Cloud accounting has revolutionised how small businesses operate.

You don’t need an office or a computer, as long as you’ve got a phone or tablet, and it gives everyone real-time access to important business finance data.

But with so many options around, choosing your software can be a bit overwhelming. They all claim to make your life easier and speed up your accounting tasks, but which one’s really the best choice? 🤔

I almost always tell my clients to go with QuickBooks – here’s why.

It’s easy to use

When you’re running a business, you don’t really want to spend lots of time learning to use a new piece of software. You want to be able to log on, do what you need to do, and get on with your day.

That’s what QuickBooks lets you do. I’ve always found it really intuitive, and it doesn’t take long for my clients to understand how they can go about their main bookkeeping tasks on the system.

If you do get stuck, there are lots of FAQ articles and video tutorials on the QuickBooks support centre. Plus, you get free helpline support and online chat if you need it.

It speaks your language

QuickBooks is designed to be easy for business owners to use, so it’s free of the jargon and technical language you sometimes get with software that’s mainly targeted at accountants.

Once again, that means it shouldn’t take you long to get to grips with the system. And if you need to find a feature you haven’t used before, it’ll be signposted clearly in the software.

It’s got receipt scanning built in

With some of the other major accounting packages, you have to find and connect an extra app to your software for receipt scanning and expenses.

On QuickBooks, that feature is built in. It means you don’t have the hassle of switching to a different app to do it, but it also means no extra software subscriptions or hidden costs.

Whenever you need to record a receipt, just open up the QuickBooks mobile app and scan the receipt with your camera. The software will quickly read and record all the vital information, take a photo, and create an expense that you can review and confirm.

It’s just that bit cheaper

Finally, cost isn’t necessarily the biggest factor you should look at when you’re finding the right accounting software – but if it meets all your requirements, saving a bit of money too can’t hurt.

QuickBooks tends to be more cost-effective than other accounting software options, mainly because a lot of its features are available even at the lower end of its price plans.

It’s got four pricing options: self-employed, ‘simple start’, essentials and plus, with fees ranging from £8 per month at the cheapest to £32 per month for the full range of features.

Prices are often discounted, too, so if you can get on board while a sale is happening, you should see some savings.

Talk to me about getting your small business set up with cloud accounting software.