# Accounting software/Quicken/Quickbooks/virtual PC



## mejav (Mar 19, 2005)

Can anyone give me any feedback on these products or any ideas of very simple to use accounting software for a small business. I have looked at Intuit's Easy Start and it would seem to be a good fit for me but is only available in PC format which means installing Virtual PC which I have mixed feelings about. Anyone have experience with Virtual PC? What about Quicken ... anyone tried that for small business and can it do invoices? Thanks folks. mejav


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

Welcome to ehMac, mejav

I can't speak to the accounting software, but if you can avoid using virtual PC, do so. VPC can be OK if you don't have to do anything too intensive, and to be fair, I have heard of SOME people running VPC7 on G5s having good results (I think it was with Windows 2000... there was a thread on it here a while back), but mostly, to be blunt, VPC blows big time. Go with a OS X native program. It will be worth it in the long run.

MacS


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

I guess I can talk from a little bit of experience, I'm currently running MYOB on my Windows machine and I've been looking to switch to a Mac based product. Unfortunately MYOB isn't in Canada anymore, they sold off to Intuit about 3 years ago. I think that the current QuickBooks for Mac 2005 is a version of MYOB Mac but before AccountEdge. There hasn't been much in the way of updating on it since then. I recently beta tested the 2005 release to get a good long look at the product. Functionally it is pretty good, although I don't love the way it handles GST and the screens... well they look old, like pre-OS X.

I used to work for EveryWare Development (Butler, Tango, and Connected, a Mac accounting program). We had sold off the Connected program around 1997-8. I found out that it is still around http://www.accountek.com/index.html and it is both multi-user and cross platform. However I was unable to find any pricing which leads me to believe that it is not less than $500 and all of the screen shots appear to be pre-OS X as well. 

I was able to track down a former co-worker from my EveryWare days who was part of the Connected group (and a CGA). After EveryWare she had joined MYOB and now she's working for Best (i.e. Simply Accounting).

I recently asked her the question, can I find a way of taking either the US or Australian versions of MYOB and making them work in Canada. I know of one Canadian based company that is using the US version but 95% of their business is US-based. Her response was that using the US version wouldn't be practical, it won't track the GST paid and there are too many hoops to jump through if the majority of my business is Canadian (which mine is). MYOB Australia will not ship product outside of OZ. Simply doesn't have a Mac version, at least not one that is currently on the market. 

She mentioned a product called MultiLedger from CheckMark Software http://www.checkmark.com/ which I had forgot about. I took a quick look at their web site and I think I'll download the demo for a look-see. Pricing is a little high (US$399 or US$548 for MultiLedger/Payroll bundle) but they are multi-user right out of the box although you do need to purchase additional licenses. 

I'd love to hear from anyone who has some experience using MultiLedger. 

Quicken is a home finances program. There is no General Ledger in it and from what I remember, you're using 'home' functions (i.e. record your paycheck) in place of 'business' functions (i.e. record an invoice). I don't believe that it has invoicing. When people have asked me about it for use with a business I say "my Mom used to sell Tupperware, for her it would have been ideal, for anything more no".

EasyStart is a stripped down version of QuickBooks for almost the same price as the basic version. I'd go with QuickBooks Basic.

QuickBooks might still be the best choice for a Mac program. It's pretty good (I'm spoiled from using MYOB), I just thought it could be better. I've got a customer who is using the Windows version of QuickBooks (actually the 'Premier Retail' version) and it just 'looks' more professional.

QuickBooks Mac is NOT 100% compatible with the Windows version, you have to do a data file conversion when you move the data file from one platform to another. I know that with MYOB you can have both versions and one can actually open the data file of the other over a network, hence cross-platform multi-user. MultiLedger and Connected both appear to work the same way as MYOB.

My friend had suggested I consider Virtual PC with either my existing MYOB, a new version of Simply or a new version of QuickBooks Windows.

At this point I think I'll take a good look at MultLedger. If it meets my needs, I'll use it, otherwise I'll go to QuickBooks Mac.

Sorry for the long winded response but I hope this helps,


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## focal (Jan 7, 2003)

we haven't tried to use the US MYOB, but the CDN account edge v1 has held up for us. We have simplified the use of the program. Sticking to sales, invoicing, A/R and inventory.

we've off loaded the work for banking onto an Excel spread sheet and do manual weekly cash outs. Takes more time, but keeps the CDN MYOB still viable.

payroll of 6 staff is just easier manually...again Excel.

depends on your needs but I guess the US version on MYOB would suit my needs if MYOB account edge v1 for Canada breaks with OS 10.4 or 10.5

we are slowly building our accounting program from scratch now out of Filemaker. We've got invocing and product info/codes working along with linking with our contact manager (built on MYOB)


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

I was able to find out that there is a Canadian connection Businesscare http://businesscare.ca/ appears to have a Canadian version of the MultiLedger Payroll package. This might be of benefit to those companies who are looking for this.

Hope this helps,


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## •MACMAN• (Dec 9, 2002)

Just thought this was interesting... while I was trying to get the latest information about Canadian accounting software I was coming up against the same problems as everyone else with my biggest beef being that the only viable piece of software for us is QuickBooks Accounts for Mac by Intuit Canada. This, as it appears, is not as up to date as the QuickBooks: Pro 2005 for Mac in the US and the price is almost $500!

Anyway, I came across this in the FAQ section of the Intuit US site about QuickBooks: Pro 2005 for mac, which is only $299 USD by the way...

_Q: Does QuickBooks: Pro 2005 for Mac work for Canadian businesses?

A: Yes. If you're just starting out with QuickBooks, you can use the New Company Setup Assistant to create a company file that supports Canadian GST/PST tax reporting. If you're using QuickBooks Pro 4.0, 5.0 or 6.0, you can convert your data for QuickBooks: Pro 2005 for Mac. If you're using QuickBooks Pro 4.5, you'll need to create a new data file for use with the new version. Another option for Canadian businesses is QuickBooks Accounts for Mac, which is sold by Intuit Canada._ 

So, my question is, has anyone tried both QuickBooks Pro 2005 and QuickBooks Accounts? What are the differences and which is a better, more robust, up to date, software solution?

Thanks,
Macman.


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## mejav (Mar 19, 2005)

Thank you to everyone for their feedback. MacMan, yours was particularly interesting as the US version appears to be more robust than the Quickbooks Accounts for Mac. Upon reviewing their site, I found they have a downloadable trial offer for free. So I am going to investigate and download. Here is the link for the download if you are interested. http://quickbooks.intuit.com/commer...odId=prod0000000000007975105&_requestid=37959
Wish me luck.
mejav


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## parousia (Feb 15, 2001)

So how does this program work?

I am in the process now needing an upgrade.. as many know the Account Edge has been breaking since 10.2, you can now no longer resize windows, etc. and I really need something new.

Has anyone taken the plunge?

Parousia


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## Rob Dekker (Apr 6, 2005)

Quicken just plain sucks. The version that came with my G5 iMac is dead in the water....when I tried to migrate a file from the old PC...the file just killed Quicken...won't even start-up now. Quicken 2002 won't run on VPC. My wife does all of her stuff on Quicken, we're still using the old PC until we figure something out. I'll make sure she reads this thread...hope it will help.


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## parousia (Feb 15, 2001)

i downloaded the 30 day trial and am currently checking it out.

I think that we are just going to close the books on MYOB from Jan of this yr and reenter from then until now.  

Although it will be alot of work, I hate this crappy account edge and i need more power.

I tried talking to Intuit in the US and in Canada and neither of course has anything that they would be willing to commit to as far as the migration from account edge to quickbooks pro as they cant support it.

So just another short term set back, I will be glad when the % of mac users climbs higher and we get some decent business tax software, supported in Canada.

Parousia


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## MacGYVER (Apr 15, 2005)

I'm surprised nobody has tried "Accounts" from Nano Software. I have tried it out, and it works the way an accounting software package should work. When I tried out QuickBooks Pro 2005 for Mac, I thought what the hell is up with the GUI? How complicated could they make such a software program?

I have been searching months for something that I could use in a small business environment that would actually work the way I learned how to do accounting. The layout of "Accounts" is probably the closest thing that comes to mind, it doesn't have any of the bloatware and can handle GST and PST for Canadians. (Manually input at this time)(Talked with the owner and they will be making it automatically in the next major release sometime this year.)

Even though the company resides out of Australia, they do have a number of Canadians using their software. They are super quick with questions and have just updated so that their software works in Tiger. I was going to go with a local London, Ontario company called Liquid Ledger, but that company seems to take forever to get ahead with their software. They might be lucky to see their current beta change by 2006 at the pace their going. Plus, I'm not sure if the current beta would even work under Tiger. 

If it wasn't for the other thread on this subject from last week I believe, I don't think I would have found what I was looking for in an accounting software program.

You can check out Accounts at: http://www.nano.com.au/index.html


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## lilainjil (Oct 23, 2003)

Thought I would pipe in here with this link to the Macworld/Quickbooks Mac forum. My understanding is that Quickbooks Accounts for Mac in Canada is a rebadged version of MYOB. It is a completely different program than Quickbooks for Mac from the U.S.

I've been using Quickbooks Pro for years on my Mac for my small business, for what it's worth.


http://www.macworld.com/forums/ubbt...=112158&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

Here is a quote from a post:
"Before I bought my copy of Quickbooks Pro 2005 for Mac from the US arm of Intuit, I called up Intuit Canada and asked them to 'sell me on buying your product instead of what the US arm offers'

And basically, she told me that I should buy the US product. It can handle GST/PST just fine (even if the setup is not as automatic as for US companies. The only drawback is the lack of compatible pay roll software. She said Accounts for Mac in Canada is 3 year old MYOB code, while the US version is brand new 2005 quickbooks code.

In response to the question 'why don't you re-sell the US version here in Canada?' the answer I got was "it costs us too much to buy it from the US to resell it here in Canada because of the relatively small market of mac users in canada."

I find Quickbooks Pro 2005 for Mac to be perfect for my new small business here in Canada."

Andy


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

To the best of my knowledge, the QuickBooks for Mac that I'm using is the same version in both Canada and the US. The version number is 7.0f1.

Hope this helps,


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Any updated information in this accounting arena? 

My business is taking off and I am digging myself into a hole by not having any proper accounting and inventory control in place. (The trouble is that I take a lot of cash transactions that include taxes so I have to go backwards to calculate selling price, and thus figuring out profits is going to be a nightmare.)

What is the current situation in Canada for Macs in 2006??


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## slowzuki (Jun 6, 2006)

I have been using Quicken 2005 on VPC and I find it slow and it is a terrible program as far as usability. It does however handle business and personal accounts both on the same platform.

I to have been eyeing liquid ledger. I'll check out the aussie platform too.


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## MacMaster (Jan 22, 2006)

*Accounting Software for Mac*

This has all been a really interesting read.

I have used Simply Accounting for my business since 1994. It is the last piece of software that runs in classic on OS 9, so I have also been looking for something newer.

I just recently purchased QuickBooks Pro 2006 for Mac. I'm just starting to set up my chart of accounts and will keep everyone updated as I learn more.

Just as a side note, I use FileMaker Pro for my point of sale at both stores, but still prefer a true accounting program at the home office.

Each business or individual's needs are going to be different.


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## Siebel (Aug 18, 2005)

*Using Accounts too!*

I'm using Accounts too from Nano Software and I love it. Not very expensive and works very well.

I strongly recommend it (you can download it and test it).


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## jasonwood (Oct 19, 2003)

I am using the free copy of QuickBooks 2006 (New User Edition) that is included on the MacBook Pro. It's basically the same as QuickBooks 2006 for Mac but with a number of features disabled (such as exporting reports to an Excel spreadsheet).

Note that Inuit CANADA doesn't offer a QuickBooks product for Mac - this is the US version, sold through US distribution only. There are instructions in the help files on using QuickBooks for Mac in Canada (GST, etc.).

It is perhaps not as elegant as a purely Canadian solution but it makes no difference to me. On purchases it's easy to just add a line for GST, and for sales, I only enter one per month (based on summary reports from my FileMaker system).


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

How about inventory tracking and profit measurement? Does QuickBooks 2006 or Accounts do this??


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

gmark2000 said:


> How about inventory tracking and profit measurement? Does QuickBooks 2006 or Accounts do this??


QuickBooks has some inventory tracking, but not what I would use if I was in a product oriented business. I am a reseller for DayLite but I don't carry inventory. I simply purchase and sell when orders come in.

I'm not sure about the Nano product.

Hope this helps,


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

I'm in Denver right now as was speaking with a rep from MYOB us. They don't have anything to announce right now, but   beejacon beejacon 

The rep I was talking to said they'd be "interested to hear from Canadian Mac customers who are interested in a Canadian version of MYOB." 

If you would like to **VERY POLITELY and INTELLIGENTLY* contact the MYOB rep about your interest, let me know on this thread and I'll PM you.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Also, this software keeps getting better and better all the time. They are building more and more accounting features into the software with much more planned.


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

I definitely would!


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

What can't you do with the US version of QuickBooks? They tout that it can be customized for Canadian users.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

gmark2000 said:


> What can't you do with the US version of QuickBooks? They tout that it can be customized for Canadian users.


Buy it or sell it in a store in Canada.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Any other Canadian Mac users interested in MYOB for Canada?


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

I don't know if I need it. I need something though. I am getting behind in my bookkeeping. Let's say yes.


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Sent you and Oakbridge a PM.  

Anyone else?


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## cdnbacon (Feb 26, 2001)

Me! Me! 

A few years back I was setting up MYOB for my business accounting just weeks before Intuit Canada took over and dropped it's support for the product, at that point I stopped my transition to MYOB for Mac and stuck with a windows based accounting package until something came along in Mac OSX. 

I would love to see an up-to-date Canadianized version of MYOB for OSX, and would most certainly buy and use a copy for my small business!


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## ehMax (Feb 17, 2000)

Sent you PM.


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Really? Quicken works like an absolute charm for me...


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## MacMaster (Jan 22, 2006)

*MYOB for Mac*



ehMax said:


> Sent you and Oakbridge a PM.
> 
> Anyone else?


I actually have an older demo CD from MYOB and would be interested in a newer version for Mac OS X. Put me down as a yes.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

dona83 said:


> Really? Quicken works like an absolute charm for me...


We were talking about QuickBOOKS. There's no Canadian version.


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

ehMax said:


> Sent you and Oakbridge a PM.
> 
> Anyone else?


I would have sent a reply thanking you but received this message:

"ehMax has exceeded their stored private messages quota and can not accept further messages until they clear some space."

Okay I have to laugh at this...

Thanks anyway!


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

Did anyone who tried to contact the MYOB rep receive a reply? 

Just curious...


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## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

Just saw this, but I'd be very interested in some decent Mac Accounting software, and would be happy to send a polite message to the MYOB rep.


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

I'm just about to buy QuickBooks for Mac 2007 via Amazon in the U.S. for US$170. Any opinions against this purchase?

Edit: _Had stated Quicken instead of Quickbooks_


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## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

gmark2000 said:


> I'm just about to buy Quicken for Mac 2007 via Amazon in the U.S. for US$170. Any opinions against this purchase?


Do you need multi-currency or inventory tracking? If so, then I would suggest against this. 

Hope this helps,


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Oakbridge said:


> Do you need multi-currency or inventory tracking? If so, then I would suggest against this.


Well the stock I buy is in US dollars but I sell to my customers in Canadian. As well, the inventory I have I need to have a grasp of, but I thought Quickbooks takes care of this...


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