QuickBooks Desktop is a good choice if you need specialized features such as inventory tracking or forecasting, and you don’t mind paying more for them. For $1,410 per year, get the Enterprise plan with advanced pricing, reporting and inventory. The higher your plan tier, the more reports and users you can add, although it’s important to understand concurrent users are each sold separately. The two versions are independent of each other, which means the data you enter on Desktop doesn’t sync to the Online version and vice-versa. This is one area where QuickBooks Online outperforms the desktop version.
- In some way, shape, or form, QuickBooks has been one of the leading small business accounting software solutions since it’s inception.
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- Each of these options includes a free, 30-day trial and unlimited live support.
- Typically the features found within QuickBooks Online will be more basic or well-rounded, meaning it’s better suited for a wide range of businesses.
- However, we found notable differences in various features, discussed in the sections below.
- You can check out the complete list of affected services on the QuickBooks website.
As you consider whether QuickBooks Desktop vs. QuickBooks Online is better for your accounting needs, keep in mind that QuickBooks Online is the more recent, up-to-date, and constantly evolving product. It has faster load times and quicker response rates, all while requiring minimal local processing power. 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. You can (almost) always trust your local access, and QuickBooks Desktop reinforces that by keeping your accounting data on your local drive or network.
In this case, your business could benefit from the rich selection of features included in QBD. Whether your home-service business is just getting off the ground or if you’ve been operating for years, a proper accounting system is essential to ensuring the fitness of your finances. By using the right tool to monitor llc capital contribution agreement your company’s money, you can quickly track your income, see what you’re spending, and find out whether your customers are paying their bills on time. And although the modern software marketplace is overrun with accounting programs, when it comes to small businesses, there is perhaps no bigger name than QuickBooks.
Inventory Management (Winner: QuickBooks Desktop)
Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro and Premier have notoriously poor customer support (QuickBooks Enterprise support has better priority support). Granted, you don’t have to be an accountant to learn QuickBooks Desktop either, but if you are new to accounting, you will need a lot of time to learn the program. With QuickBooks Desktop, you can set recurring invoices, send payment reminders, send batch invoices, and track invoices, but you’ll miss out on many of the other modern, cloud-based automations that QBO provides. QuickBooks Pro is geared toward small to medium businesses and starts at $41/month for a single user.
I recommend saving a backup of your QuickBooks Desktop company file in case of any issues. While most information transfers well to QBO, not all of your information will convert from Desktop. We think QuickBooks Online is the best overall option for small businesses, but QuickBooks Desktop Premier is a great option for niche businesses.
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QuickBooks Online follows a monthly subscription model, making it more affordable for businesses with limited upfront budgets. QuickBooks Desktop requires a one-time purchase, but long-term costs may be higher due to upgrade expenses. Cost considerations depend on individual business needs and preferences. QuickBooks Desktop is preferable when advanced customization, industry-specific versions, or offline access are required.
QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop: Pricing
Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop applications offer a good selection of features, though QuickBooks Desktop features tend to be more comprehensive. For an extra $50, sign up for a one-time live Bookkeeping setup with any of its plans. In this guide, you’ll understand how and why to create a construction budget. Plus, learn how to avoid common budgeting mistakes and stay on track with construction budget software. Construction projects are expensive, and labor is typically the largest and hardest cost to estimate. We’re going to show you a few ways to evaluate your construction labor costs and improve estimating — without getting bogged down with the numbers.
See why businesses are switching from Desktop to QuickBooks Online
If you need personalized customer support, you can upgrade to QuickBooks Online Advanced or QuickBooks Enterprise. Doing so grants you access to the Priority Circle loyalty program, including a dedicated account team, free on-demand training, and premium care from QuickBooks experts. If you have employees, you can add QuickBooks Payroll to your QuickBooks Online account for as little as $45 per month plus $5 per employee. QuickBooks Payroll allows you to pay your employees by checks or direct deposits, e-file and e-pay taxes, print and e-file W-2 Forms at year-end, and more. Head to our detailed QuickBooks Payroll review to see if it fits the bill.
QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop: Reporting options
All you need is your account information, and you can access your QuickBooks details on any device with an internet connection. On the left you can see the market penetration of both products in the small business segment. Both are widely used and a massive step up from the 18% of small business owners who use no accounting software. QuickBooks Online has the edge in accessibility but Enterprise has more features. QuickBooks Enterprise comes with 150+ out-of-the-box reports, including industry specific reports for the Contractor, Non-Profit, and Manufacturing Editions. With this software you can also easily build add-on and custom reports to drill deeper into your business.
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. One of the biggest differences here is that QuickBooks Online now offers a bookkeeping service called QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping, where you can pay for professional support from certified QBO accountants and CPAs. For small business owners new to the accounting scene, this service may bring much-needed peace of mind when managing your books and filing small business taxes. QuickBooks Enterprise is designed for large businesses or small enterprises and starts at $1,410/year.