Reviews Cheyney Group Marketing: 7 Top Small Business Accounting Software Choices

[Sabrina Parmatier]

Online and Desktop Accounting Software                                         

Small business accounting software automates tasks and can save you hours of bookkeeping time, and here are the best selections.

Looking for help with deciding which small business accounting features you need?

1. NolaPro (Online)

NolaPro is online accounting software with the features needed by most small businesses and an easy-to-use interface. NolaPro has a free version that works for many small businesses, and if you need more features, you can upgrade for as little as $10/month.

Accounting features in NolaPro include:

·         Order entry

·         Inventory

·         Payroll

·         Point-of-sale support

·         Ecommerce tools

·         Keep separate books for multiple companies

·         No data restrictions, banners, spyware or nag screens

Services for an additional cost include live 24/7 support, financial auditing, on-demand hosting, and customization of NolaPro for specific requirements.

Cost depends on version: free/$9.99/$39.99. Accountant-assisted version available.

2. QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online Simple Start (Windows, Mac, Online)

QuickBooks is popular accounting software that has been around for years and is updated annually. QuickBooks has versions for small business on up to big business environments, secure data sharing with an accountant, and integration with Microsoft Outlook.

QuickBooks desktop accounting software has industry-specific versions and plug-ins to extend features, and if you prefer web-based accounting software, there is QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Simple Start Online is specifically for very small businesses.

QuickBooks Online monthly subscriptions $12.95/$24.95/$39.95/$63.95/$78.95

QuickBooks for Windows: $229.95/$399.95/$600 (Enterprise)

QuickBooks for Mac: $229.99

3. Sage Peachtree Accounting (Windows)

Peachtree accounting software has four versions to meet the needs of a variety of businesses, including Peachtree Pro for small businesses. Peachtree also has versions for nonprofit organizations, manufacturing, construction and other industries.

Peachtree integrates with ACT! contact management software and a variety of add-on services are available to extend features, like payroll and merchant accounts. At the time this was written, I could find no online accounting software from Sage.

Cost depends on version: $229/$299/$499

4. LessAccounting (Online)

LessAccounting is web based accounting software for small business that has been evolving with more robust features while keeping the focus on simple.

Features include:

·         Contact management

·         Sales leads tracking

·         Business expense tracking

·         Online invoicing

·         Mileage tracker

·         Accounting reports

·         Data sharing with an accountant.

LessAccounting offers unlimited entries, SSL encryption and other data security measures.

LessAccounting imports contact information from Basecamp, Highrise and Gmail, imports data from Quicken, QuickBooks or banks that support QIF or QFX data imports.

Cost: $30/month.

5. GnuCash Free Accounting Software (Windows, Mac, Linux)

GnuCash is free open source accounting software with continued development since 1999.

GnuCash runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and other platforms, has been translated in over 20 languages and utilizes double entry accounting.

Small business accounting features in GnuCash include:

·         accounts receivable and accounts payable

·         customer and vendor tracking

·         invoicing

·         tax and billing terms

·         payroll

·         depreciation

6. Sage Simply Accounting First Step (Windows)

Simply Accounting First Step is from Sage, the same company that sells Peachtree Accounting. While it lacks quite a few features found in higher versions, Simply Accounting First Step includes support for bill payments, invoicing and tracking expenses, and more fully-featured versions are available.

Cost: Simply Accounting First Step retails for $69.99 and has a free 30-day trial, and you can download Simply Accounting First Step to give it a try for free. Another $120 buys job tracking, inventory functions and more features in Simply Accounting Pro. Read More on Facebook Page

7. NetSuite Financials (Online)

NetSuite Financials is web-based accounting software that also helps with managing many other aspects of a business. Depending on the version, Netsuite offers modules for finance, customer relations management and marketing, payroll and employee management, web site development and eCommerce.

Cost: $49 per month small business version.

By Shelley Elmblad