|
|
|
|
|
The following links are to sites that provide access to suitable, free and low cost software that can be used for small business accounting purposes. They are listed in alphabetic order which has no significance in any ranking of the systems for use
Eventually these will all be evaluated by Doing Your Own Accounts and guidelines added. We do not get into ‘best value’ assessments since there is so much that is controlled by the user themselves
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs web site includes sources of software suitable for use in making online returns. Doing Your Own Accounts recommends that you use the free online self assessment service available from HMRC. Contact us for guidance if needed
Accountz is a multi-platform system that provides a range of products from Personal Accountz to three levels of Business Accountz. Price seems reasonable
Clearbooks currently in beta status offers free on-line accounting services to bona fide start up and small businesses. The pricing structure for two higher levels of the scheme is not yet fixed but it looks as if it will be cheaper than Kashflow, however the conditions of the subscription are not clear
Clever Accounts an on-line system for a monthly fee that seems to cover everything needed by a small enterprise. About the same contract and monthly charge as KashFlow. A free trial version is available
DIYAccounting a basic system intended for the self employed. Uses Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for data entry and reporting. Provides a spreadsheet version of a tax return. Additional modules are available for payroll and VAT. A similar system for a Limited Company provides a more tax friendly version of the return and is available with payroll and VAT facilities included. This is a one man band offering on line and telephone support. Price is reasonable although it might indicate that you get what you pay for
KashFlow an on-line system that seems to have grown quite well during the time that it has been in use. It allows for users to make their data entries that are then stored at a London Docklands server. Reports can be accessed and with the backup facility the data can be held locally. Price is quite competitive and a month by month contract and payment facility is available. A free trial version is provided. See Review of July 2011by AccountingWeb
Microsoft Office Accounting Express a free and very effective package, quite easy to use with plenty of guidance and well suited to the Do It Yourself enterprise. We use this ourselves for every day work. It can be included as part of a Microsoft Office package
MYOB BusinessBasics said to be easy bookkeeping for start-ups, sole traders and small businesses. Process sales, manage your VAT and track who owes you money
QuickBooks SimpleStart
says that it makes it easy to prepare professional invoices, create estimates, process sales and expenses and manage customers and suppliers - quickly and easily. Claimed to be so easy to use that you'll have completed your book-keeping and be back doing what you do best - building your business. Quite expensive
Sage Start-Up is said to be designed to take the pain out of planning, managing and growing a business is a fantastic new service for the pre-start and early start-up enterprises. It provides planning tools and resources, comprehensive support, plus cash, diary and transaction management software, all as part of one cost-effective, subscription-based service. Quite expensive and probably too elaborate for the small business
Simply Books the software is British, written for non-accountants running simple businesses. Very cheap but look out for the add ons and the annual support fees that will make the product less competitive
is a basic accounting software package designed for self-employed individuals and small businesses. Good price and worth a look. A 60 day trial is available
TAS Books Basic is a free for life system. Now part of the SAGE Group it looks as if they are going to go back to their roots for providing for the small business where they originally started. We plan to evaluate this and will report our findings here and in our Newsletter
Comments and suggestions for improving this site are appreciated and should be addressed to administration
Last Update 08-Jan-2012
Date first published 07-Nov-2005