Mac compatible accounting or small business software

[SneakyBiscuitEater]

I am starting a family business and being in the creative/arts area DH and I are both Mac users. We have been on a business start up course and the tutors there can't get enough of Sage and it does seem to be the sort of thing we want /need but there must be a bit of Mac based software that is just as good without us having to run windows on the Mac?

I have looked at Accountz and to be honest I'm not that sure of the differences between the different versions. Does anyone have any advice?

If it helps we will be running art courses from a home studio so don't need complicated stock control/tracking functions, but I am wary of getting something too simple and having to purchase a bigger, better version in the future.

Thank you in advance.

[AndrewD]

I use //www.kashflow.com. It is all done in the cloud online so all you need is a browser and internet connection - mac, windows, ipad, phone.

Monthly subscription but with a free trial (no credit card needed). Lots of improvements made each month with no software to upgrade. Good customer service too.

I know this sounds too good to be true, but I really am just a customer and have no vested interest.

[SneakyBiscuitEater]

I'll check it out, cheers.

[tribpot]

Not exactly the same but I did a thread earlier in the year on personal accounting software that you might find interesting. I am a convert to YNAB since this thread and it is used by some small businesses - YNAB has a section on small business in its forum.

[SneakyBiscuitEater]

Thanks tribpot I'll have a read.

[MrAnchovy]

Anything but Sage.

I too am a fan of cloud-based systems and of course you can use them on virtually any hardware platform (in most cases). I prefer Accounts Portal (cheap), FreeAgent (well established in the UK) or Xero (sexy) to KashFlow though.

I haven't looked at Accountz but the pain of keeping software up to date and data backed up rules it out for me (and as a recommendation to clients - I am an accountant).

However for a family start up I would recommend you just find a decent template for your sales invoices and keep everything on a spreadsheet (backed up in the cloud of course - use Dropbox for this).

[MrAnchovy]

Oh, you might find this topic useful.

[TightingLife]

Another one is "Checkmark Payroll", it runs on Windows NT / 98 / 2000 / Me / XP / 95, Mac

It has some great features like:

MICR encoding option available at one-time additional charge for blank check stock printing
Retain hours for future payrolls
Import hours from a spreadsheet or timeclock software
Easily modify check numbers, void or delete checks
Creates ACH format file for direct deposit with your bank

I have written reviews on top payroll software, it may be useful to you in terms of understanding features, system requirements and pricing.

usemyreviews.com/payroll-software-reviews/

[davejanderson1]

It looks like this thread is fairly old but I wanted to chime in and mention Xero because it seems like it would be an ideal solution for you. Xero is designed for small business owners and is accessible from either a Mac or PC, through a web browser. In fact, it is known for operating excellently on a Mac (www.xero.com/us/mac-accounting/).

You a pay a monthly subscription fee and can cancel at anytime with no hassle. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to learn more about Xero. - Dave ([email protected])