The Pros & Cons of QuickBooks Online vs Desktop

Find help articles, video tutorials, and connect with other businesses in our online community. There are two versions of QuickBooks Desktop (Premier Plus and Enterprise) and four versions of QuickBooks Online (Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced). Keep in mind that if you do decide to have QuickBooks Desktop hosted, there will be an additional fee. As an added convenience, if you outgrow your current edition of QuickBooks Online, upgrade to a more powerful plan in minutes. QuickBooks Desktop’s user interface is very different from QuickBooks Online, offering navigation using a flowchart style menu.

QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop: Support

Going completely cloud-based comes with marginally higher security risks. While QuickBooks Online total manufacturing cost does offer security features like multi-factor authorization and encrypted data storage, it’s accessible by anyone with employee login credentials and an internet connection. QuickBooks Desktop has a more dated user interface than some cloud-based products and requires prior accounting knowledge to get the most out of the product. Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice.

While people may assume that QuickBooks Online is simply the cloud version of QuickBooks Desktop, in reality, the two products are very different. However, if you own a big business, prefer locally stored software, or want industry-specific reports, QuickBooks Desktop could be a better fit for your business. In contrast, QuickBooks Enterprise is sold in user-based increments. Different software packages include licenses for 1 to 10 users, up to 20 users, up to 30 users, and up to 40 users. QuickBooks Online’s month-to-month subscription service starts at $30 a month (totaling $360 a year). Or, to save money, you can try QuickBooks’ typical offer of 50% off for three months (though choosing the discount waives your free trial).

However, QuickBooks Online offers over 750 integrations to QuickBooks Pro’s 260+ integrations. Both include the basic reports you’d expect to find with accounting software, such as a balance sheet, a Profit & Loss report, a cash flow statement, etc. We recommend crunching the numbers to decide whether the online or desktop versions of QuickBooks are right for your specific business.

Can you buy QuickBooks Enterprise without a subscription?

Notably, only QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise includes 24/7 customer service. Pro Plus and Premier Plus limit customer service hours to just 12 hours a day, weekdays only. QuickBooks Desktop is an annual subscription, starting at $549.99 per year, which may be cost-prohibitive for small businesses or cash-strapped startups.

Bookkeeping and accounting software

1. To find out what we thought about it, please check out our review of QuickBooks Online 2024.
2. These include the ability to track raw materials and finished products and automate order management, among other functions.
3. QuickBooks Online offers upgrade options and integrates with many add-on third-party apps to increase functionality.
4. Fortunately, a mobile app is now available with the introduction of QuickBooks Desktop 2022.

It starts at $30 a month and includes basic features only, such as mileage tracking and invoicing. However, if you’re not a Mac user, you can choose from all three QuickBooks Desktop  plans. The QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus plan is particularly useful for business that understanding periodic vs. perpetual inventory want industry-specific features.

Our complete QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop comparison covers key differences, pricing, features, and usability, so you can easily decide whether QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop is right for your business. It has less of a learning curve than QuickBooks Desktop and comes with a much more simplified dashboard that’s easy to navigate. Some accountants dislike QuickBooks Online’s limited functionality, limited report customization, and dependency on the internet. Seeing as it’s a program installed on your local system, it relies on the device’s processing power and resources. With larger datasets or complex operations, QuickBooks Desktop might utilize more local processing power compared to the online version. Zapier is a no-code automation tool that lets you connect your apps into automated workflows, so that every person and every business can move forward at growth speed.

QuickBooks Desktop, on the other hand, is a good option for businesses that prefer desktop software, need its advanced inventory tracking and reporting tools, or are looking for an industry-specific solution. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop users can apply for optional QuickBooks Payments processing by Intuit Merchant Services. IMS charges transaction fees and other fees for accepting customer credit card, debit card, online invoice, and ACH payments. The sellers receive customer payments in their designated merchant bank account. In addition, the Premier and Enterprise multiple step vs single step income statement plans offer more than 150 reports, with industry-specific reporting options available.

Here, we’ll detail everything you should know about the two versions, including their core functions, pricing tiers, hosting location, extra features and latest updates. We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. QuickBooks Desktop wins this head-to-head competition, with better reporting, industry-specific features, a better price structure, and more comprehensive features.

You can easily connect to any third-party app from within the application, saving you a ton of time in the process. Depending on your business, the ability to integrate with other applications may be convenient, while for others, it can be a necessity. QuickBooks Online includes numerous learning and support resources. A variety of short video tutorials are available as well as on-demand webinars and training classes.