Omni AccountsAccounting
Stock heavy trading businesses that want to add capability in steps
The assessment
What Omni Accounts is, honestly
Omni Accounts is built in Durban and sold in modular bundles that run from a basic trading package up to a full business system. The design intent is that you switch capability on as the business needs it rather than paying for an edition full of features you will never open.
It has a loyal following among South African wholesalers and retailers, and the reason usually given is support. Being able to phone a local team during local business hours, and reach someone who understands the product, matters a great deal when trading has stopped and stock will not post.
The balance
Where it is strong, and where it is not
What works well
- Modular, so you pay for the capability you actually switch on
- Genuinely local vendor with local support hours
- Good stock, pricing and point of sale handling for traders
What to consider
- The module model makes total cost hard to work out without a quote
- Smaller pool of bookkeepers who know it
- Less polished than the cloud accounting products it competes with
Capability
What it does better than most
Serious stock handling with multiple pricing levels and stock takes, aimed at traders who live or die by whether the stock figure is right.
Counter sales tied to the same stock and debtors as the back office, so a retail floor and an accounts office see the same numbers.
Full customer and supplier ledgers with ageing and statements, including the credit control tools a trading business needs to get paid.
Assembly and production for businesses that build or pack, available as an additional module rather than bundled into a higher edition.
Basic contact and opportunity tracking inside the accounting system, which avoids a separate CRM for smaller sales teams.
Setup and support
Getting it running, and getting help
What implementation actually involves
Module dependent, which is the whole model. A basic trading setup is quick. Adding manufacturing or point of sale later is a further configuration exercise. The practical advice is to scope every module you expect to need within two years at the outset, so the structure is built once rather than repeatedly.
What happens when something breaks
Local support during local hours from a Durban team, and its customers rate it highly. That is the main reason South African wholesalers choose it over a larger competitor. Confirm the support hours and the escalation path in writing, because the value here is availability rather than scale.
What it costs
How the money actually works
No public rate card. Omni is quoted by module bundle, from the entry trading package through to the full business system, and third party sites quoting dollar figures should not be trusted for South African pricing. The modular model makes total cost genuinely hard to estimate without a quote, so ask for a written breakdown listing every module you need at go live and the ones you expect to add within two years.
Local view
What changes in South Africa
Omni has a loyal following among South African wholesalers and retailers, and being able to phone a local team during local hours matters when trading stops. Because pricing is modular, ask for a written quote that lists every module you will need on day one and the ones you are likely to add in year two.
How we scored it
Where the number comes from
Serviceable, and clearly designed by people who know trading businesses.
Stock, point of sale and manufacturing available as modules.
Modular pricing makes the total genuinely hard to work out in advance.
Local team on local hours, which its customers rate highly.
A Durban vendor building for South African wholesale and retail.
The headline score is the mean of these five. Each number is a judgement, not a measurement, and the reason for it is written beside it so you can disagree with it.
Against the category
How it compares with its peers
The bar is Omni Accounts. The vertical line is the average of the 9 products we have reviewed in accounting and finance. The figure on the right is the difference.
Monthly cost across accounting and finance
- XeroR45041%
- QuickBooks OnlineR32229%
- Sage AccountingR24022%
- Zoho BooksR999%
Cost over time
What it really costs over three years
Head to head
Against its closest rival
| Dimension | Omni Accounts | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 7.8 | 8.0 |
| Everyday use | 7.2 | 8.7 |
| Depth of features | 8.2 | 7.9 |
| Value for money | 7.6 | 7.6 |
| Support and skills | 7.6 | 7.8 |
| South African fit | 8.6 | 8.0 |
| Entry price | On request | R322 |
QuickBooks Online is the closest scoring product to Omni Accounts in accounting and finance. Prices are compared as published, and a quoted product cannot be scored on price.
Alternatives
What to look at instead
- 1
CaseWare Working Papers
Accounting practices producing annual financial statements at volume
8.7On request - 2
Xero
Growing service businesses working closely with an accountant
8.4R450 - 3
Sage Accounting
Established small businesses that value familiar local support
8.3R240 - 4
Zoho Books
Cost conscious teams using other Zoho products
8.3R99
Common questions
What buyers always ask
01How much does Omni Accounts cost in South Africa?
On request quoted by module bundle. Trader through to Premium bundles; no public rate card.
02Does Omni Accounts offer a free trial?
No free trial is advertised. A demonstration is the usual route.
03Can you book a demonstration of Omni Accounts?
Yes. The vendor offers a demonstration on request, which is the normal route for a quoted product.
04Is Omni Accounts a good fit for a South African business?
Omni has a loyal following among South African wholesalers and retailers, and being able to phone a local team during local hours matters when trading stops. Because pricing is modular, ask for a written quote that lists every module you will need on day one and the ones you are likely to add in year two.
05Who is Omni Accounts best suited to?
Stock heavy trading businesses that want to add capability in steps. Worth a look for a South African trading business that values a local vendor and local support hours. Get the module list priced properly, because the bundle structure is where the cost hides.
Answered from this product record, so these can never drift from the figures above.
Still deciding? Ask us directly
Final view
Should it make the shortlist?
Worth a look for a South African trading business that values a local vendor and local support hours. Get the module list priced properly, because the bundle structure is where the cost hides.
