Bookkeeping software, read line by line
Plain write-ups of the software small businesses use to keep their books — what each one is good at, what it is not, and which job it suits. Reasoning on the page, no scores attached.
What this site will cover
There are no articles here yet. This is the ground the site is being built on, listed so you can see whether it is the right place to come back to.
Bookkeeping software, compared
What each tool actually does, where it fits, and who it suits.
Software against a bookkeeping service
The trade between running the books yourself and handing them over.
Setup and the first close
Chart of accounts, bank feeds, and what the first month-end asks of you.
Bookkeeping for a new LLC
Keeping business and personal books apart from the first transaction.
Nothing is published yet. When the first write-ups go up they will appear here as a directory, one line per piece.
How this site is written
Worth stating before there is anything to read, because it is what the writing will be held to.
No invented numbers
No scores, no star ratings, no tier boards. Where something is ranked, it is ranked in words with the reasoning shown.
Testing is claimed only when it happened
No described methodology standing in for work nobody did. If a tool was not used, the write-up says what it is based on instead.
Affiliate links are disclosed
Some links earn a commission. That never decides the order things appear in, and it is stated on every page it applies to.
How to use the write-ups
Pick the job, not the brand
Start from the bookkeeping you actually have to do each month.
Read the trade-offs
Every tool is worse at something. The write-ups lead with which something.
Check it against your books
Bank feeds, invoicing and payroll differ more than pricing pages suggest.