Entered CNET Catalog: 10/31/2006
SKU: CNETMSOFFICEACCOUNTING2007EXPRESS
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/30/2006
Microsoft has also lowered the price of the more full-featured Office Accounting 2007 Professional to $150--down from $180 for Microsoft Small Business Accounting 2006--while enhancing the program with more online services, better security, and tight integration with the upcoming Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business Edition.
Given that it's free, Microsoft Office Accounting Express is a good choice for mom-and-pop shops that could use accounting software on the cheap. By contrast, Intuit's QuickBooks SimpleStart for business bookkeeping newbies costs $99. We don't recommend that users of QuickBooks Pro or Premier switch, though, because QuickBooks is the better bookkeeper with a superior interface and more third-party applications that support it. Microsoft Office Accounting Professional, which competes featurewise with the $200 QuickBooks Pro, has a variety of tools that Express does not. For instance, Accounting Pro has multicurrency support, an essential feature for businesses selling to international customers. It has multiuser capabilities that allow up to eight people to use the program, while Express is built for one user only. And Pro's inventory management capabilities are essential for businesses that need to track and reorder products. However, both the free and paid versions of Office Accounting 2007 allow you to manage eBay sales.
In our tests, it took nearly an hour to install Office Accounting Express 2007, a 338MB download, on Windows XP. Once we got it running, the clean, flowchart-style interface earned high marks, borrowing more than a few design concepts from QuickBooks. It's easy to set up a company and manage the accounting basics, such as invoicing, payments, general ledger, accounts payable, online banking with hundreds of financial institutions, and so on. Your accountant can also access your data. Both the Express and Professional versions of Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 can import data from Microsoft Money and Excel as well as from Intuit QuickBooks.
Like QuickBooks 2007, Microsoft Office Accounting can help small businesses venture into the world of online retailing. Whereas Intuit has partnered with Google to make QuickBooks users' products searchable via Google, Microsoft has teamed up with eBay to provide Accounting users with an easy way to market their wares online. Office Accounting 2007, on the other hand, lets you integrate with Microsoft Office Live and its e-commerce capabilities. A wizard steps users of both Accounting Express and Professional through the process of listing products on eBay. We found the eBay tools easy to learn, although we'd like to see a more general-purpose retailing tool that links Accounting inventory to a user's e-commerce site. After all, eBay's selling fees are pretty steep, and many small businesses don't have the margins to pay them. Microsoft Office Accounting also now accepts payments via credit cards and PayPal. Such online-commerce features show how both Microsoft and Intuit's rival accounting apps are evolving into business management tools. We like that Office Accounting 2007 offers better customization of security roles so that you can determine which employees get access to what information and what they can do with it.
Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 also has tight links with Microsoft Outlook 2007. For instance, you can now access all of Accounting Express's 20 financial reports from Outlook; unfortunately, our beta copy of Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager was too buggy to give these tools a try. As with its predecessor, Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 is best for small businesses that use Microsoft Office. It's too bad that some Outlook-integration features won't work with Office 2003. So, yes, Express is free, but to get the most out of it, you'll need to buy Office 2007, which isn't on store shelves yet. At least you can still share data between Office Accounting and Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access 2003.
If you're stumped about something, Microsoft offers assistance with questions online and on user groups. Technical support for Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007 is also free via a toll-free telephone number for 90 days. After that, however, help costs a jaw-dropping $49.95 per incident. For the same price, Intuit QuickBooks SimpleStart gives you a yearlong support plan (which jumps to $249 for QuickBooks Premier). Microsoft's support does not include data recovery or online backup, which Intuit's paid options do. At least users of Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007 get a full year of free support. During our tests, Microsoft had still not finalized its support policies for the 2007 editions of Office Accounting.
If you're new to accounting software in general, then the free Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007 is worth a try--and it's a better pick over a QuickBooks app if you're an eBay power seller who moves a lot of merchandise via the online auction giant. But if you're already using Intuit's software, then we recommend sticking with QuickBooks.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
User Rating: 
7/10
Very 'QuickBooks Biased' Review
Pros: I'm not suggesting Express is better than QuickBooks - it's worth a download effort and look, especially if you are a MS Office 2007 user
Cons: Just Downloaded - still evaluating.
User Rating: 
1/10
All the positive reviews have to be fake.
Pros: The marketing is slick. The video demo makes it look like it might actually work.
Cons: It doesn't work. I think they built this on Access with maybe some interns. This is not a professional product!
* Don't try having anything but regular font sizes, because it isn't smart enough to dynamically resize.
* Importing transactions doesn't work. I used their templates to import and tried one row and gave up after spending a good part of my afternoon.
* Why is the 2009 version bundled with SQL 2005? Can't they at least update their own files to the 2008 version?
* Crashes all the time. No reason given. Probably because it is built on Access.
Microsoft needs to be in the business of writing good programs, not in the business of putting some crap together and throwing it out there. You've got a zillion employees.. at least some of them should be capable programmers. I'm already stuck on Vista and hating it. This company is going downhill.
User Rating: 
2/10
322 Mb of Bloatware
Pros: It's free?
Cons: Way too slow to be useful.
User Rating: 2/10
You Get What You Pay For!
Pros: None - even if it were fully functioning, it's got a poor user interface.
Cons: The free version lacks functions to make it usable. It's just a way for Microsoft to get you to buy the Pro Version.
User Rating: 2/10
Very Disappointed
Pros: Somewhat integrates with Outlook BCM
Cons: Lots-read below
While it does LINK, it doesn't link any type of 'category' field. My Accounts in BCM are all categorized and while it doe create a customer record in the Accouting program, it doesn't create a category field How can you run report on customers if there isn't a field to do this. (Yes, in MOA there IS a field called 'Customer Group", but this SHOULD be a link in BCM. It still involved double entry.
This BIGGEST ISSUE though are Invoices. I take a deposit from a client and MS Accounting does NOT adjust the invoice to show the deposit. THIS IS ACCOUNTING 101.
There are so many other issues. I feel totally cheated by this software. Since I purchased it in February (the day the Office 2007 product became available), I called into support over 25 times.
This is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. I'm on the MS discussion boards all the time looking for answers and it's the same old thing all the time: "We're aware of that and looking into a POSSIBLE fix at a future date". POSSIBLE???? Don't waste your money on this. It was NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME. I regret moving my entire company to this software and will be either moving back to Quickbooks or trying Peachtree very, very soon.
User Rating: 2/10
Not good if you know what QB is like.
Pros: Cheap but not worth it.
Cons: not fully finctional
User Rating: 
6/10
I thought it was a really bad program....
Pros: Great interface. Typical Microsoft attention to good looking software
Cons: Typical problems with accounting software. (You can't please everyone, especially anal accountants.)
Until I checked the user opinions of the other financial software! Right now, MS Accounting is pulling a 5.2 rating with 8 reviews. Check out how the others rate -
Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007
5.2 Average (from 8 users)
Quicken 2007 Premier
2.6 Terrible (from 66 users)
QuickBooks Premier 2007
3.8 Poor (from 11 users)
Microsoft Money 2007 Premium
4.4 Mediocre (from 16 users)
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
5.1 Average (from 14 users)
HA!
Apparently, accounting software is a real bear to create, update, and implement, what with all the changing issues and insatiable need to revise. I was really starting to doubt whether MS Accounting was worth the download, but now I see that it is the accounting part itself that is the perpetual headache, and that NOBODY has a hands-down winner in this field.
Take THAT to the bank.
User Rating: 2/10
Don't waist your time. It won't work unless you buy the pro!
Pros: Free. Not much else.
Cons: No purchase order, No job costing, No payroll... Pretty though.
No Purchase orders.
No "actionable company dashboard".
No payroll (unless you pay extra)
No job costing.
No sales orders
No excel based manual payroll
No audit trail or change tracking.
Not well organized.
The Pro on the other hand might be good but I was so disappointed with the bait & switch I did want to find out. No choice in payroll (either you use the ADT service which you have t o pay for or you get an excel system designed only for the most knowledgeable user.
Stay away or just buy the pro and pay for the payroll.
For further reading see
http://www.ideawins.com/faq.html
User Rating: 
4/10
Beware of the bugs-Faulty ebay download
Pros: None : Microsoft Accounting Professional 2007
Cons: Not whats it's supposed to be at this point
If you want to look for history on sales transactions for items or pruchase transactions on items, there are extra steps compared to our other accounting software. Your only choice is one or the other meaning search for reports on item purchases or item sales. If you are on an item sale report, you have to open a sales report to search for history on a sale item.
Our other program shows item history of sales and item purchases on on screen. It was much easier. Microsoft has informed us if we wanted to download from eBay to Microsoft accounting we should track customers as a batch not individually till the new patch comes out. When tracking as a batch there are no customers names downloaded. We could not edit the batch customers to input the names so we can not use this feature at all. If the ebay feature is fixed with the patch i would rthen rate the program a 6 (from 1-10).
User Rating: 
9/10
Best Accounting Software Yet!
Pros: Can use SQL Express, Integrates with OFFICE 2003 and 2007
Cons: Could be faster - But I run everything on my PC
I have tested this thing inside and out loaded multiple clients quickbooks databases as far back as 2001 versions - Uploads mostly everything, provided u put in right begin dates. Exports to Excel and imports. Has Print capability - if not print export to Excel. This is absolutely the best accounting package I've used and I can only imagine it getting better - I was wondering why Quickbooks has been advertising like crazy and discounting their product $100. There is new package in town and it ain't Peachtree!
User Rating: 1/10
Microsoft Money very slow
Pros: It will import data from Microsoft Money
Cons: You could die waiting for the conversion to finish
Was delighted to see that it would import data from Microsoft Money Small Business.
Started the conversion before 8pm. I had 10150 transactions that needed to be imported. As of 6am it has imported 1510 transactions.
At this rate it should be done in three for four days.
Ya gotta love it!
User Rating: 
10/10
All the features I need, works just like MS Office
Pros: Slick eBay and PayPal integration
Cons: I wish it integrated with Amazon too...
I sell online, and Accounting Express lets me list items on eBay, download transactions and accept PayPal payments.
For a free package, this is by far the best product out there--MS did a gteat job with this product.
User Rating: 2/10
It's a Terrible waste of time
Pros: Pleasant Layout Better than Quick Books
Cons: Broken functionality
- Data Import is Horrible .. only names of accounts were imported .. no transactions.
I wasn't going to enter all by hand .. so I gave up on it for my own need.
I recommended it to a friend to use it. He was going to put his "new" stuff on the system. Today I spent 2 hours with his accounting person.
Nohting short of horror.
Biggest non-sense is that a lot of forms CAN'T BE PRINTED .. there is NO PRINT Button/option e.g. in "bills" .. so you can create a bill from a vendor .. but can't print it !!!
In small businesses .. people like to do it both ways (i.e. print invoices as well as bills for verbal orders and include them with the payments)
Right button support is sporadic .. works here doesn't work here .. no consistency in what's included and what's not.
Print Screen functionality was removed by some rocket scientist .. I guess he thought it was arachaic .. and I agree with that .. but not having print capability in forms ... yuks!!
Cut/Paste doesn't work on most forms .. you can't select more than a few useless fields on a form with the "cntr-c" operation..
Some forms have a single use "Edit" button ....if you click it, the button grays out in that form forever.. hum .. microsoft in on to a new UI paradigm that no one ever thought of .. may be .. may be because it's such a dumb idea.
(Made all the worst becuase the darn button doesn't let you any editing on the form anyways !!)
You can "void" transactions instead of removing them from memory like quickbooks, which is good .. but there is no way to hide these voids.
There is no "un void" if you make a mistake. Once done is done .. and you have to repeat the whole thing.
Report's are horrible:
- Selections are very limited and poorly designed
- You MUST include some fields to print.
- View and Print have same selection
What's seen on the screen and what's printed - not desirable in most cases.
Printing doesn't allow you to "shrink it to a page" like Excel did even in 2000 .. and this is 2007.
It appears to me this product was pushed out without much testing (like my Vista which crashes about couple of times a day ..a'la NT .. if you are old enough to remmber that blue screen .. btw the screen is still blue with Vista)
I told my friend to go and get QuickBooks or keep using spread sheets.
I am going to try out again to see that this product needs office 2007 for you to print the "bills" .. though I didn't see how it would link to it .. if it does need office 2007 .. then it's not quiet FREE as the name suggests.
This is a heist.
Nothing is free here .. to customize your forms including invoices etc. you need office 2003/2007. Add $200+ to your free bill.
Regarding my concerns about printing bills .. oh well, it's NOT possible at all.
Live (Free) version doesn't let you do "Purhase Orders" .. that's the full accounting feature .. you can do bills but can't print them so it's a good teaser.
And oh the right button is mostly dead on every form .. this seems to be the "live" paradigm. On other "live" programs the right button is "dead" for now.
I think this product is marketing run amuk .msft sitting on $20B+ cash doesn't need to "trick" you to buy .. but this product is nothing but trickery. Wonder if someone gets fired for spoiling company image in a grand way.
Forms/Templates need Office 2003/2007 .. $200+ ouch.
Bill printing needs upgrade to office accounting full version for $150.
Otherwise the product is useless as you can't handle purchases .. only sales .. if I had that business model ..
User Rating: 4/10
We CAN argue with free...
Pros: Free; not sure what else
Cons: Large; slow; limited
Unlike the editors here at cnet, I think we CAN argue with free. I downloaded this program today, and was disappointed for several reasons:
It is very large - about 300mb for a "basic" program.
It is very slow. Doesn't respond like a desktop application, responds like a web-based application - slow and cumbersome.
Reporting was limited - for example, the Customer Aging report is only available in the Detail format, and not the Summary Format.
Non-intuitive screens - screens don't look like the forms they represent
No chart of accounts - I kept telling myself, "There MUST be one!" but I never found it. If it's there, I have no idea where it is or how to get to it.
Free? Who cares. For people who are running a hobby, ok, this free program should be fine.
But people who are *really* in business can and should afford a faster, more robust, and better supported program like QB. Simple Start can be had for about $80 on sale. Well worth it for the faster response times, better features, and scalability. If a mom-and-pop shop can't afford $80 for accounting software, then something is terribly wrong and they probably shouldn't be in business. "Free" shouldn't be a consideration for serious business owners buying financial software.
User Rating: 10/10
Exactly what I needed
Pros: Easy to use, Word templates are great, credit card service
Cons: 200MB download file took about 10 minutes to download
