Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions we hear most. For deeper dives, follow the cross-references.
Buying and licensing
Is this a subscription?
No. Solid Accounting is a perpetual license — pay once, the software is yours forever. The optional Updates plan is the only thing that's yearly, and it's optional. The version you bought keeps working with or without it.
What's included with the license vs. with the Updates plan?
| With the license (perpetual) | With the Updates plan (annual, optional) |
|---|---|
| The version of Solid you bought | New features released after your plan lapses |
Your .solid file (always opens) | Bug fixes and non-critical patches |
| All reports (P&L, BS, TB, GL, etc.) | macOS / Windows / Linux compatibility updates |
| Customers, vendors, invoices, bills | Annual tax-form updates (1099, W-2) |
| Bank reconciliation | Cloud Backup (managed B2 storage) |
| Local backup | Payroll API integration (Gusto, OnPay, ADP) |
| Print, PDF, CSV export | Ecommerce integrations |
| Critical security patches for 3 years from your last paid date | Email support |
See Pricing for the full table.
What if I let the Updates plan lapse?
Your software keeps working — the version you have continues to run indefinitely. What stops:
- New features (no new releases install)
- Cloud Backup creates new backups (existing backups stay restorable for 1 year)
- Third-party integrations (Payroll, Ecommerce)
- Email support
Critical security patches keep arriving for 3 years from your last paid date.
How do refunds work?
30-day money-back guarantee on every license purchase, no questions. After 30 days, the license is yours; we don't refund it. Updates plan and Bank Feeds have prorated refund mechanics. See Refunds for details.
Can I transfer my license to another person?
Yes — email support@solidaccounting.com with the new owner's information. The license transfers; the new owner activates with the same key on their machines.
File and data ownership
Where is my data stored?
In a single .solid file you control. By default it goes in your Documents folder, but you can put it anywhere — external drive, NAS, cloud-sync folder, network share.
Can you read my books?
No. The file is encrypted at rest with SQLCipher using your password. Solid Accounting (the company) doesn't have your password and can't decrypt your file. Cloud Backup uses end-to-end encryption with a key only you control.
What happens if Solid Accounting (the company) shuts down?
Your file keeps working. The app on your machine keeps running. You can open the file, run reports, post entries — the company isn't required for anything except updates.
For an offsite backup that survives company shutdown: use BYO S3 or BYO Folder Cloud Backup destinations instead of (or in addition to) the managed B2 destination. Your data ends up in storage you control regardless of our status.
Can I export my data?
Every report exports to PDF, CSV, or both. Tax data exports to TXF for tax-prep software. Customer/vendor/item lists export to CSV. The journal entries export to CSV. The whole .solid file is yours; you can hand it to anyone or process it yourself with any SQLite-compatible tooling (after decryption).
Migration
Can I migrate from QuickBooks?
Yes. Two paths:
- QuickBooks Desktop: Use the Solid migration tool to extract your
.QBWto a.qbextractfile, then import. Pulls accounts, customers, vendors, items, full transaction history. See Migrate from QuickBooks Desktop. - QuickBooks Online: Direct OAuth integration. Connect, authorize, pull. Same data scope. See Migrate from QuickBooks Online.
What about Xero or FreshBooks?
Both have direct OAuth integrations. See Migrate from Xero and Migrate from FreshBooks.
How long does migration take?
Typical small-business file: 5–15 minutes for the data import + 1–2 hours of verification (running trial balance comparisons, fixing edge-case issues). Multi-year files of larger businesses can take a few hours of import time + a day of verification.
Multi-user
Can multiple people use the same file at once?
Yes — on Pro and Accountant tiers. Two modes:
- Host Mode — one machine hosts; others connect. Best for small teams. The host machine needs to be on for others to connect.
- Dedicated Server — a separate machine (NAS, VM, office server) runs the headless server. Always-on access.
See Multi-User for the full setup.
Does multi-user work over the internet?
Out of the box, only on the same LAN — mDNS auto-discovery doesn't traverse routers. For remote access, use VPN (Tailscale, WireGuard, OpenVPN) to put remote users on the office LAN. Or connect by hostname/IP directly if you have a stable public address.
How many users do I get?
| Tier | Included users |
|---|---|
| Standard | 3 |
| Professional | 5 |
| Accountant | 10 |
Add more at $100 each, one-time, per user. See Add-on users.
Cloud Backup
How is Cloud Backup encrypted?
End-to-end:
- A 256-bit Block Encryption Key (BEK) is generated on your machine
- Your login password derives a 256-bit Key Encryption Key via Argon2id
- The KEK wraps the BEK in the manifest
- Each block is encrypted with AES-256-GCM using the BEK
- The BEK is also encoded as a 24-word BIP39 recovery phrase (you save this on paper)
The server (managed B2 or your own destination) only sees encrypted blocks. There's no decryption-on-server step.
See Cloud Backup for the full architecture.
What if I lose my password?
The 24-word recovery phrase you saved at setup is your fallback. Enter it during restore to recover the BEK. If you've lost both the password AND the recovery phrase, encrypted backups are unrecoverable. There's no backdoor.
How much storage do I get?
10 GB included with an active Updates plan. Most files are well under 1 GB; even with thousands of attachments, exceeding 10 GB takes years.
Pricing
Why no monthly subscription option?
Because the relationship "I rent my accounting software from you" creates incentives we don't want. We want to ship software that works for years on its own terms, not features that nudge you toward the next upsell.
A perpetual license + optional updates plan aligns us with you: we earn renewals by shipping things worth paying for, not by holding your data hostage.
Is the price for one year only?
The license is a one-time payment, valid forever. Year 1 of the Updates plan is included. Year 2 onward, the Updates plan is optional and bills annually if you opt in.
Why is Bank Feeds extra?
Plaid (the bank-data aggregator) charges per-active-connection per-month. We pass that through at $8/mo per connection rather than baking it into the base price. If you don't use Bank Feeds, you don't pay for it.
Technical
What platforms?
- Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
- macOS 12 (Monterey) or later (Apple Silicon or Intel)
- Linux 64-bit (.AppImage)
Does it work offline?
Yes — for the core accounting work, completely offline. Internet is needed for:
- Initial license activation (one-time)
- Cloud Backup (when actively syncing)
- Bank Feeds (when actively syncing)
- Third-party API integrations (Payroll, Ecommerce, when actively syncing)
You can open the file, post transactions, run reports, generate invoices entirely offline. Sync the connected services when you're online.
Does it work on tablets / phones?
Currently desktop-only. A mobile companion app is in development (read-only at first; eventually an entry-only mode for receipt capture). No release date yet.
Is there an API?
Yes — embedded REST API on Professional and Accountant tiers. Local-only by default; remote access via reverse proxy or VPN. See REST API.
What does it look like / can I see it?
Screenshots and a guided tour are at solidaccounting.com/features. For a hands-on look, the Standard tier with 30-day money-back guarantee is the lowest-friction way to try it.
Comparing to other products
We deliberately don't publish head-to-head comparisons with QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks — those decisions are too context-dependent and our marketing shouldn't tear other products down. The shorthand:
- vs. QuickBooks Desktop — similar feature scope, different commercial model (perpetual vs. subscription), simpler licensing
- vs. QuickBooks Online — same as above, plus your data lives on your computer
- vs. Xero — Xero is cloud-first; Solid is desktop-first with optional cloud backup. Xero has stronger international features; Solid has stronger ownership story.
- vs. FreshBooks — FreshBooks is invoicing-first that grew into accounting; Solid is accounting-first. Different fits depending on whether your business is invoice-heavy or general-ledger-heavy.
If you've got a specific question about whether Solid fits your situation, email support@solidaccounting.com — we'll give an honest read, even if the answer is "another product would be a better fit because...".
Cross-references
- Account & Billing — pricing, licensing, refunds in detail
- Import & Export — full migration guide table
- Modules — every accounting module covered
- Troubleshooting — common problems and fixes