Pros and Cons of QuickBooks Online vs QuickBooks Desktop

The monthly fees start at $20/month for the most basic plan, Simple Start, and going up to $60/month for the Plus version. The features of each plan differ in terms of users allowed, time tracking, managing bills, and tracking inventory. All plans conveniently include receipt capture, 24/7 support, and integration with other apps.

And to get the latest features, you must upgrade your copy of the software once a year. QuickBooks is discontinuing older versions of QuickBooks Desktop, as recently as the sun setting access to QuickBooks Desktop 2019 this May.

You Need Industry-Specific Features

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. That’s the process of creating invoices and receiving payments in QuickBooks Desktop. Instead, I’d like you to show the differences between the interfaces of the two versions of the software. The most obvious difference between QuickBooks Online and Desktop is the pricing scheme. As Quickbooks Desktop Vs Online we’ve mentioned above, the Online version works on a monthly subscription, while the Desktop edition has an annual fee. Thanks to a cloud architecture, businesses can work their numbers anywhere in the world using any device of their choice. It’s also chock full of automation features that make it an exceptionally easy package to use, even for non-accountants.

ADP vs. Square Payroll 2023 Square Payroll is one of the most affordable payroll options for small businesses. 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. In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop’s interface was built with accountants in mind. Instead of showing clear images of your cash balance, outstanding invoices, and upcoming bills like the QuickBooks Online dash, the desktop version’s dash is a flowing series of connected folders and files.

When you might choose QuickBooks Desktop instead

QuickBooks Desktop is also a good fit for niche businesses such as nonprofit organizations, retailers, and general contractors looking for a more industry-specific solution. QuickBooks Online offers over 80 reports depending on your plan, whereas QuickBooks Desktop Pro has over 130 reports. QuickBooks Desktop Premier and Quickbooks Desktop Enterprise have even more reports (especially if you opt for the industry-specific versions of these programs). Four pricing plans for QuickBooks Online are available, ranging from $30 to $200/month (with an additional $45+/month for payroll). Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances.

• Compensation may impact the order of which offers appear on page, but our editorial opinions and ratings are not influenced by compensation.
• While both QuickBooks Online and Desktop are supported by a large network of ProAdvisors, it’s much easier to share your books with your ProAdvisor using QuickBooks Online.
• It’s also much more flexible with over 240 integrations, thus allowing you to fit it much more seamlessly with your business’s workflow.
• 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.
• So, any info you enter into the QuickBooks Online desktop app will sync with your cloud-based QuickBooks platform if your computer is connected to the internet.
• You must purchase additional licenses if you want to access it on multiple computers.

Besides QuickBooks Online, Katana also integrates with a ton of other business tools, giving you a unified experience to manage your business. In the meantime, if you’re currently using QuickBooks Desktop, it’s worth considering transitioning to the online version as soon as possible. Taking a look at review sites, you’ll notice that both platforms have a reasonably good average rating. Looking at the mean score for the top 4 review sites, QuickBooks Desktop has a score of 4.3 and QuickBooks Online 4.15. But let’s take a look at QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop pros and cons. Both platforms offer a free 30-day trial that you can use to get familiar with the software before paying. Now that we’ve gone over the main differences in features, let’s see the cost of QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop.

QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop 2023

Each function includes respective icons that allow you to access and perform certain transactions easily, such as Enter Bills for vendors, Create Invoices for customers, and Enter Time for employees. As summarized in our case study chart above, https://business-accounting.net/ there are some significant differences between QuickBooks Online and Desktop. QuickBooks Desktop wins this head-to-head competition, with better reporting, industry-specific features, a better price structure, and more comprehensive features.

In addition, the Premier and Enterprise plans offer more than 150 reports, with industry-specific reporting options available. Finally, if your business has made commendable strides, and has 20 to 250 employees, we recommend using QuickBooks Enterprise. It’s good to note that Intuit stops providing updates and support for a particular QuickBooks desktop edition after three years. When a version becomes obsolete, you can use it to execute basic tasks like entering banking transactions, but you’ll get no more technical support or automatic software updates. Besides, the edition will be incapacitated, and some features such as payment processing and payroll management will no longer be available. It’s a robust solution that supports more users than the QuickBooks Pro. The application makes it easy for users to pay bills, print checks, and track their expenses.