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Thread: Quickbooks vs Pastel - bank offer

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    Quickbooks vs Pastel - bank offer

    Hi all. I am new here so please forgive me if I have posted in the wrong thread as I'm not too sure which one best suits this question.
    I bought Pastel a little while ago and cannot get my head around working with it, my bank offered me a Quickbooks package which also includes all the training software as well as some bonuses like marketing planning, business planning etc.

    My question is Quickbooks more user friendly than Pastel?
    Not from an accountants/book keepers point of view as I am a designer and need software which is going to be the most user friendly and easiest to learn as I don't have time for long, expensive courses.

    You advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance

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    Platinum Member sterne.law@gmail.com's Avatar
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    I have always backed Quickbooks. Not only is it extremely powerful, particulalry on the reports side, but I do not believe their is a simplier system around.

    I ahve managed to teach non accountants, and not the most numerically skilled people do invoicing, add stock items(correctly), payments etc inside of 2 or 3 hours training.
    Anthony Sterne

    www.acumenholdings.co.za
    DISCLAIMER The above is merely a comment in discussion form and an open public arena. It does not constitute a legal opinion or professional advice in any manner or form.

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    I use Pastel as my main software package, but have also used Quickbooks and Omni Accounts.

    The simplest is Quickbooks. Its also easy to fix if you make mistakes (which is why accountants don't like it - makes it too easy to fiddle the books).

    Quick books has online forums where you can get help from other users if you get stuck. Pastel make you pay for a years service to get an answer that may take 5 minutes.

    If you're the only user, then yes go the Quickbooks route.

    My only concern is how (or why) the bank is offering you this software. I'd be nervous about being tied to one bank because they have all your accounts information (if its online). What happens when you have a fight with them and want to move elsewhere.

    If on the otherhand, the software is given to you to put on your own PC, then go for it.

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    Full Member greghsa's Avatar
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    For the small one man business, I would say that Quickbooks is best. If you plan for rapid growth and want to turn your small business into a medium Business, with numerous staff, I would say that Pastel is better, because there are clear upgrade paths as your business grows.
    Also, it goes on what kind of business entity you operate. If you are a sole proprietor, Quickbooks is fine.
    For the pty or cc, it is best to consult your accountant. If your accountant is on Pastel and you are on Pastel, it is easier (and usually cheaper) to get the accountant's signature. My brother in law swears by Quickbook, but his accountant uses Pastel, so the Accountant is charging him additional fee to recapture books in Pastel

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    Thanks for all the advice.
    This is the offer from Absa, will need to give them a call to ensure that the software is given to me to put on my own system.

    Business Essentials

    For a monthly fee of R185, subscription to Business Essentials offers you access to a software package including:
    QuickBooks Pro - the world’s leading bookkeeping software
    Business Planning and Marketing Planning Software by Palo Alto
    Business Skills courses and videos by MindLeaders
    Software and IT Skills courses by MindLeaders

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    Platinum Member sterne.law@gmail.com's Avatar
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    Quickbooks was easy to fix mistakes, and still is, however that was prior to network versions and better security and password control. In other words you can now limit, that a person cannot delete transactions or edit, they must pass credit or do journal.
    Anthony Sterne

    www.acumenholdings.co.za
    DISCLAIMER The above is merely a comment in discussion form and an open public arena. It does not constitute a legal opinion or professional advice in any manner or form.

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    Quote Originally Posted by AdeleK View Post
    For a monthly fee of R185, subscription to Business Essentials offers you access to a software package including:
    QuickBooks Pro - the world’s leading bookkeeping software
    Business Planning and Marketing Planning Software by Palo Alto
    Business Skills courses and videos by MindLeaders
    Software and IT Skills courses by MindLeaders
    I'm generally suspicious of these types of offers.

    The bit offering you "access to" the software package implies to me that once you stop paying, you no longer have the software to use. Its probably an online service. Quickbooks entry level option costs around R1000 which means you can have your own package for the same as 6 months of the above subscription. Yes they do offer the Pro package, but most start ups don't need that.

    The other stuff on the subscription is soft and fuzzy. I don't know of them and they may or may not be useful to you.

    I prefer to be in control of my own accounts.

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    Full Member greghsa's Avatar
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    I would go along with Busfact. I maintain that accounting software should be owmed snd loaded on your own machine. Cloud computing is a great concept for email etc. but its risky for your accounting data!

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    My mom taught herself how to use quickbooks (no courses) ... Case and Point!
    If you need any Accounting, Tax or even Financial Management advice, PM me and I'll try help and keep your information confidential.

    Visit my Android ZA website - a website dedicated to Google Android in South Africa - www.androidza.co.za

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    Quote Originally Posted by eitai2001 View Post
    My mom taught herself how to use quickbooks (no courses) ... Case and Point!
    That is the advantage of Quickbooks, although I managed to teach myself Pastel. The only real requirement was to understand what a debit, credit, asset, liability, expense and income was. High school accounts would be adequate.

    Of course with Quickbooks you don't even really need that.

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