The must-have accounting tool for solopreneurs and small business start ups
August 30, 2019

The must-have accounting tool for solopreneurs and small business start ups

Ayo Bamgbose, Assoc CIPD, MSc | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with QuickBooks Online

Quickbooks Online is one of those web-based accounting tools that, as a new business, you initially don't think you need until you start using it. Prior to understanding the importance of keeping records of expenses that my business incurred, I was using an Excel spreadsheet. I use to dread having to do my monthly and quarterly accounts as it was just so time-consuming and frustrating. Quickbooks literally gave me my time and sanity back.

Pros

  • Ability to import and export reports that you will need to help you do your self-assessment annual taxes.
  • Connect your bank accounts and set it to recognize different types of expense and total up your business profits.
  • The ability to take photos of your invoices and receipts and stores them for you.
  • Draft invoices that I'm then able to send to my clients.

Cons

  • The app is very limited in what it can really do when trying to manage your accounts on the go.
  • The connection with my bank accounts keeps getting disconnected and I'm constantly having to reconnect them which is time-consuming and annoying.
  • There's a learning curve with using QuickBooks Online if you've never used accounting software. I had to watch a lot of video tutorials online.
  • QuickBooks online is an expense that I feel is balanced out by the time it saves when gathering your profit and loss reports for your annual self assessments
  • For those that hate the idea of excel spreadsheets, Quickbooks literally removes that frustration once you've set up and integrated all the tools you feel would benefit your business.
  • For the price, I would expect fewer errors especially with the constant disconnection with my bank accounts. I recommend just keeping an eye and check-in to make sure everything is still connected and doing what it should be doing via the app.
After the first year of running my business and then having to do my self-assessment taxes, I quickly realized using Excel spreadsheets, in the long run, wasn't going to cut it. Quickbooks is like having your very own accountant that you'll have to check in on to make sure they are working efficiently.
Although I have a few annoyances with QuickBooks, I would still recommend it to any solopreneur or small business starting out. If you plan on doing your own accounting or simply lack the funds to pay for an accountant, I recommend learning how to set it up and use the features that help your business look more professional. For example, drafting invoices that you can customize to suit your business. I wouldn't recommend QuickBooks Online for those that need more customized, robust features for payroll and reporting.

QuickBooks Online Feature Ratings

7.7
Accounts payable
7
Accounts receivable
7
Cash management
8
Bank reconciliation
7
Expense management
8
Time tracking
9
Fixed asset management
9
Multi-currency support
Not Rated
Multi-division support
Not Rated
Regulations compliance
Not Rated
Electronic tax filing
9
Self-service portal
8
Global Financial Support
Not Rated
Primary and Secondary Ledgers
Not Rated
Intercompany Accounting
Not Rated
Localizations
8
Journals and Reconciliations
7
Enterprise Accounting
6
Configurable Accounting
7
Centralized Rules Framework
8
Standardized Processes
8
7.0
Inventory tracking
7
Automatic reordering
7
Location management
7
Manufacturing module
Not Rated
8.0
Pricing
8
Order entry
8
Credit card processing
Not Rated
Cost of goods sold
8
Order Orchestration
Not Rated
End-to-end order visibility
8
Order exception Resolution
8
7.2
Pay calculation
8
Benefit plan administration
7
Direct deposit files
7
Salary revision and increment management
7
Reimbursement management
7
8.7
Dashboards
9
Standard reports
8
Custom reports
9
8.0
API for custom integration
8
Plug-ins
8
8.5
Role-based user permissions
8
Single sign-on capability
9

Using QuickBooks Online

  • Annual Self-assessment reports and files
  • Recording of business expenses
  • Drafting invoices to sent to clients

Evaluating QuickBooks Online and Competitors

  • Price
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Third-party Reviews
Prior to selecting QuickBooks, I took the 30-day trial just to see if I initially needed it and how it easy it would be for me to set things up. After just a few weeks I knew I had to sign up so that I could have a system that helped my business work more professional. Truth be told, that's exactly when I started getting more serious about my business and took more responsibility in managing my expenses.
I wouldn't have changed my selection process of selecting QuickBooks Online as I feel my normal steps include taking advantage of the trial period after reading reviews from users. If I had to do it all again, I would have started out with Quickbooks from the beginning of my business journey.

QuickBooks Online Support

Not that overally impressed with the support when having issues with the app or desktop version. I lost my patience and at times just gave up and tried another process outside of QuickBooks. This is definitely something QuickBooks needs to work on improving as this could lose them customers in the long run. The benefits at the moment outweigh any of the frustrations I face.
ProsCons
Support understands my problem
Support cares about my success
Problems left unsolved
Difficult to get immediate help
Slow Initial Response
Yes - I did report it but it just took way to long to get any feedback from QuickBooks so I gave up. I don't think I even checked in to see any updates as I had other important things to think about. With the use of my online banking services, I was able to get the job that I was unable to accomplish with QuickBooks done.
I havent had a lot of issues with QuickBooks, which is probably a good thing. But on a few occasions, I did it was a negative experience so I'm unable to give any examples of a time that I experience exceptional customer support. I would say this was a year ago so there may have been sufficient improvements on the support end. I hope so.

Using QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is one of those tools you truly need to get to know and understand. I hadn't used an accounting tool before so it was definitely something I had to spend some time learning and getting used to it. I now feel very comfortable and frequently use the same features on a weekly basis. The part I love most is the easy process of getting my self-assessment files and reports ready with the click of a few buttons.
ProsCons
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Feel confident using
Slow to learn
Lots to learn
  • Creating invoices and sending them to your clients
  • Importing and exporting reports
  • Loading invoices and recipes that you've taken pictures of for your records
  • The constant disconnection of my bank accounts
  • App crashing to frequently
Yes - Yes, QuickBooks Online does provide a mobile interface, this was one of the things that made me stay with them. I do not work that much via my laptop as I'm on the go a lot so I appreciate the app. The only frustration is the lack of functionalities. I suppose it provides just about the right amount of features needed for an app.

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