CNET Editors' review
Express Accounts represents free software at its best. This accounting program is well designed, both in form and in function.
In addition to being easy to navigate, the interface for Express Accounts is visually appealing, mimicking the look of Microsoft Windows Vista. The menus are organized in a way that makes sense and makes it easy to find what you need. When we opened the program for the first time, it prompted us to enter in our company information, which is a nice way to make the user's experience personal from the get-go. We also liked that Express Accounts includes a Reports option, which allows the user to view and print profit and loss statements and balance sheets with just a few clicks. You can track all of your company's debits and credits easily and efficiently with Express Accounts' built-in tools. If you have more than one company, Express Accounts can manage the accounts for multiple companies. We also really liked how this program appeals to both seasoned and novice accountants. Accounting can be intimidating to many, and Express Accounts tries to make it easier for everyone.
For users unfamiliar with basic accounting, Express Accounts features an extensive Help menu that has everything from basic instructions on how to use the program to links to Internet forums for Express Accounts users. The program installs and uninstalls easily, and this version is free and complete. We highly recommend it for all users.
Publisher's Description
From NCH Software:
Express Accounts Plus is professional small business accounting software for Windows that allows you to track and report incoming and outgoing cash flow including sales, receipts, payments and purchases for a single or multiple companies. Create journal entries for payments, purchases, receipts and deposits. Standard reports include such as Profit & Loss statements and Balance Sheets with the ability to email or fax directly from the application. Multiple users can access the data files to update entries and more through a web based console.
Express Accounts Plus - Small Business Accounting Features:
Set up and manage one or multiple companies, Track outgoing payment and purchasing transactions, Track incoming sales and receipts, Input journal entries manually, Reports include balance sheet and profit & loss plus more, Regional format settings include currency symbol, end of financial year, decimal point display and paper size, Send reports automatically by email or fax. Combine Express Accounts with other NCH Software such as: Inventoria to manage stock and procurements, HourGuard to keep track of how long you or your employees are spending on tasks, FlexiServer to manage employee tasks and reporting with minimum cost and fuss.
About NCH Software:
NCH Software offers more than 80 easy-to-use audio, video, business, dictation, computer utility and telephony/VoIP software solutions that improve productivity and usability for small businesses and consumers. Focused on specific needs, they produce software with all the bells and whistles of typical brands, but without the complexity. NCH Software provides users with what they need at a price they can afford. This approach generates more than four million unique visitors and nearly three million downloads per month from the company's website -- NCH Software. Free version available from NCH Software for non-commercial use.
What's new in this version: Version 4.42 improves overall operation.
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All versions:
2.9 starsout of 23 votes
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Current version:
2.2 starsout of 5 votes
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My rating:
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Results 1-5 of 5
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"Windows upgraded itself and"
Version: Express Accounts Plus 4.42
Pros
Does not support Windows anymore.
Cons
it died. The program fails to load. no support. I suppose that what you get by not supporting and paying for the software or is it just Windows has now become a dud. Time to move to Apple.. Developers don't support windows anymore.
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"Waste of time and money"
Version: Express Accounts Plus 4.42
Pros
Dashboard is good, easy to use
Cons
No statements or activities recorded. you post transactions and only the balance of any account is adjusted.
No supplier activity
No Cash Purchases ledger.
Alot of other missing essentials of AccountsSummary
The rack rate of software is over USD.100 and its not worth it.
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"The absolute best of the free programs I auditioned!"
Version: Express Accounts Plus 4.42
Pros
1. You can design your own chart of accounts (the framework of an accounting system, from which financial statements flow) and, unlike some of the other free programs, use account numbers (a key versatility factor).
2. It employs the "item" concept for billing purposes: this feature allows you to track sales by type; unfortunately, there is no interface with inventories to directly correlate the cost of these sales. If "items" were an option, when distributing the costs of a product-supplier's invoice, this deficiency could be remedied.
3. Unlike some programs that force you into a plus/minus mental mode, this one deals with debits & credits, which is more logical--even for those who think they don't know a Dr from a CR.
4. Minor point: some of these free programs employ foreign date formats, which can cause confusion: e.g., when you see 10-02-12, you think October 2nd, 2012. Wrong! It's February 10th in some of these countries. Using a default option, you can use American dates.Cons
1. Many businesses like to partition their receivables and payables into categories; with this system you can only use one account for each. Also, there is no provision for account numbers: it is Alpha-driven, which is cumbersome and limits flexibility.
2. There is no direct interface between the receivable and payable modules and the general ledger: you have to continually check that they are in balance; also, you can't apply a check directly to a customer's account, nor a receipt to a vendor's account.
3. When you enter a bill from a vendor, there's no place to log the invoice number.
4. When you pay a vendor, you can't pick & choose which invoices you want to pay; the system is due-date driven and it won't allow you to deviate from it.
5. A minor point: entering transactions is a slow process: you have to use their dropdowns wherever they are provided; you can't hit ENTER on your keyboard to move to the next box, meaning you are continually using your mouse to navigate.Summary
I retired from the CPA profession a few years ago and was curious about the state of affairs with reasonably-priced accounting software for small businesses, so I sampled a number of the free downloads made available by the kind folks at CNET; and I must confess that the only reason I'm boring you with my opinions is a sense of obligation to CNET for the wonderful services they provide--and I take advantage of.
Deliberately excluded from my auditions were the quintessentials of the genre, QuickBooks and Peachtree; also, I wasn't interested in Payroll, so whether or not a program provided it was of no concern to me (I ran out space in my CONS section so I wasn't able to mention the fact that Express Accounts has no payroll module).
I downloaded several (those that immediately come to mind are: Bookkeper, Express Accounting, Free Accounting, Easy As, Icebergo)
and put them through their paces; and, for one reason or another, deleted them. The only one that warranted a review was this one, Express Accounts.
The two reviews preceding mine mentioned the fact that it is not really free: that it's a limited trial-program. When I downloaded it, NCH stated that it was, in fact, free with no expiration date, but that it didn't have all the features of the purchased product. I really don't know what will happen with mine; I've had it about three weeks now and have not been bugged to buy it, nor warned that it will evaporate from my computer.
A quick little aside, I mentioned that there is no Payroll module: NCH may have one, I didn't bother to check. Because I like inventories, I did download their Inventoria Stock Manager program, but (unlike QuickBooks and Peachtree) it appears to work independently from the accounting one, i.e., no interface: meaning duplication of effort and opportunities for errors and omissions.
All in all, Express Accounts is a nice little program. Would I buy it (I believe it costs about $80), probably not, because for about another $100 or so, you can get Peachtree (a bargain compared to its just marginally-better competitor, QuickBooks). Would I recommend it? If it is really and truly free, YES! Obviously, you have nothing to lose but time, and I really and truly don't believe I wasted mine playing around with it. In fact, I plan to keep it for a month or so longer, to see if it disintegrates, and, if it doesn't, use it for my personal finances. -
"POS - look up the meaning of avaricious"
Version: Express Accounts Plus 4.42
Pros
none - all nag sreens, nothing else
Cons
it's not free
Summary
They are liars
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"Does NOT advertise as free TRIAL!!!"
Version: Express Accounts Plus 4.42
Pros
Easy to use program.
Cons
NOT FREE as advertised, not even advertised as free trial! And trial period is very short!
Results 1-5 of 5
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