🚀 go-pugleaf

Fanoccifamily@nothome.net.au wrote:
> Apologies if these arent appropriate conferences to ask this but
couldnt
> think of a better one.
>
> My wife and I run a micro-business (just the two of us) and until now
have
> used the free e-Record software provided by the ATO.
>
> e-Record works ok but is a bit cludgy so am looking for something a
bit
> better.
>
> Would people recommend MYOB (Firstbusiness?) or Quickbooks (Lite?)
>
> We want something simple to help us with invoicing and dont need to
track
> stock or anything.
>
> We especially want the best one to help prepare our quarterly BAS
> statement.
>
> But we want simplicity :-)
>

I've used Quicken and Quickbooks and helped my wife when she did a
class using MYOB (the version worth about $1000). Quicken is basically
not much more than a cheque balancer. Quickbooks seemed a little easier
to use than MYOB. However MYOB (at least the version my wife was
learning on) seemed more flexible. Both got in the way at times (in
trying to make things easier they sometimes make things harder). I also
don't use Quickbooks to print invoices or purchase orders as they look
crap. I do those using Excel and then re-enter the data in Quickbooks.

I haven't dealth with MYOB the company so I can't comment on them.
However, I'm not happy with Intuit (the people who sell Quickbooks in
Australia). My problems with them are:

1. The first GST version obviously wasn't ready for release (for
example I couldn't print a BAS).
2. I had to pay for the upgrade that resolved many of the issues in 1.
3. If you have been buying upgrades to Quickbooks and want to
re-install (perhaps you've bought a new computer or reinstalled
Windows) then you have to install your original copy and upgrade from
that.
4. If you've reinstalled and want to contact Intuit to reregister it
(so you can use it) then you now have to pay.

I'm currently on Quickbooks 2003 and see no reason to upgrade, and no
desire to give Intuit any more of my hard earned. If there was a viable
open source accounting package that handled the GST and BAS I would
change in an instant.