Each QuickBooks product varies based on price, features, and usability. QuickBooks Online is easier to use than the desktop versions, but QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, and Enterprise have stronger features and accounting. This QuickBooks comparison explains the differences between each version. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise has the same great accounting capabilities as Pro and Premier but allows access for up to 40 users and much more storage space. With six industry-specific versions, QuickBooks Enterprise has highly developed features to meet the needs of nearly any large business.

One user noted that it’s easy to add vendors and customers and share files with their bookkeepers, while another commented that the bank account reconciliation and invoicing features are excellent. However, some complained that QuickBooks Online can’t manage multiple companies in a single account and that it lacks enhanced inventory features, such as assembly management. Yes, QuickBooks Enterprise does have a cloud-hosted option that gives you access to the software at any time, anywhere, and with any device. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise with Hosting is a subscription-plan and incurs an additional cost on top of the standard Enterprise licensing costs.

QuickBooks Enterprise includes all features of QuickBooks Pro/Premier as well as more advanced features than what is offered in QuickBooks Online. This includes the features QuickBooks is most known for, such as financial management, sales orders, inventory cost tracking, and pricing. It also offers 13 predefined user roles, which lets you control access into the program for each employee.

Larger businesses with substantial accounting teams may want to consider the QuickBooks Advanced plan. It covers up to 25 users and provides dedicated customer support and advanced reporting features. Small businesses that are growing may want to use QuickBooks Essentials. The plan offers up to three users all the features of QuickBooks Simple Start, plus the ability to track hours worked and manage bills. A key added feature of the QuickBooks Essentials plan is the ability to manage unpaid bills and allocate billable time and expenses to a specific customer.

The Complete QuickBooks Versions Comparison Guide

In other words, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise doesn’t have enough features for international enterprises, and it doesn’t have a low enough cost to make it suitable for small and midsize businesses either. It might work well for some big businesses interested in industry-specific software and good customer service, but that’s about it. Desktop-based software programs like QuickBooks Enterprise work well for business owners with limited internet access, such as businesses that depend on metered satellite internet. Past desktop users could choose between a one-time-purchase QuickBooks Desktop software (good for three years) or an annually renewing subscription. But as of 2022, QuickBooks Desktop’s single-purchase option has been discontinued.

The majority of small businesses use QuickBooks Online over the other versions of QuickBooks. On the other hand, if you’re an accountant or someone with a great deal of accounting experience, you may like QuickBooks desktop options that use traditional accounting practices. 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 Online and QuickBooks Self-Employed are much easier options. The number of users you need will also help determine which software is best for your business.

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QuickBooks Pro only supports up to three users, and you have to pay per user. QuickBooks Online supports up to 25 users overtime pay u s. department of labor based on the plan you select. Learn more about the differences between QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Pro.

While QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop offer contact management, only QuickBooks Desktop allows you to manage and track leads as well as contacts. Kathy Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. For over a decade, she’s helped small business owners make money online. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel. Another notable difference is QuickBooks Online offers a Self-Employed version for $15 per month, which is not available with QuickBooks Desktop.

Easy Process

Launched in 2004, QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software used by over two million people. With strong accounting capabilities, impressive features, 650+ integrations, and fully-featured mobile apps, it’s no wonder this is one of our top accounting recommendations. QuickBooks Online Simple Start works well for a single-member LLC Company for it allows you to configure a chart of accounts with up to 250 accounts to meet your business needs.

QuickBooks Advanced has many bells and whistles compared to Plus, but there are no additional features that are crucial to good bookkeeping. However, it removes the limitations on the number of classes, locations, and chart of accounts, making it ideal for businesses with a growing staff. So, unless you need more than five user seats, support from a dedicated success manager, and free training to help your team members familiarize themselves with new features, then you can stick with Plus.

• Plus, QuickBooks isn’t the only accounting solution in the world—far from it.
• No, it is relatively easy to use, though corrections can be more challenging.
• QuickBooks keeps your financials organized, providing one place where you can easily manage your business and get real-time insights on how your business is doing.
• The most advanced offering in the family, QuickBooks Enterprise, is the closest thing to an ERP software that Intuit provides.

Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop offer a large number of features. While they share many of the same features, QuickBooks Desktop’s features are often more developed, except when it comes to invoicing. To get the best possible experience please use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge to view this website. Find help articles, video tutorials, and connect with other businesses in our online community. Discover BusinessLoans.com’s lender network offering up to $3M in funding, no minimum credit score required.

If you want cloud-based software, there’s QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Self-Employed. If you want locally-installed software, you can take your pick from QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, or QuickBooks Enterprise. 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. However, QuickBooks Mac Plus does noticeably lack some of the features available on QuickBooks Online, including recurring invoices and live bank feeds.

QuickBooks support

Large businesses that need access for up to 25 users will probably want to go with QuickBooks Advanced. You don’t want to use multiple accounting services or software to perform each of these tasks. With QuickBooks, you can easily manage your company’s books with one simple tool. You can upgrade to any version of QuickBooks Desktop as your needs change. However, converting your data from one desktop solution to another can be a complex process. This is a tie since both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop offer users the same support options.

QuickBooks Desktop Pro may be cheaper if you do not need additional users or add-ons such as payroll. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop operate on true double-entry accounting principles and have both accrual and cash-basis accounting. Each offers a detailed chart of accounts, journal entries, bank reconciliation, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and the basic reports needed to run a company. However, QuickBooks Desktop offers better reporting and supports more complex accounting.

Kristy Snyder is a professional writer and editor living in Pittsburgh with over 10 years of content creation experience. In addition to being a Content Editor for Clever Real Estate, she has contributed to numerous leading financial and tech websites, including Bankrate, The Simple Dollar, NextAdvisor, and more. QuickBooks Pro Plus was QuickBooks’ least expensive and least customizable desktop-based plan. As of 2023, you can still purchase QuickBooks Pro Plus, but only if you reach out directly to QuickBooks’ sales team.

In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop offers hardly any payment gateways, making it difficult for the modern merchant to accept online invoice payments easily. These versions give business owners more features and reports geared toward their industry. You can learn more in our guide to the industry-specific editions of QuickBooks Enterprise. The main difference between QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop is that QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software, and QuickBooks Desktop is locally installed. 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.