Accounting Software

[LifeComplete Fitness]

Hi Guys,
I am wanting to really get into my business figures this year and work on getting them to maximize profits. Im stuck between Sage 50 and Clearbooks.

Which software would give me the best insight into my business?

Dan

 

[David Griffiths]

Unless you have specific requirements that Clearbooks won't meet, and you haven't told us your needs, I'd go for Clearbooks and put Sage 50 a distant second on ease of use

 

[Philip Hoyle]

Sage 50 is a pretty expensive, clunky and hard to use piece of software that's very rarely recommended around these boards. It's probably way over the top if you have fairly simple/normal accounting needs. The only times I recommend it are when it's for a particular industry where there are direct links to other industry-standard software, such as hotel booking management systems.

Clearbooks, Kashflow, Xero, Quickbooks, Accounts Portal, are all recommended far more often than Sage 50.

Also interesting that you're short list is one desktop and one online system, as you can't really compare them, like apples and pears. Most people decide they either want desktop or an online system and then choose from that sub-set.

In my humble opinion, the best for reporting, i.e. reports by product, customer, cost centre, etc is Quickbooks, who do both an online and desktop version of their software, both of which are pretty similar in a lot of ways, but both have one of the best reporting functionality I've seen.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

Hi Guys,
I am wanting to really get into my business figures this year and work on getting them to maximize profits. Im stuck between Sage 50 and Clearbooks.

Which software would give me the best insight into my business?

Dan

If it HAD to be between those two I'd go for Clearbooks as I dislike Sage.

 

[kevin.doran]

Hi Dan

I'm a Clear Books Partner Accountant so likely slightly biased. What exactly do you need the system to do?

 

[DavidHoul52]

My vote is also for Quickbooks. I used Sage Simple Start for a number of years. It is horrible. It's hard to believe that this kind of user interface still exists in 2015! But bookkeepers and accountants love it (apparently)

 

[David Griffiths]

But bookkeepers and accountants love it (apparently)

I think that you'll find that is a myth - on this forum certainly and on others.

 

[DavidHoul52]

I think that you'll find that is a myth

I'm not surprised

 

[Energise Accounting]

If you are thinking of going down the sage route what about sage instant