Irish businesses reviewing their accounting software are often choosing between BrightBooks and Zoho Books. Both platforms are well established, but they are designed with different priorities in mind.
At Nexus Improvement, we have helped a growing number of Irish businesses move from BrightBooks to Zoho Books. This article explains why that shift is happening, while being clear about the trade-offs, particularly around payroll and VAT.
What is BrightBooks?
BrightBooks is a cloud accounting platform developed with Irish and UK businesses in mind. Formerly known as Surf Accounts, it forms part of the Bright software suite, alongside BrightPay payroll.
BrightBooks is typically chosen by businesses that want:
- Straightforward bookkeeping
- Irish VAT reporting formats out of the box
- Tight integration with BrightPay
- A traditional, accountant-led accounting workflow
For many small and stable businesses, BrightBooks does exactly what it says on the tin.
What is Zoho Books?
Zoho Books is a cloud-based accounting platform that sits within the wider Zoho ecosystem. It is designed not just for bookkeeping, but for running a connected business across finance, sales, operations, and reporting.
Zoho Books supports:
- Invoicing, expenses, bank feeds and reconciliation
- Projects and time tracking
- Automation through workflow rules
- Integration with CRM, inventory, subscriptions, and analytics tools
For growing businesses, Zoho Books is often selected as part of a broader systems strategy rather than as a standalone accounts package.
Payroll, A Key Difference for Irish Businesses
This is one of the most important differences to understand.
BrightBooks and BrightPay
BrightBooks integrates directly with BrightPay, which is widely used by Irish employers and accountants. For businesses that want accounting and payroll within one vendor ecosystem, this is a clear advantage.
Zoho Books and payroll
Zoho Payroll is not currently available in Ireland or the EU. Zoho’s own documentation confirms availability in countries such as the USA, UAE, and India, but not Ireland.
Irish businesses using Zoho Books typically:
- Continue using BrightPay or another Irish payroll system
- Post payroll journals into Zoho Books
This is a genuine consideration for businesses moving from BrightBooks, and one that should be factored into any decision.
VAT and Revenue Reporting, What Irish Businesses Need to Know
VAT handling is another area where clarity matters.
BrightBooks and VAT
BrightBooks provides VAT reports aligned to Irish VAT requirements, making it relatively straightforward to prepare VAT returns for submission through Revenue Online Service (ROS).
Zoho Books and VAT (Ireland)
Most Irish businesses use the Zoho Books Global Edition, not the UK edition.
In the Global Edition:
- Zoho Books supports tax configuration and tax tracking
- It provides generic tax reports
- It does not provide a dedicated Irish VAT3 return report
- There is no direct submission to Revenue ROS
Revenue requires VAT3 returns to be filed through ROS. Zoho Books is typically used to manage transactions and calculate tax, with VAT figures then reviewed and submitted in ROS separately.
Where structured VAT reporting is required, many Irish businesses build custom VAT reports using Zoho Analytics, which is designed to sit on top of Zoho Books data and provide tailored reporting.
Automation and Efficiency
This is where many businesses begin to feel limited by BrightBooks.
BrightBooks
- Focused on core bookkeeping
- Limited automation
- More manual steps as transaction volumes increase
Zoho Books
- Automated invoice reminders
- Workflow rules for approvals and notifications
- Automated data flow across connected Zoho apps
- Reduced reliance on spreadsheets and manual processes
For businesses that value efficiency and process improvement, Zoho Books tends to offer significantly more flexibility.
Integration and Long-Term Scalability
BrightBooks integrates well within the Bright ecosystem, particularly payroll.
Zoho Books integrates natively with:
- Zoho CRM
- Zoho Inventory
- Zoho Projects
- Zoho Subscriptions
- Zoho Analytics
For businesses that want one connected system across sales, finance, delivery, and reporting, Zoho Books offers far greater long-term scalability.
Why Are Irish Businesses Moving from BrightBooks to Zoho Books?
From our experience, common reasons include:
- Outgrowing basic bookkeeping software
- Wanting accounting to connect properly with CRM and operations
- Reducing manual admin and duplication
- Improving visibility through better reporting
- Planning for growth without replacing systems again later
BrightBooks remains a solid option for straightforward accounting needs. Zoho Books is typically chosen when the business itself is becoming more complex.
Which One is Right for Your Business?
BrightBooks may suit you if:
- You want accounting and payroll tightly integrated
- Your processes are relatively stable
- You prefer out-of-the-box Irish VAT reporting
Zoho Books may suit you if:
- You want automation and process efficiency
- You already use, or plan to use, a CRM
- You need flexible reporting through Zoho Analytics
- You are planning for growth and system integration
Thinking of Moving from BrightBooks to Zoho Books?
Switching accounting platforms is not just about software, it is about improving how your business runs day to day.
At Nexus Improvement, we help Irish businesses:
- Assess whether Zoho Books is the right fit
- Migrate cleanly from BrightBooks
- Design VAT and reporting solutions using Zoho Analytics
- Integrate accounting with CRM and operations
If BrightBooks no longer fits how your business works, Zoho Books may be the more future-proof option. Contact us to find out more.