Product Reviews

According to its box, Zebra provides simple accounting for start-up businesses. And at less than £50 (plus a £48 annual subscription for yearly updates that includes technical support) it looks like good value. The program includes all the essentials for small businesses, but features of interest to larger companies such as invoicing, payroll and stock control are completely absent. What's left is commendably easy to use and the program will please cash traders, consultants and service-oriented businesses who either do not need to issue invoices,

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or can meet their invoicing requirements with a word processor.

Accounts for a demonstration company are included, so you can practice on dummy data without fear of messing up your own finances. When you're ready to go live with a real business, there's a wizard to guide you through the basics of setting it up. Zebra can cope with VAT or non-VAT trading, and with all the usual types of business organisation, such as sole traders, partnerships and limited companies - even home-based businesses. Whichever type of business you choose, Zebra creates a matching set of income and expenditure categories for you.

Zebra is very good at translating accounting double-speak into plain English, so despite being based on traditional double-entry bookkeeping principles, it offers users a friendly set of menus with familiar labels such as Customers, Suppliers and Bank. Even if you've never had any training in bookkeeping, you should be able to set up your accounts and start entering transactions in about half a day. Thereafter, you can hone your skills as you use the program by referring to the comprehensive disk-based manual.