Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships. QuickBooks Online offers over 80 reports depending on your plan, whereas QuickBooks Desktop Pro has over 130 reports. QuickBooks Desktop Premier and Quickbooks Desktop Enterprise have even more reports (especially if you opt for the industry-specific versions of these programs). Four pricing plans for QuickBooks Online are available, ranging from $30 to $200/month (with an additional $45+/month for payroll).
QuickBooks Online is user-friendly, but it requires some prior accounting knowledge to get the most out of it. Katherine Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel. Another notable difference is QuickBooks Online offers a Self-Employed version for $15 per month, which is not available with QuickBooks Desktop. With QuickBooks Desktop, you must make an Accountant’s Copy of your data file and send it to your ProAdvisor.
What is QuickBooks?
Getting assistance with your Desktop bookkeeping is difficult since you must save an Accountant’s Copy of your company file and send it to your ProAdvisor. While QuickBooks Online offers many integrated apps, we believe there are only a few that stand out. Explore our list of the best QuickBooks Online integrations for different business purposes. The QuickBooks Desktop mobile app is very limited as it only allows you to capture expense receipts. If you want to perform bookkeeping from anywhere, we strongly recommend QuickBooks Online’s mobile app. QuickBooks Online allows you to track your activity, such as income and expenses, by class and location.
One user is happy that they can set up different reports so that they can see what and who needs to be paid easily. Those who have left negative reviews dislike that it doesn’t offer many third-party integration options. What if I have two online accounts for the same company using two different email addresses? Given that I’ve read that desktop versions will no longer be supported in 2024 I was wondering if it would be better to have 2 online accounts until I have successfully secured all of our data onto a safe drive. Ultimately, it’s all about getting the job done right and on time while ensuring your costs are tracked accurately, whether on a per-job, per-employee, or per-period basis. QuickBooks can help – but it does best when properly integrated with apps that offer functionality QuickBooks lacks – like time tracking with Workyard.
Which Is Right for Your Business?
On the other hand, QuickBooks Desktop is known for its robust and comprehensive features. It outperforms the Online version when it comes to advanced job costing, batch invoicing, and industry-specific features. According to research reports from Gartner and Forrester, QuickBooks Desktop often scores higher than QuickBooks Online in terms of functionality. Leave paper-based and legacy solutions like Excel behind for good, along with the accompanying headaches. Capture and store all your data in the cloud, for real-time, role-based access that boosts efficiency and productivity, in the office or on the go. Between upgrades and apps, there’s no shortage of options available with either version of QuickBooks.
Conversely, many classic QuickBooks Desktop tools can’t be found in the online version. QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Pro Plus and Premier are no longer sold, although unsold copies may still be available at authorized vendors for a limited time. QuickBooks is encouraging all existing Desktop clients to migrate to QuickBooks Online as soon as possible.
QuickBooks Online VS Desktop: Pricing
Based on feedback I have received from clients, the other benefits of Plus do not warrant the additional cost. DIY clients often find that hiring a professional bookkeeper for on-demand support is a better use of their time and money than the 24/7 support desk. By not purchasing the Plus edition of the software, you lose the automatic backups, but those can be easily handled by yourself. These versions are further differentiated by how you purchase the product.
- More specifically it discussed the key differences between QuickBooks Online vs Desktop.
- In conclusion, the choice between QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop comes down to individual business needs.
- Local installations are billed annually, while hosted solutions are billed monthly.
- QuickBooks Online plan comes with a set number of users included in your subscription, and all users can access the program at the same time.
As QuickBooks Online is cloud-based and does not require installation, it easily wins when it comes to simplicity of use. QuickBooks Desktop, on the other hand, can be downloaded and installed on a single computer in a matter of minutes. Installing QuickBooks Desktop on multiple computers is a little more complicated since each computer will require 1099 tax calculator 2021 access to the company data file. QuickBooks is a tried-and-true Accounting application with several features. QuickBooks gives you a 360-degree picture of your Sales, broken down by customer, product, project, and location. QuickBooks allows you to quickly generate and deliver customized, professional invoices, Sales receipts, and estimates.
QuickBooks Online: Additional features
You may either pay $299.99 for a yearly customer care package or upgrade to Pro Plus or Premier Plus if you want technical support. In contrast, QuickBooks Online users can contact customer service by phone or online easily. As your business expands, you can easily upgrade to any of the QuickBooks Online options. You can also enhance your functionality by using other Intuit products like QuickBooks Time or QuickBooks Point of Sale.
Since QuickBooks Online is browser-based, not desktop-based, you can log on to your Quickbooks Online account from any web-enabled device with a sturdy internet connection. However, most users still view Quickbooks Desktop favorably, and the product receives high marks on most customer review sites. The software receives 4.4/5 (based on 1,800+ reviews) on Software Advice and 4.3/5 (based on 1,700+ reviews) on G2. QuickBooks Pro is praised for its strong accounting, ample features, reliability, and reporting. This is a tie since both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop offer users the same support options. Both applications can have long wait times to access telephone support, but you’ll likely get a better response if you purchase QuickBooks Online Advanced or QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, as both offer 24/7 support.
Negative Reviews of QuickBooks Online on Software Advice:
When subscribing to a QuickBooks Online plan, you can elect to purchase add-on services and enhancements to better suit your needs, found at The software-only QBDT versions are fully functional and useful at the time you purchase them. However features present in editions older than three years are subject to planned obsolescence, removal, and discontinuation to “incentivize” you to purchase a new release.