Accounting and finance

Crunch your numbers: business accounting software

Small-business accounting software can help you manage bookkeeping at your desk or on the road.

By Elsa Wenzel (September 16, 2005)

Running a business is hard enough, so you need an accounting program that can streamline operations without taxing your brain. To keep your company from waxing nostalgic over the pencil and ledger book, accounting apps can automate data input; reconcile accounts; and draw reports of profits and losses, income and expenses, cash flow, and so on. Above all, you want bookkeeping software with a simple layout and a shallow learning curve.

Depending on the size and style of your business, you're likely to find a fit among one of these four financial accounting programs. We've reviewed the small to medium-size business versions of QuickBooks, Peachtree, MYOB, and Simply Accounting. Each vendor also offers differently priced editions to serve newbies as well as green-lampshade gurus. Peachtree and QuickBooks even sell apps tailored for construction, nonprofits, manufacturing firms, and more.

Among these, Intuit QuickBooks stands out for its generous free year of support; the others make you pay for help queries after 30 days. MYOB Premier Accounting and Simply Accounting Pro manage payroll at no extra cost. We especially liked the straightforward interfaces of Simply and QuickBooks. Peachtree's self-auditing tool is extraconscientious, as it runs 15 checks to prevent your ledgers from raising red flags with the IRS. To serve ultrasmall shops, the new Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting integrates tightly with Excel, while QuickBooks Simple Start doesn't import data from Excel.

If you decide to take your digital ledger on the road, check out the online versions of QuickBooks and Simply Accounting. One advantage to accessing accounts from any Web-based PC is that multiple employees can log in, but the online versions are pricey. You also can't switch back and forth between the online and desktop editions by the same vendor. While Simply Accounting Online manages payroll and inventory, it's the most expensive option in this lineup.

	Peachtree Complete Accounting 2006	MYOB Business Essentials Pro 2005	QuickBooks Premier 2005	Simply Accounting Pro 2005	Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006	QuickBooks Simple Start	QuickBooks Online	Simply Accounting Online
Rating: Setup and inter- face	7	6	8	8	7	7	7	6
Rating: Features	8	6	8	8	6	5	6	6
Rating: Service and support	6	6	8	5	7	6	8	6
Editors' rating	7.0	6.0	8.0	7.0	6.7	6.0	7.0	6.0
Price	$300	$300	$500	$300	$179	$100	$240/year	$900/year
Oper- ating system	Windows 98 and up	Windows 98 and up	Windows 98 and up	Windows 98 and up	Windows 2000 SP3 and up	Windows 98 and up	Windows 98 and up	Windows 98 and up
Service and support	30 days free	30 days free	One year free	30 days free	90 days free	30 days free	Free	$25/ monthly per user
Internal audits	Yes, runs 15 reviews	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Syncs contacts with Outlook	Yes	Export and convert data first	Yes	Yes, adds toolbar to Outlook	Yes	No	No	No
Export/ import data with Excel and Word	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not from Excel	Yes	Yes
Manage inven- tory	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Custom- ize forms and reports	145 reports	Yes	100+ reports	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Users	Pay extra for more than two users	Pay extra for more than two users	Pay extra for more than two users	Pay extra for more than two users	Pay extra for up to five users	One at a time	Up to 20 users	Up to 25 users
Other editions	First, Standard, Premium, Accountant	Standard	SimpleStart, Basic, Pro (for Mac), Enterprise, Accountant, Online	Basic, Premium, Online	Small Business Manager Accounting	Basic, Pro (for Mac), Premier, Enterprise, Accountant, Online	Desktop editions	Desktop editions
Paid extras	Pay bills online, manage time and billing, third-party point-of-sale option, online backup	Process credit cards, direct deposit, online payroll	Payroll, point of sale, remote access, online backup, online payroll	Process credit cards, direct deposit, remote access, online backup	Payroll, online banking, credit cards	Upgrade to another version of QuickBooks for expanded features.	Process credit cards; payroll	Process credit cards; payroll is free
Indus- try- specific editions	Premium for construction, manu- facturing, nonprofits, distribution	No	Premier for contractors, manu- facturing, nonprofits, retail, professional services, wholesale	No	No	Premier for contractors, manu- facturing, nonprofits, retail, professional services, wholesale	Desktop editions	No

Read the CNET editor's take

Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006

QuickBooks Simple Start 2005

MYOB Business Essentials Pro

QuickBooks Premier 2005

Peachtree Complete Accounting 2006

Simply Accounting Pro 2005

	Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 is an affordable, well-designed bookkeeper that's a solid choice for users of Microsoft Office. 6.7 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	QuickBooks Simple Start 2005 QuickBooks Simple Start is easy to learn, but the lack of budgeting, payroll, and Excel-import tools limits its usefulness. We recommend a more powerful accounting app, such as QuickBooks. 6.0 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	MYOB Business Essentials Pro MYOB Business Essentials Pro wraps the great MYOB Premier Accounting program with several lackluster, poorly integrated third-party utilities. But for MYOB devotees, it's worth a look. 6.0 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	null CNET editor's take Check prices
	QuickBooks Premier 2005 QuickBooks Premier 2005 is an accounting powerhouse, but it doesn't warrant an upgrade for existing QuickBooks 2004 users. 8.0 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	Peachtree Complete Accounting 2006 Peachtree Complete Accounting 2006 is a worthy upgrade for longtime users who want to try online banking. 7.0 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	Simply Accounting Pro 2005 Simply Accounting Pro 2005 is a powerful, affordable business-accounting program for small shops, although its tech support could be better. 7.0 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices
	null CNET editor's take Check prices