QuickBooks Desktop vs QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Desktop is often limited to the number of installations included in your chosen service tier, so you may not be able to access the service if you can’t access the specific device with the software installed. Despite the platform’s ubiquity, however, many business owners remain uncertain about the differences between QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online. Here, we’ll detail everything you should know about the two versions, including their core functions, pricing tiers, hosting location, extra features and latest updates. For both QuickBooks products, Intuit QuickBooks mobile apps are offered for Apple iOS and Google Android devices. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop users can apply for optional QuickBooks Payments processing by Intuit Merchant Services.

• QuickBooks Online offers multi-user access and automatic updates, whereas QuickBooks Desktop allows for advanced customization and industry-specific versions.
• We can’t say which product is less expensive as there are several variables.
• Katana integrates with QuickBooks Online and equips you with all the necessary tools to manage your inventory and manufacturing processes.

QuickBooks Desktop requires a one-time upfront payment, making it more cost-effective in the long run for users who don’t require regular upgrades. There’s also an option for an annual subscription which includes updates and upgrades. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop can integrate with over 650 cloud-based apps. QuickBooks Online integrates with many other software platforms, such as PayPal and Square, but these platforms do not always have desktop versions. That’s why QuickBooks maintains a list of apps for QuickBooks Desktop that you can use to determine which desktop apps you can pair with your Desktop software. This means that QuickBooks Desktop users are limited to one hosting provider — the computer on which the software is installed — or a handful of licensed computers.

QuickBooks Online vs Desktop: Pros & Cons

QuickBooks Online files are also easier to share because you only need to invite a ProAdvisor to your company file, and they’ll have 24/7 access to your books. Meanwhile, QuickBooks Premier has three payroll options with prices that start at $50 per month plus $5 per employee. If you want to save yourself from the hassle of filing and paying taxes, you may upgrade to QuickBooks Desktop Assisted Payroll for $109 per month, plus $2 per employee. If you’re interested in QuickBooks Online, you should check out our QuickBooks Online versions comparison to help you decide which is best for you. If you prefer QuickBooks Desktop, read our comparison of QuickBooks Desktop products to help you pick the right solution.

However, if things like integration and cloud access are important to you, QuickBooks Online may be the way to go. Once you decide, if you need some assistance with your QuickBooks Migration, be sure to check out our comprehensive QuickBooks Tutorial. QuickBooks Desktop wins this, offering more reporting options as well as industry-specific reports and forecasting options not offered in QuickBooks Online. It offers more integrations, as well as a much smoother integration process that allows you to access third party apps directly within QuickBooks Online without the need to sync applications or import data.

Areas Where Desktop Outscores Online?

QuickBooks is an accounting software used to record transactions like expenditure revenue, current liability, and capital for running a smooth business. It can also be used for taxation purposes that come at the end of the financial year. At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don’t guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services. In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop’s interface was built with accountants in mind.

Users get several great features in QuickBooks online using the mobility option of a cloud-based system. QuickBooks Online is simple to use, have more integrations, automation, best invoicing, and core built-in lending feature. The additional user license for QuickBooks Desktop Pro cost is $299 which seems slightly expensive. QuickBooks Desktop Premier permits five users & QB enterprise users to allow 40 users. QuickBooks has confirmed that they will discontinue support for QuickBooks Desktop 2020 on the 31st of May 2023 as they focus on their online platform. This means that from June 1st, 2023, you won’t have access to any add-on services, nor will you receive any updates.

QuickBooks Online vs QuickBooks Pro 2022 Pricing

Dancing Numbers helps small businesses, entrepreneurs, and CPAs to do smart transferring of data to and from QuickBooks Desktop. Utilize import, export, and delete services of Dancing Numbers software. Katana integrates with QuickBooks Online and equips you with all the necessary tools to manage your inventory and manufacturing processes.

It becomes a very challenging task of selecting one account system from the same company. If you are wondering to know which accounting system product to choose The below write-up will help you in understanding the major difference between QuickBooks online VS Desktop. You can easily compare each product according to user experience, reputation, pricing, features, and much more. QuickBooks Online has four plans with a monthly subscription, and the total number of users depends on your plan.

Why QuickBooks Online is a better choice

His main areas of expertise are blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, and the use of biometrics in fintech solutions. His work has been frequently quoted by such publications as Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, and LA Times. With more than 1,800 solutions scrutinized in the last 5 years spent on our team he always prioritized offering readers an unbiased perspective filing taxes for on-demand food delivery drivers on modern financial technologies. We provide you support through different channels (Email/Chat/Phone) for your issues, doubts, and queries. We are always available to resolve your issues related to Sales, Technical Queries/Issues, and ON boarding questions in real-time. You can even get the benefits of anytime availability of Premium support for all your issues.

Pro Plus and Premier Plus limit customer service hours to just 12 hours a day, weekdays only. 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. However, if you’re not a Mac user, you can choose from all three QuickBooks Desktop  plans. The QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus plan is particularly useful for business that want industry-specific features.

QuickBooks Pro 2023 must be purchased through a reseller or a phone call with QuickBooks Sales. Our complete QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop comparison covers key differences, pricing, features, and usability, so you can easily decide whether QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop is right for your business. You must purchase additional licenses if you want to access it on multiple computers. While you can add cloud access to QuickBooks Enterprise, it involves an additional fee. Offers four plans to accommodate a range of businesses with different needs; each plan limits the number of users, though.

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. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships. QuickBooks Online has a cheaper monthly cost and is more affordable if you have a lot of employees who will be using the software.

QuickBooks Online is cheaper than QuickBooks Desktop if you have many employees who’ll be using the program. For instance, QuickBooks Online Plus only costs $85 per month for up to five users as opposed to Desktop’s Premier, which costs $799 for only one user. QuickBooks Desktop offers a multitude of ways to navigate, but the easiest way for beginners is through the home page. Vendor, customer, or employee details can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate tab, while transactions can be initiated by clicking on the corresponding icon. QuickBooks Online is generally easier to use than QuickBooks Desktop as it has a more streamlined user interface.

Move your accounting to the cloud for greater flexibility and real-time collaboration. You can switch from QuickBooks Online to Desktop, and many users who are used to traditional accounting and working with QuickBooks tend to do so after giving QBO a try. At the time of this writing, QuickBooks has noted that it has no plans on sunsetting the QuickBooks Desktop software. Overall, QuickBooks Pro reviews are more favorable, but both user bases have good and bad things to say about each product.