QuickBooks Cloud combines desktop control with hosting provider support, including security and updates, reducing maintenance work. These versions are well-suited for companies in industries like manufacturing, retail, and construction that need specialized tools. One-time or annual license fee; can incur additional costs for backups and IT maintenance. Limited to the local device unless cloud-hosted; best for on-premise teams.
QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop: Which QuickBooks Accounting Solution is Right for Your Business?
QuickBooks might encourage its users to switch from QuickBooks Desktop to Online, but it hasn’t issued any statements about discontinuing Desktop entirely. You can, however, switch your business’s account from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online without losing your data. 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.
Key Features of QuickBooks Desktop
Many businesses use it for bookkeeping, inventory management, payroll, and other financial tasks. QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based software optimized for small businesses. This version also gives you the flexibility to integrate features that cater to unique business types, including additional time tracking functionalities and advanced inventory modules. Assessing these factors, budget constraints, and future scalability will help businesses determine the most suitable choice for their accounting software needs. QuickBooks Desktop users need to consider different plans based on subscription terms, user numbers, and cloud access options, which can add complexity to the pricing structure.
The two products also provide similar customer support options, including email, chat, and phone support, video tutorials, and on-demand webinars.While both solutions offer an excellent selection of features, QuickBooks Desktop has more extensive elements. Many seasoned accountants and bookkeepers may be more accustomed to this “traditional” version of QuickBooks that needs to be installed on your computer. It began as a “light” counterpart of QuickBooks Desktop but quickly evolved into a sophisticated version in itself.Mobility and ease of use are the primary focus of the online edition. On the left you can see the market penetration of both products in the small business segment. The features of Enterprise are more robust and customizable.
Has QuickBooks Desktop been discontinued?
We’ll dive into what features you can expect from each piece of software, the differences between them, and how to make your ultimate decision! Julie Watson loves helping businesses navigate their technology needs by breaking complex concepts into clear, practical solutions. The decision between QuickBooks Cloud and QuickBooks Desktop depends on accessibility requirements, mobility, customization needs, collaboration, data security, and industry-specific functionality.
When you might choose QuickBooks Desktop instead
There comes a time in every business when you have to find better ways of doing things. With real-time insights, seamless integrations, and detailed tracking of your profitability and inventory, you can stay ahead of the game. Weighing these differences against your needs will ensure you select the best QuickBooks version for your business. QuickBooks Desktop is the way to go if you need advanced inventory features, especially the QuickBooks Enterprise solutions. Some businesses prefer to have their company file directly on their computers, so the Desktop option is still available for those who want it. QuickBooks Desktop still exists as a vital piece of desktop software.
QuickBooks Online is cloud based, which means you can access your QuickBooks account anywhere you have the internet and an internet-enabled device. We also don’t recommend QuickBooks Desktop to Mac 6.3 comparing absorption and variable costing users, since there’s just one desktop-based plan for Mac users. Since QuickBooks Online offers four cloud-based plans, it easily grows with your business. Migrating from QuickBooks Desktop to a cloud-based solution can bring your business significant benefits, including improved accessibility, enhanced collaboration, and automatic backups. QuickBooks Cloud, also known as cloud-hosted QuickBooks Desktop, allows businesses to run the powerful QuickBooks Desktop software on the cloud through a hosting provider.
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Offers a wide range of features, from invoicing and expense tracking to reporting and inventory management
- Your information will only be used to share relevant updates and offers.
- Intuit has partnered with Webgility, an ecommerce accounting solution, to help small and medium-sized businesses save time, ensure accuracy, and make data-driven decisions to boost growth.
- All data from every transaction, fee or sale accurately in QuickBooks or Xero
QuickBooks Online isn’t simply the QuickBooks Desktop version hosted online. Be sure to compare different QuickBooks Online plans and what each one offers to ensure it’s the right fit. The choice of QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop price-wise often comes down to how much you value automatic updates and the complexity of your accounting needs. These days, Intuit shifts towards subscriptions even for the Desktop version.
- This plan, QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, has the same features as QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, the most basic desktop-based plan.
- Intuit’s migration tool lets you move your company file from any version of Desktop to Online, with the option to transfer all or selected data.
- QuickBooks is a suite of accounting software developed and marketed by Intuit, designed for small and medium-sized businesses to handle their financial management and automate accounting operations.
On functionality, Quickbooks Enterprise will win every time. Every QuickBooks Enterprise user will have a dedicated Customer Service Manager who will be your point-person at Intuit for support concerns. For the U.S.-based reps they do have, they are often newer employees and rookies. One of the best features about QuickBooks Online is the ability to send invoices from your phone. This advanced inventory capability benefits companies that need industry- or specific editions to handle complex stock workflows.
Products
A reputable QuickBooks provider backs up data on several data centers while setting up your QuickBooks Cloud solution. This way, you can concentrate on your accounting tasks rather than addressing the IT infrastructure. They take care of the IT infrastructure while solely focusing on managing the end-point devices for accessing QuickBooks. However, with QuickBooks hosting, all the IT maintenance is provided by your cloud provider.
QuickBooks Online plans
It’s designed to foster collaboration between multiple users, facilitating multi-user access to accounting data. It’s ideal for businesses that can do without the what is unit of accounting expensive annual subscription and additional fee per user.However, if you only have one user and require locally installed software with advanced functionality, QuickBooks Desktop is the better candidate. It also has a mobile app that works on both iOS and Android devices.While QuickBooks Desktop is restricted to the number of installations included in your selected service tier, you may use a hosting provider to access your desktop software from a cloud server. QuickBooks Online offers several features that are not available in the desktop version. Both are widely used and a massive step up from the 18% of small business owners who use no accounting software.
QuickBooks Cloud refers to the online version of the software that is hosted on remote servers and accessed through a web browser. Many businesses have used it traditionally for the past few years through on-premises desktops. Some user reviews aren’t favorable for the mobile app, which offers limited features. CPAs and bookkeepers use QuickBooks Online Accountant software to access or prepare their clients’ accounting.
QuickBooks Online is chock-full of accounting features that make it incredibly easy to use, even for non-accountants.QuickBooks Online is an affordable, flexible, and scalable option for small to mid-sized businesses that prefer a cloud-based accounting solution. QuickBooks Online is the cloud-based, mobile-friendly version of the popular accounting software. When comparing Intuit’s two most popular products, QuickBooks Online vs Desktop, you’ll discover that both are outstanding business accounting software systems with powerful features.The main distinction between the two products is their accessibility and pricing. QuickBooks has expanded its offerings to include cloud-based and desktop versions, providing users with different options to meet their needs. QuickBooks Online is the cloud-based, online version of accounting software provided through a monthly subscription pricing plan.
QuickBooks Online can be a great option for small businesses and companies with only a few employees. Because QuickBooks Online is a SaaS product, that means you have access anywhere, anytime, including on your phone. It is available for up to 5 users at a monthly or annual cost. Many businesses, particularly those who deal with personally identifiable information (PII), prefer this extra layer of security. Many users find these robust reports especially beneficial when managing accounts payable tasks. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is, in our opinion, the most powerful financial software on the market at its price point.
Accounting & ERP Software
And let’s not forget offline accessibility for the times your ISP decides to ruin your Monday. The side menu categorizes features for easy access, for example, aggregating sections for employees, their taxes, and compliance details under the Payroll category. There’s also a feature that facilitates inviting your accountant to the platform, so they can have direct access to your data. Each user has their bookkeeping andaccounting service for funeral homes own login credentials, which can be customized to limit access to sensitive information.
Intuit has partnered with Webgility, an ecommerce accounting solution, to help small and medium-sized businesses save time, ensure accuracy, and make data-driven decisions to boost growth. Every business has unique needs and demands that make one accounting software version a better fit than the other. QuickBooks Online offers four monthly plans for businesses, each with a specified number of users. With a username and password, you can log in and access your data and files remotely anytime — just like you would from a local desktop.It’s also worth noting that QuickBooks Desktop is only available on Windows computers.
It’s perfect for those who’d rather let automation handle the busywork—bank feeds, recurring invoices and sales tax—while they focus on the business itself. If you’re running a boutique, a growing online shop or managing invoices between soccer drop-offs, this version fits easily into real life. QuickBooks Online suits business owners who live on their phones as much as their laptops.
We’ll email you 1-3 times per week—and never share your information. QuickBooks Online is much more user-friendly and tutorial-heavy. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop are designed to handle a small business’s bandwidth and needs. This ongoing development suggests that QuickBooks Online may eventually become the only option—the Desktop version hasn’t had a facelift for quite a while. Slow, local, and comprehensive, or fast, modern, and so user-friendly it might as well create your account for you? QuickBooks Online feels like the solution for the modern business owner who needs to do a lot of things very fast and on the go.