Summary:
QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011 may be the face of accounting software, but its
overwhelming size and accompanying price may prove a challenge for some small businesses.
Here are some free alternatives.
Intuit's QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011 remains the best
small business accounting product available today, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's
the right application for you or your small business. With QuickBooks' depth comes several
layers of complexity, not to mention an accompanying hefty price. Fortunately, there are
several alternatives available for those that need just the basics--and best of all, these
QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011 alternatives won't cost you a cent.
FreshBooks (Free, 4.5 stars) is easily the best of the free
small business applications we've tested.
Zoho Invoice (Free, 4 stars), a member of the Zoho software family, is also a very solid
selection with its well-designed interface, many import options, and custom fields.
Outright (Free. 3.5 stars), like Zoho Invoice, has an intuitive interface, but builds upon
that by giving users the ability to download credit card transactions.
At the back of the pack are Billing Boss (Free, 2.5 stars),
Intuit Billing Manager (Free, 3 stars), and Wave Accounting (Free, 2 stars). These
applications may not have scored the highest marks in our in-depth reviews, but they can
prove valuable to the small business owner who wants to handle the accounting basics on
the cheap.
If you're looking for small business accounting software
that's simpler and cheaper than QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011, check out the links below
for in-depth reviews of six free alternatives that can save you cash and keep you from
spending the majority of your day face-down in an instrument manual. And don't forget to
check out our roundup of the best small business accounting software.
Quickbooks Premier Edition 2011 Starting at $79 first
month, $39/month thereafter QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011 and its more junior versions
offers a superior blend of accounting tools, usability, and integration, but its size, and
price, may prove overwhelming.
Billing Boss:
Free Everything the product does right (no cost, simple interface and navigation,
collaboration, etc.) is tainted by the fact that users must do (and redo) a lot of
unnecessary data entry as they create invoices. It's recommended only if you want to
retire your clunky credit card terminal for the convenience of your smartphone.
FreshBooks:
Free You get it all with the free FreshBooks, which is easily the best of the free small
business accounting applications: client and product/service records, easy invoice
creation and dispatching, document-sharing and reports, and the best
integration/smartphone support on the Web.
Intuit Billing Manager:
Free Billing Manager helps you easily create and e-mail free, unlimited one-time and
recurring invoices, and tracks payments and sales taxes. It's a surprisingly plain vanilla
offering from accounting powerhouse Intuit.
Outright:
Free Outright lacks some capabilities--and some partner choices--that would broaden its
appeal. But the free application's innovation, security, and simplicity make it a good
choice for the self-employed and very small businesses owner.
Wave Accounting:
Free Wave Accounting is a new, free small business accounting site that lets you download
transactions from financial institutions and quickly categorize them. Its invoicing and
expense-tracking can't match competitors', but the company has made a good start.
Zoho Invoice:
Free A member of the Zoho family of applications, the free Zoho Invoice does a commendable
job of creating, tracking, and dispatching invoices and estimates. It's a pleasure to use,
and offers multiple support systems.
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