QuickBooks 2010

I've been using the 2010 version of Quickbooks since the product was released on September 28, 2009. Intuit has fixed problems with the online banking functionality that kept me from using the 2009 version. The software seems to load faster, making it quicker for me to launch the program. I also like the new downloadable custom designs for invoices and the online document manager. Quickbooks 2010 features a new App Center for downloading add-ons and a new external accountant user.

I recommend Quickbooks 2010 for accountants and bookkeepers and small businesses using 2009 or previous versions.

Starting with the 2009 version, Quickbooks includes a Company Snapshot feature that pulls together various reports and charts in a single screen. Users can add up to twelve widgets (versus five in the 2009 version). Widgets include an income and expenses graph, previous year comparisons, accounts receivable balances, top customers by sales, reminders of things you need to do in Quickbooks, current account balances, customers with outstanding balances, and bills that need to be paid.

The Company Snapshots are user customizable by time period. You can view income and expenses by year, month, or daily, for example. Intuit provides links to the logical next step in the program. Under the accounts receivable widget, for example, there's a link to receive payments where you can enter a payment from a customer. Similarly, clicking on a graph or chart will open a report showing (for example) income for a month or a customer's payment history.

My biggest complaint is the Company Snapshot includes a widget called "Recommended for You" which contains links to additional Intuit services. These are essentially advertisements. This widget cannot be removed from the Company Snapshot. So these marketing messages are always-on, even if they aren't particularly relevant. I'm not a big fan of in-software advertisements in general, especially in a product that's as expensive (and frequently used) as Quickbooks.

Quickbooks 2010 features three Web-based services that help extend Quickbooks' usefulness as a business management tool. Designing nice looking invoices and statements has been one of my weaknesses (since I'm an accountant and not a designer). Users can select professionally designed invoice templates from a Web site, customize the fonts and colors, and download the template right into Quickbooks.

Users can also attach files in the Customer Center, Vendor Center or even in transaction-level fields. Files are stored online on Intuit's servers (requires a separate username and login). This could make it easier for employees to share documents relating to specific customers, vendors, or to store receipts for specific transactions. Document management plans are available in free and paid versions.

Quickbooks also features an App Center where users can download add-ons that integrate with Quickbooks. (Some apps are free, others are paid.) I haven't tried out any of the apps.

Both the document manager and the App Center extend Quickbooks into Web-based services, which is a popular trend right now among software developers. As an accountant, I tend to guard the security of my data very closely. Intuit states that their "data transmissions are secure," however I'd feel much more secure if documents stay on my hard drive or internal network. Similarly it's not immediately clear if various applications from the App Center allow external software providers access to my software, hard drive or Quickbooks data. As such I don't feel confident in recommending these additional features.

"External Accountant" is a new user type in Quickbooks 2010. Accountants and bookkeepers who are working at a client's site can login as an external accountant, and this will tag all the accountant's changes as different than the client's own entries.

Quickbooks redesigned its online banking functions. The ability to download financial data from a bank Web site and reconcile it with your data has long been one of Quickbooks' core strengths. Quickbooks has fixed most of the problems I encountered with its online banking functions that I prevented me from adopting the 2009 version. In the 2010 version, I was able to fine-tune the matching and renaming rules so that nearly all of my downloaded transactions match up to entries already made. Some banking downloads are still quirky. For example, Quickbooks keeps asking me to assign a new account for one particular bank download, although when I click cancel on that screen, I can still access the data and reconcile it my already existing account in Quickbooks.

My Recommendations:

Quickbooks 2010 is slightly better than the 2008 version (which I've been happily using personally), and much better than the 2009 version. Customers using 2007 or earlier versions of Quickbooks will want to consider upgrading due to Intuit's three-year sunset policy.