Microsoft Delivers Free Small Biz Accounting Software

The free edition, dubbed Office Accounting Express 2007, targets home-based businesses and early startups, said Microsoft, with a limited set of tools that provide basic accounts payable and accounts receivable functions. The "Office" nameplate indicates that the software integrates with Microsoft's suite; specifically its three primary applications of Word, Excel, and Outlook.

"The familiar look and feel of the Microsoft Office interface will help small-business owners more easily navigate their everyday financial tasks," claimed Rajat Taneja, general manager of Microsoft's small business group, in a statement. More advanced capabilities, such as PayPal and eBay integration, online banking, and credit card processing, can be added to Express 2007 via for-fee third-party online services, added Microsoft.

At the same time, the Redmond, Wash. developer unveiled Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007, the successor to Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006. The package adds features including inventory management, multi-user access, and job costing to the core of Express 2007. However, Office Accounting Professional won't ship to retail until early 2007.

The new accounting titles will compete with QuickBooks and Peachtree. Intuit rolled out its latest, QuickBooks 2007, for Windows in late September and followed this month with an edition for Mac OS X.

Office Accounting Express 2007, which runs on Windows XP, Server 2003, and Vista, can be downloaded free-of-charge from the Microsoft Web site.