How We Select Bookkeeping (and Associated) Software
We only feature and recommend software that we use in our daily bookkeeping, accounting and payroll work. To be clear, Enkel does not receive any consideration or compensation from software publishers for featuring their software in our blog articles. We feature these tools because we have used them and found they met our needs and expectations.
We have tried (and tested) most bookkeeping and accounting software packages over the past 8 years, as we want to use the best tools available as we deliver work for our clients. Our leadership team has used countless other technology platforms before their time at Enkel and while at one of the big four accounting firms. We know how these tools perform in an actual work environment because we use these packages to provide our clients with bookkeeping, accounting and payroll services.
We want reliable, accurate, easy-to-install and easy-to-use software with features that make bookkeeping easier or more efficient. Also, we expect the packages to be reasonably priced relative to their competitors. To sum up, we only feature bookkeeping software that we use and that meets our expectations as we perform our daily work.
Here is what we look for in an accounting or bookkeeping software:
- Its output must comply with CRA rules
- Reliability (few program crashes or buggy behaviours)
- Easy to install
- Should integrate easily with other software
- Has an intuitive user interface
- Has thorough help information
- Has helpful customer support
When we look at a new software offering, we define mission-critical features that it should have so that we can use it for our bookkeeping work. We read third-party reviews of the product and those of comparable competing products. We then list the features we have found to be vital in performing the bookkeeping work the software is designed for.
We do a clean install of the software, noting any difficulties or unclear steps during the whole installation process. We then enter bookkeeping data into the software, have it process the data, and review its output. We check if the output is well-organized and easy to access. We also check for accuracy and whether the software output complies with CRA rules and guidance. We then see if it integrates easily with other software packages. We also note how much data the program can handle and how quickly it processes the data. We also want to see that the software’s main features perform as advertised.
We log notes and observations in a spreadsheet for later reference and use the product’s support (help and customer support) if we encounter difficulties. Once we find that a software package meets our expectations, we then work with it for a few weeks before recommending it in our blog posts.