Small business accounting software

Emily10531

Hi guys Newbie here!

Just wondering if anybody has some advice about accounting software for small businesses? I'm currently looking at Sage Instant Accounting and Quick Books Pro (no need for any pay roll options). Does anyone have any experience with these and have any pros and cons for each? On paper they seem to offer similar features and having used neither before I want to make sure I make the best decision.

Thanks.

lil.smartie

We found Quick books much easier to use.

Kate

fishybusiness

VT Transaction was my favourite.

nickj_2

i use quick books simple start , i'm a one man band and it does everything i need , make sure you buy it outright rather than paying monthly fee ,

Savvy_Sue

If you have an accountant, ask them what they'd recommend / prefer, they may be able to offer cheaper software and it may make their services cheaper.

Emily10531

Excellent, thanks for your help Certainly veering towards Quick Books Pro at the moment.

Pennywise

Emily10531 wrote: »

Hi guys Newbie here!

Just wondering if anybody has some advice about accounting software for small businesses? I'm currently looking at Sage Instant Accounting and Quick Books Pro (no need for any pay roll options). Does anyone have any experience with these and have any pros and cons for each? On paper they seem to offer similar features and having used neither before I want to make sure I make the best decision.

Thanks.

Both Sage and Quickbooks Pro are for "larger" small businesses and are probably way over the top for the typical "true" small business - i.e. one person, low turnover, simple business model, relatively few transactions, etc. It's not just the cost of them, they're harder to use because you have to work around probably the 90% of the program that you don't need. The complexities also mean that you are led into buying their support which is often very expensive - they both also have a habit of bringing out a new release every year and after a few years withdraw support for older versions, so you have to pay for upgrades every few years.

I'd strongly suggest that you properly evaluate your actual needs and then look at cheaper/better alternatives. For example, as a micro business, you probably don't need stock control, purchase order processing, job costing, etc. I'd also strongly suggest that you get trial versions to load and enter a sample of your transactions so that you can see how easy/hard it is for you and whether the reports etc are appropriate for your needs.

If you're just looking for something quick and simple, merely to record your transactions, then VT transaction is probably a better answer at £130 one off cost - it's got full sales/purchase ledgers, simple bank reconciliation, relatively good/flexible simple reports, etc. If your business is even simpler (i.e. you don't need the system to track unpaid bills), then the free VT cash book will probably do the job. You can download and use for a trial period.

If you'd prefer the benefits of an online/cloud system, then kashflow is well regarded and is a strong contender against Sage and Quickbooks for functionality (and a lot easier to use that Sage or QB).

All in all, please don't fall for the hype of Sage and QB - yes, they're good strong systems and both very popular and widely used, but neither are particularly easy to use and both are relatively expensive. OK, some larger small businesses may need that kind of system, but the vast majority of smaller, one-man businesses don't need anything like that. Loads of people buy them but never actually use them because they get tangled up in the complexities. If you do need QB or Sage, then at least get your accountant or a Sage/QB specialist to set it up for you (create a chart of accounts, enter opening balances etc) and give you basic training in which bits to use and which bits to leave alone. An hour or two of proper set-up will save you a lot of time and stress (and money) long term when you find months down the line that you're not using it properly.

nickj_2

Pennywise wrote: »

Both Sage and Quickbooks Pro are for "larger" small businesses and are probably way over the top for the typical "true" small business - i.e. one person, low turnover, simple business model, relatively few transactions, etc. It's not just the cost of them, they're harder to use because you have to work around probably the 90% of the program that you don't need. The complexities also mean that you are led into buying their support which is often very expensive - they both also have a habit of bringing out a new release every year and after a few years withdraw support for older versions, so you have to pay for upgrades every few years.

I'd strongly suggest that you properly evaluate your actual needs and then look at cheaper/better alternatives. For example, as a micro business, you probably don't need stock control, purchase order processing, job costing, etc. I'd also strongly suggest that you get trial versions to load and enter a sample of your transactions so that you can see how easy/hard it is for you and whether the reports etc are appropriate for your needs.

If you're just looking for something quick and simple, merely to record your transactions, then VT transaction is probably a better answer at £130 one off cost - it's got full sales/purchase ledgers, simple bank reconciliation, relatively good/flexible simple reports, etc. If your business is even simpler (i.e. you don't need the system to track unpaid bills), then the free VT cash book will probably do the job. You can download and use for a trial period.

If you'd prefer the benefits of an online/cloud system, then kashflow is well regarded and is a strong contender against Sage and Quickbooks for functionality (and a lot easier to use that Sage or QB).

All in all, please don't fall for the hype of Sage and QB - yes, they're good strong systems and both very popular and widely used, but neither are particularly easy to use and both are relatively expensive. OK, some larger small businesses may need that kind of system, but the vast majority of smaller, one-man businesses don't need anything like that. Loads of people buy them but never actually use them because they get tangled up in the complexities. If you do need QB or Sage, then at least get your accountant or a Sage/QB specialist to set it up for you (create a chart of accounts, enter opening balances etc) and give you basic training in which bits to use and which bits to leave alone. An hour or two of proper set-up will save you a lot of time and stress (and money) long term when you find months down the line that you're not using it properly.

i have to disagree , qb is straight forward to set up and use ,you don't have to be either a computer or accounting genius to get to grips with them and i picked up a copy of qb 2010 for £60

Mr0

Have to agree with pennywise.

I tried using quickbooks for my small business a few years back and found that the extra effort was not really worth it. The cost isnt really an issue, but many of the functions were simply wasted.

I think that the biggest advantage of such book keeping software is that you can build up a full customer database and record all information in one place. But this is something that only a 'bigger' business would need. Ofcourse thought it may look more 'professional' to clients if that is what they are in to.

I mostly just use excel for my ledgers, workings and accounts. I much prefer the flexibility.

heather_helo

depending on the amount of transactions, excel could work just as well. i prefer sage as its what im used to but as as ive just had an extortionate quote for payroll software id say go quickbooks ( sage are top end on quality but also top end on price)