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QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop |
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Read our editorial guidelines and advertising disclosure. While both software types have plenty of perks, QuickBooks Online is a more flexible, affordable, and scalable option for most small-business owners. However, QuickBooks Desktop can work for bigger businesses that need industry-specific software or for small businesses with limited internet access. QuickBooks Online has been part of the Intuit accounting software family for a few decades now.
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. So what can you do with your cloud-based accounting service? Since QuickBooks Online offers four cloud-based plans, it easily grows with your business.
As you hire more employees or bring on more customers, you can scale up your software to match. Only QuickBooks Online includes free access to a comprehensive version of the QuickBooks mobile accounting app, which is one of the best apps in the accounting sphere. If cost is your primary concern, we recommend looking at an accounting option other than QuickBooks. And if data analysis is an important part of growing your business, QuickBooks Desktop is a solid pick. The QuickBooks Desktop version of the mobile app is also incredibly limited in scope—you can use it to scan receipts only.
And for what it's worth, the app is very poorly reviewed by its very limited number of both iOS and Android users. In other words, Mac users can't scale up their software from one plan to the next as they add software users. The QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus plan is particularly useful for business that want industry-specific features.
In the past, customers could choose between annually renewing plans and single-purchase software with a license that stayed valid for three years. But the one-time-payment option was discontinued in If you purchased a Desktop Pro plan in , your software will still work until —but new customers who bought the software version can only choose annual subscriptions.
With QuickBooks Online, user limits are built into each plan. For instance, if you choose the Simple Start plan, you're the only person who can use the software—apart from your accountant, with whom you can share your business's account at no additional cost.
The maximum amount of users you can have with a QuickBooks Online subscription is 25 plus an accountant. If you need more users than that, you can contact QuickBooks Online's customer support to see if you can create a custom plan with custom user access.
Otherwise, you'll need QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, which supports up to 40 users. QuickBooks Self-Employed is a QuickBooks Online product for contractors and freelancers, specifically for those who do not have separate business and personal financial accounts. 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. Speaking of extra fees, QuickBooks Desktop also charges for e-commerce app integration, invoice-based payment acceptance, and online data hosting. If you choose QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, you'll also need to pay extra if you want to access customer service via live chat. Pro Plus and Premier Plus limit customer service hours to just 12 hours a day, weekdays only.
Want a more in-depth, side-by-side comparison? QuickBooks Online is cloud based, which means you can access your QuickBooks account anywhere you have the internet and an internet-enabled device. If your home or office has a slow or unpredictable internet connection, QuickBooks Desktop can ensure you can reach most of your data even if the internet goes down overnight.
You can pay extra or upgrade to a pricier plan to get data hosting through QuickBooks, which will let you access some financial information—though not all of it—on a different device. QuickBooks Online is highly user friendly with a low learning curve. The dashboard is super intuitive with large, easy-to-understand charts, and the mobile app is similarly easy to use. QuickBooks Desktop still has a place in the accounting software industry. But for most small-business owners in most industries, QuickBooks Online has better automation, better access, and a better price point.
Still not sure which accounting software to try? You can download a day trial version of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise only—both the Premier Plus and Pro Plus plans come with a day money-back guarantee, but no free trial. Alternatively, you can sign up for a free day trial with QuickBooks Online. 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. For now, no. All QuickBooks Desktop plans require an annual subscription with one key exception: QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond, the heftiest enterprise-level desktop plan, is a month-to-month subscription.
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For more information, please see our Privacy Policy Page. Learn More. Search for:. QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop. Below, we cover both of these options and how they differ.
Best for most small businesses. QuickBooks Online. Starting from. Month-to-month plans. Fully featured mobile app. Scalable plan options.
Limited reporting with cheaper plans. See Plans. Read Our Review. Best for industry-specific reports. Easier offline access. Industry-specific software options. Limited mobile access. Less flexible than cloud-based plans. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. By Kylie McQuarrie. Business Accounting Staff Writer.
August 03, Share Article. Desktop table of contents. QuickBooks Online review. QuickBooks Desktop review. Pricing comparison. Feature comparison. The takeaway. QuickBooks Online Simple Start. QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus. QuickBooks Online: Best for most small businesses.
Starts at. Flexible cloud-based software. QuickBooks Online is also preferable if you have multiple people needing access to your books. QuickBooks Desktop is preferable for companies wanting the ability to manage their books without an internet connection. QuickBooks Online is cheaper than QuickBooks Desktop if you have many employees who will be using the program.
Yes, you can. Yes, you can, but the process is a bit tedious. You need to manually export your files from QuickBooks Online by clicking on the gear icon and then selecting Export data.
If most of your accounting duties are done remotely, QuickBooks Online is the right choice. However, if you want the ability to manage your books without an internet connection or need industry-specific features, choose QuickBooks Desktop. Find Timothy On LinkedIn. He then taught tax and accounting to undergraduate and graduate students as an assistant professor at both the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Mississippi State University.
He most recently spent two years as the accountant at a commercial roofing company utilizing QuickBooks Desktop to compile financials, job cost, and run payroll.
Find Mark On LinkedIn. Mark Calatrava is an accounting expert for Fit Small Business. He has covered more than 50 accounting software for small businesses and niche industries and has developed an in-depth knowledge of the important features of accounting software and how the importance of these features vary by business.
Sign up to receive more well-researched small business articles and topics in your inbox, personalized for you. Fit Small Business content and reviews are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More. Published September 23, Table of Contents. Project accounting Mobile applications Tax support Assisted nookkeeping Payroll add-ons Third-party integrations.
Industry-specific editions and reports Unlimited companies for no additional cost Estimated vs actual project costs comparison Inventory assembly management Advanced pricing rules. It also integrates with third-party payment processors, allowing your customers to pay their invoices online. Businesses wanting cloud-based accounting: You can access QuickBooks Online from any computer or mobile device connected to the internet, making it easy to share data with your accountant.
Ecommerce businesses: QuickBooks Online integrates seamlessly with many ecommerce platforms and has a robust inventory management feature, making it our top-recommended ecommerce accounting software. Businesses with multiple users: You should consider QuickBooks Online if you need to provide more than one person access to your books, such as a tax professional or even an outside accountant. With QuickBooks Desktop, you have to pay additional fees if you need extra users.
QuickBooks Desktop is our leading multicompany accounting software. Businesses needing intensive inventory accounting: Both Online and Desktop offer inventory accounting, but QuickBooks Desktop has more in-depth inventory management tools. For instance, it allows manufacturing companies to track their products using inventory parts and assemblies. Users who prefer desktop software: If you want access to your accounting program without an internet connection, QuickBooks Desktop is more suitable for you.
Specialized industries: QuickBooks Desktop Premier includes five industry-specific editions: general contractor , manufacturing and wholesale , retail , nonprofit , and professional services.
Farmers and ranchers working with an internal bookkeeper: Farmers with in-house bookkeepers can use QuickBooks Desktop to create cost centers and track income and expenses by class and location to monitor the profitability of their farm better. QuickBooks Online.
QuickBooks Desktop homepage. Review Websites. Try QuickBooks Online before buying Desktop. Get a free day trial of QuickBooks Online. Visit QuickBooks Online No, thanks. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Feedback Yes No. Human Resources. Real Estate Agents. Real Estate Investing. Starting a Business. Your Email Address. Small and medium-sized businesses SMBs that prefer a cloud-based solution.
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