Microsoft has smashed its expectations for Office Accounting, claiming that 93,500 copies of the free application have been downloaded since its UK launch in November.

Some 4,000 resellers and accountants have already joined the accompanying Microsoft Professional Accountants Network, obliterating the vendor’s target of 750 members.

The application is aimed at businesses of up to 25 staff and is designed to provide VARs with opportunities to target firms that lack an in-house accountant or IT support.

Gareth Arnold, Office Accounting product manager at Microsoft UK, said: “The accountancy community and partners have really taken to this product, even though the market is dominated by one player. This amount of downloads shows where the market is going.”

Based on the interest received from Microsoft Office Accountancy, the vendor recently launched a second version, which enables partners to customise each version of Office Accountancy downloaded.

Mathew Stokes, product manager at Sage and Microsoft distributor Blue Solutions, said: “Small firms look for a reliable alternative to Sage, which has a stranglehold on the market.”

Kevin McCallum, commercial director at accountancy software vendor Pegasus, said: “With free software, the customer loses the value the reseller adds. Pegasus’s resellers add expertise by designing an offering how a customer wants it.”