Alternatives to Quicken accounting software

[Roosh]

Can anyone recommend alternatives to Quicken? Right now I pay $60 a year to manage a personal and business profile. That's not too expensive, but I don't like how Quicken is becoming increasingly woke. Case in point:

Built With Pride: LGBTQ+ business owners give their perspectives on Pride | QuickBooks

In honor pride month, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs reflect on the meaning of small business success, the hurdles they’ve overcome, and how they’re celebrating the community this June.

quickbooks.intuit.com

I read that Mint and Empower (Personal Capital) are free alternatives. Do they allow multiple profiles (i.e. one for business and one for personal)? I like to have different account streams.

 

[rainy]

I have a fair amount of experience with Quickbooks. Have used Xero as well.

I like Xero. Good option. Currently using Zoho for my business CRM and started using Zoho Books instead of Quickbooks. It is fine so far and while not as robust as Quickbooks, likely doesn't need to be. No issues setting up the chart of accounts, running reports and bank feeds and reconciliations are straight forward.

Pretty sure there is a free basic version as well.

 

[Roosh]

I have a fair amount of experience with Quickbooks. Have used Xero as well.

I like Xero. Good option. Currently using Zoho for my business CRM and started using Zoho Books instead of Quickbooks. It is fine so far and while not as robust as Quickbooks, likely doesn't need to be. No issues setting up the chart of accounts, running reports and bank feeds and reconciliations are straight forward.

Pretty sure there is a free basic version as well.

My are simple. Zoho Books and Xero are way beyond what I need.

 

[Akaky Akakievitch]

My are simple. Zoho Books and Xero are way beyond what I need.

I don't know how simple you need it to be, but I've recently been using Homebank for my personal financing and budgeting, which is pretty basic but worth checking out, it certainly keeps things simple:

HomeBank | Free personal finance software, money management for everyone

A free personal financial-accounting software, licensed under GNU/GPL and available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X.

homebank.free.fr

 

[Tom Slick]

I've never found a free one that allowed profiles, so I've had to keep separate databases and open & close them.

I use Money Manager EX and use Windows and Android versions. The only drawback for me is that the Windows version encryption does not work with their Android app.

 

[Nineteen84]

Free Accounting Software | GnuCash

GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL and available for GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.

www.gnucash.org

 

[Maddox]

I have a fair amount of experience with Quickbooks. Have used Xero as well.

I like Xero. Good option. Currently using Zoho for my business CRM and started using Zoho Books instead of Quickbooks. It is fine so far and while not as robust as Quickbooks, likely doesn't need to be. No issues setting up the chart of accounts, running reports and bank feeds and reconciliations are straight forward.

Pretty sure there is a free basic version as well.

I've been trying to decide between QB and Xero myself. It seems the latter is really popular in AUS but not here in the US. In fact, it's very hard to find CPA/bookkeeper companies near me that are trained in Xero.

Do you find it easy to do your own business taxes using software in lieu of a professional bookkeeper?

 

[rainy]

I've been trying to decide between QB and Xero myself. It seems the latter is really popular in AUS but not here in the US. In fact, it's very hard to find CPA/bookkeeper companies near me that are trained in Xero.

Do you find it easy to do your own business taxes using software in lieu of a professional bookkeeper?

I would never let a bookkeeper handle taxes.

I do all AP, AR, reconciling now and might have a bookkeeper do that later. But I always recommend having a trusted CPA who at least reviews your books quarterly and files taxes for you. I review with the CPA but it’s extremely valuable having a highly trained set of eyes on your numbers while also being able to consult with them. They’re tax experts as well.

 

[Maddox]

I would never let a bookkeeper handle taxes.

I do all AP, AR, reconciling now and might have a bookkeeper do that later. But I always recommend having a trusted CPA who at least reviews your books quarterly and files taxes for you. I review with the CPA but it’s extremely valuable having a highly trained set of eyes on your numbers while also being able to consult with them. They’re tax experts as well.

I didn't mean to have your bookkeeper do your taxes. It was badly worded.

I just meant using software to do your own books. I'm wondering how difficult it is for a complete newbie like myself to handle the books for my own startup.

 

[rainy]

I didn't mean to have your bookkeeper do your taxes. It was badly worded.

I just meant using software to do your own books. I'm wondering how difficult it is for a complete newbie like myself to handle the books for my own startup.

Not difficult as volume is low and most entries are repetitive. I find basic bookkeeping to be an incredibly logical task. Every transaction is accounted for. Every bill is entered. Every payment is entered. Every invoice entered. Every payment received entered. They should automatically show on the P/L and journal. It’s more just getting used to the specific software.

Lots of demo videos online and YouTube. Also many of the companies will help set you up and get you up and running. They usually will have option to train you and offer phone support.

Feel free to PM me with questions.

 

[Thomas More]

When I first saw this, I wondered why not just do it all on excel? I worried that this might seem naive or stupid, or might require more understanding of double entry accounting than most people have.

However, I did a search, and found that people are doing this. Here's one link, but I saw lots of resources on how to do this.

How to do Small Business Bookkeeping in Excel like a Boss

Take advantage of one of the most common and most powerful computer programs, Excel, to build a comprehensive bookkeeping system for your small business.

www.novo.co

 

[TooFineAPoint]

When I first saw this, I wondered why not just do it all on excel? I worried that this might seem naive or stupid, or might require more understanding of double entry accounting than most people have.

However, I did a search, and found that people are doing this. Here's one link, but I saw lots of resources on how to do this.

How to do Small Business Bookkeeping in Excel like a Boss

Take advantage of one of the most common and most powerful computer programs, Excel, to build a comprehensive bookkeeping system for your small business.

www.novo.co

Yeah I keep my own books on a spreadsheet, then give everything to my accountant at the end of the fiscal year.

Never wanted to pay for software, now want to even less since Roosh showed the woke stuff.

 

[Roosh]

When I first saw this, I wondered why not just do it all on excel? I worried that this might seem naive or stupid, or might require more understanding of double entry accounting than most people have.

However, I did a search, and found that people are doing this. Here's one link, but I saw lots of resources on how to do this.

How to do Small Business Bookkeeping in Excel like a Boss

Take advantage of one of the most common and most powerful computer programs, Excel, to build a comprehensive bookkeeping system for your small business.

www.novo.co

How do you import credit card / bank transactions? Especially if you have a lot of accounts.

 

[budoslavic]

How do you import credit card / bank transactions? Especially if you have a lot of accounts.

What file format is your bank transactions in? i.e., is it in .txt, .csv, .pdf, etc.?

In Excel - as well as other office programs (i.e., OpenOffice, Libre, etc.) - there is a Data tab where you can import a file (i.e., .csv) into a spreadsheet program.

Import or export text (.txt or .csv) files - Microsoft Support

To import a text file, you can open the file or import the text file as an external data range. To export a text file, use the Save As command.

support.microsoft.com

 

[Thomas More]

How do you import credit card / bank transactions? Especially if you have a lot of accounts.

I've done some business things with excel, but not CCs. Here's a post I found that seems promising. It may be that a dedicated accounting program is still the best way to go. In any case, Microsoft is at least as woke as Quicken or any other competitor.

Import and maintain credit card transactions

This article explains how to import and maintain expense-related credit card transactions. These transactions can be set up so that they are automatically imported on a recurring schedule, or they can be manually imported as they are required.

learn.microsoft.com