QuickBooks Online Simple Start

Simple Start is where most South African owners meet QuickBooks. It is built for the business of one: a consultant, a contractor, a designer, anyone who needs to send professional invoices, watch expenses and stay on the right side of VAT without hiring a bookkeeper. The plan costs R322 per month in rand, comes with a 30 day free trial, and there is no contract, so you can cancel any month you like.

The essentials are all present. You create quotes and convert them to invoices, connect your bank account so transactions flow in on their own, photograph slips with the mobile app, and let the Intuit Intelligence engine categorise transactions as they arrive. VAT is tracked at the standard 15% rate and the reports give you the figures you or your accountant capture on eFiling. Speaking of which, accountant access is free on top of your single user seat, so your accountant works in the same books you do rather than waiting for exports.

Know the boundaries before you buy. Simple Start is one user and a chart of accounts capped at 250 entries, there is no bill management and no stock, and if a second person needs to work in the books you are looking at Essentials. For a one person operation that has outgrown invoicing from Word and a shoebox of slips, this is a sensible, affordable first step onto real accounting software.