I am going to be starting small business, and obviously something like MAS90 is overkill and too expensive.

So, as far as the low-end packages go, do you like Peachtree or Quickbooks better.  I am an accountant so the purported added "complexity" of Peachtree doesn't scare me.  Rather than general statements, I would love to hear specific reasons you prefer one over the other.  

A friend told me that Quickbooks is "better" unless you have inventory, which I will not.

What kind of business are you going to be running?

SD, CPA

Quickbooks is what I have, but don't ask me how to run it, I hired an accountant to do that.

I use Quickbooks also. I like it. Way too many bells & whistles for my needs but most programs nowadays are too sophisticated for an average user. Plus you have the bells & whistles if you need them

Quoted: What kind of business are you going to be running? SD, CPA

Consultancy, along with some non-hourly billing type stuff.  I am a CFO looking for work, and I am tired of doing so.

The tax structure will be as a SP or a C-Corp.  I haven't yet decided if the fringes available only to C-corps will be worth the double taxation and having to make payroll.

I will probably not go S-corp, since I am not keen on pulling an actual salary that I have to run payroll for unless I have those C-corp fringes making it worth my while.  Probably just go with SP tax treatment.

Does QB have access to a Journal?  I hate those wizard-type things, and prefer an actual journal entry whenever possible, as long as it doesn't jack up any benefits I would receive by using said "wizards", automated screens....whatever they're called.

it's been my observation that most universities teach Peachtree but most businesses use Quickbooks.  YMMV.

I do some book keeping part time for a local business aside from my HR work. I prefer to use Peachtree, it is a much more advanced program than Quicken IMHO with less frills (accountants don't like frilly shit, unless the numbers balance ). Quickbooks is cool because it is a widely used system and recognized by many online banking systems, but in my experience, the accountant is the one to reconcile the bank to the books, not the computer.

The reporting system on Peachtree is what I like. It is very very versatile. I also am a firm beleiver that the Peachtree platform will give you plenty of room for your business to grow.

As for inventory, I've never used that aspect of it, but you never know when you might need to tighten up if you think you have internal theft or customer theft etc. YMMV.

I had the choice of what system to use for the books in every aspect, and I'm glad I chose Peachtree.

To sum it up, Quickbooks is an easy, entry level system. Is your business going to be entry level 3 years down the road?

ETA: Remit my remarks of inventory and theft etc, you posted more replies while I was typing mine

Quoted: To sum it up, Quickbooks is an easy, entry level system. Is your business going to be entry level 3 years down the road?

What features does PT have that QB does not?

I have a butt-load of clients who use both Peachtree and QickBooks. If you're talking service business only and no inventory to track, I really think you'd be happier with QuickBooks.

And yes, QuickBooks does have very straightforward journal capabilities.

SD, CPA

Quickbooks just made the news in the last few weeks  It seems that some of the features of quickbooks just stopped working and the users had to pay like $200 for a mandatory "upgrade"
Not exactly sure of the price but if you do a little google searching I bet you will find the story.
Not sure if you are thinking about installing it on more than one computer and using it on a network but quickbooks has like a 5 user limit.

My vote is with peachtree.