In short
- For board billing on one record per horse, start with BarnManager Pro, Stable Secretary Professional and Stables.
- The pricing models differ more than the features: per barn, per horse, per payment, or bought once.
- None of the seven say they answer your phone, follow up inquiries or run your website. That is a separate job.
What a boarding barn needs from software
Before comparing names, write down the jobs. For most boarding barns they are the same five:
- Board and extras billed without a month-end hunt. Recurring board, recurring add-ons and one-off services, each recorded against the horse. Our guide to boarding billing walks through it.
- One record per horse, with its owners, health dates and care notes.
- Care your staff can follow: feeding, turnout and medication as checklists on a phone.
- Owner access, so owners see their statement and their horse without calling you.
- Payments and your books: online payment, and a clean handoff to your accountant.
The seven, side by side
| Product | Price as listed | Billing basis | Board billing | Owner access | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BarnManager | Essentials $40 a month; Pro $70 a month | Per barn; unlimited horses and users | Pro: recurring invoices, split charges, online payments, QuickBooks Online | Owner logins | 14 days (Essentials), 30 days (Pro) |
| Stable Secretary | From $1.99 a month; invoicing on Professional, $8 a month (3 horses) to $78.50 a month (unlimited) | By number of horses | Professional: invoices, online payments (extra fees), QuickBooks export | Owners can be added on paid plans | 30 days |
| Stables | $0 to start | Payment fees, which the barn can pass on | Board invoices, one-time charges, autopay, late-payment follow-up, stall occupancy | Owner portal | Free to start |
| Stablebuzz | Free basic plan; stable plans $19 to $180 a month | Month to month | Invoices with card payment and reminders | Billing history | Free plan |
| Equine Genie | Stable edition $349 once | One-time license, desktop | Billing, statements and built-in accounting | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| EquineM | Core free; finance module €35 a month; other modules extra | Modules, in euros | Services by horse and owner, invoicing | Owner logins | 21 days |
| HorseLinc | Free app; pricing not published | Payments app | Service bills split across owners | Owners pay in the app | Free download |
Notes on each
BarnManager
A flat price per barn with unlimited horses and users, which suits larger boarding and training barns. Invoicing, split charges, online payments and the QuickBooks Online connection are on the Pro plan, not Essentials. Its own pages disagree on whether self-service lesson booking is live yet, so ask.
Stable Secretary
Records first, priced by how many active horses you have. Invoicing, online payments and the QuickBooks export are only on the Professional plan, and online payments carry extra fees. A good fit for a small barn that mainly needs health records.
Stables
Built around boarding: board invoices, stall occupancy, care tasks, e-signed agreements and an owner portal. It is free to start and earns from payment fees, which the barn can absorb or pass on. Its pricing page says it does not fully replace accounting software.
Stablebuzz
Lesson scheduling and boarding admin in one, with free release forms and e-signatures. Stable plans are month to month. A sensible pick for a mixed lesson and boarding barn.
Equine Genie
Desktop software for PC or Mac, bought once with no monthly fee, with accounting built in. The Stable edition leaves out lessons, breeding and showing, and in the US it ships on a flash drive.
EquineM
Modular stable management from the Netherlands, priced in euros: the core is free and you add modules such as finance. Its accounting connections are European packages; QuickBooks is not mentioned.
HorseLinc
Not a full barn system: a payments app that splits service bills (farrier, braider, vet) across owners and lets a manager pay on an owner's behalf. Useful if collecting those bills is your main pain.
How to choose
- Count your horses and users. Per-horse pricing is cheap for 10 horses and expensive for 60; per-barn pricing is the reverse.
- Decide who pays card fees. A free plan funded by payment fees costs you nothing until owners pay online. Check the processor's rules and your state's law before passing fees on.
- Ask your accountant first. Which software they use decides whether you need a live QuickBooks connection or an export is enough.
- Run one month in parallel. Enter last month's horses and charges, produce a trial statement, and check it line by line.
The part barn software leaves out
Every product above starts once a horse is in a stall. None of them say they answer the phone when someone asks about a stall, text back a missed call, follow up an inquiry or run your website. At most barns that work lands on the owner's cell phone at night.
That customer side is what Kavalo Front Office does: your website, booking, a customer list with follow-up, texts, payments and, on the top plan, an AI phone that answers your approved questions. Front Office does not keep horse records or owner statements, so most barns pair it with one of the systems above. If you would rather have board billing, horse records and the customer side in one connected system, that is what White Glove sets up with you.
Questions people ask
Do I pay per horse or per barn?
Both exist. BarnManager charges per barn; Stable Secretary and Stablebuzz's personal plan price by horse; Stables earns from payment fees; Equine Genie is a one-time purchase.
Will it work with my accountant's QuickBooks?
BarnManager Pro lists a QuickBooks Online connection and Stable Secretary Professional exports to QuickBooks. For the others, ask the company and your accountant before you commit.
Can owners see their own statements?
BarnManager, Stables and EquineM describe owner logins or an owner portal; Stablebuzz customers can see their billing history. Equine Genie does not mention owner access.
Can I switch in the middle of the year?
Yes, if you carry each owner's balance over and check one trial statement before any go out. Switch on the first of a month so board starts clean.
What about waivers for visitors and lesson riders?
Stables and Stablebuzz describe e-signed agreements and waivers. For trail rides and lessons sold to the public, see our guide to booking software with a waiver for every rider.
Sources
Every price and feature above is as listed on each company's own pages, checked October 25, 2026. A feature marked "not mentioned" may still exist; ask the company.
