KashFlow Review
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- Date Established
- 2005
- Location
- United Kingdom
Pros
- Suited for UK businesses
- Unlimited users
- Numerous features
- Numerous integrations
- VAT support
Cons
- Unintuitive UI
- Difficult to use
- Poor US customer support
KashFlow Overview
For small businesses, the name of the game of is cash flow — or in this case, maybe it’s KashFlow.
KashFlow is a cloud-based accounting program designed to help business owners manage their business finances. The software was created in 2005 with quite the backstory. Duane Jackson, the founder of KashFlow, is a self-taught programmer who ended up in jail for drug trafficking. After his release, he turned his life around and made a career for himself as a successful software developer.
KashFlow is ideal for UK businesses in search of VAT support and unlimited users. The software offers a good number of features, including contact management, expense tracking, project management, fixed asset management, and more. The company also provides integrated UK payroll and HR modules, making it a one-stop-shop business solution.
However, there are a few areas where the software could stand some improvement. Mainly, KashFlow has poor customer support for US users, and it simply doesn’t flow. The software is difficult to navigate and is occasionally glitchy.
For Jackson, KashFlow was his second chance, but is this software your chance to handle your business’s accounting successfully? Read our complete review to find out.
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Table of Contents
Pricing
KashFlow offers three pricing plans. There is no annual contract, and you can cancel your plan at any time. Payments are made monthly, but there is a discount for purchasing annually. KashFlow has a free 14-day trial, no credit card required. Since the company is a UK-based business, you will have to calculate the exchange rate.
Charities get six months of free use, and there is a generous referral program where you can earn a commission for each user that you successfully sign up with KashFlow. You can also receive a discount for paying for a full year upfront.
Starter
The Starter plan costs £8/month + VAT and includes the following features:
- 10 invoices
- Unlimited quotes
- Reconcile up to 25 bank transactions
- Contact management
- Expense tracking
- Live bank feeds
- Accounts payable
- Mileage tracking
- VAT
- One user
Business
The Business plan costs £16.50/month + VAT and includes everything from the Starter plan, plus:
- Unlimited invoices
- Unlimited bank transactions
- Multi-currency support
- Customizable dashboard
- Multiple users
Business + Payroll
The Business + Payroll plan costs £22.50/month + VAT and includes everything from the Business plan, plus:
- Recurring transactions
- Unlimited receipts
- Unlimited contacts
- Unlimited bank accounts
- Open API
- Payroll for up to five employees (the UK only)
- Unlimited users
Extras
There are some extra services and costs to be aware of:
- Additional Employees: Adding more employees to your payroll plan costs £1.10/per each additional employee.
- Automatic Enrollment: Automatic enrollment for your employees costs £1/per employee.
- KashFlow HR: KashFlow offers two HR plans as well — KashFlow HR Core and KashFlow HR Plus. The plans range from £7.50 to £20/month and require a 12-month contract. HR features include record management, salary modeling, compliance, team management, and more. Visit KashFlow’s site for more details.
- KashFlow GP Software: KashFlow has recently released a GP-specific software for general practitioners needing an accounting, payroll, and HR solution.
- Accountant: KashFlow combined with IRIS (a popular UK accountancy platform) to give accountants free access to their client’s KashFlow accounts. Accountants can manage and monitor client information and create custom dashboards.
- CashPlus: KashFlow partners with CashPlus, a prepaid company debit card that offers an expense management solution for businesses in need of extra funds. CashPlus works directly with the KashFlow app. Contact the company directly to learn more.
Cloud-Based Or Locally-Installed
KashFlow is cloud-based, so no downloads or installation is required.
Hardware & Software Requirements
KashFlow is cloud-based software, meaning the program runs on nearly any device so long as you are using one of these supported browsers:
- Internet Explorer 8+
- Mozilla Firefox 9+
- Safari 5+
- Google Chrome
KashFlow recommends Chrome for running payroll. KashFlow also requires you to enable cookies and javascript for the features to work correctly. You’ll need Adobe PDF Reader for payroll and Microsoft Office to view reports in Excel. You’ll also need a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 minimum.
KashFlow has mobile apps available for Apple products (iOS 8.0+) and Androids (varies).
Specific Size Of Business
The feature set and pricing plans of KashFlow make the software a good choice for freelancers and small to mid-sized businesses. The software is ideal for UK users in need of payroll and strong VAT support.
The larger plan has unlimited users, making it a scalable option for growing businesses. There are six different user roles and permissions available. Accountants have free access to KashFlow. The software does not support multiple companies, meaning you’ll need a separate company file for each company. However, there is a discount for using KashFlow to manage multiple businesses.
The software is available in nearly 250 countries, although payroll is only available for the UK. US users can still use the software successfully; they’ll just have to jump through some hoops (such as calculating sales tax manually and adding it as an item on invoices). For more US-friendly options, check out our top-rated accounting solutions.
Accounting Method
KashFlow uses cash-basis and accrual accounting.
Ease Of Use
KashFlow has a nice UI and appears organized at first glance, but the software is difficult to navigate, and certain features are hard to find until you learn the ins and outs of the software (even logging in is cumbersome). The software is also occasionally glitchy.
Features
KashFlow offers an impressive number of features, especially for UK users. Here’s an overview of what KashFlow has to offer.
- Dashboard: KashFlow has a well-organized and appealing dashboard with charts that mark your business’s current financial state. There are graphs labeled Alerts, Financial Overview, Account Status, Sales Growth, and Banking. The Business plan adds the ability to customize your dashboard.
- Invoicing: KashFlow offers two invoice templates with very basic customizations. You can customize the font, font size, logo, and information displayed; however, there aren’t many options to improve the overall design. You can easily send recurring invoices, create custom invoice reminders, and record batch invoice payments. Discounts can only be calculated based on your contact’s preset discount information, so you can’t edit discounts on each actual invoice. US users will have to calculate and add sales tax as an item line manually.
- Estimates: You can create quotes and easily convert them into invoices. There is no client portal in KashFlow, so customers will receive their estimates and invoices via .pdf.
- Contact Management: KashFlow lets you manage your customers and suppliers and record their contact information. KashFlow offers a unique feature called sources where you can record how you acquired each customer. There are also up to 20 custom fields and 20 custom checkboxes available for contacts. You can assign default payment terms, VAT, and discounts to each contact.
- Expense Tracking: KashFlow has vastly improved this feature. You can manage your business’s income and expenses by manually entering transactions, uploading them via .csv, or connecting to live bank feeds. You can set bank rules, so the software will automatically match your transactions. Note: Like all software using live bank feeds, KashFlow partners with Yodlee, which may violate some banks’ Terms and Conditions. Consult with your bank to see whether live bank feeds are the right choice for you.
- Bank Reconciliation: You can easily reconcile your accounts in KashFlow.
- Chart Of Accounts: KashFlow offers a default chart of accounts (although the software doesn’t use traditional language for the account types). You can edit and create new codes, but you can’t delete old codes.
- Fixed Asset Management: You can record and manage fixed assets in KashFlow. The software even offers depreciation calculation.
- Accounts Payable: You can create purchases in KashFlow. While the software doesn’t use the term “bills,” you can record your bills by adding your bill supplier and selecting the proper account.
- Inventory: KashFlow does offer basic inventory, but the feature is poorly developed and difficult to navigate. You can add products manually or import them. However, even if you import your items, a lot of information still has to be recorded manually. The software does let you record wholesale prices and inventory counts and will alert you when your inventory is low.
- Project Management: KashFlow offers project management and basic job costing. You can create projects, add a customer, add a project status, and enter a budget. The software will show your overall profitability for each project, and you can add your project to an invoice to bill your customers. You can attach expenses and notes to projects, but there is no way to track time or add project tasks.
- Payroll (Business + Payroll Only): UK users can take advantage of KashFlow payroll.
- Reports: KashFlow offers 50 reports and covers the basic accounting reports needed to run a business. The software also provides an impressive number of VAT and self-assessment reports to help UK users with their taxes. One of the best additions is called the Health Check report. This unique report looks at your business and gives you a score on how well you’re doing. You’ll also find suggestions for improving that score to 100%.
- Journal Entries: KashFlow supports journal entries.
- Purchase Orders: You can create purchase orders in KashFlow.
- Credit Memos: You can create credit memos, or “credit notes,” as they’re referred to in KashFlow.
- Packing Slips: The software makes it easy to create and print packing slips for your invoices.
- Default Email Templates: You can create default email messages for invoices, quotes, remittance advice, statements, purchase orders, and payment receipts.
- Envelopes: KashFlow offers the unique ability to print envelopes with your customer’s details on them for faster mailing.
- VAT Support: This is where KashFlow shines. KashFlow has excellent VAT support for UK users. The software also handles EC sales, withholding tax, CIS, and helps you complete your self-assessment. You can even electronically send your VAT report directly to HMRC.
- Mileage Deduction: You can track mileage deductions. This is one of KashFlow’s most seamless and well-developed features. When you add your travel address, KashFlow automatically calculates your mileage and trip value. You can claim VAT on mileage as well.
- Multiple Currencies (Business & Business + Payroll Only): With upgraded plans, you get multi-currency support for over 95 currencies. Exchange rates are updated daily, and you can easily view your exchange rate gains and losses.
- Importing & Exporting: You can import much of your data into KashFlow via .csv, or you can migrate from Sage or QuickBooks. In terms of exporting, you can have KashFlow send you automatic monthly backups of your company file data.
Customer Service & Support
For US users, KashFlow has incredibly poor customer support, with email response times taking days. UK users might have better luck, as they are in the same time zone as the support team and have access to phone support. The keyword being might. Many customer reviews report otherwise and complain about KashFlow’s customer support.
Luckily, the software does offer a decent knowledgebase. Here are all of the support options available:
- Phone: UK users can utilize KashFlow’s phone support (US users can call the number too but are subject to international phone charges).
- Email: The main form of support is email. Responses (at least in the US) take one to three days.
- Support Form: There is also a contact form available.
- Live Chat: There is a live chat feature available on KashFlow’s website, which operates on UK business hours.
- In-Software Help: You can search the KashFlow knowledgebase from within the software. You can also submit a support form and enable KashFlow customer support representatives to have access to your account, so they can help you solve any issues.
- Knowledgebase: KashFlow has a knowledgebase that offers basic how-to’s, tips, troubleshooting advice, and FAQs.
- Community: KashFlow has a user community called Canvass, where users can connect, share ideas, suggest new features, and ask questions.
- YouTube: KashFlow has an extensive YouTube channel featuring how-to videos and a helpful video for getting started as well as a second channel for customer testimonials and recent updates.
- Webinars & Courses: The virtual KashFlow Akademy hosts webinars and courses, which are available at an additional cost. There are some prerecorded webinars that you can purchase as well.
- KashFlow Blog: KashFlow has a blog chock-full of how-to articles, guides, and business tips.
- Social Media: KashFlow maintains active Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles.
User Reviews
Negative Reviews & Complaints
KashFlow users are split fairly evenly between positive and negative experiences. The software receives only 1.5/5 stars on Trustpilot (based on 70 ratings) and 3/5 stars for the mobile app on Google Play. Here are the complaints users have:
- Poor Customer Service: The most common complaint is that KashFlow has poor customer support. Several users complain about the support offerings and that email responses are slow.
- Navigation Issues: Some users complain that the software is challenging to navigate.
- VAT Miscalculations: Quite a few UK users report that their VAT calculations were completely wrong, which made tax time great fun.
- Difficult Setup: Several users say that the setup is difficult and that it takes some time to learn the software.
Positive Reviews & Testimonials
As far as positive reviews go, Kashflow receives 4.2/5 stars on Capterra (based on 66 ratings), 4/5 stars on G2 Crowd (based on 11 ratings), and 4.2/5 stars on Serchen (based on 34 ratings). These are the things that customers loved most about KashFlow:
- Easy To Use: The most common praise is that KashFlow is easy to use and is full of good features.
- Jargon-Free: Many business owners like that KashFlow is free of accounting jargon, so the average person can use the software without needing a degree or financial background.
- UK-Based: Users appreciate that KashFlow is designed for UK businesses and especially appreciate the VAT support.
- Payroll Made Easy: Users love that KashFlow makes payroll simple and easy.
Here’s what a couple of users are saying:
For the first time I feel like I’m really on top of my accounts and not fretting about having missed something vital! Knowing the accounts are accurate is worth its weight in gold and so reassuring. Thank you for this fabulous software!
We have been using KashFlow for three years from the start of our business. KashFlow Payroll is easy to use after initial training and makes monthly payroll an easy and smooth process. Year end processes are easy to follow.
Kashflow has helped me enormously in my business…I’m not an expert on book-keeping, but the day to day interface is so easy. I used to struggle to keep on top of accounts, panicking at the end of each quarter, but now all the information is easily at hand.
Easy to use without any accounting jargon! I’ve been using the system for well over 6 months now and can’t stress how much its made my processes more streamlined.
Integrations & Add-Ons
KashFlow has 50+ integrations, including six different payment processing options. API is available for developers (with the Business + Payroll plan).
Are you interested in accepting online payments from your customers? Read our comprehensive merchant account reviews to learn the pros and cons of popular providers and see which payment processing option is best for your business.
Security
KashFlow uses a 1028 bit RSA key SSL Encryption for all of its data as well as protective firewalls. Data is regularly backed up to London servers that are hosted by Rackspace.
Final Verdict
KashFlow has a lot going for it. The software offers an impressive number of features, unlimited users, and affordable pricing plans. For UK users, in particular, the software provides great VAT support and self-assessment support. The other major selling point is that KashFlow can be a complete business solution with integrated accounting, payroll, and HR.
However, the software is not intuitive and is difficult to navigate. Adding poor customer support to the mix doesn’t make the software easier for users. Certain features, such as the invoice templates and inventory, don’t seem fully developed, and there’s no time tracking.
For US users, you’ll have to jump through the hoops of a UK-based software, and given that the software is already difficult to navigate, we recommend taking a look at our top accounting solutions instead.
For UK users, KashFlow may still be a decent option, and the pros may outweigh the cons for your specific business. However, we highly recommend you give the software a 14-day trial and compare KashFlow with other UK-based programs such as FreeAgent first. Let us know what you think!
Chelsea Krause
Content Strategist - Accounting & eCommerce
Chelsea Krause is a writer who has specialized in accounting for over three years and is a QuickBooks Certified User. She has a BA in English & Creative Writing from George Fox University and studied at the University of Oxford as well. She has been quoted in Forbes and her work appears in Startup Nation, Small Business Bonfire, and Women on Business.
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I’ve been a loyal user of Kashflow for nearly 10 years but I’m now migrating to a different service…From a recent subscription issue it seems that Kashflow are more interested in their bottom line than giving a friendly, helpful customer service to small businesses and they do not live up to their questionable values – it’s all marketing hype. Don’t believe it.When it comes down to it, they’re totally inflexible and unsupportive and will look to their legal teams and small print in contracts to protect themselves rather than putting the customer first. Their customer service model, ethos and ethics are stuck in the past.If you’re looking for a friendly, customer focused accounting solution, I’d seriously look elsewhere before you’re tied into them…
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: The dewan partnership
NO STARS
THIS PROGRAM IS RUBBISH AND CONFUSING
NO SUPPORT
WE HAVE USED IT WITH 8 OF OUR CLIENTS AND HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE OUT THERE TO USE ANOTHER PACKAGE BECAUSE THIS IS AS BAD AS WE HAVE COME ACROSS.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: Gymophobics Bury
Have used Kashflow for 3 separate companies almost from the beginning. It was simple, clean, groundbreaking….now its cluttered, bloated, buggy as hell and quite frankly ‘upgrades’ are bordering on the dumb. The latest serious issue I had after the last update took 10 days to fix, and was an endless round of email traffic with different people until I finally exploded and threatened my lawyers.
I am now planning a full migration elsewhere, which is quite sad really.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Organization Name: PMI LTd
Been using Kashflow successfully for 4 years so would consider myself an experienced user. However, I’ve just found the End and Start balance didn’t match when beginning this month’s bank reconciliation. Kashflow support can only suggest I delete EVERY reconciliation for the past 4 years and re-do them all! No explanation as to why it was necessary or what might have causes the error. I downloaded my audit-trail for the past 3 months and found nothing even close to the £20,000 error that had been weirdly introduced in my 2015’s history. Totally lost confidence in Kashflow now, re-creating 4 years history is bad enough, imaging having the same issue in another 4 years, no thanks. I’m off.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Very bad support and lack of new features are the reason I’m moving to Surf Accounts.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Poor customer support. Lack of users with different user permissions is a huge issue for Kashflow’s accounts software.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Impossible to use app. You need to upload manually all bank transactions if you have something older than few months to add in the system, the CSV import is faulty. Huge waste of time in my case.Note that I am an engineer and also an economist, the idea of the app sounds great but the execution is below any expectations.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
been with Kashflow about two years now its system is a very good but takes a bit to set up however when something goes wrong the support is very poor.I have made contact on a few occasions for support via online chat which takes about two days to reply and sending an email takes even longer I tried calling the 0800 billing number as i had problems paying a subscription i gave up after 46 mins on hold.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
i am looking at alternatives
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
poor service. no help migrating / duplicating an account
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
I have been a customer of kashflow for over 3 years. I was paying £20 per month. Now I realise that the same service is available to new customers for £10 per month. I have spoken to kashflow and they don’t want to change it. I just want other long term customers to support me in this!!!
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Hi Vijay,
I’m surprised Kashflow won’t transfer you to one of the new plans. Have you considered exporting all your info, creating a new (£10/month) account, and importing the info into that? A bit of a hassle, but it might be worth the savings in the long run. Alternately, if this experience has soured you on Kashflow, there are plenty of good alternatives available; check out our reviews and guide to choosing accounting software for more details.
Best,
Katherine
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Have to agree with the other comment. Since the company was acquired by Iris in 2013 the e-mail only support has in my experience been absolutely useless. I am currently looking at other alternatives where I can actually speak to somebody when I require support.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.
Their support is only by e-mail. The problem is when they don’t know the solution. They simply cut and paste the same standard reply back. Even though it’s incorrect. They will not admit if they don’t know. So it waists so much time. I’m 4 days into a simply request and still no solution. So it may be cheap, but it’s false economy as it’s waists so much time. Data also take more time to enter than any other package we’ve used. You can’t steam in bank data etiher.
This comment refers to an earlier version of this review and may be outdated.