2019 Review of AccountEdge Pro

From the July 2019 reviews of small business accounting systems.

Purchased by Priority Software Ltd. in 2018, AccountEdge continues to offer affordably priced accounting software to small businesses. Designed as an on-premise application, AccountEdge also offers AccountEdge Connect, a remote access add-on along with a mobile app for iOS devices.

AccountEdge is available in two versions; Basic and Pro and works with both Windows and Mac OS x operating systems. The latest version of AccountEdge has numerous enhancements and updates including the addition of a searchable accounts list, the ability to view all tracked time for a job, the option for customers to pay online invoices directly without creating a Web Pay account, a faster network edition of the product, and the ability to email invoices, payment receipts, purchase orders and statements to recipients.

AccountEdge features a drop-down menu at the top of the screen, along with a movable navigation screen that offers access to system modules such as Accounts, Banking, Sales, Time Billing, Purchases, Payroll, Inventory, and Card File, with complete work flow options displayed for each module. All recently accessed work flow areas are also listed to the right of the screen for quick future access.

The Time Billing feature is useful for businesses that want to record time or an activity slip for work completed for clients, and allows users to attach a specific rate to a function or an employee, with activity designated as chargeable or non-chargeable.  An activity log is also available that displays all time recorded, including date, start and stop time, and any notes for that particular activity.  AccountEdge also includes solid inventory management capability that supports item builds, and can manage inventory from multiple locations. Users can easily move inventory between warehouses, and view a detailed history for each inventory item.

Core Accounting Capabilities: 4.75 Stars

AccountEdge includes numerous charts of accounts templates, with users able to choose the correct template during the setup process. Users can also opt to import a current chart of accounts from another company file, or create a new one from scratch. Budgeting capability is good in the application, with users able to create a budget for all existing accounts, update budgeted amounts for specific periods or copy budgeted totals from a prior year when setting up the current year’s budget. The Purchases module handles both purchase order creation and AP management, with users able to easily enter a purchase, and later pay bills accordingly, with both standard print check runs and electronic payments supported.

Payment notifications can also be processed, with the ability to email them as desired. The Sales module processes both standard sales transactions as well as web orders, with AccountEdge integrating with Shopify for easy tracking of all online sales. The product also supports multiple sales tax rates, including Canadian payroll and GST calculations. The Sales module allows users to print and email customer invoices and statements, process sales commissions, and apply payments received. Both the Sales and the Purchases modules support recurring transactions. AccountEdge also offers a payroll module, which uses the Easy Payroll Setup Assistant to streamline the payroll setup process. Those running payroll will also need to subscribe to the Payroll Tax Service, or simply use AccountEdge’s optional Payroll Service. 

Relationship Management 4.75 Stars

The Card File module in AccountEdge offers solid customer and vendor management capability, tracking both in an easy to use database that also includes information such as type, which can include employee, vendor, customer, or lead.  Balances are also displayed on the Cards List, and users can also add personal contacts as well. The Actions tab, at the bottom of the list display, allows users to perform a number of specific actions, including the ability to create a reminder or create a custom letter, as well as send an email.

Cloud Capability 5 Stars

AccountEdge allows users to download all banking and credit card statements directly into the application for easy account reconciliation. Both electronic payment and online payment acceptance is supported in AccountEdge. The optional Web Pay feature provides a payment link in all emailed invoices where customers can pay online, though a merchant account is required. For those that desire online connectivity, AccountEdge Connect (formerly AccountEdge Cloud) allows users to perform tasks such as entering sales, recording purchases and bills, creating invoices, and spending and receiving money without having the application installed on their computer. Also available is AccountEdge Mobile, that offers limited features such as the ability to enter activity and mileage slips, though most AccountEdge features are not available through the mobile device. 

Management Features: 4.75 Stars

Reports are available from the drop down menu at the bottom of each module, with a wide selection of reports available including complete financial statements, Reports are categorized in each of the modules, and offer decent customization capability. While there is no true dashboard capability in AccountEdge, the program does offer a good selection of analysis reports including Last Year Analysis, Budget Analysis, and a Cash Flow Analysis. Users can view a sample report prior to processing, and reports can be exported in a variety of formats including to Microsoft Excel, PDF, HTML, CSV, Text files, as well as emailed to recipients directly from the report interface. 

Tech Issues: 5 Stars

All features in AccountEdge integrate seamlessly, with a variety of add-on modules available, including Credit Card Processing, Process Payroll, AccountEdge Web Pay, and mentioned earlier, AccountEdge Connect.  The product also integrates with third-party applications such as Shopify, Rerun, Checkout, Custom Reports, Virtual TimeClock, and TimeSolv. Users can import data using a variety of formats including tab-delimited and comma-separated, with the system able to import accounts, items, timesheets, receipts, disbursements, sales, purchases, and other types of data. 

AccountEdge offers excellent support options, including a comprehensive help center, where users can browse and click on a specific topic to obtain help. Recent article and a searchable knowledgebase are available on the support page as well.  Telephone support plans are available as a product add-on and start at $199 per year. Webinars and training guides are also available, and users can also access product support via email as well. New users receive 30 days of support free. 

Summary and Pricing

AccountEdge from Priority is a good solution for small businesses that are looking for the ease and cost-effectiveness of an on-premise application while also enjoying the convenience of web access.  AccountEdge Basic is currently priced at $149 while AccountEdge Pro is available for $399 which includes up to 10 user licenses.   

2019 Rating – 4.75 Stars