Choosing an Accounting Software: Why Should You Try It Before You Buy?

Proper money management and effective financial bookkeeping are some of the most critical aspects of operating any type of organization.
However, freelancers, work-at-home professionals, startup entrepreneurs, small business owners and larger companies all have different needs.

There are many competing cloud-based accounting options on the market, and every package has its unique mix of technological features, functionalities, and capabilities coupled with their own set of pros and cons.
So how can you determine which platform is ideal for your specific ongoing accounting demands?

With so many alternatives available, the best thing you can do is try some of them out for yourself and obtain independent insights on which SaaS product deserves your hard-earned money.

The no-obligation testing period lets you review all components of a given system hands-on (without any downloading or software installation) and get a feel for how it works.
It helps to form an independent opinion about the service, discover its strengths and weaknesses, and reach a research-based conclusion, whether a long-term paid subscription is worth it or not.

How to Make the Most of an Online Accounting Service Trial Period?

An initial trial period gives you an opportunity to try out a premium service for free before committing to a monthly or annual subscription and without spending a penny.

It’s a great way to verify that the web-hosted software package you consider delivers on everything you’re looking for before actually putting money down.
Research, reviews, and customer recommendations are extremely useful, but it’s not the same as actually taking a platform for a test drive.

Unlike a demo version or a freemium, free trial accounts come with significantly fewer limitations or restrictions, and in many cases, none at all.
In such cases, users get complete access to the entire software for a certain period of time and enjoy the same benefits and privileges of a paid subscriber.

This time window enables you to fully explore the accounting software’s features, evaluate its ease of use, assess its value for money, and experience the provider’s customer service and support departments – all of this without paying anything at all and without any obligation to join the service as a paying customer.

After starting your free trial, play a little bit with the system: create customer and vendor profiles and enter dummy transactions to test out various components of the program.
Generate sample estimates, invoices, and purchase orders, track expenses, manage employee time or inventory and compile a few financial statements.

Ask yourself: do you like using this software? If you’re happy with what you saw and experienced, feel free to purchase a paid subscription.
If the software did not meet your expectations or needs, simply cancel the trial and look for better online accounting alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Trying out and comparing a number of potential accounting software options is a vital step before choosing a provider and selecting a relevant plan.
Here’s a list of common questions (and answers) that often come up during this process.

• Why Should You Sign Up? Benefits of Using Free Trials before Choosing Any Paid Service
  
• “Credit Card Required”: Why Do Some Free Trial Offers Require Users to Enter-In Their Credit Card Information?
  
• Risk-Free Offer Models: What’s the Difference Between Free Trials, Freemium and Money-Back Guarantee?
  
• Common Free Trial Scams: How Do They Work and What Can You Do To Avoid Them?
  
• Tips: How Do You Cancel a Free Trial You Signed Up For?