Software

Benny

I currently use IRIS for my practice and whilst it is a good package it is quite expensive and I dont like the license system they use. Does anyone use anything different. I ahve used Tax Assist which I liked but this only dealt with Partenrships and Sole traders

Is there anything else around that creates stat accounts etc. from Trial Balance?

Poodle

Hi

I use the Sage taxation suite for sole traders, partnerships and individuals, Sage CT Lite and also Sage accounts production, I have never used anything else and so I am unable to make any comparison argument here. However, I find the software ok, easily updated with online feeds and the support is excellent. All 3 modules are interlinked to enable data to be transfered automatically from one module to another without re keying. However I understand that you could buy each module individually as well if you liked

With accounts production you are able to import data from other mediums as well as manually input a TB to produce SA's.

License costs are based on client numbers for individual modules and I have just had my license renewals and they have been held at the same price as last year, also I am able to pay for my licenses with interest free credit over 12 months paying by DDR

burg

Ok heres my findings:-

When working in practice I used Iris for everything. I thought it was great very easy to use and follow something that would work well in my own practice. Sadly though price was an issue.

I started out like most others using VT for accounts production and Tax calc for tax returns due to the low costs and no client limits. For me though it lacked in usability and I wanted something more integrated.

I moved on to using PTP for everything as it was relatively cheap and integrated. It was ok and fairly simple to follow but a little clumsy. Prices were good at the lower level but it started to go up as the practice grew and I was almost paying the same as I would with Iris.

In the lead up to running my own practice full-time last May I decided to review a number of different software to find something that could grow with the practice.

Iris - I tested once again and still as before but prices still high.

CCH - Never bothered to get back to me after a lot of trying

Sage - likewise to CCH

Keytime - Fairly good product with good simplicity all round. Lacked a few basics such as Nominal Code lists that could not be edited you had to add new codes for each client that couldn't be replicated (not good when you do agricultural accounts) Prices were also quite high when it all added up.

Digita - I've left Digita to last as this was my choice with which I am most pleased. I must say it is certainly up there with Iris for ease of use. It's all based around a central database with full integration between all modules. The layout is based on Windows and is very similar in look and feel to MS Outlook. Customer Service is fantastic. I very much feel as though my opinion is valued even though for them I am a relatively small client. Pricing is based on the number of clients although the Practice Management module (the main core of the database) is unlimited. You can add all potentials in here as well. The first year is around the Iris price (although it is negotiable - I got around 25% off). Year 2 and on is then around 60% of year 1. This is due to paying a licence fee and a membership/support fee in year 1 and then only the membership fee in future years. You can pay over 12months for a £50 admin fee.

I am certainly happy with my software choice and now wouldn't even consider using Iris. It does everything that Iris does just as well and over two years is far cheaper and the longer you continue using it the cheaper it is in comparison to Iris.

If you want more info on my experience of using Digita then PM me your details and we can have a chat.

Bloater

Agree with Burg

I used IRIS up until last November, when it finally became too expensive and I decided to show around.

IRIS tend to blab on about being the only truly integrated product, but DIGITA is equally well integrated and does all that IRIS does apart from the Management Accounts function, which I understand is being released later this year.

I prefer the tax modules to IRIS as they give more detailed breakdowns and are very intuitive to use.

Considerably cheaper too.

Phone them and they can arrange an over the internet demo for you to observe. I ran through everything and was on the phone (at their expense) for about an hour.

This level of dedication at the sales stage has translated to their customer service which is excellent. On the one occasion that I couldn't speak to someone immediately, I decided to email them with the query and didn't leave them a phone message.....I was barely a couple of sentances into the mail when one of their guys phoned me back - very impressed.

I confirm that I'm not a DIGITA salesman, feel free to pm me or email me for any further details at:

enquiries@swallowaccountancy.co.uk