Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to Software

Accounting software may not be the flashiest of the bunch, but just try managing your business without it.

HQuickBooks 5.0, $99 (Windows 3.1/95), $99 (Quick-Books 4.0 for Macintosh), Intuit Inc., (800) 446-8848, http://www.quicken.com

QuickBooks 5.0, produced by the same folks who make Quicken for personal users, is the bestselling bean-counter for business. The package will run on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 and uses 32MB of your hard drive. The program customizes itself to your industry, and you can turn off features your business doesn't use.

Quickbooks deals with estimates, invoices, finance charges, refunds and credits, receivables, sales, deposits, purchases, credit cards, checking accounts, payroll management, forecasts, and more. The new layout designer makes it easy to customize forms. Quickbooks has built-in Internet access for online banking, and the Windows version includes an Intuit edition of Netscape Navigator. Choose customers or jobs from a drop-down list to create invoices, and fill out checks onscreen. Sum up your bottom line with reports and graphs. The program calculates earnings and deductions, and prints such forms as 940s, W-2s and more. The CD-ROM version includes onscreen business and legal libraries. This program offers sophisticated features at a price that won't bust your bottom line.

Other Products

Money 97, $34.95 (Windows 95/NT 4.0), Microsoft Corp., (800) 426-9400, http://www.microsoft.com

Small Business Financial Manager 97, $99 (Windows 95/NT 3.51), requires Excel 97, Microsoft Corp.

M.Y.O.B. Accounting 7, $134.95 (Windows 3.1), $144.95 (Macintosh System 7), upgrade $49.95, Bestware Inc., (800) 322-6962, http://www.bestware.com

Quicken Basic 98, $39.95 (Windows 3.1 or 32-bit Windows 95), $34.95 (Macintosh version), Intuit Inc.

QuickPay 3.0, $39.95 (Windows 3.1/95), Intuit Inc.

TurboTax for Business (1996 version), $69.95 (Windows 3.1/95), Intuit Inc.

Visual AccountMate 3.1, $1,195 per module (Windows 95/NT), AccountMate Software Corp., (800) 877-8896, http://www.accountmate.com

What's Hot

• Classy Peachtree Complete Accounting Plus Time & Billing ($249) for Windows 3.1 in Enhanced Mode/95/NT 3.51 seems to have everything any business could possibly need for accounting-and even handles things like back orders and partial shipments. It includes action-items monitoring, multiple billing rates and electronic tax filing. Free CrashCourse Accounting Fundamentals and special editions of Act! 3.0 and Smart Attorney 6.0 are included. Call Peachtree Software Inc. at (800) 228-0068, or visit http://www.peachtree.com
• Intuit Inc.'s QuickBooks 5.0 Pro ($199) for Windows 3.1/95 has Quickbooks 5.0 features plus improved estimates, job costing, time-tracking and milestone invoicing features.
• Quicken Deluxe 98 ($59.95) for Windows 3.1/95 is personal financial software in that it organizes bank accounts, reminds you to pay bills, helps you bank online, keeps a home inventory, tracks stock online, looks for tax deductions and helps plan debt reduction. But this program from Intuit Inc. also helps small businesses track payroll and manage accounts payable, accounts receivable and other projects. A Macintosh version is also available.
• Intuit's Quicken Home & Business 98, expected to be released by press time, will integrate invoicing and other business accounting basics with personal and basic business financial management, such as tracking accounts receivable, calculating sales tax and generating tax reports.

This article was originally published in the November 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to Software.