TPS Software Time and Billing is a local-install application designed for firms with moderated growth and 15 to 20 timekeepers.  While it may not have the best first impression with some design elements going back five to ten years, accountants don't really need the eye candy found in some of the competition.  Users can quickly recognize that the application is all about professional service business: record time, manage time, bill time, and collect money.  Dedicated to accountants, TPS has created a software package that meets the needs of its users by adding in those features most relevant to their needs (as gathered through an annual users' survey) and maintaining a strong client connection.

Timeslips by Sage is a local-install time and billing application developed for professional-service providers. An additional web application subscription is available for online time tracking and expense slip entry; data entered via the web must be synchronized with the local application.  The central emphasis is case management, so it can be adapted for providers with engagements, but may not be a perfect fit.  Typically, firms using Timeslips have 3-7 users.

If you are already familiar with the Imagine Time application, the just-released update is a significant improvement over the previously available version.  For those looking at it for the first time, you’ll be introduced to a product that gives a remarkably unique look to time and billing that can quickly be recognized as accountant-specific.  Retaining functionality that makes it a good fit for small businesses in need of a desktop time and billing application, Imagine integrates new navigation concepts from Microsoft while retaining the layout of the data entry screens from their previous version.   The application caters specifically to its small CPA firm client base, and would fit well in a firm with 10-15 timekeepers.