Bean Counter

Accounting and Business Software

Believe it or not, there is some good free business software available - it's just hard to find ! These sites provide you with mostly free business software to aid you in the day to day operation of your business.

Office Software

OpenOffice.org gives you everything you'd expect in office software and more for free.

You can create dynamic documents, spreadsheets, analyze data, design eye-catching presentations, produce dramatic illustrations, and open up your databases. You can publish your work in Portable Document Format (.pdf), and release your graphics in Flash (.swf) format - without needing any additional software. OpenOffice is now available for more users than ever, with support for complex text layout (CTL) languages (such as Thai, Hindi, Arabic, and Hebrew) and vertical writing languages.

What's in the suite?

WRITER Is a powerful tool for creating professional documents, reports, newsletters, and brochures. You can easily integrate images and charts in documents, create everything from business letters to complete books with professional layouts, as well as create and publish Web content.

CALC is a feature-packed spreadsheet which can turn boring numbers into eye-catching information. Calculate, analyze, and visually communicate your data quickly and easily. Use advanced spreadsheet functions and decision-making tools to perform sophisticated data analysis. Use built-in charting tools to generate impressive 2D and 3D charts.

IMPRESS is the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations. Your presentations will truly stand out with special effects, animation and high-impact drawing tools.

DRAW will produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations and special effects.

The Database User Tools give you all the tools you need for day to day database work in a simple spreadsheet-like form. They support dBASE databases for simple applications, or any ODBC or JDBC compliant database for industrial strength database work.

Other sites providing templates and help for using OpenOffice software.
GetOpenOffice    Ooextras    OpenOffice Support     GCF Learn Free Tutorials
Open Office Tutorials     Tutorials for Open Office

Presto Notes
Do away with all those note pads on your desk. Presto Notes is a handy little utility for Windows that allows you to write little memos and stick them on your screen.

Anther good pop up note program ATnotes

Unforgiven Organizer
A tool we probably all need. Not a lot of help instructions , but you really don't need a lot of help to use this free organizer. Unforgiven Organizer is a funny (but solid!) powerful organizer with an eye catching interface. It allows you to manage yearly, monthly, weekly and daily tasks based on their frequency of occurrence. It also features a Contacts Manager that links with e-mail client, Internet browser and Windows telephony.

TeeTree
Need some organizational charts or flow charts ? TeeTree Office helps you create presentations, flow-charts, diagrams and Flash-like animations.

Create professional Logos with The Logo Creator by LaughingBird Software. Download the trial version and see how easily you can create your own professional looking logos.

Accounting & Bookkeeping
I've done a lot of surfing trying to find any nice free small business bookkeeping software to recommend. Finding any real free accounting or bookkeeping software programs that weren't limited trial versions has been a task.

Fed up and confused by all the "so called user friendly" accounting and bookkeeping software ? Help is on the way !

OneStep Accounting
This is one of my favorites. Simple to use and easy learning curve. Only drawback is it doesn't have a payroll or job cost module, but it's still a nice alternative to some of the commercial programs with too many bells and whistles. Ideal for service and wholesale or retail types of businesses. OneStep Accounting Standard Edition 4.0 is an integrated accounting system. Modules include general ledger, sales processing (sales invoice, credit memo, and cash sales), purchase processing (purchase invoice, debit memo, and cash purchase), cash management, inventory management, and report designer.

It features customizable document formats.

Although online support is somewhat limited, an excellent OneStep User Guide (PDF) is included to aid you in making your bookkeeping hassle free.

Free license keys can be obtained by registering at publisher's website.

Pay For Version also available for only $90.

OneStep already has many useful reports already set up and designed for the user; however, for those wanting to design some of their own reports you might also want to visit the ReportBuilder site and learn how to create your reports using ReportBuilder which is used by OneStep for creating custom reports.

EZAcct
Not bad for free accounting and bookkeeping software. EZAcct helps you do quotation, sales order, invoicing, issuing purchase order, receiving merchandises, inventory control, collecting payments, paying bill, managing customer/vendor records, even prepare profit/loss statements.

EZAcct provides three free versions and two pay for versions. Based on your needs, you can choose from the following free and pay for editions.

Free Versions

  • Free Integrate
  • Free Bookkeeping Edition
  • Free Invoice / Operation Edition
Free versions are limited to one company and one user.

Pay For Versions

  • Professional Edition - $95
  • Premier Edition - $495

Free Accounting
Free Accounting is the simple to use accounting and business management software that you need to organize your small to medium sized business. Free Accounting comes complete with: Company Management, Banking, Vendor Management, Customer Management, Purchasing, Receiving, Quotations, Sales, Delivery, Invoicing, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Pay Bills and more! And, their accounting software is extremely competitively priced. They are giving it away for FREE!

TurboCash
TurboCash Accounting, entry level Delphi, Windows Accounting package for single users, small networks and distributed networks. Powerful Open Source Accounting Software for small and medium sized businesses - almost any country. Requires the user to have some bookkeeping knowledge in order to properly use. Requires free registration.

osFinancials
Differences in vision regarding rights, future plans and infrastructure, recently lead to a split ('fork') into Open Source Accounting project TurboCAsh. The total Dutch development team resigned and is going forward as osFinancials. While both projects, TurboCash and osFinancials are moving forward on their own, you will notice a similar look, feel and functuality since both are based on Open Source Code. .

osFinancials is the free accounting package of the future, easy to install, impressive database capabilities with Firebird as a database. Stock control and point of sales integrated with good support and plugins. Integration with osCommerce webshop.

The first release contains all functionality that you expect from an accounting system. Debtors and creditors, general ledger, cash-book, stock control, invoicing, comprehensive reports, XML import/export, email functionality but also multi-user, point of sale including barcode scanner and cash drawer connection, integration with osCommerce, the leader in e-commerce web shop software.

Accountants and bookkeepers will also profit from this release, they are able to store and maintain unlimited client administrations, can easily exchange data with their clients or directly login into the clients dataset.

Free Dynacom Accounting Edition
Dynacom offers a complete range of accounting software for organizations of all sizes: all the way from a simple free accounting software relying on Microsoft Access databases to comprehensive financial management solutions backed by the power and proven reliability of SQL Server.

Their FREE Startup Edition provides business-basics accounting software functions for sales, purchasing, payroll, bank, and general ledger … in a format that is easy to learn and effective to use.

Free Microsoft Accounting Express
Microsoft challenges Quick Books. Office Accounting Express is designed for the millions of new businesses that use pen and paper, spreadsheets or personal finance software to manage their business. Free Version does not include inventory or multi-user features.

PayWindow
An excellent solution for handling your payroll needs is PayWindow by ZPay Payroll Systems, Inc. Not free but close. Very reasonably priced at only $69.95. Already have payroll software ? I'll bet your accounting/bookkeeping software is taking you to the barn and putting you up wet ! Want to know how ? Tell Me If you combine OneStep with this Payroll System you have all your basic bookkeeping needs covered.

AceMoney Lite
AceMoney Lite is a freeware personal finance manager. AceMoney Lite helps people organize and manage their personal finances quickly and easily. It supports all the features required for home or even small-business accounting needs.

Lazy8 Ledger
Free, open-source accounting system for Java. Runs on any computer (Windows, Linux, MAC, etc.) which has Java installed. Accounting program designed for people who have experience in bookkeeping. In other words, this program is for those who can do their accounting by hand but would rather have a program that will automate the process and even perform some of the more complex calculations that would normally be reserved for the accountant to do.

Responsive Software
Ledger is a free basic accounting system for small to medium-sized organizations that need a general ledger or cashbook. If you don't need any bells and whistles and just need to record and summarize your transactions this may be for you. Because it is very easy to install and use it will also appeal to students of double-entry bookkeeping. Account balances are calculated dynamically so that balance sheets and income statements can be produced for any arbitrary date or period. There is no such thing as a period close or roll-over however a viewing period can be specified to limit the number of entries visible on-screen. The program also allows for multiple companies and users. Ledger is provided free of charge for both non-commercial and commercial use. Enjoy!

Responsive Software develops customized software based around their free Ledger program so if you need a business application and know exactly what you want but can't find what you're looking for then they may be worth an enquiry.

Super Invoice
An easy-to-use and flexible way to track and print invoices. Super Invoice(r) is a freeware program. Non-Registration will only show a small reminder screen (no delays) when you save more than 50 invoices, but all things will continue working as normal. You can although, not required, register the program for approximately $30.00.

CitrusWare
Proposal Writer creates and prints a proposal. This program is for any Company that needs to write proposals. It creates and prints a professional Proposal.

Invoicer creates and prints an Invoice. As you add Sales Items to an invoice, these items can be saved and automatically selected on future Invoices. You can add Labor, Shipping Additional Charges or Credits, and apply a discount.

BillQuick
BillQuick Lite is a limited version of BillQuick provided free of charge to consultants all around the world. Architects, Engineers, Computer consultants, Attorneys, System Integrators, Management consultants, Programmers, Designers, Accountants, Contractors, Marketing consultants and Financial consultants require billing based upon criteria such as fixed fee, time and expense, hourly billing, hourly billing with a "not to exceed" amount and contractual billing based upon percentage and/or progress payments of a fixed fee. BillQuick Lite meets these requirements! It also accommodates project phasing and billing against retainers. With it you will track time and expenses and create in-depth analysis reporting to track project and office profitability. BillQuick Lite makes time billing as simple as possible. It fills the requirements needed for a one-person or small office.

PlanWare Budgeting & Planning is an excellent site that provides a free Business Plan Guide & Template-Free-Plan and a 6 month Business Financial Planner-Exl-Plan and 6 month Cash Forecast-Cashflow Plan. Free-Plan is a Microsoft Word document and Exl-Plan and Cashflow Plan are a Microsoft Excel templates. Their site also has some excellent checklists and guides and free on-line business tools.

Business Plan Pro The best way to show bankers, venture capitalists, and angel investors that you are worthy of financial support is to show them a great business plan. Make sure that your plan is clear, focused and realistic.

Business Plan Pro

Then show them that you have the tools, talent and team to make it happen. Your business plan is like your calling card, it will get you in the door where you'll have to convince investors and loan officers that you can put your plan into action.

Once you have raised the money to start or expand your business, your plan will serve as a road map for your business. It is not a static document that you write once and put away. You will reference it often, making sure you stay focused and on track, and meet milestones. It will change and develop as your business evolves.

Check out their reasonably priced Business Plan Pro.

Jian Software
Excellent software for business planning, budgeting and marketing !
BizPlanBuilder®, MarketingBuilder®, Sample Contracts...
Click here to learn more about proven, award-winning
business productivity software.

Retail Planning Software
The Retail Owners Institute provides solutions aimed at Retailers.

  • The Retail Strata:G® Financial PLANNER is a self-contained financial modeling program that generates fully-integrated financial plans. It is the only "off-the-shelf" financial modeling tool specifically developed for retailers.
  • Are you looking for a simple Open-to-Buy and Gross Margin Return On Investment (GMROI) analysis tool that will handle multiple departments, categories, vendors? The MERCHANDISER is your solution !

Online Financial Projections
Analyze the feasibility of your project with the VPSpro.com™ online financial projection software. Auto-generate notes to the projections then go on to write your business plan with the VPSpro™ Narrative Writer. Their free step-by-step system will guide and educate you every step of the way.

Free Spreadsheet Programs

Sphygmic Software Spreadsheet
Needing a spreadsheet program ? Why waste money and over 180MB of disk space to get feature-bloated Excel? With the Sphygmic Software spreadsheet you get all the functions you need in less than 4MB! And all this for free!

Bye Design
Another Free Excel "like" Spreadsheet Program.

Gnumeric Spreadsheet
Another nice and free spreadsheet program. The Gnumeric spreadsheet is part of the GNOME desktop environment: a project to create a free, user friendly desktop environment. The goal of Gnumeric is to be the best possible spreadsheet. They are not attempting to clone existing applications. Gnumeric can read files saved with other spreadsheets and offers a customizable feel.

Abykus Spreadsheet
Abykus is a FREE spreadsheet program that adds an exciting new dimension to the classic 'what-if' analysis. While electronic spreadsheets have undergone many important changes over the years, they remain pretty much what they've always been - giant ledger sheets capable of storing a single value or formula in each cell. Abykus extends this concept by allowing objects (i.e. matrixes, tables, coordinates, polygons, profiles, cross-sections, etc.) to be stored in individual cells, which makes the spreadsheet especially well suited for scientific applications that require complex data types, such as those often encountered by land surveyors and civil engineers.

Using a powerful set of integrated functions, objects can either stand alone or be used as building blocks to create other objects. Abykus also includes a powerful script language, similar to the C programming language, that lets users create their own routines that look and behave like built-in functions. Scripts are easy to maintain and share, since they are created and stored in external library files as opposed to being imbedded in the worksheets that access them.

Another important difference that distinguishes this spreadsheet from others is the manner in which cells are addressed. The standard "A1" cell naming convention has been replaced with a significantly more powerful notation. Instead of using a confusing combination of letters and numbers to identify a cell's position on a worksheet, numbers (i.e. algebraic expressions) or even other cell addresses are used to represent both the cell's row and column position. This powerful, yet intuitive new convention makes it possible to manipulated data in ways never before thought possible.

Excel Spreadsheet Business Templates

Looking for some good free Excel Spreadsheet Business Templates ? Unfortunately, most of the good templates I've run across are not free. Most of the free templates offered are simple spreadsheets without any complex calculations used and can easily be created on your own. I did however find a few sites offering free templates that are worth a visit.

JaxWorks
Provides all kinds of financial templates and even provides some excellent tutorials on Excel. A site well worth your time to visit.

Corporate Training Partners
Don't offer many, but the ones they do are excellent templates to help accomplish the following tasks:

  • Monthly Sales Forecast that reflect trends and seasonality of sales-my favorite
  • Price Analysis that provides estimates that aid in maximizing gross revenue and margins
  • Statistical Tool that charts a time series of numbers and calculates and charts the average and +/- 3 standard deviations
  • Net Present Value calculation that incorporates the time value of money in its calculation

Business Functions
This Excel add-in comprises 96 functions for business planning and analysis. It is designed to make financial models such as business plans and budgets faster to build, less error-prone and easier to understand and maintain. It does this through integrated families of functions, in particular for budgeting and cashflow projections.

Matt H Evans, CPA
Provides a variety of financial templates that aid in accomplishing many different types of business tasks.

Innovateurs
Free Business Plan Templates & Financial Plan Models

Business Tools Organization
Provides an excellent ratio analysis spreadsheet, mini-tutorial, and explanations of how to calculate ratios and what they mean. Also has a pretty good break-even analysis tool.

OzGid-Excel Information
An excellent Excel site with free and pay for services is Ozgrid. OzGrid's main business focus is Microsoft Excel ® and all aspects of it. Their site has over 4000 pages (and growing) of information on Excel.

Microsoft
Microsoft also provides free business templates that you might want to check out.

SCORE
Score provides quite a few free templates that might just be what you're looking for.

Financial Template
If you're looking for an Excel Financial Planning template, I suggest you try the PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) excel financial template. It's free and PWC is a prestigious world wide public accounting firm. You will need to provide them some general information about yourself or your company to download the template. Nothing that you should be concerned about and they do respect your privacy.

Bean Counter's Cash Forecasting Workbook
And last but not least my own Bean Counter's Cash Forecasting Workbook
Easy to use Excel templates designed by me for managing your Cash.

For those individuals and businesses that feel more comfortable using a spreadsheet, I have developed just the solution for you - my Bean Counter Cash Forecasting Workbook. This Excel Template is designed to be simple, yet powerful enough to perform the calculations that make the job of preparing a cash forecast hassle free.

See for yourself what Bean Counter's Cash Forecasting Workbook looks like and provides.
Sample of Bean Counter's Cash Forecasting Workbook

Note: This may take a little while to load and display on your computer. After the workbook displays click the links that appear on the bottom of the pages to see the different sections that make up the contents of my workbook.

If this is the right solution for your cash forecasting needs you can get it for free compliments of Bean Counter.
BC's Free Excel Cash Forecast Template

Real Estate Loans and Investment Analysis Software

Mortgage-Investment
Excellent Mortgage and Other Templates

Mortgage Minder 4.0
Want something that anyone can use to analyze mortgages ? This tool is one of my favorites. Mortgage Minder is a powerful, yet amazingly easy to use, mortgage acceleration calculator that allows you to instantly see the effect of making extra principal payments and changes resulting from using different interest rates. Mortgage Minder is the best tool available to use to help you plan your mortgage reduction strategy.

Mortgage Minder has a "Personal" and "Professional" Edition. The legal difference is in how you intend to use Mortgage Minder. If you use it for your own personal use, then the personal license is all you need. If you will be using it for business, printing reports for clients, etc., you will need to purchase the professional license.

Download the trial version of Mortgage Minder and see for yourself they we call it the most easy to use, feature rich mortgage calculator available. Mortgage Minder 4.0

Loan Analysis and Capital Budgeting Software by Wheatworks

  • Loan Spread Calculator Pro
    A loan comparison calculator and more, it shows you the "big picture" on the Time Value of Money and gives you quick answers to payment, principal, interest rate and term related financial problems. Loan Summaries show you the details of any loan. It's a comprehensive loan calculator!

  • Real Estate Calculator Suite
    Need to calculate the ins and outs of buying or selling a house ? Check out Real Estate Calculator Suite, a collection of 16 real estate and mortgage calculators, has the tools you need to help you understand your financial options related to buying or selling a home. It's a comprehensive mortgage calculator suite that lets you play with the numbers!

  • Discounted Cash Flow Analysis Calculator
    Discounted Cash Flow Analysis Calculator helps you with capital budgeting by simultaneously evaluating the cash flow series of 14 projects against 5 different discount rates per project. For each of 14 cash flow series, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis Calculator performs the following calculations: Initial Investment, Smallest Cash Flow, Largest Cash Flow, Cash Flow Range, Average Cash Flow, Number of Cash Flows, Undiscounted Sum of Cash Flows, Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and more!

Real Data Inc.

Heavy Duty Real Estate Investment Analysis
Evaluate your investment property with Real Estate Investment Analysis (REIA) software. Use the Excel Templates to create detailed financial reports to see the true income potential of commercial and residential income properties. A user-friendly, easy-to-learn interface helps you produce tenant-by-tenant income projections for apartments, multi-family dwellings, office buildings, industrial parks and shopping centers. Understand and analyze your operating expenses, cash flows, rates of return, potential vacancy and credit losses.

Apply different mortgage terms, depreciation options, capital improvements and funded reserves assumptions to project before- and after-tax consequences of ownership and resale.

Standard and Ultra Lite Versions Available

Other Investment Analysis Software also available as well as an Understanding Real Estate Course.

Note: Requires Excel

Free and Reasonably Priced Depreciation Calculators and Software

Bassets Calculator
Bassets Depreciation Calculator is a free stand-alone software program that you can download to your Desktop.

TheSystem
This FREE complete, working copy of THE SYSTEM is capable of doing all fixed assets accounting on up to fifty assets per company.

SuperPro Asset Depreciation
can save your business hundreds of dollars on accounting fees. The software aids in assuring that you are maximizing your depreciation benefits. Reports include a depreciation detail and summary report and a year beginning and ending report. The program produces your IRS forms #4562, Part 11 for current year and Part 111 for prior years and the IRS #4797, Part 1, Sale of Property form. Provides an easy to read detail screen for each asset and shows the total depreciation for each item.

The program requires a little bit of knowledge about IRS income tax and depreciation laws.
Download the SuperPro Trial Version From My Site

Statistical Data Analysis

StatCrunch
StatCrunch is an online statistical data analysis package for the World Wide Web. Analyze your data with numerical and graphical procedures.

Wessa
Free Descriptive Online Statistics Calculators provided by Resa Corporation.

SISA
SISA allows you to do statistical analysis directly on the Internet. Study the user friendly guides to statistical procedures to see what procedure is appropriate for your problem.

Smith's Statistical Package
A very user-friendly statistics program. Click on StatPack to download the free statistical software.

VisualStat
VisualStat is a data-analysis software that can perform from basic data manipulations to the most advanced statistical analyses, thus allowing non-statisticians and experienced statisticians to conduct rigorous studies and produce sophisticated reports and charts. VisualStat has many useful and unique features that make it especially easy and convenient to use. (Need S/N to install use all 1's and it will work)

Project Management & Scheduling

jxProject
High value project management software for free (ad supported). Features include resource scheduling and leveling.

GanttProject
Lets you plan and breakdown projects into tasks, show dependencies, and manage resources using Gantt charts.

iTeamwork
iTeamwork provides an online tool that serves a need for improved project management amongst the members of a team working on the same project. The site is the culmination of an effort to create a system that keeps everyone notified on the status of a project while keeping the mechanics of the project management simple.

Days Off
FREE employee scheduling software. The Days Off Calculator is the world's standard workweek optimization software. It's easily adaptable to construction, maintenance, assembly lines, telephone coverage, retail work, field supervision, etc.

Gantt 2
Gantt 2 can be used to display and schedule a sequence of tasks, sorted over time along the horizontal axis. Features: fully visual, print charts, connect bars, auto-scaling axis, zooming, monochrome/color, gradient/image backgrounds, 2D/3D, command-line run, drag-drop files, integrated GIF and JPG converter/optimizer for web publishing, calendar.
Password Needed To Activate Software:
password:943am

Time Management

TimeCore
TimeCore is a free time manager and tracker. It is aimed at individuals who need to track their time but find existing software solutions overly complex or too lightweight. Download TimeCore today and start managing your time instead of your time managing you.

Timesheets Lite
Want to recover ALL your chargeable hours? Want to record, track, and report on you or your companies time spent on projects more easily? Want it to be quicker, more accurate, and with lower overheads? If so Timesheets Lite is for you. Free Version available.

Cratchit Time Tool
Nice simple tool that allows an individual to track his/her time on multiple projects and /or tasks.

TimeBox
The TimeBox application is a time management tool for contractors and consulting professionals.

Advanced Time Reports
Advanced Time Reporting is time tracking and project management software designed to aid you in keeping up with where your company's time was spent and for what and whom.

Artologik Time
Artologik Time is a tool that provides a very simple way of recording time worked in both internal and external projects.

SoftPlanner
SoftPlanner is a multi-project planner for small companies with the following features: any number of projects and tasks; project filter; resource allocation; allocation guardian; resource holidays; reports in PDF and RTF format; export to XML.

TimeLog
TimeLog is a desktop utility that allows you to keep track of the time spend on task or project. Features: quick switch of project, generate/view/print/save weekly time sheet in HTML format or export in database ready tab-delimited format, located in system tray.

Website Software and Tools

Website Software
Move out of the Stone Age and learn how to build and promote your own website with free software and tools.

Other

MyFreeSoftware
MyFreeSoftware.com is your best source on the Internet to procure desirable full-version software titles for the low cost of... FREE! They offer only the best titles that are sure to enrich your family computing experience. Your only expense is the cost they incur to promote, warehouse, pick, pack, and ship the software from their fulfillment center to your mailbox- just $6.95 per title ordered! Please allow 2-4 weeks delivery.

Zilch Standard - Debt Reduction
Play What If and Get out of debt and save thousands of dollars in interest. Simply enter the name, annual percentage rate, starting balance and monthly payment for each of your debts and... Zilch does the rest.

You get a personalized monthly payment schedule that shows you exactly how much to pay each creditor each month. Now, you can take advantage of trade secrets used by many financial counselors in the privacy and comfort of your own home at a fraction of the cost.
Download Zilch Standard - Debt Reduction Trial Version

Financial Calculators
Should I refinance my house ? How much house or car can I afford ? Should I buy or leases a car ? How long will it take me to pay off my credit cards ? Use these calculators to answer these questions and many more.

Looking for some business or home software ? Your computer is just an expensive paper weight without good software. The following sites offer free and reasonably priced software that might meet your needs.

TUDOGS TUCOWS CNET
ZDNet 3Angels FreeHounds
Jumbo NerdsHeaven Patsula
Sadhusystems

More Software
Free software, information, tips, games, and fun stuff for all computer users.

L10 Web Stats Reporter 3.15 LevelTen Hit Counter - Free PHP Web Analytics Script
LevelTen dallas web development firm - website design, flash, graphics & marketing