Clearbooks vs Quickbooks Online?

[lumencreative]

Hi all,

I wondered if someone could offer advice. I currently use Quickbooks Pro 2014 (desktop version) for our accounts but this is causing issues because we are exclusive Mac OSX users and it means we have to have a Windows PC sat in the corner for when the account needs to dial in to do our VAT returns. So, I have been looking for either a Mac solution or an online solution.

The main issue with a computer version is the accountant needing to remote access the computer to work on our accounts whereas with an online version, they just log in and away they go.

I have done many trials over the past few months and have narrowed my search down to Clearbooks vs Quickbooks online.

Clearbooks looks like it's going to cost £20+vat per month.
Quickbooks online looks like it's going to cost £13.30+vat per month.

So, on a purely cost perspective, Quickbooks would win.

Can anyone here offer a 'from experience' comparison between the two?

 

[GraemeL]

Not many will have used both systems - perhaps an accountant.

I can say that ClearBooks is great. Its not just the software, its the support (free) you get with the laymans questions on how to work it!

 

[lumencreative]

Not many will have used both systems - perhaps an accountant.

I can say that ClearBooks is great. Its not just the software, its the support (free) you get with the laymans questions on how to work it!

Thanks. There are many accountants on this forum, hence my question

I had a ClearBooks trial through our accountant but it was a bit restricted in what I could do and what I needed to ask the accountant to do.

 

[GraemeL]

Thanks. There are many accountants on this forum, hence my question

I had a ClearBooks trial through our accountant but it was a bit restricted in what I could do and what I needed to ask the accountant to do.

My accountant is a Xero partner. I tried Xero and it was hopeless at Reverse Charge VAT. He agrees.

Do you mean that it was necessary for your accountant to do things for you - or that the trial was not good because of your accountants involvement?

I have not used any accountant at all to set up and go with CB

 

[kevin.doran]

Hi @lumencreative

What exactly do you need the system to do? Whilst many of the online offerings broadly handle the same things as you'd expect, some cope with certain specifics better than others.

And has your accountant specifically recommended one or another?

 

[lumencreative]

My accountant is a Xero partner. I tried Xero and it was hopeless at Reverse Charge VAT. He agrees.

Do you mean that it was necessary for your accountant to do things for you - or that the trial was not good because of your accountants involvement?

I have not used any accountant at all to set up and go with CB

The account was 'managed' by the accountant so certain features had to be enabled by the accountant if I wanted them.

 

[lumencreative]

Hi @lumencreative

What exactly do you need the system to do? Whilst many of the online offerings broadly handle the same things as you'd expect, some cope with certain specifics better than others.

And has your accountant specifically recommended one or another?

Basically, we use an online system to generate and email pro forma invoices to customers. When a customer pays, these are then converted automatically to invoices with sequential numbering, so generating the invoices isn't really an issue, however, we do need the system to be able to record the invoices.

We then would like a system that can store PDF copies of supplier invoices when we add them to the system.

We are a limited company and we are VAT registered so it needs to be able to handle VAT including reverse VAT.

 

[lumencreative]

I suppose the key thing to consider is I need to make a decision as to whether it's worth paying £13-£20+vat per month vs using the Quickbooks PC software we already have.

 

[GraemeL]

The account was 'managed' by the accountant so certain features had to be enabled by the accountant if I wanted them.

Understood. IMHO no need to get CB through an accountant. If you can do simple book keeping, then go direct to CB. That way you can have access to everything. If you then want to involve an accountant and let them have access (or end their access) to CB, you can choose to do that.

That is not to say an accountant is not needed. They are experts and def required at year end, but for most stuff they are not needed if you are happy with book keeping.

G

 

[UK Contractor Accountant]

Hi all,
Clearbooks looks like it's going to cost £20+vat per month.
Quickbooks online looks like it's going to cost £13.30+vat per month.

So, on a purely cost perspective, Quickbooks would win.

clear books - £16 per month for 2 year subscription
quick books - £19 per month (£13.30 if you buy now without using free trial! so it says on website)

vat exclusive prices

 

[GraemeL]

We are a limited company and we are VAT registered so it needs to be able to handle VAT including reverse VAT.

CB = excellent. And can send quarter return direct to HMRC

I suppose the key thing to consider is I need to make a decision as to whether it's worth paying £13-£20+vat per month vs using the Quickbooks PC software we already have.

You sure this is key?

The time saving, accuracy, cloud storage, automatic back ups, access from anywhere in the world, instant reports..... and on and on all for £20 a month? Not worth dithering about.

I bet you will stop using a PC altogether and use CB to send out Quotes instead of your current method.

 

[kevin.doran]

Basically, we use an online system to generate and email pro forma invoices to customers. When a customer pays, these are then converted automatically to invoices with sequential numbering, so generating the invoices isn't really an issue, however, we do need the system to be able to record the invoices.

We then would like a system that can store PDF copies of supplier invoices when we add them to the system.

We are a limited company and we are VAT registered so it needs to be able to handle VAT including reverse VAT.

Understood and all do'able through Clear Books.

When it comes to document storage, I must admit I tend to stick to the likes of Dropbox, simply storing everything in 'YYMMDD Supplier' order. Easily searchable from any device and removes what could be a potential headache if you ever moved software provider. (I say 'potential' as the storage side of things isn't really something i've looked at in great detail as yet so can't comment more than that). Clear Books offer something called PDF Cubed but it comes at a cost.

I've used the desktop version of QB but not the online one. If I was comparing desktop QB to Clear Books, Clear Books would win hands down - especially on usability.

 

[lumencreative]

Understood. IMHO no need to get CB through an accountant. If you can do simple book keeping, then go direct to CB. That way you can have access to everything. If you then want to involve an accountant and let them have access (or end their access) to CB, you can choose to do that.

That is not to say an accountant is not needed. They are experts and def required at year end, but for most stuff they are not needed if you are happy with book keeping.

G

Through the accountant, the cost was £10+vat per month (from memory) which is why I looked at it.

 

[lumencreative]

CB = excellent. And can send quarter return direct to HMRC

You sure this is key?

The time saving, accuracy, cloud storage, automatic back ups, access from anywhere in the world, instant reports..... and on and on all for £20 a month? Not worth dithering about.

I bet you will stop using a PC altogether and use CB to send out Quotes instead of your current method.

Well yes, cost is key. As I said, we already have Quickbooks Pro 2014 desktop version so it's kind of a question of do we need to start paying £20 per month forever.

Yes, we would stop using a PC altogether and use whichever online version we choose but that's not really the question

 

[lumencreative]

Understood and all do'able through Clear Books.

When it comes to document storage, I must admit I tend to stick to the likes of Dropbox, simply storing everything in 'YYMMDD Supplier' order. Easily searchable from any device and removes what could be a potential headache if you ever moved software provider. (I say 'potential' as the storage side of things isn't really something i've looked at in great detail as yet so can't comment more than that). Clear Books offer something called PDF Cubed but it comes at a cost.

I've used the desktop version of QB but not the online one. If I was comparing desktop QB to Clear Books, Clear Books would win hands down - especially on usability.

Thanks. I have to agree that I really struggled with Quickbooks in the early stages (still do to a certain extent), but it was more that I'd paid £240 (or whatever it was) for Quickbooks 2013 so was determined to use it. I got a free upgrade to 2014 before cancelling the subscription.

I guess for the document storage, we do have a business class NAS solution which could be used instead. Didn't think of what happens if we move to a different provider.

 

[kevin.doran]

Didn't think of what happens if we move to a different provider.

...and in all honesty I couldn't tell you (although I could find out fairly easily if needed).

As a side note, i'm surprised your accountant didn't give you full admin rights during the trial - seems pretty pointless restricting certain aspects whilst you're trying to make your mind up.

Was there anything you were still unsure of come the end of the trial or was it just a case of needing to get a feel for it?

 

[lumencreative]

...and in all honesty I couldn't tell you (although I could find out fairly easily if needed).

As a side note, i'm surprised your accountant didn't give you full admin rights during the trial - seems pretty pointless restricting certain aspects whilst you're trying to make your mind up.

Was there anything you were still unsure of come the end of the trial or was it just a case of needing to get a feel for it?

It was more the need to get the feel of it to be honest. It's pretty much a given that all do very similar things but we're quite design conscious to be honest (being a design and hosting company) so one of the key things was what invoices would look like if we ended up moving our invoicing to Clearbooks.

I'm trying to avoid getting a trial of Quickbooks online to get the discount they're offering but might sign up with a different email account to see what it's like.

On a side note, my accountant has confirmed that Clearbooks through them is £10+vat per month so not too bad.

 

[kevin.doran]

That's very kind of your accountant to pass the saving onto you. You'll also get free bank feeds which normally cost an additional £3.50 per month.

Invoicing - there are plenty of templates on there already but if you're tech savvy you can even design your own. The email process etc works well too.

I spent close to 6 months trialling different software for my clients before taking the plunge and even then I was 110% sure until we went live for real - can you ever be?

 

[lumencreative]

That's very kind of your accountant to pass the saving onto you. You'll also get free bank feeds which normally cost an additional £3.50 per month.

Invoicing - there are plenty of templates on there already but if you're tech savvy you can even design your own. The email process etc works well too.

I spent close to 6 months trialling different software for my clients before taking the plunge and even then I was 110% sure until we went live for real - can you ever be?

Just gone for a trial of Quickbooks Online and signed up for an independent trial of Clearbooks as well. I will spend this evening playing around with both (need to make a decision as vat return is due so need to get accounts up to date).

After a quick glance, there is a limited amount of flexibility with the invoice design with Quickbooks Online but the interface is much nicer. Clearbooks have greater flexibility with the invoice design but not as good in terms of interface.

Decisions, decisions

 

[Newchodge]

I have been using Quickbooks Pro, desktop, for a while. I hate it. If something presents a problem quickbooks finds a 'workaround' instead of correcting the software so it works properly. I hate it. haven't tried the online version, so this is probable not much help. Did I mention that i hate Quickbooks?

 

[lumencreative]

I have been using Quickbooks Pro, desktop, for a while. I hate it. If something presents a problem quickbooks finds a 'workaround' instead of correcting the software so it works properly. I hate it. haven't tried the online version, so this is probable not much help. Did I mention that i hate Quickbooks?

lol

 

[UK Contractor Accountant]

Used to have horrendous problems with client's quick books data as there was never any year end close-off so if you accidently keyed in the wrong date e.g if a journal dated 2014 was keyed in 2004 by mistake QB would would back track and show the figures in the 2004 year and adjust the reserves bought forward figure if it related to a P&L item.

Not sure if this still happens with the software.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

The thing to remember is that Quickbooks online ISN'T the same as Quickbooks desktop. It's a completely different product after a complete rebuild. The only thing that looks the same is the reporting which is probably the best of all the online systems I've tried as it's fully customisable, i.e. you can report on the cash or accruals basis (not just VAT but for P&L also), also far superior reporting of different VAT rates and you're not hemmed in to particular periods - all reports are fully date sensitive so makes life much easier if you're doing what-ifs for different year ends etc.

Also, there are far cheaper prices available if you subscribe via a QB accountant - £10 per month or less should easily be achievable and that's for life of the subscription.

QB online would be a high flyer if it wasn't for their legacy of the problematic desktop version. Probably one of those cases where they should have marketed it with a new name as the old name probably does more harm than good considering it's a completely different product.

 

[Newchodge]

Thanks Philip. I did say that my experience was with the desktop version, and I fully accept that I cannot comment in any way about the online version.

 

[lumencreative]

The thing to remember is that Quickbooks online ISN'T the same as Quickbooks desktop. It's a completely different product after a complete rebuild. The only thing that looks the same is the reporting which is probably the best of all the online systems I've tried as it's fully customisable, i.e. you can report on the cash or accruals basis (not just VAT but for P&L also), also far superior reporting of different VAT rates and you're not hemmed in to particular periods - all reports are fully date sensitive so makes life much easier if you're doing what-ifs for different year ends etc.

Also, there are far cheaper prices available if you subscribe via a QB accountant - £10 per month or less should easily be achievable and that's for life of the subscription.

QB online would be a high flyer if it wasn't for their legacy of the problematic desktop version. Probably one of those cases where they should have marketed it with a new name as the old name probably does more harm than good considering it's a completely different product.

Thanks for this. Unfortunately, our accountant isn't a QB accountant and I don't really fancy changing accountants at this stage. However, I have just emailed Quickbooks asking whether they would be willing to match the price I can get Clearbooks for through our accountant...will see what they say.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

Thanks for this. Unfortunately, our accountant isn't a QB accountant and I don't really fancy changing accountants at this stage. However, I have just emailed Quickbooks asking whether they would be willing to match the price I can get Clearbooks for through our accountant...will see what they say.

It costs nothing to become a "quickbooks accountant" - they can just join the scheme, which is basically filling in their name, address, phone and email, on screen, and then will be able to subscribe for you at the low rate. Nothing to it really. Just five minutes of their time.

http://www.intuit.co.uk/quickbooks-accounting-software/accountants/online-accountant.jsp

 

[David Griffiths]

QB online would be a high flyer if it wasn't for their legacy of the problematic desktop version. Probably one of those cases where they should have marketed it with a new name as the old name probably does more harm than good considering it's a completely different product.

For many people it's not just the association with the old software, it's the fact that it comes from Intuit. Even if the software changes there will be many who have little desire to deal with them because of their attitude to past issues. The same situation as Sage really plus a couple of others..

 

[lumencreative]

For many people it's not just the association with the old software, it's the fact that it comes from Intuit. Even if the software changes there will be many who have little desire to deal with them because of their attitude to past issues. The same situation as Sage really plus a couple of others..

Can you expand on these comments in order to help me make a fully informed decision? Thanks

 

[lumencreative]

It costs nothing to become a "quickbooks accountant" - they can just join the scheme, which is basically filling in their name, address, phone and email, on screen, and then will be able to subscribe for you at the low rate. Nothing to it really. Just five minutes of their time.

Just signed myself up as an accountant to see what the discounts would be and it's just showing the same discount as they offer if you avoid their trial (i.e. £13.30+vat for 'Essentials')

 

[Philip Hoyle]

Can you expand on these comments in order to help me make a fully informed decision? Thanks

The support for the desktop version, usually provided by a foreign call centre, was, to say the least, lacking! Typical poor overseas call centre service that we suffer from the likes of energy and telecoms firms, and banks, and amazingly similar to the well documented poor Sage service. Basically, even when the software was clearly faulty after an update or new release, they denied it and blamed the user! A particular upgrade was so bad that we actually moved nearly all our clients away from it and have never really recommended nor used the desktop version since, despite the problems having been fixed in later releases.

It was with that background, that I didn't embrace QB online when it was first released, but earlier this year I gave them the benefit of the doubt and started trialling it. They now have UK based support staff, and I have personally met their regional manager who convinced me that they have learned from the mistakes of the desktop version and that the online version has dedicated and separate support, developers, management, etc. - basically a different company. I've not yet had any problems with it, although it is very much a work in progress, and enhancements are happening all the time.

 

[David Griffiths]

Can you expand on these comments in order to help me make a fully informed decision? Thanks

Let's just say that there are some companies that are a pleasure to deal with, and some companies that aren't.

 

[Mike Conroy]

I think sage and quickbooks have had their day and quite right too. cloud based software of any kind is the way to go for any busineess in this day and age.

 

[lumencreative]

I think sage and quickbooks have had their day and quite right too. cloud based software of any kind is the way to go for any busineess in this day and age.

Did you actually read my question? I was asking about the cloud version of Quickbooks vs Clearbooks (also cloud based)

 

[Mike Conroy]

well the answer to your question is neither. the reason for this they are not purpose built cloud packages and cannot offer the savings to business as other packages on the market. they are just not in the same league as the new purpouse built cloud packages

 

[lumencreative]

well the answer to your question is neither. the reason for this they are not purpose built cloud packages and cannot offer the savings to business as other packages on the market. they are just not in the same league as the new purpouse built cloud packages

Clearbooks is a purpose built cloud package so your comment confuses me.

 

[Mike Conroy]

yes but it is very basic compared to what say xero or kashflow can offer as a all round business solution. if you just want a accounting system then clear books is a good option it depends what you are looking for a fully automated business solution or just accounting for e.g if you were a shop-keeper you could link with vend 90% of all your business processes could be automated saving a company £000,s pa this could be replicated in almost any industry. what i am saying is you dont need to choose between two.look for the one that is best for your business not what is better for other people. if you are saying pick between the two then clearbooks would be the best

 

[lumencreative]

Thanks Mike. As I said in my original post, I have spent months comparing all the different options and have already narrowed it down to Quickbooks online (which was built from the ground up) or Clearbooks.

One arm of our company is Web Hosting, so we use an industry standard system for that which allows customers to place their order and pay online. When paid, the system sets their account up automatically and we have zero input unless the customer needs us. It also has built in fraud prevention which checks things like physical distance from where card is registered, etc.

The need for this system dictates the way we do business in one sense and because we use this system for the Web Hosting side of the business, we also use it for our quotes and invoices for the design side, which keeps all invoices sequential.

So, all we really need is the 'accounting' for now. This may change so I would like a solution that we can grow with if need be though.