Labs

QuickBooks is the most basic business accounting program in this group. It can produce only 14 reports; there are no facilities for paying employees; only 31 default accounts appear in the chart of accounts; and it only has one basic company template. Don't let that put you off. QuickBooks' simplicity works in its favour. If you run a very small business, probably as a sole trader or in a partnership, you won't need the advanced features of other software.

SimpleStart

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is built on the same principles as Avanquest Small Business Manager, each transaction being tracked from initial quote to final payment using a flowchart. But in this case there's only one flowchart, with ten simple steps. This makes the program easy to use and quick to learn.

Creating an entry - for instance, an estimate - is easy: just click the relevant point in the flowchart and choose the customer from your predefined customer list (or create a new customer), then enter the relevant details. When you later convert your estimate into an invoice, which the software makes it easy to do, the relevant entry is made in the correct nominal account.

QuickBooks SimpleStart is easy to use, logical, and provides all the tools a sole trader is ever likely to need, and it's excellent value for money. While it won't create as many different reports as its competitors, the ones it can generate (such as a profit and loss and balance sheet) are enough for most small businesses. This package is an excellent buy for a small trader.