What’s the best simple bookkeeping app for Etsy digital product income and expenses?

Hi! For an Etsy digital download shop, the simplest “set it and forget it” setup is usually either QuickBooks Self‑Employed (because it’s built to pull Etsy activity in and keep it categorized for taxes) or Wave (if you want something lightweight and mostly expense/income tracking without lots of extras). If your #1 wish is “recurring vendors + fast entry with autofill,” then any tool that supports rules/recurring transactions plus bank/credit card import will feel easy—because you’ll mostly just review and approve.

If you want a couple proven options Etsy sellers lean on (from simplest to more “bookkeeping‑correct”):

1) QuickBooks Self‑Employed (simple + Etsy-friendly)

• Good if you want minimal setup and tax-focused tracking (especially if you’re filing a Schedule C in the US).
• Typically handles “Etsy sales + Etsy fees” more cleanly than a generic budgeting app.
• Works well if you don’t need invoicing, inventory, or a full accounting workflow.

2) Wave (simple bookkeeping, especially if you don’t mind manual Etsy income handling)

• Great for straightforward income/expense tracking and reports.
• Many sellers pair it with a clean workflow: bank feed imports expenses automatically, then they record Etsy deposits as income (or import Etsy data monthly).
• If your Etsy fee detail matters a lot, you may end up doing a bit more cleanup than with an Etsy-specific sync.

3) “Real bookkeeping” but still not complicated: Xero or QuickBooks Online + an Etsy sync

• This is what sellers often move to once they want cleaner reporting (Profit & Loss), easier reconciliation, and less guesswork around Etsy fees/refunds/taxes.
• Instead of entering Etsy activity manually, they use a connector/sync app that posts Etsy sales/fees/refunds in a tidy way.
• Slightly more setup, but then it’s very low effort month to month.

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A simple workflow that stays accurate (and doesn’t turn into full accounting)

This is what I see work best for digital sellers with lots of small Etsy transactions:

1. Use a separate business bank account (and ideally a separate card)

   • All Canva/Adobe subscriptions, fonts, mockups, ads, etc. go on the same card/account.
   • This makes your bookkeeping 10x easier because the bank feed becomes your “source of truth” for expenses.

2. Let the app import expenses automatically, then use rules

   • Create rules like:
     • “Adobe / Canva / Creative Fabrica” → Software & Subscriptions
     • “Creative Market / Envato / Design bundles” → Design assets / Supplies
     • “Etsy” charges (if they hit your card) → Etsy fees / Advertising (depending what they are)
   • After a week or two, most expenses will categorize themselves.

3. For Etsy income: track either deposits (easy) or full Etsy detail (more precise)

   • Easy method (works for many): record the Etsy payouts deposited to your bank as income, and record expenses separately.
   • More accurate method (recommended if you want clean books): bring in Etsy gross sales + fees + refunds (via an Etsy sync tool or monthly import), then reconcile to payouts so everything matches exactly.

4. Do a 15-minute weekly or monthly “review”

   • Confirm categories, mark any personal items, and attach receipts where it matters (fonts/assets/subscriptions).

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Quick tip on “recurring vendors + autofill”

Look for these features (whatever app you choose):

• Bank/credit card connections
• Transaction rules (auto-categorize by vendor/keyword)
• Recurring transactions (for subscriptions)
• Receipt storage (optional, but handy)

If you tell me (1) whether you’re in the US and (2) whether you prefer tracking Etsy payouts only or every Etsy fee/refund line item, I can point you to the best “simple but accurate” option for your exact style.