Accounting Software

[dancin...@gmail.com]

I am curious what folks use for accounting software. I currently use
MYOB's Account Edge, but an frustrated. I had used QuickBooks in the
past, but quit when they dropped Mac support. I resist going back for
few couple of reasons: 1) I hate the way they are dealing with payroll,
2) I'm not at all happy with the 2nd class way Mac users are dealt
with, 3) I think Intuit has gotten too powerful, and they are taking
advantage of their near monopoly; the cost of entry is low but the cost
of playing (upgrades, support, tax tables) is too high.

I know there are other options available but I can't seem to find the
"right combo of price and ease of use.

There is another app I'm considering (again), called Goldenseal by
TurtleSoft:
http://www.turtlesoft.com/

It is more upfront, $499, but then tax tables and support are free, and
upgrades are only $60 per year. The interface is a bit "old" but the
good news is that it still runs on OS 7 thru OS X 10.4 (not sure about
intel). I guess the name, TurtleSoft, means they aren't going to rush
around to "look" new. It is focused on contractors but it also works
fine for a variety of other businesses.

I really look forward to the day when accounting data is standard, so
we can easily switch between applications. I also wish there was more
integrations between apps; I wish Project Management apps would talk to
Accounting apps.

Any other thoughts on other accounting apps?

[JohnO]

Perhaps you should look at Intuit's commitment to the Mac. They have
two companies offering Payroll. You will have to buy tax tables no
matter what software you use. I have not heard of TurtleSoft. I will
look at it. Intuit does offer the cross platform exchange.

[Muad'Dib]

Well since QuickBooks NUE has come free on the last 5 Macs I've bought
I should probably take advantage and use it. Truth is, it's really just
too much for me. My business is one person (me) and it's project-based
work so the CRM and project management aspect of it requires a lot more
attention than my financial. Every 3 months I bring a piece of paper
next door to my accountant with two dollar amounts on it; my income and
my expenses. That's it. So right now I'm using a fantastic little app
called Liquid Ledger. It's really designed for personal use but it's
got plenty of features for my basic needs. It imports all my banking
files from the web and can export into a variety of accountant-friendly
formats. The developer is a great guy and the price is silly, something
like $40 I think. Great UI and it's totally AppleScriptable which is
huge for me. At some point (hopefully) I'll outgrow it and have to take
it up a notch. And it will probably be QuickBooks. I know their history
on the Mac stinks and the functionality is crippled but MYOB is just
not my bag. I simply could not get passed the horridly dated looking
UI. It may be very functional and I'm sure people are having great
success with it but I just couldn't stand the sight of it.

[db]

I think the accountant next door, along with the size and type of
business allows you to get away with such a simple setup. I wish mine
life was that easy. Maybe it could be?? ...

[Muad'Dib]

we'll see what happens when i incorporate next quarter. i'm doing
Subchapter S corp so things should remain fairly simple. it's the
payroll thing which might complicate things a bit.

[MikeG]

I use MYOB Accountedge.... but I'm in Canada and it's no longer
supported here. So far, it's working fine and I've gotten to know it
quite well. I don't need payroll so updates are of no concern. But,
if anything else happens, I don't know what I'll use.

[db]

Well as long as you don't need payroll, you should be fine no? And you
could still do payroll manually, or via a service. Do you have a
background in accounting?

[paul....@gmail.com]

Try FirstEdge. Also by MYOB, the same people who make AccountEdge. I
use it for my business, and while not as robust as AccountEdge, it's
much cheaper and does just about everything I really need.

[db]

Very good point. FirstEdge, along with a number of other similar basic
apps could work for simple accounting needs.