Author Topic: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software  (Read 5487 times)

Ben Hogan

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Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« on: June 25, 2017, 06:26:00 AM »
Are there any good alternatives to Quickbooks, their software is pretty expensive, and are there anything that can do the basic job for a small company and maybe even free these days?


Thanks.

khizr

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2017, 07:34:41 AM »
I am not aware of anything free I would trust.

I do recommend checking out https://www.xero.com/ as an alternative to quickbooks online though.


CareCPA

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2017, 02:43:09 PM »
I believe Wave is free, but I have no experience with it.
Most softwares have a very basic option if you just need record keeping. Of course you could track that in excel if your business is small enough.

SeattleCPA

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2017, 01:18:17 PM »
If you can do the accounting yourself (so don't need help from outside accountant), the desktop software isn't too bad. Consider that you can use a product for several years.

FiftyIsTheNewTwenty

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2017, 04:32:05 PM »
Another vote for Xero.

For free (and open source) desktop software, I've used GnuCash on and off for years.  It's very basic, but that keeps you mindful of what you're doing.

MsSindy

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #5 on: November 02, 2017, 06:27:23 AM »
I just use Excel for my investment business, but then again I don't have a ton of activity.  In a month, I might have 8 bills to track and around 20 incoming transactions that I need to record.  I have one sheet set up for my checking account, then I cross post the item to a ledger for each customer.  Pretty simple.  It helps to know some basic accounting.

tralfamadorian

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2017, 07:24:27 AM »
I've used Wave for the past few years. I wish it was adaptive - ie: "Yes, Wave, for the 1,000th time, a purchase from USPS is postage, not website hosting." But besides that, I like its functionality- pulling transactions from credit and checking accounts, the ability to make custom categories and a variety of reports.

Considering it's free, I'm happy with it and not looking to move to Quickbooks any time soon.

jamesbond007

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2017, 03:14:14 PM »
The desktop software is valid for 3 years. Considering the time it saves (Of course, this depends on the size your business) and potential legal issues you could avoid by automating paying taxes etc. I think QB desktop is a solid value.

alwayssummer

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2017, 08:36:04 AM »
I've been using GnuCash for several years and I'm quite happy with it. The learning curve is a little steep, but the price is right.

Michael in ABQ

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2017, 11:14:32 AM »
I've heard of FreshBooks but never used it. Looks like it's $15/month ($13.50 if you pay for a year) but they have a 30-day free trial. I tried ZipBooks briefly which is free but it was so so. It did link to my bank account and pull transactions but the business I was going to use it for kind of fizzled out before I got started so I ended up just sticking with Excel and a shoe box with my handful of receipts.   

alwayssummer

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #10 on: November 21, 2017, 12:17:06 AM »
I would recommend giving GnuCash a whirl. Again, this is free software, so what do you have to lose?

There's a portable edition (https://portableapps.com/apps/office/gnucash_portable) available, so you can give it a go without even installing it. The UI seems a little clunky, but I assure, it does the stuff accounting software should do.

asosharp

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #11 on: December 21, 2017, 08:25:22 AM »
I currently use Freshbooks and I'm happy with it. However I'd like to have more control over reporting etc so I plan to move over to Xero (which my country has a love affair with) when my contract with Freshbooks expires.

Other than Quickbooks, there's MYOB (could be a regional thing, not sure). That's more popular than Quickbooks I think these days as well.

Depending on your business you could also try Harvest. That's ideal for Freelancers.

I have tried Wave before but I'm a bit weird about it cos it's in the cloud and it's free. There are ads but I doubt ads are enough to cover costs. So I don't trust giving them a lot of my info.

Michael in ABQ

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #12 on: December 21, 2017, 10:23:00 AM »
I briefly thought about becoming a CPA and when I sat down to talk to one locally who worked with a lot of small businesses he said every single one, without exception, used QuickBooks. Also, almost every single individual was using TurboTax. There's something to be said to just sticking with the industry standard, even if it costs a bit more. You're a lot more likely to find it integrates with other things and there's going to be more information about using it.

Kraut Burger

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #13 on: December 26, 2017, 03:48:24 AM »
Xero is fantastic.

Quickbooks is old school.

Have used both. Both are fine.

I've found the financial professional who can use Xero are much are tech savvy.

luciep

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Re: Alternative to Quickbooks, accounting software
« Reply #14 on: December 26, 2017, 07:38:20 AM »
I use YNAB to track all my business income and expenses. I am self employed and it works great for me. I created budget categories that match the ones on the tax form. At the end of the year, I use the report section to get a summary of income and expenses.