What is an API and why should a business owner care?

An API is the tap built into most modern software for getting data in and out. Whether your package has one decides how cheap it is to get a live dashboard, a connection to your accounts, or your numbers onto one screen. With a documented API those jobs take days; without one they take a wired-in route and more patience.

My software has no API. Are we stuck?

No. A missing API is not a reason to change software, and switching costs more than any connection ever will. Data still comes out through exports on a schedule, database connections or the vendor's own toolkit; it is simply more work, so allow more time and budget for the first job.

Which business software has a working API? We checked

How to read the table

public means documented and self-serve: safe to plan around. gated means real documentation exists but access goes through the vendor: fine, allow lead time. none means nothing published: the data still comes out, but by export or a wired-in route, so the first job costs more. Vendors add APIs, so check the date; this page says July 2026 because that's when we looked.

Accounts and the systems every firm has

Software	API	In practice
Xero	public	The gold standard. Most job systems also connect to it natively.
QuickBooks Online	public	Likewise excellent.
Sage 50	none	Desktop era: data comes out through its development kit or database instead. A solved problem, not a tick-box.
Sage 200 / Business Central	public	Proper modern APIs on both.
Shopify / WooCommerce	public	Webshops are the easy end of any integration.

Print and signage

Software	API	In practice
Tharstern	public	Browsable, try-in-browser documentation. Our Tharstern page.
printIQ	public	Fully documented; note the API is a paid module on their side.
EFI Pace	public	Well established.
Accura	none	No developer docs published; integration goes through its XML toolkit, arranged with Accura.
Clarity	none	Pre-built connectors only.

Electrical, HVAC, fire and security

Software	API	In practice
simPRO	public	REST, OAuth2, a proper developer portal. Our simPRO page.
Joblogic	gated	Documented, but access starts with their team and IP whitelisting. Allow lead time.
BigChange	public	Developer portal.
ServiceM8	public	Excellent.
Commusoft	public	Solid.
Tradify	none	Accounting connections only; no official API.

Manufacturing and engineering

Software	API	In practice
Katana	public	Publishes a full machine-readable spec. Our Katana page.
MRPeasy	public	Well documented.
Statii	none	Nothing published. Some customers report new API access; ask your account manager, and ask for the documentation.

Stock, warehouse and distribution

Software	API	In practice
Linnworks	public	Documented.
Unleashed	public	Solid. Our Unleashed page.
Cin7	public	Documented.
Veeqo	public	Documented.
Mintsoft	public	Documentation is open at api.mintsoft.co.uk; keys are short-lived, which is workable, just a design fact.
Khaos Control	gated	Real documentation, but dated, cloud product only, and switched on per customer.

Transport and haulage

Software	API	In practice
Samsara and most telematics	public	Telematics vendors are good at this.
Mandata	none	"Open API" appears in the brochure; no public documentation. Integrations are arranged with their team.

Care

Software	API	In practice
Birdie	gated	Good public docs; keys arrive with the higher plans.
CarePlanner / Nourish rostering	gated	Public docs, credentials via your account manager. One API covers both names since the two merged.
Person Centred Software	none	Per-report extraction links are the advertised route; workable for dashboards, but plan around reports, not a full API.

Elsewhere on the high street

Software	API	In practice
Street (lettings and sales)	public	Modern developer portal, webhooks, free on all plans. Genuinely good.
Reapit	public	Developer platform.
Garage Hive	public	Built on Business Central, so it inherits a real API.
Dentally	public	Documented.
Provet Cloud	public	REST plus webhooks; credentials by request form.

What this means for your next project

If your package is in the public column, a dashboard or a connection to your accounts is a days-to-a-week job. Gated adds a vendor conversation to the front. None means the first job costs more because the route is wired in rather than switched on, and it's exactly where we do our most useful work.