Best accounting package for small business

Posted by donnameneses PM | on Mon, 16/04/2012 - 21:20 17378 64 comments | report

Hi all

I'm fairly new in practice and don't have too much experience of accounting packages for small companies. My client currently just records cash ins and outs on Excel, but wants to start using an accounting package. It would need to be simple, easy to use and not take too much time to record the transactions (it will be an office manager using it mainly, not an accountant). He wants to be able to use it for sales, purchases, debtors and creditors ledger and if it can produce invoices as well, I think that would be useful. There aren't many transactions each month - maybe 5-10 invoices sent out and 30 expense items. Can anyone give me any suggestions as to which packages to look at? I don't think money is too much of an issue but he probably wouldn't want one that is over the top expensive.

Thank you very much in advance.

Donna Meneses

Comments

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QuickBooks

petersaxton | Mon, 16/04/2012 - 22:37

VT Transaction+

kjmcculloch | Mon, 16/04/2012 - 22:45

Xero

0103953 | Mon, 16/04/2012 - 22:56

VT Transaction+

chatman | Mon, 16/04/2012 - 22:56

You could do a lot worse than

alattax | Mon, 16/04/2012 - 23:23

QB Zero Cashflow Sage

Chris Smail | Tue, 17/04/2012 - 01:05

VT

Hansa | Tue, 17/04/2012 - 01:39

VT

taxhound | Tue, 17/04/2012 - 06:50

Data Import

chatman | Tue, 17/04/2012 - 09:24

VTT+

BigBadWolf | Tue, 17/04/2012 - 09:32

And here's another

ShirleyM | Tue, 17/04/2012 - 09:35

Small bookkeeping/accounting packages

jackcorr | Wed, 18/04/2012 - 23:53

Sage Instant - however...

fionab24 | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 10:59

VTT+

tim@charlesaccountancy.com | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 11:02

How much for 6 months use of Sage?

chatman | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 11:14

Sage 50 - Training and Qualifications from Sage UK in partnershi

fionab24 | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 11:23

Sage

Ermintrude | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 11:34

Not QuickBooks

chatman | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 18:20

VTT=

DpPost | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 11:59

If you need to hold the

bocsta | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 12:22

VTT+

MrsG | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 12:35

@Donna Meneses

ShirleyM | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 12:38

Absolutely FREE Adminsoft Accounts

Consultants4VAT | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 12:57

Renewed link to Adminsoft Accounts

Consultants4VAT | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 12:59

A vote for Quickbooks

Cath Walker | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 13:15

VTT+

richard536@hotmail.com | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 14:44

QB forces you to buy the later versions

chatman | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 14:44

Quickbooks

sneeze | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 14:58

@ Sneeze

taxhound | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 15:10

Monthly reporting in VT Transaction+

vtsoftware | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 15:31

taxhound - you're right of course, but ..

sneeze | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 16:09

All too heavy!

Healthpay | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 16:18

Happy to answer any detailed questions about QuickBooks?

alisonatintuit | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 16:20

Are they VAT registered?

Anishine | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 17:32

QB easy to use?

chatman | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 18:19

How do they force you to use

cathwalker | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 18:28

You are soooooo biased

cathwalker | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 18:30

I have a lot of clients using

cathwalker | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 18:32

Xero

jaybee661 | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 18:42

I would recommend sage

carosims | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 18:56

sorry, but this is why I hate Sage

jaybee661 | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 19:01

QB Backwards Compatible? Really?

chatman | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 19:30

More on QB

chatman | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 20:01

I didn't say it was backwards

cathwalker | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 20:10

QB: Subject seems to have changed

chatman | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 20:24

Another vote for VT

smooreaccountancy | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 20:42

Pants

Kent accountant | Thu, 19/04/2012 - 23:37

Adminsoft Accounts

Consultants4VAT | Fri, 20/04/2012 - 14:11

Adminsoft

jamesbarton | Sat, 21/04/2012 - 18:15

Adminsoft any downsides?

jeh | Sun, 22/04/2012 - 07:43