Free Small Business Accounting Software

Yes there is! There are several efficient free accounting software programs available for the small business owner. Just remember ... it’s free ... so you are not going to get the full bodied software you get when you pay for one.



Here is a quick overview of some of the most popular ones:

Single Entry Bookkeeping

• Excel Spreadsheets: I don’t know how ”popular they are :-) … but I have had hundreds of people write me and tell me they work very well for their small business. Some went as far as saying “they loved them” ;-) You will need Excel or the free spreadsheet software Open Office to open them.

  I ask people to sign up for my newsletter to get them only because I have found a couple of errors in them and need to let people know how to fix them or sometimes I “revise” them and give all subscribers a link to download new ones. If you do not want to be contacted and do not want the free newsletters ... simply contact me and I’ll email them to you.
  
  

• Outright.com: If you use PayPal and/or Ebay in your business you are going to love this online bookkeeping! Even if you don't, this is the best online single entry bookkeeping system I have found to-date. They have a lot of cool features for a single entry system. Update (3-1-11): Outright now charges $9.95 a month after a 30 day free trial...but in my humble opinion...definitely worth it!

Double Entry Bookkeeping

Most double entry free business accounting software is not very user-friendly, doesn’t come with support help, and do not have the security measures the paid double entry accounting software has.

Before you start researching any kind of accounting software, sit down and write a list on what you are looking for in your accounting software - what you must have and what you would like to have. See more tips on choosing the best accounting software for your particular business.

That said ... here is a brief overview of some of the top double entry free small business accounting software: P.S. Always check the reviews before downloading software.

• NoloPro Free Accounting: Of all the double entry free small business accounting software I researched, this had some of the best user reviews. It offers a complete accounting suite, no ads, and complimentary updates.

  From Noguska:

  NolaPro is a free Cloud Accounting suite that can be securely run from your PC. Refine and manage your business with its flexible and powerful Customer tracking, Billing, Payables, General Ledger and Reporting features. Optional modules include Inventory Control, Service/Labor Order management, POS/Fulfillment Order support, a B2B web portal, eCom Shopping Cart, vTiger add-on, Employee Timeclock, QuickBooks converter, development API and many more.
  
  

• Gnucash: This software can be a little difficult to figure out how to use. It is pretty basic, but if you understand some accounting basics, you could probably make this work for you.

  From Gnucash:

  GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL and available for GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. As quick and intuitive to use as a checkbook register, it is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports.
  
  

• Simply Accounting: Easy to install and use, but can only use for up to 20 customers and up to 20 vendors. With this software, you can prepare bill payments and invoices, write checks, and generate reports.

  From Sage:

  Take control of your cash flow and easily keep track of sales transactions, customers and suppliers the proper way—without the need for any accounting know-how (non-accounting terminology is used for clear understanding). An easy two-step process gets you up and running immediately and you can keep everything simple by hiding features you don’t normally use.

There is more free small business accounting software than what I have listed here. I listed some of the more popular ones. To find more - simply do a search on free accounting software; however, I will caution you to do your research.

If it says “try” free, it is usually only for a trial period and then after all the hard work of setting up - they want to charge you. Also search and read reviews - if you can’t find any reviews that is usually a bad sign too :-)

Go to Small Business Accounting Software from Free Small Business Accounting Software