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In the Market for Accounting Software? It's QuickBooks or Microsoft

Posted on: Friday, 16 September 2005, 12:00 CDT

Question: My 2-year-old business is moving into a higher gear and it's time to automate finances. My accountant suggests QuickBooks software, but I see that Microsoft just launched a new low-cost small business accounting package that looks attractive since my other business software is Microsoft. What's the scoop?

-- SOFTWARE SHOPPER

Answer: In the field of small- business accounting software, one name has stood head-and-shoulders above the crowd for years -- QuickBooks, from Intuit.

More small-business owners and accountants use the various versions of QuickBooks than any other brand. And while many small businesses also use solutions from Peachtree, MYOB and others, QuickBooks dominates.

Now Microsoft is upping the ante with its newly minted Small Business Accounting (SBA) 2006 software package aimed squarely at market leader QuickBooks.

The battle for the hearts, minds and dollars of small-business owners like you could be quite entertaining. Microsoft is certainly the undisputed heavyweight software champion of the world.

But when it comes to small-business accounting solutions, the tech behemoth has been a bust. Bill Gates and company have tried -- and failed-- three times before to break into the small-business accounting arena. And while Gates maintains he's finally got it right this time, the prospects are unclear.

Like other finance software targeting small firms, Microsoft SBA offers easy-to-use tools that help you print checks and pay bills; create quotes, orders and invoices; manage and track inventory; view, customize and print dozens of different reports; and forecast and track cash flow and profits.

And SBA offers a few advantages over the competition. Since most small businesses already use other Microsoft products such as Outlook, Word and Excel, the new accounting package offers an easy way to integrate all of the different functions within a single software suite.

This saves you the trouble of entering data into multiple programs. Plus, Microsoft SBA works together with ADP tax and payroll services for small business. So if you already use ADP for payroll, or plan to, the Microsoft product could be a good choice.

Cost also could be a factor. Not surprisingly, Microsoft has priced its product below the competitors. SBA costs $149 after a $30 rebate. And you can knock that down to $120 if you buy it on Amazon.com. It also comes bundled with a bunch of other business software such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher and Outlook for $569 after a $100 rebate, or $399 on an upgrade. And Dell plans to offer it pre-loaded on its PCs.

While Microsoft SBA might not offer enough to make QuickBooks users want to switch, it's worth a look if your small business is trying out its first financial software application. Visit www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness for more information.

Daniel Kehrer is editor and publisher of BizBest (www.bizbest.com), which provides independent ratings and analysis of nearly 2,000 small business resources in hundreds of subject categories. Kehrer, based in Pacific Palisades, also has worked as a business journalist for 25 years. E-mail questions to: dan@bizbest.com or send to Daniel Kehrer c/o Daily Breeze, Business section, 5215 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503-4077.

Source: Daily Breeze

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