Accounting software for small businesses
4.2/5 (63 reviews)Pros
It does what it says on the tin. So, it will run your payroll for you, tracking Tax & NI, produce P45s/P60s and submit data to the Government. It basically does everything you'd expect a payroll software to do. Payroll is complicated and KashFlow Payroll does its best to simplify this fr you; actually, I could not run my business without it.
Cons
The biggest annoyance is that you have to login to it separately from the main KashFlow program. Whilst it integrates the two at a data level really well, I don't understand why I cannot click seamlessly between the two.
Also, I think it lacks some features:
- I'd like it to handle and submit P11D forms
- It'd be nice if it integrated more tightly with Government so as well as submitting it also, showed me my tax balance owed. That would be a nice feature.
- Fixing a payroll mistake is a bit cumbersome as you have to roll back any intervening weeks. It'd nice if there was a simple tool for this.
I find Kashflow a mixed bag. In some ways, it's a good system and works well when everything is perfect. If you suddenly need to change something, however, prepare to get frustrated (no doubt you will at some point and good luck not messing your accounts up!).
Charging for their basic tutorials on how to use the software to avoid messing things up will cost you on top of the monthly subscription you're paying. This reason alone, I feel their not customer centric and am personally moving to another system due to this.
Pros
Kashflow can generate some nice reports and it looks fairly appealing.
Straight forward to set up in some ways.
Support is ok, can be a mixed bag.
Cons
A bit un-intuitive, unable to open links in new windows for some things which mean you have to keep re-running a report to work through each item in a list rather than quickly skip forwards and backward (Kashflow also forgets which dates you had selected so you have to re-select both dates every time!).
Unclear in places
Tutorials to learn the software are paid for those who are already subscribed, this is unforgivable. What kind of company charges their subscription paying customers to learn the software they pay for??
Kashflow feels like a strange mix between last gen software (and the frustrations that came with it) along with new gen (clean-ish interface). The whole package doesn't feel polished or finished.
Things like importing bank files will lead to duplicates without warning, Kashflow won't bother to check if any items are dupes. There goes the rest of your month manually removing all the duplicate items! Support will say it can only be done manually, can you tell it happened to me?
A joy to use and a great help to my fledgling business.
Pros
For a new business the most important thing is ease of use. Once set up Kashflow is intuitive to use and great to look at. Got an issue, the customer support is great, one to one help with a support person every time.
Cons
Takes a while to set up but as it covers all bases this is to be expected.
Makes running the back end of my business very easy.
Pros
It's not Sage! I've been using accounting software for 30 years and some of it was a nightmare. Kashflow is straightforward and easy to use.
Cons
No real issues. I've found customer service have sorted out any problems quickly and efficiently.
I can't even complain that it's expensive as it's very good value!
Pros
Kashflow is a great package for my small business. It captures everything I need, produces great reports and even allows me to submit my VAT at the touch of a button!
Cons
Nothing right now, it really does manage to tick all the boxes
Pros
KashFlow is a really easy to use system for small businesses and handles CIS correctly which is a plus.
Cons
The support provided by Iris & KashFlow is truly abysmal. The support staff always tell you to ask your accountant which is nonsense.
Very good, I would pay a bit extra for telephone support as well for both packages as sometimes the wait is really frustrating
Pros
The ease of set up , the ease of use. The integration into accounts package
Cons
It doesn’t have holiday pay . It doesn’t have multiple options for hourly pay on the wage making it time consuming changing the rates everytime.
Other systems do this very well so I’m sure you can change
In general it is a very good system for the price, it fulfills the basic operations expected from day to day for the company.
Pros
It is a web base easy to use for all administrative areas of small business, you do not need to be an accountant to perform the processes of billing and collection.
Cons
There are still some sections of the system that have not been updated, but I feel satisfied until this moment.
Excellent, ease of use, automation and speed mean more complex processes are easy
Pros
I have been using Kashflow for some time and having used other in the market, the ease of use and adaptability of Kashflow, for me, put it ahead of its competitors. Easy to personalise, the bank links and automation both with banks and HMRC mean half the work is done, for ease of mind this is a real plus. Excellent system would highly recommend
Cons
Old historical automation can sometimes slow the process down, but that's more of a personal problem
It is easy to do payroll and being someone of little experience in that department it has made it really easy for me to accomplish this task without being scared of doing it..... I would highly recommend it for small/medium business who want value for money or large business with a dedicated HR department
Pros
I have been using Kashflow Payroll for over a year …. it is one the easiest software solution I have ever used I can complete my payroll and all documentation printed off inside 10 minutes
Cons
the only downfall is support... you have to email support and unfortunately they can take up to 48 hours to reply which is usually a bit too long for me I think in this matter you need an answer more promptly
Pros
Easy to use and a really amazing customer service team to help with issues
Cons
Some features do need a bit of work for example CIS
Have used Sage for twenty years we looked at all the online - We tested all the other systems and Kashflow was the quickest to set up the easiest to use. Although customer support is by email its very quick so why wasted hours on a phone. They also offer a discount at http://kf.cm/LrG3g1
Pros
invoices, statements and reminder letters all by email.
Payroll can be included.
Simple to set up.
Quick Support via email - you can be working on the items instead of hanging on the end if a phone and then you also have a clear answer which you can refer to in the future
Value for money
No long Term Contract
Cons
Last time I checked I could not include the supplies invoice number of the payment remittence advice.
Hi there - thanks for your invaluable review. Enjoy the product!
Pros
I like the automatic VAT, Pay Roll RTI updates and self assessment filing, these features make it simple to make the correct submissions the the HMRC first time.
Cons
The mobile app could be more fully featured as it only offers a small portion of the websites functionality.
Our previous cash flow software was not able to cope with the workplace pension element - KashFlow is able to provide us with a simple spreadsheet that we upload to the pension provider's website. Couldn't be easier. The cost is also very reasonable. We couldn't be happier.
Pros
This software does it all - payroll, P45s, end of year forms, pension output files - and so simply. I am no payroll expert and thanks to this software, I don't have to be. Everything is basically done for you, you just follow the simple steps.
Cons
There was nothing I didn't like, it was excellent.
Happy with kashflow, simple to use and reasonably priced
Pros
I don't have time for complicated systems and kashflow is simple and easy
Cons
I havent found much to moan about this software
Good, enthusiastic people. Particularly good for UK clients who don't need on-the-go.
Pros
VAT and HRMC 'Make Data Digital' integration
UK based, so available during the morning
Great customer service via chat or phone callback
Cons
Their app doesn't allow on-the-road expenses loading, e.g. photo of a receipt loading instantly. Instead it's via dropbox, and is awkward. They claim to working on improvements but if on the road is important to you you'll need to look elsewhere.
It has allowed me to complete the payroll demands of HMRC and monthly reporting with a minimum of work
Pros
It ties easily in with Kashflow. It is relatively easy to set up for a company and for individuals on the payroll. it records data and produces detailed reports on demand, thus providing a useful check. The monthly reports to HMRC occur easily and possible incomplete information or problems are flagged up.
Cons
I found the integration with NEST more difficult- but it could well have been NEST's end that caused difficulties. It is obviously designed for those who use English for their administration. I use both English and Welsh and the spellcheck feature changed the Welsh spellings!
Overall, useful and valuable software. However now becoming too expensive and deviating from the founder's original game plan
Pros
Easy to use
Good functionality
Quick to transition from more traditional software such as Sage
Cons
Slow to develop new features
API upgrade been in development for 4 years and no progress
Subscriptions increase frequently for no clear obvious benefit
Pros
- Some of the reports are fun.
- Being cloud-based is great because you can log in anywhere.
- The basic menu is straight-forward.
Cons
- The support is terrible - slow, uninformed, slack. They don't know the software or understand what you want to do with it
- Beyond the basic menu it's a nightmare trying to find anything.
- Some of the features (like journal) are locked away to try and make you upgrade to the payroll version.
- Statements and invoices will be logged as "sent" when they haven't been sent - no way of finding out without asking your customers.
- The app is a bit pointless.
- When something goes wrong, you're on your own.
I am very happy with Kashflow. Easy to set up and use but sophisticated enough to cope with everything a typical small business might want. I particularly like the PayPal integration and the more integration that happens, the better as far as I am concerned. Being able to access accounting data from anywhere and even better allowing your accountant to access it has been a tremendous timesaver. I also like the automated back-ups and the ability to switch easily between the accounts of multiple businesses. They even reduced the price to a level where it could not become an issue.
Pros
Ease of set-up and use
Your accountant and you can easily get access to the original data from anywhere
Good handling of multiple sets of accounts
OK Reports
Integration with other systems
Reasonably priced
Cons
Does not automatically integrate with everything I want it to (yet!)
Standard reporting is adequate rather than extensive
Can't think of anything else
I’ve been using KashFlow for the past 2 years. I find it very efficient and effective. It is easy to use and customer service is always on hand if you have a problem.
Pros
Easy to navigate and use.
Data entry is quick
Cons
Importing can sometimes be difficult as all the titles have to be ones up.
Pros
Our old accountant had us recording all our invoices etc onto a spreadsheet and at the end of the year charged us a small fortune to input this onto their system to eventually produce a profit and loss account, VAT returns and tax return. On the advice of a friend we switched accountants and now use Kashflow. Big pluses are that it's vastly cheaper, it's about the same amount of effort to record expenditure etc but we can easily view what each aspect of our business generates in sales and expenditure. VAT returns used to cost £150/quarter - now take minutes as Kashflow calculates everything and once you've checked it looks Ok a press of a button and it goes straight to HMRC.
Cons
Takes a while to set up initially to have cost codes for different parts of the business, and work out how it all works. However good help articles online and if needed (I didn't) there paid for tutorials.
I like it, although if we could have product discounts it would be so much better.
Pros
Its very user friendly, the bank feeds make it easy to input data. I find it easy to navigate and it has some great features. The reports are good and it makes VAT very easy.
Cons
We cant have product discounts, which means we cant make up quotes in Kashflow. We have to do it in excel to work out discounts and then I have to manually transfer this to KF. You can have customer discounts, but this is no good for us as we have different product discounts.
Pros
Easy to set up - Good interface that guides you.
Good selection of Youtube Videos to help with getting started
Well organized dashboard - makes it easy to find functions
Good project management features
Can import bank statements
Cons
Lots of annoying bits:
-Have to manually add shipping, sales tax, and discounts, which is a pain
-Importing data can be annoying because you have to make sure all dates and prices are in UK format - why can it convert the format automatically?
-No mobile apps
Pros
One of the more simple screen layouts for a cloud accounting app.
Easier to use than most competitors.
If UK small business not using FX than a very good bet.
Cons
No foreign currency bank accounts supported.
Poor technical back-up where problem is not straightforward.
Lack of connecting apps compared to competitors.
Compared to Xero and QB Online lack of functionality.
Kashflow has been a life-saver for me and my business; I do not have the time to learn how to book keep properly or run a Payroll. It means I can focus on the aspects of my business that I need to develop and give less time to admin.