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Frequently Asked Questions

Short answers to the things people ask us most.

Is instabooks a replacement for QuickBooks Online?

No. instabooks works directly with your existing QuickBooks Online account and data. It sits on top of QuickBooks Online and gives you a faster, friendlier interface for managing, batch reclassifying, and editing your transactions — no messy export and import workflows.

How the heck is instabooks so fast?

We built our own UI framework, called feather. Instead of shipping a heavy JavaScript app that re-fetches and re-renders data in the browser, feather streams tiny HTML updates from the server over a persistent connection and morphs them directly into the page. The result is a UI that feels closer to a native app than a typical web dashboard. Our co-founder David Yang walks through the design in this talk on feather.

How does data sync between instabooks and QuickBooks Online?

Changes sync in real time, within seconds. Edits you make in instabooks are immediately reflected in QuickBooks Online, and vice versa, so your books stay consistent across both products.

Can I try instabooks for free?

Yes. There's a free trial and no credit card is required to start.

What if I need more time on my trial?

Just send us a note at support@lightweightlabs.com and we'll happily extend your trial.

Can I talk to the founders before signing up, or book a demo?

Yes — we'd love to hear about your accounting challenges and show you around instabooks over Zoom. Book a meeting with us.

What kind of support do you offer?

We're software nerds who genuinely love accounting, bookkeeping, and QuickBooks Online — and we love talking about better workflows. Reach us anytime by email at founders@lightweightlabs.com. You can also join our Slack community to chat with us and other users.

How do you secure my financial data?

We take data security seriously. instabooks uses industry-standard encryption and security protocols to protect your financial information, and connects to QuickBooks Online over their encrypted, authenticated API. We never store your QuickBooks credentials.

Who builds instabooks?

instabooks is built by Lightweight Labs — a small team of software nerds who care a lot about fast, simple, rigorous software. You can read more about how we work, and meet the team, on our About page.

Still have questions?

Email us at founders@lightweightlabs.com or schedule a meeting and we'll get back to you fast.

instabooks

The fast UI for QuickBooks Online.

Lightweight Labs LLC
17 East 13th Street, Suite 7B
New York, NY 10003
founders@lightweightlabs.com

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