Aurient compared
An honest look at where Aurient fits next to accounting software and a typical point-of-sale system. Details of other products change; check their own sites for today’s plans and prices.
Aurient and QuickBooks
QuickBooks is accounting software used around the world. Aurient is an operations system with the accounting inside it: the till, stock, deliveries and production write to the books as they happen.
| What you need | Aurient | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Point of sale (till) | Built in, works offline, with cash-ups | Not included in QuickBooks Online; needs a separate system or add-on |
| Restaurant tables and kitchen screens | Built in (Restaurant plan) | No |
| Stock in several stores, bins and counts | Built in, in every plan | Inventory on some plans; multi-location usually needs an add-on |
| Wholesale routes, runs and drivers | Built in (Wholesale plan) | No |
| Manufacturing recipes and batches | Built in (Manufacturing plan) | Limited; usually an add-on |
| General ledger, bank reconciliation, tax returns | Built in (Full accounting) | Yes, its strength |
| Price | One price for the whole company | Price depends on the plan, and plans limit the number of users |
| Made for | Caribbean businesses: local currencies, VAT and GCT | Global; versions for some countries |
Many businesses keep their accountant on QuickBooks and run the shop on Aurient. Aurient’s reports export to Excel, and its API can feed other software.
Aurient and a typical POS
A typical point-of-sale system runs the counter well and stops there. Aurient’s till is one part of the whole business.
| What you need | Aurient | A typical POS |
|---|---|---|
| Selling at the counter | Yes, offline too | Yes |
| Stock across stores and the warehouse | Yes, with bins, counts and transfers | Often basic, per store |
| Buying from suppliers | Purchase orders, receiving, supplier bills | Often missing or basic |
| Selling on account and statements | Yes, with credit limits and online payment | Rarely |
| Deliveries | Routes, runs, driver screen | No |
| The books | Full ledger, bank reconciliation, VAT returns | Exports to an accounting package |
| Card machine total checked at close | Yes | Varies |
| Price | One price for the whole company | Often per terminal or per user |
If all you need is a till, a simple POS can do. When you also buy, stock, deliver or keep books, one system saves the retyping and the end-of-month surprises.
Questions people ask
Is Aurient a replacement for QuickBooks?
It can be: Aurient has a full general ledger, bank reconciliation and VAT returns. Many businesses instead keep their accountant on QuickBooks and run sales, stock and deliveries on Aurient, exporting reports to Excel.
Why not just use a simple POS?
A simple POS is fine if all you do is sell at the counter. Once you also buy, stock several places, sell on account, deliver or keep books, one system saves retyping and month-end surprises.
Can I move from my current system?
Yes. Items, customers, suppliers and opening stock import from Excel templates, and we help you set up.
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