The main downside of QuickBooks Mac Plus is that the software doesn’t have a single integration. QuickBooks Enterprise also offers much better customer support than QuickBooks Pro or QuickBooks Online with its Priority Circle customer support. QuickBooks Premier has the features you’d find with QuickBooks Pro. As with QuickBooks Pro, Premier will no longer be available for purchase by new users after September 30, 2024. You also can have one to five users with QuickBooks Premier (instead of QuickBooks Pro’s three-user limit). The real thing that sets QuickBooks Premier apart from QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro is the industry-specific features.
QuickBooks Online vs QuickBooks Desktop: Key Differences
The type of business you run has a huge influence on which QuickBooks product is right for you. If you want locally-installed software, you can take your pick from QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, or QuickBooks Enterprise. Deciding which type of software works best for your business model can make your QuickBooks choice a whole lot easier. QuickBooks Enterprise also has a number of other useful features and tools you won’t find with Premier, such as a business plan creator. QuickBooks Enterprise supports up to 40 users, compared to Premier’s maximum of five.
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Nevertheless, if advanced industry tools and offline capabilities are vital, Desktop might be the better fit. In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop must be installed locally on your computer. Furthermore, our infrastructure is built for high performance, meaning your accounting operations remain efficient and secure.
- The customer support offered for Online and Desktop versions of QuickBooks follows two distinct models.
- Includes all Simple Start features plus bill management and time tracking.
- It is the best version of Desktop for medium to large businesses.
- QBO is best for small businesses looking for easy-to-use, cloud-based accounting software and strong mobile apps.
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First, let’s look at a general comparison of versions, and then we’ll break down key feature differences that help you determine which version is right for you. Gold, Platinum, and Diamond plans are also available for Enterprise, based on a company’s needs. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise can be shared by up to 40 users. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is the most powerful version of QuickBooks Desktop. QuickBooks Desktop Premier can be shared by up to five users. All versions of QuickBooks Desktop include the option to generate payroll for your employees and 1099 contract workers.
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You can see that Intuit has every business in mind, with the ability to customize, personalize, and scale QuickBooks for every business structure. With QuickBooks Desktop, security is the user’s responsibility, meaning you are storing and protecting your data locally on your own servers and computers. QuickBooks Online provides strong security to protect your data with encryption and server-side security audits. Both QBO and Desktop offer quality invoicing features, although what is a common stock account there are some differences. Even with a detailed breakdown of every feature, you might still find it overwhelming to choose between Online and Desktop versions, so Fourlane created this quiz you can take to decide. The Enterprise version is designed for the largest scale operations.
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If you want cloud-based software, there’s QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Solopreneur. However, locally-installed software can be more secure and offers a level of feature depth that the cloud often can’t touch. If you read the overview of each QuickBooks product, you may already have an idea of which version of QuickBooks is best for your small business. QuickBooks Premier is suitable for small to medium businesses with five or fewer users. Both marginal costing: meaning features and advantages are locally-installed accounting solutions, both offer numerous features and robust reporting, and both have numerous integrations. Businesses that require multiple users or want more accounting features will benefit more from using QuickBooks Online.
QuickBooks Online is completely cloud-based, accessed through the user’s browser. There are multiple tiers of QuickBooks Desktop that allow you to sync to the cloud, but this is accessed solely from the computer(s) where Desktop is installed. QuickBooks Online support is not as extensive as QuickBooks Enterprise, encouraging users to find their own answers using the online knowledgebase before contacting a human.
Choosing the right accounting software is a critical decision for businesses, accountants, and CPAs. While many businesses lean toward QuickBooks Desktop for its advanced capabilities, they simultaneously demand the flexibility of cloud access. QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Enterprise, and Mac are the best for users with existing accounting experience or who want a locally-installed option. The number of users you need will also help determine which software is best for your business. Larger businesses will be looking at QuickBooks Premier, QuickBooks Enterprise, or the QuickBooks Online Advanced plan, depending on the number of users they need.
Industry-Specific Comparison: QuickBooks Online vs QuickBooks Desktop
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- The advanced inventory and job costing features help track materials and finished goods across multiple sites.
- Our experts recommend Xero’s accounting software for small businesses.
- The most basic version of QBO for small businesses, including the ability to send invoices.
- Pricing varies based on the number of users and the level of customer support you need, and if you need to add QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.
The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation. Help us to improve by providing some feedback on your experience today. QuickBooks Solopreneur is specifically for freelancers, while QuickBooks Online is a good fit for nearly any size business. If you’re running a small business, you’ll be comparing QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Pro. However, QuickBooks Mac Plus does noticeably lack some of the features available on QuickBooks Online, including recurring invoices and live bank feeds. QuickBooks Mac Plus is set up in a similar way to QuickBooks Pro or Premier but is easy to use, much like QuickBooks Online, offering users the best of both worlds.
However, QuickBooks Pro’s features do come at a price, as this software has a steep learning curve. Additionally, QuickBooks Mac Plus never seems to get the same amount of attention as other QuickBooks products in terms of new features and updates. The software is incredibly expensive, and for the price you’re paying, certain features are fairly limited. QuickBooks Enterprise has highly developed features to meet the needs of nearly any large business.
QuickBooks Online vs Desktop Pricing
However, freelancers that need good tax support and don’t require the more advanced features found in QBO may find everything they need with QuickBooks Self-Solopreneur. Businesses with multiple users or that need more advanced features won’t find what they’re looking for here. QuickBooks Online supports up to 25 users based on the plan you select.
QuickBooks Mac Plus has the usability of QBO matched with the advanced features and accounting of the other QuickBooks Desktop products. QuickBooks Mac Plus — also known as QuickBooks for Mac — is locally-installed accounting software designed specifically for Mac users. QuickBooks Premier is best for small to medium business with five users or fewer that need strong accounting and industry-specific accounting features. QuickBooks Pro is locally-installed software with highly developed features like contact and lead management, expense tracking, project management, accounts payable, invoicing, and more. It’s known for its robust features and is often preferred by businesses with complex accounting needs or those who don’t want to rely on internet connectivity.
In terms of accounting, QuickBooks Pro is one of the most developed solutions available, boasting a chart of accounts, journal entries, bank reconciliation, 130+ reports, and more. QuickBooks Desktop Pro is the software that put QuickBooks on the map. QuickBooks Solopreneur is best for freelancers, contractors, and other self-employed individuals in need of basic bookkeeping and tax support. You can easily separate personal and business expenses, which is ideal for freelancers who don’t have separate business bank accounts. QuickBooks Solopreneur’s features are designed specifically for freelancers to address needs such as estimating quarterly taxes, filing Schedule Cs, and tracking deductions. The Turbo Tax integration is one of the greatest parts of the software, making it present value of 1 table easy to file your taxes.
If a specific version of QuickBooks stood out to you, we recommend taking the software for a test run to make sure you love using it. The main differences between the versions are your computer’s operating system and your business’s size. While the numerous options seem intimidating at first, each version of QuickBooks is designed to reach a certain business size and type.
QuickBooks Self-Employed is tax software created to help freelancers manage their finances. QBO offers up to 25 full-fledged users total and an unlimited number of time-tracking-only users. QuickBooks Online offers an incredible number of features and automations.
QuickBooks Online (QBO) is a cloud-based accounting platform from Intuit. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. By providing feedback on how we can improve, you can earn gift cards and get early access to new features. FreshBooks accounting is offering 60% off of their accounting and invoicing software for six months and a 30-day free trial. This easy-to-use and feature-rich software is ideal if you have no bookkeeping experience and want top-notch customer support.
QuickBooks Enterprise is best for large businesses with up to 40 users looking for advanced accounting software. QuickBooks Desktop Pro is best for small to medium-sized businesses with three users or fewer looking for strong accounting or locally-installed software. QBO is best for small businesses looking for easy-to-use, cloud-based accounting software and strong mobile apps. QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting software that allows users to access their financial data from anywhere, at any time, using any device with an internet connection. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Solopreneur are the best for businesses wanting cloud-based software with mobile apps.