Electronic Accounting in Today's World

Just about everything in the world today has been affected by technology. Particularly, accounting has been affected to the highest degree. There is less paperwork and less guesswork. Accounting software has made accounting much easier to deal with by saving all the information one enter into the system and distributing it the data amongst all the proper locations. There is only one thing accounting software has not simplified is deciding which software to use. If one were to look up the words "accounting software" on google.com one would receive nearly six million results. However, I will only discuss two.

Best Software's Peachtree Complete Accounting and Intuit's QuickBooks Pro are two of the most popular small business solution systems on the market today. Peachtree offers five levels of current software ranging from $99.00 for a beginner's version to $499.00 for a premium version. QuickBooks offers six levels of software ranging from $19.95 for an online version to $3,500.00 for an enterprise version.

Except exactly how do the two softwares compare in everyday use? Both can integrate with Microsoft Excel. Both systems have accounts payable, accounts receivable, etc. One can track purchase orders and sales orders with both of them as well. What makes them different?

Peachtree has a feature where one can convert QuickBooks files in to its software making it easy for one to change systems if one chooses to do so. I could not find a feature like this in QuickBooks. On the other hand QuickBooks features a Shipping Manager section where one can make shipping labels for FedEx directly from an invoice. This was a feature I could not find in Peachtree. Another software compatibility difference is that QuickBooks integrates with Microsoft Outlook where Peachtree integrates with ACT! On the point of software integration one simply has to look at what other software one already uses.

A feature I found valuable in QuickBooks Vehicle Mileage Tracker. With this feature one is able to track any mileage added up during a job. One can also enter expenses including date, amount, and type of expense not only for reimbursement, but also for tax purposes. There are also reports one can create as well as invoices one can bill to customers for expenses. In my line of work, construction, we use a lot of miles and other field expenses. The way of tracking and billing seems less stressful than the paper method.

In Peachtree there is a feature where one can enter and print bank deposits and receipts. The idea is so simple, but I believe this is the first time I have seen this feature in an accounting system. Usually one has to order deposit slips from the bank. This saves one time, money, and the stress of keeping track of one's deposit slips.

I also discovered the Peachtree website to be much more helpful that the QuickBooks website. I found a detailed list of features on Peachtree however I found myself searching for feature descriptions on QuickBooks. This leads me to believe that the customer service is likely to be insufficient for QuickBooks.

All the accounting software is as different as accountants. One simply has to compare products to see which has the features one needs and desires. However, it remains a fact that in today's world one must use accounting software of some sort in order to keep up with today's business pace.