As a small business, you're going to experiment with a lot of different software for accounting, money management, business development, and more.

The two more popular programs, QuickBooks and Simply Accounting, have numerous different features. They're both very similar, but we're not looking at their similarities, but the differences that make these programs different from one another. That's the best way that you can figure out what's right for your company.

In this article, we're going to be talking about the Pro versions of these softwares.

Multi-Currency

If you're going to be doing dealings with other countries, or if you're an international company, being able to keep records in more then one currency is the optimal choice. A software that isn't may actually be useless.

The Pro version of Simply Accounting comes with two currencies already in it, and versions other then the First Stage version have unlimited currency capabilities (The First Stage version only offers one base currency, nothing more).

QuickBooks Pro only offers one base currency when purchased both in store and online, and you can't expand on it. If you need two currencies, you have to contact the company directly and purchase QuickBooks Multi Currency Premium, the only Quickbooks software that offers more then one currency. A major disadvantage of this is that it's much more expensive then the Pro version Quickbooks, but it's the only Multi Currency software they offer. The upside? Premier comes with a 3-user license.

Upgrades

With Simply Accounting, upgrading from an older version to a current version really is quite easy. Even with the multi currency versions, you shouldn't have any problems upgrading Simply Accounting - only the First Stage program will give you any trouble. However, if you're running an older version of Windows Office, you may have to upgrade to be able to use the upgraded software.

QuickBooks is also painless to upgrade, unless you're using the Multi Currency version - then you could run into serious problems. There isn't an automatic upgrade to a single currency QuickBooks addition, and if you choose to force the upgrade, you can end up losing details and transactions of any currency that's not marked as the base currency.

Payroll

Both Simply Accounting and Quickbooks offer payroll services, and the ability to print off payroll checks. However, this isn't included in the base software - instead, it run on a subscription for both, and these rates change. For the best price estimate, check with the companies themselves.

Reports

Probably one of the easiest things to do in Quickbooks is to send invoices, sales, estimates, and other reports. All you have to do is press the 'email' button, and a .pdf file is created. Outlook is started, and it's all ready to be sent off.

Simply Accounting uses the system Crystal Reports to make any sort of report. It's not sold with the Simply Accounting software, but is free to use for all Simply Accounting customers - all you have to do is call the company, and they'll send you a copy of the Crystal Reports CD. You do have to pay shipping.

The main problem with Crystal Reports isn't that it doesn't work. It's that it's not user friendly at all, and it's hard to get used to. If you're looking for an easy way to make reports, this isn't it - you can take a class or get a book to help you, though.