Reply to: Anyone else here using Pandle for their bookkeeping?

[ladymuck]

I mean I think both XERO and Sage would disagree

Free Agent acquired by Nat West in 2017 for £53m
XERO current market cap £360m
Sage current market cap £6.4 Bn

So I very much doubt freeagent is the market leader

I should have been clearer about Sage - I mean for a product on a par with the likes of FreeAgent that's accessible for a 'lay' market. They also have huge solutions for enterprise customers and much inbetween.

I didn't know that about Xero though, they seem quite small in feel. Really pleased with their banking interaction, everything works seamlessly. With Sage I had to import CSVs for one card provider and another got cut off due to the Open Banking launch (with Sage claiming that provider wasn't part of the Open Banking standard even after I emailed them the API information).

[eek]

I mean I think both XERO and Sage would disagree

Free Agent acquired by Nat West in 2017 for £53m
XERO current market cap £360m
Sage current market cap £6.4 Bn

So I very much doubt freeagent is the market leader

In our niche of service based industries - it very much is...

[oilboil]

Maybe the pricing is really cheap to get people in and then jack up the price later.

Usually people are directed to FreeAgent, Quickbooks, Xero, Sage for online accounting. I've used Sage and recently moved to Xero. I used the desktop version of QuickBooks when I first started out and have trialled FreeAgent. All are decent systems. You need to do the trials and give them a really good go of all your expected use cases before choosing one to make sure it meets your needs. FA is the market leader as it is feature-rich. I just prefer the interface on Xero.

I mean I think both XERO and Sage would disagree

Free Agent acquired by Nat West in 2017 for £53m
XERO current market cap £360m
Sage current market cap £6.4 Bn

So I very much doubt freeagent is the market leader

[FreakShow]

I do not work for Pandle. It's not intuitive.

I'm going to call my accountant this week and get this understood, if they can't I will use freeagent and not accept them asking for more money to use a different system.

And if they don't like that I will change accountant oncce January tax return is done.

[ladymuck]

I see the poster just signed up this month. Perhaps he/she is Pandle?

seems unlikely given the initial post

Yeah, sign up for my shiddy software, plenty cheapness

[Lance]

I'm struggling with putting through expenses for purchasing IT equipment though. The guides and tutorials are next to useless to me. Maybe it's the software, maybe it's just my lack of understanding, but is it not intuitive or just me?

I see the poster just signed up this month. Perhaps he/she is Pandle?

seems unlikely given the initial post

[Fred Bloggs]

Never heard of Pandle.

Is this a solution you picked for yourself, or what your accountant recommended? If the latter then I would ask them to provide you with training.

I see the poster just signed up this month. Perhaps he/she is Pandle?

[Craig@Clarity]

I just had to do an internet search for Pandle. Never heard of it before! As others have recommended (assuming you're in the contracting market), Freeagent is probably the best fit in terms of software. Their mobile app has the most functionality over their competitors.

[FreakShow]

Well, I've messaged to see if I can get further support to set this up. Once I understand this bit, I think I'll be OK as I've figured out the rest. But if I don't get the right kind of support from my current accountant, I will look for a new one.

I will have a look around FreeAgent and see how it compares, thanks.

[northernladuk]

I use Pandle because my accountants recommended it. I don't pay for Pandle, but get the premium access through using them as my accountants.

I am asking to arrange a call for training because I do feel I'm missing some basics.

If I use freeagent I would need to pay more to my accountants.

To your accountant maybe, to a proper contractor specific one then no.

If it's not working out for you then leave. Don't stay just because of a potentially incorrect assumption when the service you are paying for isn't exactly what you need.

[ladymuck]

I use Pandle because my accountants recommended it. I don't pay for Pandle, but get the premium access through using them as my accountants.

I am asking to arrange a call for training because I do feel I'm missing some basics.

If I use freeagent I would need to pay more to my accountants.

If the support from your accountants to use their software isn't great then you may want to reconsider using them.

You should check if you will retain access to your company's financial data if you move onto another accountant in a few years' time.

The good thing about the services described above is that you retain ownership and simply add / remove accountants' access as needed.

Cost should not be the only factor...

[FreakShow]

I use Pandle because my accountants recommended it. I don't pay for Pandle, but get the premium access through using them as my accountants.

I am asking to arrange a call for training because I do feel I'm missing some basics.

If I use freeagent I would need to pay more to my accountants.

[ladymuck]

Maybe the pricing is really cheap to get people in and then jack up the price later.

Usually people are directed to FreeAgent, Quickbooks, Xero, Sage for online accounting. I've used Sage and recently moved to Xero. I used the desktop version of QuickBooks when I first started out and have trialled FreeAgent. All are decent systems. You need to do the trials and give them a really good go of all your expected use cases before choosing one to make sure it meets your needs. FA is the market leader as it is feature-rich. I just prefer the interface on Xero.

[eek]

Never heard of Pandle.

Is this a solution you picked for yourself, or what your accountant recommended? If the latter then I would ask them to provide you with training.

I would run a mile from it - it's wrongly priced to begin with - Free and £5 a month just isn't enough to run a subscription business.

Rule 1 of running a internet software business is charge more.

I would get a Mettle bank account (it's Natwest's new brand) which gives you a free Freeagent account and change your accountant if he can't help you.

Accounting should be pain free nowadays and if Pandle isn't easy to use it's no use - and given their pricing model I don't hold out much hope for them surviving unless it's someone hobby rather than a business.

[ladymuck]

Never heard of Pandle.

Is this a solution you picked for yourself, or what your accountant recommended? If the latter then I would ask them to provide you with training.