Boy is this a question! It is like who is the best footballer in the world! For me, I think it is best to see first, what is required from the software, and a good starting point is considering the structure of the company in consideration.
If they are just about to start up a business as a self-employed sole trader, a software that a limited company would use would have features that the sole trader would not use and waste money on subscribing.
Accounting software for Startups
All the usual suspects offer a great software for startups and self-employed, Xero, Sage and QuickBooks.
At Tandem we recommend Kletta for our sole trader client base, as in our opinion this is the only software designed solely for the sole trader, and is of course easy to use and very competitively priced.
Accounting Software for Limited Companies
For Limited companies there is an abundance of choice. Our favourite ones are as before with sole traders, Xero, Sage and Quickbooks.
Again, always best to think on what you want from your software in the first instance would be ideal.
Cloud accounting is the go-to software so if going the Sage route there will be more decisions to make as to whether to go desktop or cloud.
How can you choose you accounting software?
Our advice would be to trial a couple and see which one you prefer and does it meet all your requirements. Some software still does have limitations, so do a bit of homework first. Also some some software solutions may just fit you and the way you work more easily. There is also some great introductory prices about at the moment and the offering of time limited free add ons, which could be very useful if you have something like payroll to add.
I am finding more and more that bookkeepers and accountants have their preferred software. This might seem limiting, but you can be assured that your accounting professional is fully conversant with their preferred software, also they may be able to get it a bit cheaper for you and of course some will for free when you sign up for one of their packages.
They are by and large the same, a debit and a credit remains constant! However, these companies spend vast amounts of cash on improving the customer interface and the ease of the software so the key is finding the one that works for you and your team.
Where can I get help to choose my accounting software?
If you would like further information or support in choosing your ideal software please book a discovery call here on our website by clicking on the button at the top of this page, and we will be only too
happy to assist you in discovering which one would be the right choice for your requirements.