Banana Accounting+ subscription. The how and the why.

News • 07/06/2021 •
In this article

Banana Accounting+ has received many compliments, but also some questions and concerns related to the changeover to the subscription system. We therefore want to give you all the clarifications so that you can understand the reasons for this choice and in particular that we think it can bring important benefits to Banana users.

[Update] Very positive feedback from users

It's been only a few months since the introduction of the new Banana Accounting Plus version and the subscription system.
We have already received a lot of positive feedback from customers who have already switched to the new version. They are extremely satisfied with the price/quality ratio. They have given us useful suggestions on how to make the transition to the new version easier and on how to further improve the program.
We are particularly happy to receive such a confirmation that the change is benefiting Banana Accounting users.
We would like to remind you that our users can try the new version free of charge for a minimum of 1 month.

Operating system compatibility and progressive improvements

The operating systems evolve and integrate new functionalities faster and faster. Banana Accounting+ is available for both Desktop and Mobile systems. In this new context, the release cycle of a new version every 3 years was no longer adequate:

  • It was difficult to maintain compatibility with the operating systems and to incorporate the new functionalities.
  • The release of each new version created fears in many users, who could not take advantage of the improvements.
  • It is very challenging for us to continue to offer high quality support and documentation by having to diversify them for each version. 

Only with a subscription-based system can we continue to offer the high quality product you know and appreciate. With the transition to the subscription system, we will maintain a single version of the program. This can be adapted more quickly to changes in operating systems. Progressive improvements can be made with minimal impact to the user.

Smooth transition: complete compatibility with previous versions

We have made the transition from previous versions to Banana Accounting+ as easy as possible, offering total compatibility: the usage, the commands and the file format are the same.  
Switching to Banana Accounting+ is simple, just install the software and open your file. Then you'll immediately notice several small improvements that facilitate the use and make your work faster.

Access your accounting files even after the subscription has expired

Don't worry: with Banana Accounting+, even if you decide not to renew your subscription in the future, you will always have access to your accounting data.

  • -Your data is always yours and you always have access to it. You always choose whether to save them on your computer, on a cloud system such as Dropbox, iCloud, or on your mobile phone or on an external disk or key.
  • When your subscription expires, Banana Accounting+ returns to free mode, where you can always open and see the content of your files. You will not be able to save modifications.

Unbeatable value for money

Banana Accounting+ offers a quality-price ratio without equal on the market.

The Professional plan offers a high quality ERP software, complete with many features that will be very useful to you. The new Banana Accounting+ version also includes two new applications, the Inventory management application and the Estimates and Invoices application.   

Despite the addition of new functionalities, we wanted to keep the price in the lowest possible range, therefore accessible to small entrepreneurs, private individuals and non-profit organizations.  The price is particularly advantageous if you take into account that with Banana you can keep accounts for as many companies as you want. With the cloud programs, on the other hand, you pay a subscription for each company you manage

Advanced Plan

The switch to a subscription-based system was also an opportunity to meet the needs of more experienced customers.    

The Advanced plan provides additional functionalities, but without complicating its use for beginners. The Advanced plan will give us the possibility to introduce new features for those who use the program very frequently and need considerable flexibility, without negatively impacting the ease of use.

Extensions to comply to fiscal requirements

Extensions are add-ons available from our site, which you can install as needed. They are mainly used for VAT reports and financial statements and present data in accordance with national specifications. They are automatically updated and therefore give the possibility to react very quickly to changes in regulations and take into account the needs reported by our users.  

Banana Accounting+ brings several important improvements in this area as well. The subscription-based system will allow us to better follow the continuous update of the extensions, to dedicate ourselves to their improvement and to add new ones.  

Wide choice of templates with tutorial

Banana Accounting+ offers a wide range of ready-to-use templates, fully customizable, already set up for different situations and many countries. The templates make it easy to get started with Banana Accounting+, but also allow regular users to use it for different purposes or separate accounting files.

The subscription-based system makes it possible for us to dedicate more time to the creation of new templates, their updating and the preparation of tutorials that explain how to use them. 

Documentation and support

With Banana Accounting+ we have further improved the documentation and made it even more easily accessible from the program. With the subscription-based system we will be able to work on a single version, and it will therefore be easier for us to keep the documentation updated, improving it and keeping it aligned with the progress of the software. As a result the subscription will also have a positive impact on your experience, on the ease of finding what you are looking for immediately, with clear and effective explanations.

The ease of use, the ability to edit and the extensive documentation will allow most users to use the program in complete autonomy.  

With the Advanced plan, users will be able to count on technical support from specialized personnel.  

Our partners, specialists in the field of training or in accounting and tax issues, can assist you with specific expertise.

Keep giving us your support

We are very grateful for the trust you have placed in us in over 30 years of activity, by purchasing our products, giving us valuable advice, and spontaneously setting in motion a positive word of mouth. We thank you for all this and we assure you of our utmost care in corresponding your trust.

  • The more users who switch to subscription, the less marketing costs we have, the more resources we can devote to development, and the easier it is to keep prices low.
  • Keep giving us your valuable feedback for the development of Banana Accounting+ and for the improvement of our site. We have prepared the Banana Insider Program, which gives the possibility to those who wish to test the software in preview, to report problems, to give suggestions and indications on how to improve our offer and the documentation.  

Help bring people closer to accounting

Bringing people closer to accounting is one of our goals. With the name Banana, we help people understand that accounting is within everyone's reach. Accounting is a basic skill, useful in all areas, whether it be business, associations, public or private. Learning to manage accounting makes people more independent, more able to reach their goals, more prepared to face difficult times and able to avoid excessive debt.

  • We try to lower the entry barrier by offering a professional, yet very easy to use software.
  • We collaborate with institutions and with whoever offers accounting training.
  • We provide our software free of charge to schools and work with them to make it suitable for teaching in different school levels.
  • We offer for free, the full version of the Cash Manager and ready-to-use templates, so students, families and startups can manage their budget, create a cash plan and manage their income and expenses all the while getting familiar with professional tools.
  • With the free version we give the opportunity to practice Double-entry accounting.
  • We provide support documentation for those who need to do accounting.
  • Whoever learns to use Banana Accounting is easily able to use any other accounting program. This increases the prospects of finding employment.

By introducing Banana Accounting to others, by word of mouth or through social media, you can help bring accounting closer to people, to give a fresher and more modern image of accounting and the people who keep it.

Thank you for your attention and continued support.

Domenico Zucchetti
CEO and founder of Banana.ch