PcMars

What PcMars does

PcMars is a desktop-based farm accounting software platform founded in 1985 by brothers Keith and Dan Sheller, both farmers with Dan also serving as the software engineer behind the product. The platform is purpose-built for farm operations across the U.S. Midwest, with chart-of-accounts templates and reporting conventions aligned to the Farm Business Management systems of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and South Dakota. Core functionality includes both cash-basis (single-entry) and accrual double-entry accounting, payroll with federal and state tax tables for the supported states, bank statement import, Finpack export, and farm-specific tooling such as CCC loan wizards, crop insurance handling, coop dividend processing, and grain and livestock inventory tracking by bin and individual group.

The product runs on Windows 10/11 and is sold via annual subscriptions. The core PcMars tier is priced at $80 per year per set of books and accounts for roughly 80% of the user base; four add-on modules — PcMars Plus ($54/year, adding complete inventory and enterprise allocation), Advanced Payroll ($32/year), Accounts Payable ($43/year), and Accounts Receivable — extend functionality. A free download with up to 50 entries drives product-led adoption, with all future updates included free for existing subscribers. Distribution combines self-serve downloads from pcmars.com with referral channels through Farm Business Management associations and adult educator programs, and through retailers such as IFB Accounting, Inc. The company has sold over 11,000 programs cumulatively and serves over 7,000 active farms, operating from Ames, Iowa under the legal entity Iowa Farm Business Accounting Inc.

In November 2025, PcMars was acquired by Traction Ag, a cloud-based farm accounting software company headquartered in Auburn, Indiana. The acquisition was announced on November 12, 2025 and positions the combined entity to offer both desktop and cloud-native solutions, enabling the customer base to move from after-the-fact bookkeeping toward real-time financial insight connected to farm operations.

Name

PcMars

Legal name

Iowa Farm Business Association

Website

https://pcmars.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PcMars is a desktop-based farm accounting software platform serving over 7,000 Midwest farms across Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and South Dakota. Founded in 1985 and acquired by Traction Ag in November 2025, it delivers specialized cash and accrual accounting, inventory tracking, payroll, and farm-specific compliance features.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farm Accounting Software

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links) (AFAAAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farm Financial Management & Recordkeeping Services (AFACAJAC)

Keywords

• Farm accounting software
• Agricultural bookkeeping
• Farm financial management
• Farm payroll software
• Desktop accounting software

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Core Software Subscription: Annual subscription model for PcMars base software at $80 per year per set of books. Users can download for free and make up to 50 entries before purchasing. The base subscription accounts for 80% of the user base.
2. PcMars PLUS Module: Add-on enhancement adding complete inventory tracking, enterprise allocation, field production tracking, and livestock production data. Priced at $54 per year per set of books.
3. Advanced Payroll Module: Enhanced payroll module with Federal and State tax tables for Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. Includes 10 customizable withholding fields and 7 pay unit types. Priced at $32 per year per set of books.
4. Accounts Payable Module: Module allowing users to enter bills/invoices for cash flow management. Data not included in cash or tax reports until paid. Priced at $43 per year per set of books.
5. Accounts Receivable Module: Invoicing program for accounts receivable tasks. Interfaces with PcMars to post results as cash income. Shares files with PcMars/PLUS including Account Codes, Enterprises, and Bank Accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PcMars sells desktop-based farm accounting software for Windows, founded in 1985, that handles full-featured cash or accrual double-entry accounting specifically tailored to farms. The core application is sold as an annual subscription per set of books with optional add-on modules for inventory/enterprise tracking (PcMars Plus), advanced payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, customized with state-specific Farm Business Management code sets for Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and South Dakota.

Product overview

PcMars is a desktop-based farm accounting software platform for Windows, consisting of a core product with optional add-on modules. The core PcMars platform (priced at $80/year) provides fundamental accounting capabilities as either cash basis or accrual double-entry systems. Four optional enhancements extend functionality: PcMars Plus ($54/year) adds inventory tracking and enterprise allocation; Advanced Payroll ($32/year) enhances payroll with federal/state tax tables and customizable withholdings; Accounts Payable ($43/year) enables invoice and bill management; and Accounts Receivable (no separate pricing listed) provides invoicing capabilities. All modules are designed specifically for farm applications while remaining suitable for small businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PcMars Core Accounting Software Full-featured Windows desktop farm accounting software supporting both cash basis (single entry) and accrual double-entry accounting, with payroll capabilities, check printing, bank reconciliation, inventory and loan tracking, and cash flow planning. Designed for Midwest farm operations whose books align with state Farm Business Management systems.
• PcMars Plus Cash-accounting add-on module for PcMars that adds complete inventory tracking, enterprise allocation, field and production tracking, planting/harvest dates, and livestock production data with automatic inventory adjustments and fair market value assignment for net worth calculations.
• Advanced Payroll Add-on payroll module that enhances PcMars core payroll with built-in Federal tax tables, state tax tables for Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan, up to 10 customizable withholding fields, 7 pay unit types, retirement deduction tracking, and expanded labor reports.
• Accounts Payable Add-on module that lets users enter bills and invoices for cash flow management, with vendor invoice entry, due dates, partial payments, invoice combining, automatic check numbering, and unpaid accounts payable reporting; data is excluded from cash or tax reports until paid.
• Accounts Receivable Invoicing add-on for handling accounts receivable, with invoice and statement generation, payment receipt with partial payments and discounts, automatic posting to PcMars as cash income, and shared files (account codes, enterprises, bank accounts) with PcMars and PcMars Plus.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 farms across the United States use PcMars for their accounting needs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Traction AgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Traction Ag, a cloud-based farm accounting software company headquartered in Auburn, Indiana, announced its acquisition of PcMars on November 12, 2025. The acquisition brings together two established names in farm accounting software. PcMars serves over 7,000 farms with its desktop-based system, primarily in the Midwest. The combined company now offers both desktop and cloud-native solutions, enabling farmers to move from after-the-fact bookkeeping to real-time financial insight connected to their farm operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Traction Ag: Traction Ag is a cloud-based farm accounting and financial management platform that acquired PcMars in November 2025. It serves the same Midwest farm customer base with a modern cloud-native delivery model and is now the parent company, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• FBS Systems: FBS Systems offers farm-specific accounting software (Farm Baler, Tranax) with cash-basis and accrual options tailored to crop and livestock operations. It directly competes with PcMars for Midwest farm accounting customers and supports similar features such as enterprise tracking and crop/livestock inventory.
• EasyFarm: EasyFarm provides farm accounting and management software for Windows, covering crop and livestock enterprises, payroll, and inventory. It targets the same SMB farm segment as PcMars and offers comparable cash-basis farm financial tracking.
• Red Wing Software (CenterPoint Accounting for Agriculture): Red Wing Software provides CenterPoint Accounting for Agriculture, a farm-tailored accounting and payroll solution. It overlaps with PcMars on enterprise tracking, payroll tax tables, and crop/livestock reporting for farms.

Broad incumbents

• QuickBooks (Intuit): QuickBooks is the dominant SMB accounting platform with broad small business reach, including farms that do not need deep ag specialization. It competes with PcMars on the secondary small business use case but lacks PcMars's farm-specific chart of accounts, CCC loan handling, and Finpack export.
• Xero: Xero is a cloud-based accounting platform serving small businesses globally. While not farm-specific, it competes for the same SMB buyer considering general accounting software and represents the cloud-native model PcMars is migrating toward under Traction Ag.

Emerging players

• Agworld: Agworld is a farm management and agronomy platform that includes financial planning, budgeting, and recordkeeping features. It overlaps with PcMars in farm budgeting and planning workflows and represents a cloud-native, mobile-first competitor in the broader farm financial software space.
• FarmRaise: FarmRaise is an emerging financial platform focused on farm bookkeeping, grant/funding tracking, and profitability insights. It addresses a similar farm financial management pain point as PcMars with a modern, mobile-first approach.

Others

• Granular (Corteva): Granular, owned by Corteva, is a farm business software platform offering financial and operational planning tools for larger farms. It does not directly compete with PcMars at the SMB accounting level but sits in the broader farm financial management space and could be a competitor for upmarket expansion.
• Wave Accounting: Wave is a free/freemium cloud accounting platform for small businesses and sole proprietors. It targets the bottom of the SMB accounting market with a product-led, cloud-native approach that contrasts with PcMars's desktop model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCL_J7vc9YnrTdIHBFefLw7g/featured
• Xx.com/pcmars_software
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PcMars