Which software is recommended for doing bookkeeping for clients. If you have trialled more that one of these then please share your feedback. If you recommend a desktop based one then please shout out.
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Probably best you trial them yourself
Hi - I seem to have spent most of the past couple of years researching, talking about and using Cloud accounting but have still only used 3 in full (Clear Books, FreeAgent & Xero).
The problem is that there are now over 20 Cloud systems on offer, each marketing themselves as the perfect solution, and so, unless someone is retired and bored, the chances of you finding someone who has used any 3 are very low.
From my point of view, even with 20 to chose from, there's no perfect system and, because there will be a mix of accountant and client users you will invariably have to consider at least 2 systems to best match the users' capabilities as well as what the business needs. For example some will want payroll, stock, project costing, sales orders, multi-currency and others won't and not all systems provide all of these facilities as standard.
PM me with any specific questions if you wish.
We looked at
Zero
Liberty
Quickbooks.
I suspect that all accountants will have to have knowledge of three. For the moment we are using Quickbooks because we have clients withy desktop versions and they find it easier to use a familar format
Xero or VT
VT is great, cheap and easy to use and fantastic as a desktop system, it may not fit the bill for clients with additional requirements such as stock or purchase orders.
Xero is pretty good and have a look at clearbooks too
I would avoid quickbooks & kashflow.
Xero for me
Has to be Xero as they are the leading vendor in this market space.
Kashflow is a okay and with the recent acquisition by Iris may have added benefits in the future e.g. intergration, improved user interface etc
Also worth a look is Clearbooks
Hope this helps
david?
Whilst I also use Xero and think the system is good, for the right sort of clients, why do you consider them to be the leading vendor?
Xero
Because whatever they do, the rest do 6 - 12 months later
Xero will fit any client, almost any size, except those who need detailed stock reporting/control, or those who want very tailored reporting (not how I said want rather than need!).
I do think that now Kashflow has been bought outright by Iris they could be one to watch
well look at QB online its been tarted up proper!
furthermore one can upgrade the desktop version to the online version (last 2 years free)
Hmm?
David - There are over 20 other systems and so, unless you've looked at them all, I'm not sure you can say they all follow Xero's lead.
Specifically there are several aspects of ClearBooks & FreeAgent (the other two that I use) where Xero has had to catch up or has still to do so, for example in sales/purchase orders, emailing documents to attach, integrated payroll, project accounting, EC Sales lists and EU VAT recording in general.
Yes, there are many facilities that can be used with Xeo to make it all encompassing however many involve buying 3rd party add-ons.
Similarly, whilst Xero is a good bookkeeping tool it certainly doesn't ft all of my clients and I have found it far easier to train & educate clients in say FreeAgent than I ever would Xero.
Before I'm accused of Xero bashing (again) I'm not, two of my larger clients use & like it, what I am bashing is the automatic assumption that it is the bee's knees of cloud accounting just because of it's huge marketing budget and worldwide user base.
We went down the same road with deskbound accounting software only in those days there were only 1 or 2 others to chose from.