automation
• Cost: $8/employee/month base, payroll extra
• Best for: Growing companies that want HR+payroll+IT in one system

ADP / Paychex

Traditional payroll providers with enterprise capabilities.

• Key features: Full-service payroll, benefits, HR, compliance, PEO options
• Standout: Handle any complexity (multi-state, international, union, complex benefits)
• Cost: Varies widely; typically higher than Gusto/Rippling
• Best for: Larger companies (100+ employees) or those with complex requirements

For a detailed comparison, see our Payroll Provider Comparison.

Document Management

Outsourced accounting requires shared access to documents: contracts, invoices, receipts, bank statements, tax returns.

Google Drive / Microsoft SharePoint

• What it is: General-purpose cloud storage with sharing and collaboration
• Best for: Most companies—simple, familiar, integrates with everything
• Key feature for accounting: Folder structure by year/month/type, share specific folders with outsourced team

Hubdoc / Dext

Accounting-specific document management.

• What it does: Fetch documents automatically (bank statements, bills), extract data, push to accounting system
• Best for: Companies with high document volume who want automation
• Standout: Auto-fetch from banks and vendors, OCR extraction, organized archive

Communication and Collaboration

Working with an outsourced team requires clear communication channels.

Slack / Microsoft Teams

• Best practice: Create a dedicated channel for accounting (e.g., #finance or #accounting)
• Benefits: Real-time communication, searchable history, file sharing, less email clutter
• Tip: Use channels for different topics (general, AP questions, close status) to keep conversations organized

Email

Still necessary for formal communication and external vendors.

• Best practice: Dedicated email alias (e.g., accounting@ or ap@) that routes to your outsourced team
• Benefits: Vendors send invoices directly, team manages the inbox

Video Conferencing

Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams for regular check-ins.

• Best practice: Weekly 15-30 minute check-in, monthly deeper review of financials
• Benefits: Face-to-face builds relationship, easier to discuss complex topics than text

FP&A and Reporting Tools

Beyond basic accounting, you may want tools for budgeting, forecasting, and advanced reporting.

Jirav

• What it does: Budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, dashboards
• Best for: Companies on QuickBooks/Xero who need better reporting and forecasting
• Cost: $500-$1,500/month

Mosaic

• What it does: Strategic finance platform—connects to your data sources, provides real-time dashboards and forecasting
• Best for: Scaling companies ($5M-$100M) who want real-time financial visibility
• Cost: Starts around $1,000-$2,000/month

Excel / Google Sheets

Still the most flexible tool for custom analysis and modeling.

• Best practice: Use spreadsheets for custom analysis, dedicated tools for recurring reporting
• Tip: Google Sheets allows real-time collaboration; Excel is more powerful for complex models

Security Considerations

When you grant an outsourced team access to your financial systems, security matters.

Sample Tech Stacks by Company Size

$1M-$5M Revenue (Simple Operations)

• Accounting: QuickBooks Online
• Bill Pay: Melio or Bill.com Essentials
• Expenses: Ramp or company credit card + QuickBooks
• Payroll: Gusto
• Documents: Google Drive
• Communication: Slack + Email

$5M-$20M Revenue (Growing Complexity)

• Accounting: QuickBooks Online Advanced or Xero
• Bill Pay: Bill.com
• Expenses: Ramp or Brex
• Payroll: Gusto or Rippling
• Documents: Google Drive or Hubdoc
• Communication: Slack + Email
• Reporting: Jirav or spreadsheets

$20M-$50M Revenue (Complex Operations)

• Accounting: NetSuite or Sage Intacct
• Bill Pay: Bill.com or native ERP functionality
• Expenses: Ramp, Brex, or ERP-integrated solution
• Payroll: Rippling, ADP, or Paychex
• Documents: SharePoint or dedicated document management
• Communication: Teams or Slack
• Reporting: Mosaic, Jirav, or ERP native reporting