Zoho One alternatives for small teams
We make Swiftly Workspace, so read this with that in mind.
If a bundle of apps is more than your service team needs, Swiftly Workspace puts customers, projects, approved timesheets and invoices in one native Apple app. Odoo is the closest suite, Teamleader Focus pairs a CRM with invoicing and PEPPOL, and HubSpot offers a free CRM that grows.
Zoho One is a big promise in one license: a large bundle of Zoho business apps from one vendor. For a team of five, that can be more software than the business needs, and every app you switch on is one more to set up and keep connected. The alternatives below cover less ground in different ways. Each is described from its own pages and the App Store.
The options at a glance
| Tool | Mac | PEPPOL | Single sign-on | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho One | iPhone app that runs on Macs with Apple silicon; no iPad version listed | Through Zoho Books, documented for Belgium | Through Zoho Directory, with SCIM | Per user per month, annual licensing |
| Swiftly Workspace | Native Mac app, plus iPhone and iPad | Not offered today | Not offered today | Left out of this roundup |
| Odoo | No Mac App Store app; the web app works on a Mac | Acts as an access point and an SMP | Not compared here | Per user per month; One App Free plan |
| Teamleader Focus | Listed as "Designed for iPad" | Included; higher plans also receive | Not compared here | Per user per month; 14-day trial |
| HubSpot | Listed as "Designed for iPad" | Not compared here | Professional and Enterprise tiers | Per seat, with a free CRM plan |
Every tool here has an app for iPhone. Checked 2026-10-18 on zoho.com, odoo.com, teamleader.eu, hubspot.com and the App Store. Zoho: Zoho One pricing, its listing, Zia, Zoho Directory (with its SAML apps help, checked 2026-10-25) and Zoho Books e-invoicing. Odoo: pricing, its listing, documentation on mobile apps, electronic invoicing and AI keys. Teamleader: home page, pricing and listing. HubSpot: CRM pricing, listing, Breeze Assistant and single sign-on. We leave prices out on every side.
Why teams look past Zoho One, and why many stay
Zoho One is priced per user per month with annual licensing, and offers a free trial. Its AI is Zia, with an option to bring your own OpenAI key, and Zoho Directory adds SAML single sign-on and SCIM provisioning. PEPPOL sits in Zoho Books, where Zoho documents it for Belgium. On Apple devices, the Zoho One app is listed for iPhone, with no iPad version listed, and runs on Macs with Apple silicon. If you want one vendor for most of the business, that is a strong package. Our Swiftly Workspace and Zoho One comparison sets the two side by side.
Swiftly Workspace: one app for service work
Swiftly is narrower than a suite on purpose. It is a native Mac app with an iPhone and iPad app, built for businesses whose work runs from a customer to a project to an invoice. On the Mac, each customer or invoice opens in its own window.
- Customers with contacts and addresses, plus vendors and their bills.
- Invoices, credit notes and proforma invoices, each a draft a person finalizes, and customer payments allocated to the open invoice they pay.
- Projects as Phases, Work Packages and Tasks with a budgeted amount, timesheets reviewed in Timesheet Approvals, and Invoice this project to turn approved billable hours into a draft invoice.
- Roles with field-level permissions.
- AI with your company's own key for a provider such as OpenAI, Gemini or Mistral, or Apple Intelligence on the device.
What Swiftly doesn't do: it doesn't send or receive PEPPOL e-invoices today, it has no estimates, it is not accounting software, and it doesn't offer company single sign-on today. It runs on Apple devices.
Odoo: the other big suite
If you like the idea of a suite but want a different one, Odoo is the natural comparison. Its One App Free plan gives you one app with unlimited users on Odoo Online, and paid plans are priced per user per month with a free trial. Its documentation says Odoo acts as both a PEPPOL access point and an SMP, and its AI app works with your own OpenAI or Gemini key. There is an iPhone and iPad app; on a Mac you use Odoo in the browser or as a web app, which its documentation recommends. See how Swiftly compares with Odoo, or our roundup of Odoo alternatives.
Teamleader Focus: CRM and invoicing, with e-invoices
Teamleader Focus brings a CRM, invoicing and quotations together, priced per user per month, with a 14-day trial. PEPPOL e-invoices are included: the entry plan sends them, and the higher plans send and receive. Project management is a paid add-on rather than part of the base plans, and its assistant is Focus AI, with AI credits per account. The App Store lists its Mac version as "Designed for iPad". Choose it if your customers expect PEPPOL e-invoices now; our explainer on what PEPPOL is covers the basics, and our Teamleader Focus comparison covers the rest.
HubSpot: start free, add as you grow
HubSpot starts with a free CRM plan and adds paid seats as the team grows, with Breeze Assistant included with every subscription and single sign-on on the Professional and Enterprise tiers. Its Mac version is listed as "Designed for iPad". Choose it if sales and marketing are the parts of the business you want covered before anything else. Our roundup of HubSpot alternatives for small service businesses compares it with more tools.
Suite, focused app, or a few good tools
There are three honest ways to run a small business on software. A suite covers almost everything from one vendor, at the cost of setup and a license per person. A focused app covers one way of working end to end and leaves the rest to other tools. A few specialist tools, each strong at its own job, need you to keep them in sync. Write down the three or four jobs your team does every week, and choose the setup that handles those without the most clicks in between.
What to test in a trial
- Pick one real job. A customer, a project, a week of hours and the invoice that closes it.
- Count the setup. Note every app, module or setting you had to switch on before that job worked.
- Check the devices. Install each tool on the iPhone, iPad and Mac your team uses, and see how it runs on each.
- Check e-invoicing. If your customers expect PEPPOL, send a test document from the tools that offer it.
- Bring your records. Swiftly Workspace imports customers and their contacts, vendors, items, open invoices, payments and projects from CSV or XLSX; bring across invoices that are still fully unpaid.
Frequently asked questions
What is the simplest Zoho One alternative for a service business?
A focused app usually needs the least setup. Swiftly Workspace covers customers, projects, approved timesheets, invoices and payments in one native Apple app, so there are no modules to choose or connect.
Which Zoho One alternatives send PEPPOL e-invoices?
Odoo acts as a PEPPOL access point and an SMP, and Teamleader Focus includes PEPPOL e-invoices, with receiving on its higher plans (checked 2026-10-18). Swiftly Workspace doesn't send or receive PEPPOL e-invoices today.
Should a small team buy a suite or separate apps?
It depends on how many areas you need to run well this year. If it is two or three, a focused app or a couple of tools is often easier to set up and keep tidy. If you already need many areas covered by one vendor, a suite can save the work of connecting them.
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Create your account on the web, then set up your workspace in the app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
