Cloud-based software operates entirely in the cloud (on the internet), whereas locally-installed software is downloaded and installed on a single, on-premise computer. If you read the overview of each QuickBooks product, you may already have an idea of which version of QuickBooks is best for your small business. These five questions will help you narrow down your search and find what you’re looking for.
Small businesses that prefer locally installed software and work with a PC. He joined NerdWallet in 2019 as a student loans writer, serving as an authority on that topic after spending more than a decade at student loan guarantor American Student Assistance. In that role, Ryan co-authored the Student Loan Ranger blog in partnership with U.S. News & World Report, as well as wrote and edited content about education financing and financial literacy for multiple online properties, e-courses and more.
Working from the cloud means you need an internet connection, so a poor signal or an intermittent connection can be an issue. Preferred rates for Desktop Payments offered to new QuickBooks Payments customers only as long as they maintain an active QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Solution Full Service Plan (FSP). If FSP account becomes inactive rates will be switched to the then current pay-as-you-go plan rates (currently 2.4% swiped/3.5% keyed). Ability to accept credit card and ACH through Intuit Payment Network may require separate application. Expert Assisted is a monthly subscription service that requires a QBO subscription and provides expert help to answer your questions related to the books that you maintain full ownership and control.
The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Most importantly, ask yourself if the benefits of Enterprise outweigh the steep costs. If Quickbooks Premier can do almost everything you need it to, it might be worth the slight downgrade in terms quickbooks software desktop of features.
You’re our first priority.Every time.
Migration is simple and we offer handy webinars and guides to help you through the process. And we’re here to help if and when you need it, with phone and chat support at no additional cost. One of the most straightforward accounting software I have used. QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Enterprise, and Mac are the best for users with existing accounting experience or who want a locally-installed option. The main differences between the versions are your computer’s operating system and your business’s size. If you don’t know much about accounting, you’ll probably want to shy away from QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise, unless you’re willing to put in the time to learn.
QuickBooks Contractor Payments
In this complete QuickBooks Comparison, we’ll explain what each program is capable of, what type of business is best for each version of QuickBooks, and the main differences between each product. We also considered our accounting expert’s input and opinion when crafting our ratings and writing our review. To generate our star rating, we weighted each of our five categories equally. Star ratings are reviewed frequently and may change at any time.
QuickBooks Mac Plus
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. 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.
Mac users that want a locally-installed accounting solution will find that QuickBooks Mac Plus offers a pretty good set of features and is optimized for use on Mac. QuickBooks Mac Plus is set up in a similar way to QuickBooks Pro or Premier but is easy to use, much like QuickBooks Online, offering users the best of both worlds. QuickBooks Premier is suitable for small to medium businesses with five or fewer users. On the other hand, QuickBooks Enterprise is designed for larger businesses that want access to more users and more features without fully upgrading to ERP software. QuickBooks Online is cloud-based software, so it offers more mobility. But what QuickBooks Pro Plus sacrifices in mobility, it more than makes up for in its features, which are more developed than what you’ll find in QuickBooks Online.
What you need to know about financial reporting
Help us to improve by providing some feedback on your experience today. As with the Silver plan, this number can vary significantly from business to business. These features are available in every QuickBooks Enterprise subscription.
To purchase QuickBooks Desktop Pro, you will need to contact QuickBooks Sales by phone. With strong accounting capabilities, impressive features, 750+ integrations, and fully-featured mobile apps, it’s no wonder QuickBooks Online is one of our top accounting recommendations. Though there are occasional navigation difficulties, QBO is incredibly easy to use overall. Desktop Enterprise customers can choose a version of Enterprise that includes a remote hosting option. Pricing for Enterprise plans with cloud hosting starts at $1,740 for one user per year.
QuickBooks offers six accounting products, but one of its online accounting plans will be the best choice for most small businesses. Freelancers and independent contractors may opt for simpler options, while larger small businesses might turn to QuickBooks products with advanced inventory, sales and reporting features. QuickBooks Desktop is more traditional accounting software that you download and install on your computer, while QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software you access through the internet.
QuickBooks Pro Plus
- Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services.
- One key reason some business owners prefer desktop-based software is to ensure they can access their financial data without an internet connection.
- See where you’re making and spending money with reports and budgeting tools to enhance profits.
- Honestly, Intuit seems to prefer for customers to use QuickBooks Online over Desktop, so the company makes switching from Desktop to Online as simple as possible.
- 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.
In terms of accounting, QuickBooks Pro is one of the most developed solutions available, boasting a chart of accounts, journal entries, bank reconciliation, 130+ reports, and more. QuickBooks Solopreneur (formerly QuickBooks Self-Employed) isn’t quite accounting software. QuickBooks Self-Employed is tax software created to help freelancers manage their finances. All QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Desktop Premiere, Mac, and Desktop Enhanced Payroll products, excluding QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, will no longer be available to new users after September 30, 2024. Existing QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, Mac, or Enhanced Payroll users will not be impacted.
For the Desktop version, you pay an annual fee starting at $1,922 per year, and the cloud-based option starts at $15 per month. Both versions have mobile apps, but the app for the Desktop version primarily functions as a way to upload receipts, and the Online mobile app is robust in comparison. QuickBooks Mac Plus — also known as QuickBooks for Mac — is locally-installed accounting software designed specifically for Mac users. QuickBooks Mac Plus has the usability of QBO matched with the advanced features and accounting of the other QuickBooks Desktop products. The software supports up to three users, although additional users incur an extra fee. Users can add cloud hosting and online data backups to their desktop subscription—for an additional fee, as per the usual with QuickBooks Desktop.
- QuickBooks Pro offers 244 integrations to choose from, QuickBooks Premier has 241 integrations, and QuickBooks Enterprise offers 247 integrations.
- As with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop users can add a QuickBooks Payroll program to their accounting subscription.
- The software can calculate taxes for you, but you (or your accountant) will need to remit the taxes and file end-of-year tax paperwork yourself.
- If you think you’ll need more advanced features in the future, it’s important to make sure you choose an option that can accommodate those needs.
- For instance, QuickBooks’ cheapest desktop-based payroll plan, Enhanced Payroll, starts at $50 a month with a $2 fee per person paid per month.
- In that role, Ryan co-authored the Student Loan Ranger blog in partnership with U.S.
This table takes a deep look into each program’s features, so you’ll know exactly what each version of QuickBooks is capable of. Comparing QuickBooks features is one of the best ways to decide which version of the software is the best fit for your business. QuickBooks Desktop Pro is the software that put QuickBooks on the map.