If you want cloud-based software, there’s QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Self-Employed. If you want locally-installed software, you can take your pick from QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, or QuickBooks Enterprise. QuickBooks Desktop Premier is the next step for medium-sized businesses. QuickBooks Premier is robust, locally-installed software with plenty of features and 200+ integrations.
While QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop offer contact management, only QuickBooks Desktop allows you to manage and track leads as well as contacts. Even though QB Desktop has more comprehensive features in general, there are some key features that only QuickBooks Online has, such as bookkeeping support. Click on the cogwheel on your company dashboard and select Spreadsheet Sync under TOOLS. Next, activate the Spreadsheet Sync add-on by clicking Let’s Go in the pop-up window. Follow the screen prompts, and you’ll be able to install Spreadsheet Sync and sign in using your login details. A notable new feature is Spreadsheet Sync, which helps you generate consolidated reports across multiple entities easily.
However, self-employed persons should consider Self-Employed—unless they have an employee, which will require an upgrade to Simple Start. QuickBooks Online Advanced now offers a fixed asset accounting feature that allows you to enter and track fixed assets, such as vehicles, buildings, and equipment. Based on the depreciation method you choose, Advanced automatically calculates the depreciation for the fixed asset and creates a depreciation schedule. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Kristy Snyder is a professional writer and editor living in Pittsburgh with over 10 years of content creation experience.
QuickBooks is one of the best accounting software for small businesses—and for good reason. It’s packed with features including expense tracking, invoicing and mileage tracking. Users of desktop versions of QuickBooks say that you’ll experience faster run times, fewer bugs, and better customer support in comparison to the online counterpart. Desktop versions of QuickBooks consistently receive higher ratings across review websites, although this could be due to the history of QuickBooks Desktop vs Online. QuickBooks Desktop is usually preferred if you are looking for industry-specific features or have more complex accounting needs. However, these versions (for the most part) have moved to a subscription-based pricing model that requires a yearly payment in order to continue using the software with included support.
Additionally, QuickBooks Premier supports up to five users, whereas QuickBooks Pro only supports a maximum of three. However, businesses with three or fewer users that plan to use only the standard version of QuickBooks Premier are better off saving their time (and money!) by signing up for QuickBooks Pro. Businesses with multiple users or that need more advanced features won’t find what they’re looking for here. QuickBooks Self-Employed is more tax software than accounting software, lacking many of the features you’d find with full-fledged cloud-based accounting software like QuickBooks Online. The right QuickBooks Online plan depends on the size of your business and the features you need. For example, Self-Employed is best for freelancers or solopreneurs, while Simple Start is ideal for small businesses wanting to track assets and liabilities.
- Having an independent software expert perform the bookkeeping is good for overall ease of use.
- With four plans, robust features and a user-friendly interface, QuickBooks Online is the ideal choice for most small businesses.
- We even consider it the best for tracking freelance income and preparing tax returns in our guide to the best accounting software for freelancers.
- In this guide, we’ll break down QuickBooks Online pricing, including plans, key features, and alternative platform costs so you can decide which option is best for you.
- It also includes more advanced customizations and inventory management features.
Still, bear in mind that with only 40 users and a focus on accounting, Enterprise is far from a total enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. Along with its higher price, QuickBooks Premier Plus has the same drawbacks as QuickBooks’ other desktop software. Most importantly, it’s definitely harder to learn and use than any QuickBooks Online product, so non-accountants will face a steep learning curve. And https://intuit-payroll.org/ while the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app is fine, that’s really all it is—fine. For general contractors who travel between job sites and need fast, on-the-go account access, a QuickBooks Online plan could suit better. While we love QuickBooks Online’s accessibility, low learning curve, and simple scalability for multiple business types and sizes, it’s one of the pricier cloud-based accounting solutions.
By providing feedback on how we can improve, you can earn gift cards and get early access to new features. We think QuickBooks Online is the best overall option for small businesses, but QuickBooks Desktop Premier is a great option for niche businesses. Overall, QuickBooks Desktop Pro reviews are more favorable, but both user bases have good and bad things to say about each product. Accountants often find QuickBooks Pro and Premier to be more traditional, but you don’t have to be an accountant or professional bookkeeper to learn QuickBooks Online.
Customer Service
Additionally, the desktop products are only available as annual subscriptions, making them a bigger commitment than QuickBooks Online. As a cloud-based accounting solution, QuickBooks Online is ideal for small businesses that need remote accounting access. And with four plans, it’s scalable for small businesses that want to add features like bill management as they expand. Includes project tracking tools in higher tier plans; has transaction tracking tags; lacks industry-specific reports; users with multiple businesses must pay for separate subscriptions.
QuickBooks Online VS QuickBooks Mac Plus
Once you decide, if you need some assistance with your QuickBooks Migration, be sure to check out our comprehensive QuickBooks Tutorial. QuickBooks Desktop wins this, offering more reporting options as well as industry-specific reports and forecasting options not offered in QuickBooks Online. It offers more integrations, as well as a much smoother integration process that allows you to access third party apps directly within QuickBooks Online without the need to sync applications or import data. Support options are fairly similar for both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, with the more expensive plans offering better support options.
In terms of features, QuickBooks Enterprise is about as close as you can get to an ERP without making the switch to full-on business management software. In addition to the strong accounting you’d expect with a QuickBooks desktop product, QuickBooks Enterprise provides invoicing, expense tracking, contact management, project management, job costing, and more. QuickBooks Enterprise also offers much better customer support than QuickBooks Pro or QuickBooks Online with its Priority Circle customer support. Quickbooks Self-Employed is an easy-to-use, cloud-based software with strong mobile apps.
What is the difference between QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online?
Now, all QuickBooks Desktop plans renew on an annual basis—you do not have the option to pay just once for three years of use. Even without those higher-level plans, you can create custom tags and run reports to show where you make and spend the most money. These features can help you organize your finances and provide insights such as cost-cutting opportunities or sales trends that you can use to improve and grow your business. QuickBooks Desktop is an annual subscription, starting at $549.99 per year, which may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses or cash-strapped startups. While the Desktop version has app integrations, it doesn’t have near as many as the Online version.
Its range of features can support very small operations as well as growing companies that need granular reporting tools to assess different areas of their business. QuickBooks Online offers more features on the go and is a better overall value than QuickBooks Desktop. If you don’t need the advanced features offered by the Desktop plan, the Online version will save you money.
Though QuickBooks Online has a handful of convenient features that can speed up your workflow and even automate some of it, the software can be complex. You’ll get the most out of it if you have some knowledge of basic accounting concepts. Whereas you might be able to use some software alternatives without explanation, it may take some time to get the hang of QuickBooks. Competitors like Xero and FreshBooks offer basic inventory tracking for less, but it isn’t as advanced. Using the Banking tab on the left side of the dashboard, you can connect your bank and credit card accounts so that QuickBooks automatically imports transactions and categorizes them for you. Later, when reconciling your books, you’ll be able to review these transactions in the For Review tab within the Banking menu.
If you want to access financial data remotely, you usually have to pay an additional fee for offsite hosting. QuickBooks Desktop plans also cost an annual fee per user, and most plans only allow for up to five users. Online software works best for small-business owners who don’t own a desktop computer, travel frequently for work, and like the flexibility of paying for a service each month instead of as the most and least expensive cars to maintain a lump annual sum. QuickBooks Online plans also allow for up to 25 users, which is more than most desktop plans allow. These ratings are meant to provide clarity in the decision-making process, but what’s best for your business will depend on its size, growth trajectory and which features you need most. We encourage you to research and compare multiple accounting software products before choosing one.
While the numerous options seem intimidating at first, each version of QuickBooks is designed to reach a certain business size and type. The type of business you run has a huge influence on which QuickBooks product is right for you. If you’re running a small business, you’ll be comparing QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Pro. Deciding which type of software works best for your business model can make your QuickBooks choice a whole lot easier.