Perlbill was the first billing application I used when I entered the hosting business. I paid just under $200 for the license, and had bad experiences with their support, was less than thrilled at their update schedule, and never ever installed an update without watching the complaints pile up in the support forums. They were a one person operation, they grew slowly, but I didn't get the sense that they respected their customers. Perlbill - now LogicBill - may very well have matured, but they lost my business a long time ago. It would take a hell of a lot for me to try them again. I'd have to hear solid, very appreciative reviews of their product from industry people whom I know and respect.

On my specific choice of ModernBill as the replacement, I've seen my server provider use ModernBill for over two years now - I went with this provider because I trust their people and their judgement, and I respect how they respect their clients. This provider has changed helpdesk applications multiple times over the years, we've moved to a new datacenter during my tenure with them, but they have stuck with ModernBill for billing. This to me...really says something about ModernBill's long-term workability and stability.

I also like the look of the feature set MB is releasing for v5, I like that they've consciously worked to make the user interfaces more usable, and from what I've been able to find out, they've also enhanced the documentation. I view my billing software as a tool I use to run my business. I don't want to spend months fiddling with it, tweaking it, creating hacks on my own...nope. While I should know how to do these things, I shouldn't necessarily have to. Just let me use the tool and spend time on my customers - not my business tools.