Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Three (Generally) Free Online Accounting Software Applications
Last, but not least, Intuit -- and many online entities and community colleges -- offer Quickbooks tutorials. With that said, some entrepreneurs and owners of smaller companies or start-ups want an online solution that requires minimal effort on their part. So here are five free online applications I've either used or been made aware of.
FreshBooks - FreshBooks is an online software application that is considered one of the best simple small business applications available. It focuses on making accounting as minimally intimidating as possible to encourage small business owners to track their business activities / accounting. According to the company website, FreshBooks now has over 5 million users. FreshBooks is easy to use from your computer, tablet or mobile phone (Android or iPhone). Although FreshBooks started off as a free service for small entities, it now charges everyone. However, you can check it out for free - no credit card input required! - for 30 days.
Zoho Invoice - Another service is Zoho Invoice. Zoho offers a number of software applications aimed at small business owners, including a CRM service which I used for a company I previously owned. (I liked it.) Zoho Invoice uses a clean, well-designed template that includes a number of custom fields and data import options. Zoho Invoice is free for really small businesses, also known as micro businesses. If you need additional functionality, you'll need to choose from one of their very reasonable pricing plans.
Sage One - Sage One is the lower end accounting software application offered by Sage Software, a highly regarded accounting software provider that continues to gain in popularity among larger small businesses and medium-sized businesses. Sage acquired Billing Boss and revamped that offering to better serve the smaller small business customer. While Billing Boss previously offered a free version with limited functionality, Sage One now offers a free 15 day trial. After that, you can choose one of their inexpensive pricing plans, starting as low as $9 per month.
These online accounting software applications have improved over time since I first became aware of them 2-5 years (or more) ago. So, although most no longer offer a free version, these online applications offer greater functionality, ease of use and ease of access at a highly affordable price. These applications are perfect for those small business owners who outsource to a bookkeeper once or twice a month to start with and grow. You get the accounting basics cheaply and simply. As you grow or increase your knowledge, you can move to the higher versions offering more functionality...or you can jump over to Quickbooks!
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