Intacct

Pros Familiar top-level navigational screen. Multiple ledgers. Highly customizable. Exceptionally scalable. Supports unlimited inquiries. Good next step for QuickBooks users.

Cons A learning curve in some functions. Some screens use arcane language. Could make better use of screen space. Bottom Line Intacct is an old, trusted name in the relatively new field of cloud-based accounting. It would be a good solution for QuickBooks upgraders or any small or medium-sized business that wants to start with the core financial modules. Its scalability lets companies grow comfortably in a familiar environment.

By Kathy Yakal

Intacct—the name is derived from "Internet" and "accounting"—has been on PCMag's radar for over a decade. I first reviewed it in 2002 and gave it a rating of Excellent. Three things were true of those earliest versions. It was an excellent next step for businesses that had outgrown QuickBooks, offering more generous data capacity and multi-user access; integration with more powerful, related solutions like ADP and Salesforce.com; and a wide variety of highly customizable modules (Accounts Receivable, Inventory Control, etc.) that worked in tandem with one another.

But unlike QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, it had a considerable learning curve, as it still did when I reviewed it in 2008. As it likely will the next time I review it. While Intacct lets users start small, as QuickBooks upgraders or small businesses with ambitious financial management needs, its core configuration can be extended out to the midrange level. A company can build an interface with tools that simplify accounting processes, but accounting at this level is highly complex. It will never be "easy" using any software or cloud-based solution.

Intacct accommodates a wider variety of potential customers than any of the solutions I reviewed here because its core content starts more modestly. The base package (which starts at $400 per month, direct) includes General Ledger, Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable, Order Entry, Cash Management, Purchasing, and Employee Expenses. You can add optional modules like Project Accounting, Global Consolidations, Revenue Recognition, and Salesforce.com integration.

A Birds-Eye View
Entry-level accounting products like QuickBooks offer dashboards, customizable screens that display key financial data and help you plan your day based on what needs attention. Intacct supplies some that are pre-configured for user roles like CFO/Controller and Department Manager, but you can create an unlimited number of these, all allowing access to the appropriate "slices" of data and functionality.

Because the accounting departments of midrange companies are generally larger than those served by QuickBooks, roles are more specialized. Where an administrator might have access to everything, you might have employees that only have access to accounts receivable or payable screens, or only be able to enter orders. Some people may be able to view certain screens but not edit them.

Intacct and NetSuite are fairly comparable where dashboards are concerned, though NetSuite has the edge here. Both look like state-of-the-art Web pages, but user roles and permissions are easier and faster to work with in NetSuite, and there are more pre-made roles. Creating or modifying a role can be an excruciating process in any application because of the level of detail offered by each, but this is testament to their strict security standards. In comparison, Microsoft Dynamics GP looks outdated, and customization is more difficult.

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