A Fresh Take On Accounting

  • April 28, 2015
  • Elisa Silverglade
  • 2 min read

In our previous post about cloud computing, we went out on a limb and made some overall recommendations about our favorite cloud services for a variety of business functions, from email to accounting. Doing so was an admittedly risky proposition, due to the wealth of options available and the subtleties involved with making a good decision for any given business. We’re lucky to have readers who engage with what we write and aren’t afraid to chime in when they have different opinions– the world’s best editorial staff.

We’ve gotten a good deal of feedback on our article, most of it positive. One area where we received some appreciated pushback was on our recommendation to use Intuit’s QuickBooks for online accounting. The rationale we used in making that recommendation was that, while not necessarily “new school” in its interface or workflow, QuickBooks is the 800 pound gorilla and the most commonly supported platform with which to interface with other solutions and providers.

Not so fast, we’ve been told. It turns out that Freshbooks– the leading alternative to QuickBooks– has quite a passionate and outspoken following.

To quote one of our readers: “I use FreshBooks and love it. QuickBooks may be the father of accounting programs; but, FreshBooks is easier to use, integrates better with my business accounts and also integrates seamlessly with programs such as MileIQ. May sound funny but the developers also have a great sense of humor, which is reflected in their program. Sorry but I think QuickBooks is behind on the ‘ease of use’ curve.”

Points well taken.

FreshBooks embodies the spirit of next generation cloud services, while QuickBooks represents the old guard fighting to stay relevant. While we think that you won’t go wrong with QuickBooks, we agree that FreshBooks better represents the ideals of a more contemporary way of doing business online. And with that, we think it deserves credit for being a more innovative and– yes– fresh approach to accounting.

We love it when our friends and fans share their opinions, and we’re not afraid to tweak our tune when something better comes along. We’re committed to sharing the best thinking with our readers, and sometimes, that comes from outside the bubble. Thanks!

–Jeff Solomon

Co-Founder, Techromatic