7 Small Business Accounting Software Choices

NolaPro is online accounting software with the features needed by most small businesses and an easy-to-use interface. NolaPro has a free version that works for many small businesses, and if you need more features, you can upgrade for as little as $10/month.

Accounting features in NolaPro include:

• Order entry
• Inventory
• Payroll
• Point-of-sale support
• Ecommerce tools
• Keep separate books for multiple companies
• No data restrictions, banners, spyware or nag screens

Services for an additional cost include live 24/7 support, financial auditing, on-demand hosting, and customization of NolaPro for specific requirements.

Cost depends on version: free/$9.99/$39.99. Accountant-assisted version available.

Visit NolaPro.com

QuickBooks is popular accounting software that has been around for years and is updated annually. QuickBooks has versions for small business on up to big business environments, secure data sharing with an accountant, and integration with Microsoft Outlook.

QuickBooks desktop accounting software has industry-specific versions and plug-ins to extend features, and if you prefer web-based accounting software, there is QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Simple Start Online is specifically for very small businesses. To learn more about specific versions, read QuickBooks Versions, Features and Prices.

• QuickBooks Pro and Premium Review
• QuickBooks Simple Start Review
• QuickBooks Review from About.com Tax Planning: U.S.

QuickBooks Online monthly subscriptions $12.95/$24.95/$39.95/$63.95/$78.95
QuickBooks for Windows: $229.95/$399.95/$600 (Enterprise)
QuickBooks for Mac: $229.99

Visit QuickBooks.com to try QuickBooks for free.

Peachtree accounting software has four versions to meet the needs of a variety of businesses, including Peachtree Pro for small businesses. Peachtree also has versions for nonprofit organizations, manufacturing, construction and other industries.

Peachtree integrates with ACT! contact management software and a variety of add-on services are available to extend features, like payroll and merchant accounts. At the time this was written, I could find no online accounting software from Sage.

Sage Peachtree Accounting Software Reviews

• PC World Reviews Peachtree Accounting
• About.com Tax Planning: U.S. Peachtree Accounting Review

Cost depends on version: $229/$299/$499

Visit Peachtree.com for more information.

LessAccounting is web based accounting software for small business that has been evolving with more robust features while keeping the focus on simple. Features include:

• Contact management
• Sales leads tracking
• Business expense tracking
• Online invoicing
• Mileage tracker
• Accounting reports
• Data sharing with an accountant.

LessAccounting offers unlimited entries, SSL encryption and other data security measures.

LessAccounting imports contact information from Basecamp, Highrise and Gmail, imports data from Quicken, QuickBooks or banks that support QIF or QFX data imports.

Cost: $30/month. To try a free demo, click on the link on the upper right at LessAccounting.com

GnuCash is free open source accounting software with continued development since 1999.

GnuCash runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and other platforms, has been translated in over 20 languages and utilizes double entry accounting.

Small business accounting features in GnuCash include:

• accounts receivable and accounts payable
• customer and vendor tracking
• invoicing
• tax and billing terms
• payroll
• depreciation

Learn more about and download GnuCash

Simply Accounting First Step is from Sage, the same company that sells Peachtree Accounting. While it lacks quite a few features found in higher versions, Simply Accounting First Step includes support for bill payments, invoicing and tracking expenses, and more fully-featured versions are available.

Simply Accounting is included in About.com Small Business: Canada top accounting software picks.

Cost: Simply Accounting First Step retails for $69.99 and has a free 30-day trial, and you can download Simply Accounting First Step to give it a try for free. Another $120 buys job tracking, inventory functions and more features in Simply Accounting Pro.

NetSuite Financials is web-based accounting software that also helps with managing many other aspects of a business. Depending on the version, Netsuite offers modules for finance, customer relations management and marketing, payroll and employee management, web site development and eCommerce.

Cost: $49 per month small business version. Visit NetSuite.com to sign up for a free demo and more information.