Sage and I go way back. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve almost chucked my PC through a window as I get unbelievably frustrated with the arcane and labyrinthine way in which it works. It’s an example of a piece of software that, through its utter ineptness, has fostered an entire industry of people who actually understand how it works.
So it was with trepidation and not a little cyncism that I tried FreeAgent which claims to be an online accounting solution for Freelances and Small Businesses. What a revelation. Not only is the process of keeping the books up to date childishly simple (upload your bank statements and tell FreeAgent about any entries it doesn’t recognise: it gets cleverer and cleverer as it learns your transactions) but so is invoicing and all the other routine processes.
Perhaps most usefully it also keeps a running total of your VAT liability and lets you know exactly when the various documents are due to be filed thus saving you money on potential fines.
The only issue might be whether you accountant will accept the output from FreeAgent (CSV in the main). Mine is ok with it so if yours isn’t I suggest you fire their arse!
FreeAgent is simply the best Web Application I’ve seen since BaseCamp came out. One of those rare examples where a web application really does revolutionise an otherwise onerous job. FreeAgent is being constantly updated with new features and is heartily recommended. And no, I’m not taking any backhanders!
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