Solar Accounts

[That Guy]

Hello,

I am looking at Solar Accounts as it looks very easy to use: http://www.solaraccounts.co.uk

Does anyone else use it or know of a reason not to use it?

The only thing I can see that it missing is a quotation function which is not a problem as I will be using it for eCommerce (no quoting is required) :)

[Fernhurst Solutions Ltd]

Although I don't use it, have heard very good reviews about it ... try a search of it and am sure you will find a thread about the product.

Good luck :)

[MyAccountantOnline]

I am an accountant in practice and Solar is now one of the main packages I recommend to small business clients, along with VT for those with very basic requirements.

I spent a long time testing Solar using my own accounting records and truly highly recommend it.

It's very easy to use, well supported and very competitively priced.

In my opinion much better than some of its more expensive rivals such as Sage and Quickbooks.

[Blackberry]

Solar accounts is brilliant!! it really is very easy to use and there isn't really alot that can go wrong with it, we recommend it to our clients.

Whilst I don't agree with accountants imposing software on to clients, if you have an accountant it might be worth checking what they are happy for you to use, if you start using a package they are not familiar with it could increase your fees.

If you havent got an accountant yet, I would recommend getting one sooner than later and one that uses the software you feel happy using. There are plenty of accountants on here using Solar accounts, myself included who would be happy to help you out.

if you do go for Solar accounts you wont regret it, oh and you can get a 10% discount by buying through my website!

:)

[Jenni384]

Another vote for Solar, it's brilliant, simple to use and excellent value for money.
And the support is excellent.

As Nicola says, I'd recommend it over Sage and QB any day for most small businesses.

That Guy - I love your avatar, it's too cute :D

[That Guy]

That Guy - I love your avatar, it's too cute :D

Thanks all part of the branding for our new site :)

[business123]

Yes, Solar Accounts is great - really simple to use and has most of functionality that most businesses require. By the way, the latest version does have a Quote facility, click on the +New button to view it.

[That Guy]

Yes, Solar Accounts is great - really simple to use and has most of functionality that most businesses require. By the way, the latest version does have a Quote facility, click on the +New button to view it.

It does quotes now too? That's great news. Looks like I have found my accounting package.

Now just need to find an accountant :D

[Brightpearl]

Solar is a good bet if you want to have all your info on one computer, but if you're looking for an online accounting system we can extend the free trial on Pearl to 2 months rather than 30 days :)

[Jenni384]

It does quotes now too? That's great news. Looks like I have found my accounting package.

Now just need to find an accountant :D

Excellent!

There are lots of good accountants on here who I'm sure would be happy to help.

If you want a quote, please feel free to PM me.

[That Guy]

Solar is a good bet if you want to have all your info on one computer, but if you're looking for an online accounting system we can extend the free trial on Pearl to 2 months rather than 30 days :)

Thanks for the offer but not really to keen on having online accounting. I like to know I can sort the accounts even if im having internet problems :)

Excellent!

There are lots of good accountants on here who I'm sure would be happy to help.

If you want a quote, please feel free to PM me.

PM Coming your way very shortly :)

[Alpha]

It does quotes now too? That's great news. Looks like I have found my accounting package.

Now just need to find an accountant :D

Well it looks like you have a decent choice with Nicola, Blackberry and Jenni all supporting Solar:)

[MyAccountantOnline]

Well it looks like you have a decent choice with Nicola, Blackberry and Jenni all supporting Solar:)


Many thanks - yes always VERY happy to work with clients using Solar:)

So do feel free to PM me if interested.

[Blackberry]

We'd be more than happy to help too.

Please feel free to PM for a quote

Kind regards

[WhiskyFive]

Out of interest, how does Solar compare with KashFlow?

I realise one is desktop and one is online - but are there any key differences in functionality or areas where one is better than the other?

[MyAccountantOnline]

Out of interest, how does Solar compare with KashFlow?

I realise one is desktop and one is online - but are there any key differences in functionality or areas where one is better than the other?


I think the difficulty you will have with getting a true answer to your question is that you will struggle to find a user (apart from an accountant) who has used both.

My view is that they are both extremly good packages and very well respected.

The difference in my opinion is whether a user wants online functionality or not and is prepared to pay for it.

In the main packages such as Solar are considerably cheaper and for many businesses are more attractive solely on those grounds.

I deal with many small businesses and know that a lot of them just dont want to pay a monthly fee which is typical of online packages.

If you look solely on cost grounds it makes Solar a very attractive package.

[Williams lester]

As a matter of interest, having never used Solar myself, does it have functionality to import from other packages if clients wish to move to it from Sage or QB or similar?

[Dawg]

Both are very good within their own boundaries.
Solar is a cheap/good value system that has virtually everything a small business needs.
Kashflow started as this but has grown to include modules for various bits of ecommerce, (carts, payment systems) and CRM, as well as promoting the benefits of low end website kits.
Whether this greater offering by Kashflow is what many want, and whether it will lead to Sage type code bloat is a matter of opinion, and also remains to be seen.
But the greater offering at a greater price is the core difference: do you want to pay for something you don't use?

[Mpg]

I'm going to jump in on this if I may........

Ok no objections.

I'm using Microsoft office accounting express. But now that support has been stopped by MS is it worth jumping ship? And going for solar it looks very similiar. which will help my mind get over yet another change

[MyAccountantOnline]

As a matter of interest, having never used Solar myself, does it have functionality to import from other packages if clients wish to move to it from Sage or QB or similar?

I havent yet used it but understand you can import data from a CSV file.

[MyAccountantOnline]

I'm going to jump in on this if I may........

Ok no objections.

I'm using Microsoft office accounting express. But now that support has been stopped by MS is it worth jumping ship? And going for solar it looks very similiar. which will help my mind get over yet another change

Why not give it a try - you can have a 60 day free trial and run both together to see which you prefer.

Might be worth asking if your accountant uses it as well.

I can say Solar support is excellent in my experience.

[Tom McClelland]

I havent yet used it but understand you can import data from a CSV file.

That's interesting, if you can do that we'd be tempted to write a journal output from 12Pay designed for Solar, similar to the ones we've done for Sage, KashFlow, and MSOA. We asked them about this (about a year ago) and at that time I don't think they had that facility.

[Jenni384]

That's interesting, if you can do that we'd be tempted to write a journal output from 12Pay designed for Solar, similar to the ones we've done for Sage, KashFlow, and MSOA. We asked them about this (about a year ago) and at that time I don't think they had that facility.

Solar gets updated quite regularly from what I can tell and with significant improvements, so it's worthwhile asking again.

[JeffPa]

From their FAQ

Does a Solar Accounts licence cover any future upgrades?
A licence for Solar Accounts entitles you to free upgrades to any version we release within 6 months of your purchase. After this time if you want to upgrade to the latest version you may have to purchase another Solar Accounts licence.

Can anyone explain what may alludes to in this context.

[markmclaren]

Wow, I'm glad to see so many positive comments about our software - thank you!

To answer a couple of questions:

As a matter of interest, having never used Solar myself, does it have functionality to import from other packages if clients wish to move to it from Sage or QB or similar?

You can import data into Solar Accounts from a CSV file (http://www.solaraccounts.co.uk/help/how-to-import-data-from-csv-file.php), but we don't have a facility to import directly from other accounting products. If you are switching from another product, it's easiest to choose a 'conversion date' - then enter earlier transactions into your old software, and newer transactions into Solar Accounts.


"A licence for Solar Accounts entitles you to free upgrades to any version we release within 6 months of your purchase. After this time if you want to upgrade to the latest version you may have to purchase another Solar Accounts licence."

Can anyone explain what may alludes to in this context.

This just means we cannot guarantee that upgrades will be free in future (although they have been free to date). Note that you aren't forced to upgrade the software - you can continue using your purchased version of Solar Accounts forever.

Cheers

[B.I.T.S]

i have a new business and been looking for a software to use for a while, i was recommended this one from a forum user here and so far, im quite impressed with it. its easy to install and use and very competitively priced. i best go get my credit card out :)

[Atilla]

That's me signed upto Solar Accounts. Another satisfied customer - assuming my 'creative accounting' is correct :))

A big thank you goes to David at Farrant Frost for the link.:)

[Pandybearse]

Thanks all part of the branding for our new site :)
You might want to talk to deck manufacturer Stanton before you start using that, not sure on copyrights but it look very similar to theirs. Good luck

[That Guy]

You might want to talk to deck manufacturer Stanton before you start using that, not sure on copyrights but it look very similar to theirs. Good luck

Its a power symbol, so no need to contact them.

[Jenni384]

Its a power symbol, so no need to contact them.
What happened to the cute little people I commented on? :(:cool::p

[That Guy]

What happened to the cute little people I commented on? :(:cool::p

They will be back very soon im sure ;)

[Claire Robbins]

I was also looking at Solar (didnt want to pay each month, so althouhg cashflow looks good, i dont want the overhead). The pros of solar are simple forms to fill in. The downside is it just takes ages to enter a load of stuff. I used VT accounts a long time ago, anyone know if that is still made? All I want is something with a table where I can stick entries in one after another. I could use a spreadsheet but I dont want to have to remember to update formulas.

[Steve Couch]

I have just set myself up in business as a sole trader and after many months looking around and trying out software, I must agree with others, Solar is so simple and easy to set up and use. Dont waste your time on anything else as it all takes far too long to understand, this is definately not the case with Solar, your up and running and sending out quotes and invoices in no time, which is the object of the excercise and allows you to concentrate on the matter at hand, YOUR BUSINESS :):):):)