When we talk about free accounting software, does it really mean free? And is free accounting software really free? To answer, I will guide you through all the available options of online accounting software that is available today and how they can help you get your small business started the right way.
When you’re a small business owner, among the things that take up your attention are finding the best deal, the best time to go to the Post Office, saving on your daily travel expenses, getting organized when it comes to requesting for an invoice anytime from anywhere, and having a safe network for you and your confidential client information. These tasks in itself can force a small business owner in a shutdown mode. But with Virtual Accountant’s online cloud accounting software, these challenges in business can be minimized.
Manager
Bookkeeping Software Free Manager
Manager.
Manager has a desktop version and a cloud version.The desktop version is free, the cloud version is on subscription basis. Here is a comparison. If you only need one user and don’t need to access it when away from your computer, then the desktop version is a great choice – it has everything you need.
Manager is an open source software and is designed to allow users to be up and running within minutes of download.
It is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux.
Unlike most traditional software brands, there is no need to spend hours configuring Manager and entering opening balances, setting up the chart of accounts and financial year dates before being able to use it.
It’s simple, fast and easy to use.
What you get with Manager Desktop version
- The main screen shows a summary of how the business is doing by displaying the bank balances, receivables due, and a profit and loss breakdown with income and expenses listed.
- The ability to produce customized sales invoices and keep a list of client contacts.
- Keep a record of bills and supplier contacts as well as accounts payable due.
- You can process journal entries to adjust your accounts.
- Reconcile the bank accounts.
- Inventory recording.
- Produce these main reports: balance sheet, trial balance, profit and loss and aged receivables.
- Add any number of plug-ins to increase what you can do in Manager including sales tax compliance – Manager has a list for various countries.
- There is a forum where you can get help.
Who needs to spend a fortune on traditional accounting programs when you can get bookkeeping software for free in a fantastic program like Manager! Just click on the graphic below which will take you to Manager’s download page… all free!
Express Accounts
Bookkeeping Software Free NCH Express Accounts
The free bookkeeping software is Express Accounts. It is only available free now for non-commercial home use.
It is compatible with Windows 10, XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1, on 64 bit Windows, Mac OS X 10.5 or above.
What you get with Express Accounts
- Cash book – enter payments and receipts.
- Bank reconciliation – import a CEV download of your bank statement for automated matching of transactions (payments and receipts). Produce a report.
- Make journal entries.
- Chart of accounts that you can streamline to your business.
- Ability to create customer cards, sales invoices, and monitoring of payments.
- Inventory items that can be included on sales invoices.
- A whole range of reports including income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, receivables, trial balance… and a lot more.
- The option to include sales tax (GST, VAT etc) at the percentage rate you chose.
- Online help
- The option to upgrade (at a cost) to a more advanced bookkeeping suite.
Click on the graphic below which will take you to the NCH homepage containing the bookkeeping software free download link – as seen in the graphic.
Go to NCH Express Accounts Software
Click on ‘download the free accounting software version here’ and it will download the set up assistant for placing this software onto your computer.
Once you are setup and ready to go, enter the program by clicking on the icon on your desktop which should like something like this:
If you cannot find the icon you may need to add it to your desktop by searching for it in your computer’s list of programs for NCH Software, right clicking on Express Accounts, selecting ‘Send to..’ and choosing ‘Desktop (shortcut).
When you are in Express Accounts a message might come up asking you to certify that you have less than five employees. Click on this.
If you have more than five employees, click on the box for the commercial license. This prompt might only show up after you have been using it the program a short while.
To learn how to use the software you can access the help guide by clicking on the question mark on the top right – see red circle on graphic below.
Bookkeeping Software Free Express Accounts Home Page
Akaunting: Best for Businesses Looking for a Truly One-Stop Free Accounting Software
Best for Businesses Looking for a Truly One-Stop Free Accounting Software
Akaunting is a free, open-source accounting solution for small businesses and freelancers with a global reach and sizable user base. The program’s full suite of features is available for free — making it one of the few “one-stop-shop” solutions on this list.
The platform is entirely online, meaning you can access it from any desktop, tablet, or mobile device anytime, anywhere. It offers resources that help you manage cash flow, track expenses, deal with invoicing, and set transaction categories.
It also features a client portal — allowing you to share the transactions and invoices with your clients and accept bulk payments. Akaunting boasts a base of over 270,000 users and is available in over 50 languages, making it one of the most popular, wide-reaching open-source solutions on this list.
Some users report trouble with Akaunting’s support department’s responsiveness. The application also seems to be one of the less accessible ones on this list when it comes to ease of use. But if you’re in the market for a free, comprehensive accounting solution and are willing to tough those issues out, look into Akaunting.
Akaunting’s Key Benefits
- Truly one-stop for free
- Accessible from anywhere
- Open source and secure
Akaunting’s Key Drawbacks
- Questionable support
- Potentially difficult to operate
Freshbooks
Best all-rounder for small businesses
TODAY’S BEST DEALSFreshBooks LiteUS$15/mthFreshBooks PlusUS$25/mthFreshBooks PremiumUS$50/mthVISIT SITEat FreshBooks
REASONS TO BUY
+User-friendly interface+Plenty of depth and features+Integrates with many popular services
REASONS TO AVOID
-Too many features for some-Complex features need time-More costs for more features
FreshBooks is a popular cloud-based accounting service designed specifically for small business owners.
The package has plenty of features – invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, a host of business reports, even an option to take credit card payments – and a straightforward interface aimed at non-accountants ensures you’ll be up-and-running right away.
Despite the simplicity, there’s real depth here. You can bill in any currency, save time by setting up recurring invoices, allow customers to pay via credit card by checking a box, and even automatically bill their credit card to keep life simple for everyone.
If you need more power, the system integrates with many other services, including PayPal, MailChimp, Basecamp, WordPress, Gusto, Zendesk and more.
Management hassles are kept to a minimum. You’re able to access and use the system from your desktop or its free iOS and Android apps, and because it’s a cloud-based system there’s no need to worry about backups.
If this sounds appealing, you can try FreshBooks for 30 days without using a credit card.
Conclusion
Sifting through hundreds of business software options can be overwhelming. You probably already found yourself wondering, “Should I go with traditional software or Google apps?” Luckily, Accounting software for small business is one of the most straightforward solutions. The majority belong to one of two categories—online apps like QuickBooks Online and Xero, or web-based services like Wave, Dropbox or Evernote. Several free websites exist that act as online versions of traditional accounting software.