Does anyone use Sage Instant Accounts?

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Gem7321
Gem7321 Registered Posts: 1,438 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
in General accounting discussion
Is it any good?

I've used Sage Accounts Production Advanced and I liked it and liked that you could use it to do quarterly VAT reports and preferred using this to Sage Line 50 for cash-accounting clients, is this facility in Instant Accounts?

I'm trying to decide between Instant Accounts and VT and the VAT reports will probably be the decider!

Thanks

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  • Monsoon
    Monsoon Registered Posts: 4,071 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    Sage instant is fine and does do VAT reports (as in, VAT100, detail broken down by box number and tax code). Sage is stupidly expensive if you want multi-company functionality though.

    Have you looked at Solar Accounts? About the same price as Sage and is multi-company, and works fine for VAT.
  • Gem7321
    Gem7321 Registered Posts: 1,438 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    Thanks Monsoon

    I've heard of Solar but I thought that was just for bookkeeping and doesn't produce an accountants report or accounts in stat format. But if there is a package that does this I will certainly look at it again.
  • burg
    burg Registered, Moderator Posts: 1,441 mod
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    So Gem are you meaning Sage Instant Accounts Production as opposed to the Sage Instant Bookkeeping package?

    If so, no. I looked around at various software last year. Sage was one on the list who along with CCH failed to actually provide me with an online demo or demo version to evaluate. They didn't really seem interested. Basically would I buy it or not. Therefore I looked elsewhere!
    Regards,

    Burg
  • A-Vic
    A-Vic Registered Posts: 6,970 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    Hi gem

    I was trained on sage line 50 but have used instant for the last five years there isnt much of a difference they have even made them a lot simular and easier to use.
  • Monsoon
    Monsoon Registered Posts: 4,071 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    Ah yes when you said Sage Instant, I thought you meant bookkeeping software.

    VT! VT! VT!

    Seriously, VT. It's brilliant.

    I've never tried the Sage accounts production software but I'd expect its overpriced and not as good.
  • A-Vic
    A-Vic Registered Posts: 6,970 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    ive only every used VT for P&L accounts but like what ive used
  • Wrenchie
    Wrenchie Registered Posts: 33 Regular contributor ⭐
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    I use VT for bookkeeping and accounts production and would recommend it. The only problem I have is if a client uses the flat rate scheme for VAT, you have to adjust the figures manually for that. Otherwise very good product for a fraction of the cost of Sage.
  • Gem7321
    Gem7321 Registered Posts: 1,438 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    I have downloaded the 60 day trial of VT Transaction + and have to say so far I'm not getting on with it and I'm a little disappointed! But I'll keep at it and if I start liking it I'll be contacting them for a trial version of the Accounts software.

    Thanks everyone
  • burg
    burg Registered, Moderator Posts: 1,441 mod
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    To be honest VT is great for the money but I didn't use it for long. Having used Iris for many years I found VT quite clumsy and awkward.

    I now use Digita which is considerably more than VT but is so much easier to use that I save a lot in time.
    Regards,

    Burg
  • Monsoon
    Monsoon Registered Posts: 4,071 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    I've never used VT transaction. I don't think it bears much resemblance to VT Accounts Production.

    VT accounts is great (I'm sure if you're used to more expensive offerings it won't seem as good, but for the price I can't fault it).

    We use Solar Accounts for bookkeeping and it's a brilliant little package.
  • Gem7321
    Gem7321 Registered Posts: 1,438 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    I'll have a look at Digita, I've used the tax software but not the accounts production. Burg would you mind telling me how much you paid? (PM of course!) I can't find a price list on digita website.
  • Londina
    Londina Registered Posts: 814 Epic contributor 🐘
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    Monsoon wrote: »
    Sage is stupidly expensive if you want multi-company functionality though.

    Not if you register with their Bookkeeper's Club! My company got Sage at 800£ with 50 companies and multicurrency instead of the £4000 originally offered by the normal sales team!
  • Monsoon
    Monsoon Registered Posts: 4,071 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    Londina wrote: »
    Not if you register with their Bookkeeper's Club! My company got Sage at 800£ with 50 companies and multicurrency instead of the £4000 originally offered by the normal sales team!

    £800 is still a helluva lot of money (even if it only equates to £16 per client if one has 50 clients to bookkeep for)!!!

    Especially when you compare with a one off fee of £100 for Solar Accounts which has unlimited companies, and is more than enough for the average small business (though it's not multicurrency).

    I happen to dislike Sage as an accountant (I really like using it as a bookkeeper though, but that's rare these days) which is why I never recommend it.

    Sage - you have to pay for support, from an impersonal call centre. Solar - excellent personal customer support, unlimited, for free.

    I'm not a fan of QB since they changed their product range (used to love it) but again, much better value for money (IMO) than Sage.

    I know everyone has their own preference, but I still think Sage is overpriced, especially when compared with other offerings.
  • Londina
    Londina Registered Posts: 814 Epic contributor 🐘
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    Monsoon wrote: »
    £800 is still a helluva lot of money (even if it only equates to £16 per client if one has 50 clients to bookkeep for)!!!

    yes, but still it's a huge saving from £4000!! and you get a version with Multicurrency, something not all the software provide!
    Monsoon wrote: »
    Sage - you have to pay for support, from an impersonal call centre. Solar - excellent personal customer support, unlimited, for free.

    I'm finding the customer support from SAGE very good, I never call, just email them and they reply within 24hours with the solution and also useful links!
    Monsoon wrote: »
    I'm not a fan of QB since they changed their product range (used to love it) but again, much better value for money (IMO) than Sage.

    OMG, QB is a nightmare and since you are well interested in support, you must realised that QB has none!! endless calls with their support and after half hour your issue is still not resolved! the software has become so bad that the recent versions are not even available anymore in UK. (the last one is QB pro 2008 and doesn't even calculate VAT correctly)
    Monsoon wrote: »
    I know everyone has their own preference, but I still think Sage is overpriced, especially when compared with other offerings.

    Sage could be the best if they sort out some issues (excel exporting, sort by date transactions, remove clunkiness. correct journals, etc..). I agree for the current problems that it has, it's overpriced.
  • Monsoon
    Monsoon Registered Posts: 4,071 Beyond epic contributor 🧙‍♂️
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    I hope nobody ever pays £4000 though!! It strikes me as being a bit like sofa companies - they are always on sale and hopefully nobody pays full price.

    I'm glad Sage support is good - when one has to pay for it, it better had be.

    Re QB, I've not dealt with them in years but back in the day, they were better value for money (though agreed the support was cr*p, but then, it was free).

    Like I said, I like using Sage for bookkeeping, I just think there are more options out there, that's better value for money, is all :)

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