| QuickBooks Online accounting provides the | | | | Nevertheless, Simple Start works for very small |
| essential accounting tools necessary to manage | | | | business clients, who use it to summarize their |
| your business and the freedom to access your | | | | business activities for their business tax returns |
| financial information from work, home, or the | | | | rather than for real time financial decision making |
| road. The free version is called Simple Start and I | | | | information. If you use both PC and Mac at your |
| will tell you why it may be able to you in your | | | | office or home, you can share the data which is |
| business or your personal finances. Before I do | | | | kept in the cloud. Most business owners really like |
| that, its important to know that Intuit has decided | | | | this feature. Once again, it is limited to one user |
| to take some initial steps to phase out access to | | | | regardless if its a Mac or PC. I have been able to |
| the free version of Simple Start. | | | | set up their chart of accounts from my PC and |
| As the Intuit website simply states, Simple Start | | | | then my clients are able to instantly use the |
| can: | | | | software. |
| (a)Track sales, expenses & customers, | | | | During the sign in step, Inuit asks for a credit |
| (b)Instantly create invoices, | | | | card.This is not a scam to get you sign up. They |
| (c)pay bills, & print checks and | | | | do not charge your credit card until you make a |
| (d) Organize your finances in one place-ready for | | | | purchase. You will quickly see how well it captures |
| tax time. | | | | your cash activities, and will probably want to |
| All this sounds good, but when you take a close | | | | upgrade to either QuickBooks Online Basic or |
| look, Simple Start has serious limitations, but for | | | | QuickBooks Online Plus, because of Simple starts |
| some people or businesses, it might have a place. | | | | limitations. |
| Intuit has an QuickBooks Online option, called | | | | Unfortunately, another shortcoming of both |
| QuickBooks Simple Start which is free. Like the | | | | Simple Start and QuickBooks Online Basic is their |
| old "no free lunch theorem", it is limited to one | | | | inability to properly record and monitor accounts |
| user and has very limited functionality. i.e. limited | | | | payable,monitor and pay multiple vendors at |
| to five customers(but unlimited vendors) and | | | | once.This is important if you want to be able to |
| lacks accounts payable recording and reporting, | | | | track your payables and be able to pay multiple |
| estimating for customer in advance of a bill, lack | | | | vendors at one time Also, Simple Start does not |
| of monthly or annual budgeting, financial reporting | | | | offer a Statement of Cashflows. This statement |
| and the list grows more and more. | | | | shows you where and to what accounts your |
| Notwithstanding, these inherent flaws, may not be | | | | cash was spent, in other words, the sources and |
| so important for very small business that operate | | | | uses of cash.Clearly, an important tool to monitor |
| without large amounts of accounts receivables | | | | the financial activities of your business. |
| and don't require or have the need to utilize these | | | | In summary, some people like Simple Start |
| important accounting and bookkeeping | | | | because its free and "simple". Once again, like all |
| functionalities. | | | | QuickBooks Online products it works with any PC |
| My clients that use both Macs and PC's like the | | | | and Mac. if you want a free version of Simple |
| ability to use QuickBooks on either platform. I like | | | | Start, please visit my website for a link to get |
| this because I am not crazy about using a Mac. | | | | Simple Start. |