When is PTA not an optimal choice?

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Inspired from I only use Google Sheets (HN), I think of a decent article on when PTA is not an optimal choice. There are explanations on why choosing PTA over non-PTA:

But these can be criticized as only present one side of the argument. If we can present the other side of it (following Rapoport's Rules), then then the arguments in favor of PTA should be stronger.

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I can think of one instance where an alternative might be better than PTA.

Specifically, someone may realistically decide that they are unlikely to learn PTA and keep their accounts up to date. So, they need something simpler. One such alternative would be to periodically – let’s say every month – total their financial assets (e.g., checking, saving, and retirement accounts) and subtract their debts (e.g. credit card and mortgage).

For people who aren’t likely to succeed with PTA, the above alternative would provide useful financial feedback. Of course, PTA will give much more feedback, but that’s only true if you actually use one of the PTA accounting programs. For some people, PTA (or any accounting program for that matter) is a bridge too far.

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I had to rack my brains, but here are a few I came up with:

  • I could imagine that a heavily visual thinker might find it hard to follow everything, and—even though there are graphical interfaces to PTA tools—might have an easier time using something where the GUI is the tool.
  • Someone who isn’t comfortable with version control might benefit from using a different tool that handles history internally and presents it in a simpler, more comprehensible manner.
  • If multiple people need to collaborate on the accounts, they may find it easier to use more specific tools than PTA, especially if (again) they’re not comfortable with version control or they’re just not very tech savvy.
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