Accounting
2020 Review of AccountEdge Pro
Jul. 14, 2020
AccountEdge Pro
Priority Software
From the 2020 reviews of small business accounting systems.
AccountEdge Pro is a good fit for small to mid-sized businesses as well as growing businesses. Scalable, AccountEdge Pro offers flexible deployment options including on-premise deployment, the option to host on-premise applications remotely, as well as two products that offer cloud accessibility.
The latest version of AccountEdge offers both tax and reporting updates along with the option to mass-email customer statements using AccountEdge Connect, which is designed to offer online access to the on-premise application.
AccountEdge Pro includes an intuitive user interface that provides a list of features in the menu bar at the top of the page. Choosing a feature icon will display the features found in the module chosen. To the right of the screen is a list of recent activity as well as links to favorites along with easy access to the AccountEdge Help Center. Users can also access reports, search for a particular item, sync the application, and access lists from this screen as well. 
A To-Do list can be accessed from the main screen and access to the card file allows users to create a variety of card types for customers, vendors, employees, leads, and any other category needed.
Core Accounting Capabilities: 4.75 Stars
AccountEdge includes more than 100 chart of account templates to choose from during the setup process. An option to import a current chart of accounts is also offered, as is the option to create a chart of accounts from scratch. AccountEdge Pro also includes excellent budgeting capability, with users able to create a separate budget for all existing accounting, create period-specific budgets and copy previous year budget numbers when creating a new budget.
The Sales module allows users to create a quote for a customer, process both sales orders and invoices, and track time for accurate client billing. For those who operate an online store, AccountEdge Pro syncs with Shopify for easy management of online orders. Users can easily record customer payments to a single invoice or apply payment to multiple invoices, and those who use retainers will appreciate the automatic updating of account balances after any client transaction or payment. Recurring invoices are also supported in the application. AccountEdge Pro supports multiple tax rates, including Canadian payroll and GST calculations and the Purchase Order module allows users to easily create a purchase order, with the ability to track both open and closed purchase orders. The Purchases module also handles AP management, so users can create a purchase and pay the bill when due, with payment options including standard check runs and online payment options. AccountEdge Pro also includes a complete payroll module that uses a payroll assistant to streamline the entire setup process. Users who choose to use the payroll module will need to subscribe to the Payroll Tax Service, or utilize the full-service option.
Relationship Management 4.75 Stars
The Card File feature in AccountEdge Pro allows users to manage all customer and vendor related activity from a single location. Cards are available for leads, customers, vendors, employees, and personal, with each card able to track information such as buying or selling details, payment details, jobs, history, or any other personal information that needs to be tracked. Balances can also be displayed on each card, which helps track both vendor expenses and customer balances. The cards also offer an Actions tab at the bottom which allows users to perform specific actions such as creating reminders for a past due account or sending a letter to a customer.
Cloud Capability 5 Stars
Though AccountEdge Pro is an on-premise application, it includes excellent bank connectivity, allowing users to download all banking and credit card statements into the application. In addition, users can also choose to use the optional Web Pay feature for accepting electronic payments from customers. AccountEdge Pro also offers cloud connectivity via AccountEdge Connect or AccountEdge Hosted, which both allow users to access the on-premise application from anywhere with an Internet connection. In addition, AccountEdge also offers two cloud-based applications for those who prefer online connectivity from the start with Priority Zoom, for smaller businesses, and Priority ERP for larger businesses.
Management Features: 4.75 Stars
AccountEdge Pro reports are easily accessible at the bottom of the user interface screen. The drop-down menu allows users to choose the reports they wish to access. Reports are categorized in each system module, with financial statement reporting included. Report categories available include Jobs reports, Currency reports, Exception reports, Recurring Transactions reports, and an Audit Trail report. AccountEdge Pro does not currently offer dashboards, though there are some analysis reports available such as a Budget Analysis and a Cash Flow Analysis report. Reports offer some customization capability and can be exported to a variety of formats including Microsoft Excel, PDF, HTML, CSV, and Text files. Reports can also be emailed to recipients directly from the report screen if desired.
Tech Issues: 5 Stars
All features and functions found in AccountEdge are designed to integrate seamlessly. The application also offers a variety of add-on features such as Credit Card Processing, Process Payroll, AccountEdge Web Pay, AccountEdge Connect and AccountEdge Hosted. Integration with a variety of third-party integrations is also available including Shopify, Rerun, Checkout, Custom Reports, Virtual TimeClock, and TimeSolv. AccountEdge also offers data conversion services, and users can easily import and export data using either comma-separated or tab-delimited text files, with an option to import account data, custom lists, items, lead sources, and sales and purchases data.
AccountEdge offers good help and support options, with users able to access the searchable knowledgebase, view various training guides, and access the getting started page that provides links that new users will appreciate. Webinars are also available on-demand, or users can sign up for an upcoming webinar if desired. Telephone support is free to new users for the first 30 days, with telephone support plans available starting at $199/year. Users can also access support via email if desired.
Summary and Pricing
AccountEdge from Priority is a scalable application that offers both on-premise and cloud accessible plans, with users able to connect to on-premise applications via AccountEdge Connect or Hosting. The two on-premise applications: AccountEdge Basic and AccountEdge Pro, are currently priced at $149 and $399 respectively, with remote access extra. For those who prefer cloud accessibility, AccountEdge Priority Zoom is currently $50/month for a single user, with additional licenses extra, while Priority ERP, designed for larger businesses, is priced on a custom basis.