"I've mentioned this before, but especially in this economy I highly recommend anyone heading out on their own (or looking to maximize their bucks) to look at BillQuick. They are geared more towards service industries (and specifically architects!) than other packages, and for the price - you can't beat them! Their philosophy seems to be the same as DataCAD (listen to the users, give the users what they want, and build on those desires), they respond almost immediately to questions and comments, and they will bend over backwards for the users. And, just like DataCAD, they offer a 30-day trial. After the 30 day trial they won't lock you out of what you've put in, but will dumb down to a (still very robust) "Lite" version that is free. And they tie into QuickBooks effortlessly! My Account Manager (Samina) is always available, and has really worked hard to not only get me up and running on it, but follows up with what more she could do or answer to get me back to what I love to do (draw) and what they do best (time and billing FOR me). This is a little long-winded, but I'm as rabid about BillQuick as I am about DataCAD. For me, they are two of the most important programs that I need to maximize my time as a single proprietor: At least TRY them - I think you'll find for the cost they can't be beat!"