Getting Started with Appcrual: Your Complete Guide
Welcome to Appcrual! Whether you're looking to streamline your purchase order management, improve supplier relationships, or simply get better visibility into your spending, you're in the right place. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get up and running quickly.
What Is Appcrual?
Appcrual is a cloud-based purchase order management system designed to make procurement simple, organised, and efficient. Instead of juggling spreadsheets, email threads, and paper documents, Appcrual gives you a centralised platform to create, track, and manage all your purchase orders in one place.
With Appcrual, you can create professional purchase orders in minutes, track order status from draft to delivery, manage your supplier relationships, organise purchases by project, and gain insights into your spending patterns.
Creating Your Account
Getting started with Appcrual is quick and straightforward. We offer a 30-day free trial with full access to all features – no credit card required.
Sign Up Steps:
Visit the Signup Page – Head to appcrual.com and click "Sign Up" or go directly to the signup page.
Fill in Your Details:
First name and Last name – Your personal information
Email – This will be your login username
Company name – Your business or organisation name
Password – Choose a secure password for your account
Click "Get Started" – Review and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, then click the button to create your account.
Verify Your Email – Check your inbox for a verification email and click the confirmation link.
That's it! You'll be logged into your new Appcrual account and ready to start setting things up.
What's Included in Your Free Trial?
Your 30-day free trial includes everything you need to evaluate Appcrual:
Unlimited Purchase Orders – Create as many purchase orders as you need
Multi-User Access – Invite your team to collaborate
FreeAgent Integration – Connect with FreeAgent accounting software
Full Feature Access – Try every feature without restrictions
Your First Steps: Getting Started Checklist
Once you're logged in, you'll see a Welcome guide that helps you set up your account. Here are the key tasks to complete first.
1. Enter Your Company Details
Start by adding your company information. This ensures your purchase orders look professional and include all the necessary details.
What to add:
Company name (if not already set during signup)
Business address
Phone number
Tax/VAT registration number (if applicable)
Company logo (optional but recommended)
Where to find it: Click on your company name or go to Settings > Company Details
Why it matters: This information appears on all your purchase orders, making them look professional and ensuring suppliers have your correct contact details.
2. Upload Your Company Logo
Adding your logo gives your purchase orders a professional, branded appearance. This is especially important if you're sending orders to external suppliers.
How to do it:
Navigate to Settings > Company Details
Look for the logo upload section
Upload an image file (PNG, JPG, or SVG recommended)
Save your changes
Pro tip: Use a high-resolution logo with a transparent background for the best results.
3. Add Your Suppliers
Before you can create purchase orders, you'll need to add the suppliers you work with. Think of this as building your supplier directory.
How to add suppliers:
Go to Contacts in the left sidebar
Click "Add New"
Fill in the supplier details:
Company name
Contact person
Email address
Phone number
Physical address
Click "Save"
Pro tip: Start with your most frequently used suppliers. You can always add more later as needed.
4. Set Up Your Product Catalogue (Optional)
If you regularly order the same products or services, setting up a Product Catalogue will save you significant time. You can add products manually or import them in bulk via CSV.
To add products:
Navigate to Product Catalogue in the sidebar
Click "Add New"
Fill in product details (name, SKU, price, VAT rate, etc.)
Save the product
Learn more: Check out our Product Catalogue feature announcement for a detailed guide.
5. Create Your First Purchase Order
Now comes the exciting part – creating your first purchase order! This is where Appcrual really shines.
Step-by-step:
Click "Purchase Orders" in the left sidebar
Click the "Add New" button
Fill in the order details:
Select your supplier from the dropdown
Add an order number (auto-generated by default)
Set the order date
Add a delivery date if needed
Link to a project (optional)
Add line items – You have two options:
Manual entry: Click "Add item" and type in the product details, quantity, and price
From Product Catalogue: Click "Add from catalogue" to quickly select pre-saved products
Review the totals – Appcrual automatically calculates subtotals, VAT, and the total amount
Add notes or terms – Include any special instructions, delivery requirements, or payment terms
Create the order – Click "Create new purchase order" to save it as a draft
Key Features You Should Know About
Projects
Projects let you organise purchase orders by job, client, or initiative. This is incredibly useful if you work on multiple projects simultaneously and need to track costs per project.
Use cases:
Track all purchases for a specific client project
Monitor spending for an office renovation
Organize orders by department or cost center
How to use it: When creating a purchase order, simply select or create a project from the "Linked Project" dropdown.
Purchase Order Statuses
Appcrual helps you track where each order is in its lifecycle:
Draft – An order is being prepared but has not yet been finalised.
Sent – Order has been sent to the supplier
You can update the status as the order progresses through its lifecycle.
FreeAgent Integration
If you use FreeAgent for accounting, Appcrual integrates seamlessly. This means you can sync contacts, projects and bills to reduce duplicate data entry.
To set up the integration: Go to Settings > Integrations and follow the connection steps for FreeAgent.
Tips for Success
Start Simple
Don't try to set up everything at once. Focus on the basics first:
Add your top 5-10 suppliers
Create a few purchase orders
Get comfortable with the workflow
Then expand to more advanced features like projects and product catalogues
Use Consistent Naming
Develop a naming convention for your orders, projects, and products. Consistent naming makes searching and reporting much easier down the line.
Examples:
Orders: PO-001, PO-002, etc. (or use the auto-numbering)
Projects: ClientName-ProjectDescription
Products: Clear, searchable names with SKUs
Invite Your Team
Appcrual is designed for collaboration. Invite team members who are involved in purchasing so they can:
Create purchase orders
Track order status
Approve orders (if you set up approval workflows)
View spending reports
To invite team members: Go to Settings > Team and click "Invite User"
Keep Your Data Updated
As your business evolves, keep your Appcrual data current:
Update supplier contact details when they change
Mark discontinued products as inactive
Archive completed projects
Update product prices when suppliers notify you of changes
Getting Help
If you need assistance, we're here to help:
Help Widget – Click the blue "Help" button in the bottom right of any page for instant support
Support Email – Email us at support@appcrual.com
Knowledge Base – Visit our support center for articles and guides
Getting Started Guide – Use the in-app guide for step-by-step tips
What's Next?
Now that you've got the basics down, here are some next steps to consider:
Create 5-10 purchase orders to get comfortable with the workflow
Set up your Product Catalogue if you order the same items regularly
Invite team members to collaborate
Explore the Projects feature to organise orders by job or client
Connect your accounting software (FreeAgent integration)
Customise your settings to match your business processes
Ready to Get Started?
The best way to learn Appcrual is to dive in and start using it. Create your first few purchase orders, experiment with the features, and see how the platform fits into your workflow. Before long, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.
If you have any questions along the way, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team. We're always happy to help you make the most of Appcrual.
Welcome aboard, and happy purchasing!
Already have questions? Contact us at support@appcrual.com or use the Help widget in your dashboard.