Simple FREE alternative to QuickBooks?

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Red C220

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I need a basic accounts package. It's for an eBay based Business that also has off eBay sales.

It's quite simple, I import products and sell them, that's it.

Stock in, stock out with the associated costs.

So I need a software package in to which I can do the following:-

Enter stock items with an input cost.
Input sales of thees items broken down into item, VAT and Postage.
Track the VAT
Input expenses
Create simple reports.

I don't need staff or payroll tracking.

Basically I need a stripped out version of QuickBooks or similar.

I've spent a few days looking on Google and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the volume and varying quality of what's offered.

I'm only a few weeks into this "home business" and have already sold over 200 items so I need to get this in place before it becomes a mammoth paperwork task. I can then just enter what sells each day and produce simple numbers for my quarterly vat returns.

Any idea people or do I just swallow the cost and get Quickbooks (which I find a bit bloated and not that easy to use).
 
OK, on the face of it it's a compact neat little thing, but like many others it has critical items disabled that you need to use.

To enable these items you have to buy the full version - which if that's the case I'd buy Quickbooks.
 
Have a look at Kashflow. It handles paypal integration very neatly, but does charge a monthly subscription.

Xero also similar and worth a look, free up to a certain point I think.
 
just use quickbooks.... if you bank with barclays business they give it you free.
 
Do any of the other banks (I'm with NatWest) offer similar accounts software for free?
 
Do any of the other banks (I'm with NatWest) offer similar accounts software for free?

Nat West used to offer quick books free but I think they may have now changed but they definitely offer software but not sure if you have to have a business account.
 
I have a business account - they have never offered software. I will have to ask.

I started using Microsoft's offering but it seemed over the top for my use. Then Microsoft stopped supporting it, so I went back to a simple excell spreadsheet.
 
just use quickbooks.... if you bank with barclays business they give it you free.

Ahh yes, I bank with Barclays and I found the full version of QuickBooks Pro included bundled with another £1500 worth of "Free" software in the pack I'd been originally given when I opened the account. Result I thought!

All free for a monthly subscription.

Er so that's not free then.

I think I'm just going to buy quickbooks and be done with it.

I just find it clunky and it's a product which I'm only ever going to use to 10% of it's capabilities. Seems such a waste.
 
I have a business account - they have never offered software. I will have to ask.

I started using Microsoft's offering but it seemed over the top for my use. Then Microsoft stopped supporting it, so I went back to a simple excell spreadsheet.

I spent the afternoon writing a simple excel sheet so I can input what I've produced so far at least until I find a solution.

This will automate my VAT returns which is the main aim right now.

What I want now is bookkeeping so at year end I can give it to an accountant all organised and hopefully avoid being charged a substantial amount of money to produce what I've already done myself.

I know (and am capable) of filing accounts myself. Over the years though I've found anything posted by an accountant is taken as gospel by banks/HMRC and anyone else that may matter despite it being entirely based on my information.

For that fact alone it's worth paying fora Chartered Accountant to file for you.
 
I agree with Piff. For simple accounting like this it's easiest to use Excel. You can create exactly what you want and not be burdened by other rubbish that's of no use or interest. Simples!
 
I agree with Piff. For simple accounting like this it's easiest to use Excel. You can create exactly what you want and not be burdened by other rubbish that's of no use or interest. Simples!

True true - but I also need integrated stock control.

Even at this early stage I already have over 2000 stock items and I need to automate and integrate that with invoicing and VAT.

I have no doubt Excel can do this, I also have no doubt that I'd make a right pigs ear of trying to write a spreadsheet complex enough to deal with it!
 
http://www.nchsoftware.com/accounting/index.html

Australian people. Localised for UK use.

Support and some features are paid-for options, but quite low-cost.
 
Australian people. Localised for UK use.

Support and some features are paid-for options, but quite low-cost.

That looks just the ticket, I've found quite a number of items like that that would be perfect for say, a freelance contractor.

Stock integration is the stumbling block for me. It's a pay add on even for the freebie above.

The added issue then is they assume I'm the size of B&Q or Ikea.
 
True true - but I also need integrated stock control.

Even at this early stage I already have over 2000 stock items and I need to automate and integrate that with invoicing and VAT.

I have no doubt Excel can do this, I also have no doubt that I'd make a right pigs ear of trying to write a spreadsheet complex enough to deal with it!
When you're getting to that size business I would have thought you'd be better off buying something that your accountant is happy with. BUT, my accountant when I had a bigger business used Sage. So I bought Sage Instant Accounts but was never too happy with it because it's designed for bookkeepers and not average Jo businessman. It did the job though. I've now returned to Excel for all my bookkeeping and accounts, including P&L and cash flow. I use Home Accountz to keep constant track of all personal and business bank accounts and credit cards, outputting data to my Excel spreadsheet for end of year accounts.
 
When you're getting to that size business I would have thought you'd be better off buying something that your accountant is happy with. BUT, my accountant when I had a bigger business used Sage. So I bought Sage Instant Accounts but was never too happy with it because it's designed for bookkeepers and not average Jo businessman. It did the job though. I've now returned to Excel for all my bookkeeping and accounts, including P&L and cash flow. I use Home Accountz to keep constant track of all personal and business bank accounts and credit cards, outputting data to my Excel spreadsheet for end of year accounts.

When I had issues with the microsoft product I asked my accountant who suggested sage.
But then added that I could go back to using a spreadsheet as I had done before the microsoft trial as it was a system I was familiar with
 
Maybe GnuCash, free accounting software.
 

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