Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have tried peachtree, (they hose you by making client database management a second and expensive product, and then SPAM you for good measure)
I have tried MYOB, which is a good package in general.
I have tried Simply Accounting, which is also good, but the forms hooks are poor, and make it difficult and time consuming to set up.
I do not use Microsoft products. It is a matter of ethics.
I have poked at Intuits product and found the dumbing down of the interface to be more time consuming than it needs to be.
GNUCash is such a mess to compile that is isn't worth my time trying to even get it to run.
I have also looked at some web based solutions that were way overkill for what I need.
I REALLY like Perfect Accountant. It is a tragedy that this product is no longer supported.
The good:
The interface is brilliantly simple, and very compact. There are very few options during setup, so basically you just name the company, fill in your bank account details, and go. There is no magical looks-just-like-a-check interface to waste time. Everything is keyboard shortcut accessible, and everything is accessible very quickly. Setting up a new customer and writing an invoice probably takes half as much time as competing products.
This is straight forward double entry accounting, with invoicing, check printing, time billing, and just a few automated reports. Very little else. Which is good, because the other stuff is not going to be used by the beginner, and not used by most new companies until they get to the point where they should be asking an outside consultant about the best package for their particular business. (most of which won't be shrink wrap software) So most of the features of the expensive packages are a total waste IMHO.
The table of accounts is simple to modify, and setting them up the way you want them is easy and fast.
It runs under Wine making it functional under linux. Which is good, because the interface is very friendly to the X-windows way of doing things.
The integrated documentation is good under windows, but doesn't work under linux. The bad:
Logo integration is klunky.
Checks are only usable with preprinted check-at-the-top forms.
Support is non-existent. Which is surprising. I would have figured there would at least be a web forum, but I can't find one. There is still a FAQ on cosmi's website that is of use, which is good. The fit and finish is not great, which I think is partly due to the lack of extensive options and the fact that the code base is nearly a decade old.
verdict:
It is fast and easy to use. It runs with wine under linux. It is simple (sometimes to a fault) and will save time compared to other options.
Fit and finish are not the best, particularly as it applies to printed forms.
Lack of support is a big issue. There will be no future revisions, and the code base appears to have been static for some time. So if you find a bug, you are stuck with it.
This product would be outstanding if it was ported to run natively under linux, and would benefit tremendously if it was made open source. It would take no time at all before the community added a dozen modular features making this product competitive with shrink-ware from production vendors, all while being much faster than typical shrink-ware.
This product would also be excellent in a educational environment. It does not hide the accounting features behind dozens of pretty forms. It is just simple straight forward book keeping with no window dressing.
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