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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Catalyst, by EBM Software

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/ACatalyst from EBM Software in Minneapolis is a cloud-based business performance application suite, designed to provide an environment and workflow for understanding business profitability.N/A

    FreeAgent

    Score5.5 out of 10
    N/AFreeAgent is an cloud-based accounting system designed for small businesses and freelancers. FreeAgent supports many core accounting features and bank reconciliation, payroll, tax management, project level accounting, and multiple currency support. It is mobile-accessible, and integrates with many apps.

    $13.50

    per month

    Pricing
    Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareFreeAgent
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    FreeAgent
    $13.50
    per month
    FreeAgent
    $135
    per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareFreeAgent
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsFlexible and tiered pricing structures available - monthly, 1-3-5- contracts, and more—
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareFreeAgent
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Catalyst, by EBM Software and FreeAgent
    Feature
    Catalyst, by EBM Software
    -
    Ratings
    FreeAgent
    8.6
    13 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings8.012 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.56 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.92 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.86 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.78 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Catalyst, by EBM Software and FreeAgent
    Feature
    Catalyst, by EBM Software
    -
    Ratings
    FreeAgent
    6.7
    13 Ratings
    12% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings4.59 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings8.912 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Catalyst, by EBM Software and FreeAgent
    Feature
    Catalyst, by EBM Software
    -
    Ratings
    FreeAgent
    8.5
    14 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings9.013 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Catalyst, by EBM Software and FreeAgent
    Feature
    Catalyst, by EBM Software
    -
    Ratings
    FreeAgent
    6.4
    23 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings7.121 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings7.621 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings4.410 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Catalyst, by EBM Software and FreeAgent
    Feature
    Catalyst, by EBM Software
    -
    Ratings
    FreeAgent
    8.7
    25 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.020 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.522 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings8.520 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.020 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings8.924 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings8.611 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings8.110 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings9.05 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings8.78 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings9.120 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Catalyst, by EBM Software and FreeAgent
    Feature
    Catalyst, by EBM Software
    -
    Ratings
    FreeAgent
    7.4
    4 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings7.72 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings4.51 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Catalyst, by EBM Software and FreeAgent
    Feature
    Catalyst, by EBM Software
    -
    Ratings
    FreeAgent
    8.1
    13 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings8.19 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings6.82 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings8.25 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings9.13 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareFreeAgent
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareFreeAgent
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.9
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.8
    (2 ratings)
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (5 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.8
    (2 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareFreeAgent
    Likelihood to Recommend
    EBM Software
    [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is well suited to track invoices from vendors to get them paid on time to avoid late fees. [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is less appropriate when paying vendor because that is not a function they currently have. If the system was an all in one system that could track and pay your invoices it would be an amazing software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreeAgent
    For micro and small business it is a great solution. The new requirements for MTD for landlords could also be met with this software. Groups and more complex businesses could not use the accounts and tax returns features, however they still could use it for bookkeeping and then export the data to other tax and accounts production software.
    Read full review
    Pros
    EBM Software
    • The GUI is easy to navigate on the iPad mini, which we use for charting.
    • The options are simple so there is very little room for mistakes.
    • Charting is easy and the setup allows for necessary fields that must be completed so charting stays uniform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreeAgent
    • Accounting! As you'd expect. Makes it much simpler andmore cost effective. In-coming and out-goings are recorded and assigned to projects and accounts. My accountant can access my books and reconcile so much more easily than trawling through spreadsheets.
    • Time billing - time spent on projects/client work is recorded and is ready to be invoiced as required. Saves so much time and prevents inaccuracies.
    • Invoicing - again, it should do this well and it does. Non payment reminders are automatic and clients have no excuses for not knowing the status of their account.
    • Account dashboard - gives me an instant overview of the health of the business (am I on track to meet my yearly targets) and my accounts.
    Read full review
    Cons
    EBM Software
    • The browser closes unexpectedly at times when refreshing the page and you get logged out
    • The incorrect vendor is chosen by Catalyst a few times
    • The Catalyst file is occasionally not placed on time in the folder
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreeAgent
    • Reporting on financials, time tracking and project status is a little poor. It's adequate for what what we need, but would be great to see more advanced features.
    • API is quite closed so cannot integrate with our other project management tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    EBM Software
    No answers on this topic
    FreeAgent
    We have used Freeagent for many years now and it serves us well for our needs. To change it would mean a lot of work, and this would most likely only happen if the cost became prohibitive to us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    EBM Software
    Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreeAgent
    It is a great software that does everything we need for small business clients. It allows to keep the books in a cloud from bookkeeping to accounts production and tax returns, all in one software. There are no major drawbacks and I would highly recommend it for most of our clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    EBM Software
    No answers on this topic
    FreeAgent
    Based in a cloud and never had any issues with down time. I can access from any device
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    EBM Software
    The support for Catalyst is great and they are usually within the 48 hour response time. There could be a little quicker upload time for invoices that are submitted. They usually show up until the next day on the system and sometimes gives us a stress on time. Overall, the support is quite good
    Incentivized
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    FreeAgent
    I have never personally used support
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    EBM Software
    No answers on this topic
    FreeAgent
    Did not participate
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    EBM Software
    [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is a very easy system to use and is very user friendly. It gives you different ways of researching an invoice and not just one. Catalyst also helps to allow us to research an invoice within seconds and eliminates a lengthy and confusing process. It is a great software for first time users to learn quickly and efficiently.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreeAgent
    I have used and tested out many other systems. I was looking at Xero for my accounting system but at the time I chose FreeAgent because of the way it handles the recording of dividends and the inbuilt time recording. The others I trialed were good and many of them cheaper. FreeAgent best suited my requirements at the time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    EBM Software
    • Catalyst is better than pencil and paper data analysis. But the app can be very frustrating when it's not working the way it did last week.
    • The GUI is very simple. Sometimes too simple, like there is no way to go back in and edit SOAP note options.
    • New feature roll-outs are mandatory. I understand that no one would opt in to being the guinea pig, but it would be nice if you weren't the first user to try it.
    • The integration with billing software has streamlined the billing notes and saved us money over having two separate systems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreeAgent
    • Professional and uniform offering providing great confident customer service. My clients love it, whether they use it a little or a lot. It's a great piece of software - while sophisticated, it's straightforward to use.
    • Time saving and efficient use of my team's time. Being able to easily share and compare work / tasks.
    Read full review
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