QuickBooks Desktop also offers easy integration with QuickBooks Payments so you can accept online payments from customers. QuickBooks Desktop is designed for small to mid-size businesses that are looking for the reliability of a desktop software solution. QuickBooks Desktop is also a good fit for https://www.kelleysbookkeeping.com/author/ron-pearson/ niche businesses such as nonprofit organizations, retailers, and general contractors looking for a more industry-specific solution. Ultimately, your specific business’s size, type, and needs are the real deciding factors in determining which of the QuickBooks versions is best for your business.

QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop pricing

And if you manage your business from multiple locations, you’ll want QuickBooks Online over Desktop. Only QuickBooks Online includes free access to a comprehensive version of the QuickBooks mobile accounting app, which is one of the best apps in the accounting sphere. Launched back in 1992, QuickBooks Desktop Pro is the software that put QuickBooks on the map. QuickBooks Pro Plus is one of the four desktop applications QuickBooks offers. QuickBooks Pro is locally-installed software with highly developed features like contact and lead management, expense tracking, project management, accounts payable, invoicing, and more.

QuickBooks Online vs. Desktop: Which Is Right for Your Business?

We’ll also walk you through what questions to ask so that you can pinpoint the perfect QuickBooks software for your business and choose the right QuickBooks accounting solution with confidence. If you can’t decide if QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or another QuickBooks version is right for your business, this guide is for you. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop share the same basic functionality of organizing your accounting processes and automating much of the manual data entry work. I’ve deduced that it comes down to a stubborn user base—one that refuses to let go of QuickBooks Desktop in favor of its cloud-based successor. Granted, most people agree QuickBooks Online is the better option, but the old-timer is still somehow in the running.

Best for Established Businesses

Based on how much you expect your small business to grow, keep an eye on scalability, too. Accounting software helps you track how money moves in and out of your small business. The best accounting software makes it easy to keep a detailed financial record so that you’re ready come tax season. It also includes tools for streamlining accounting tasks, like the invoice process, and gaining insight into your business’s financial health.

What happens if I don’t renew my QuickBooks Desktop subscription?

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. QuickBooks might encourage its users to switch from QuickBooks Desktop to Online, but it hasn’t issued any statements about discontinuing Desktop gross sales vs net sales: whats the difference entirely. But based on the tech industry’s growing emphasis on cloud storage over local storage, it’s hard to imagine that downloadable programs like QuickBooks Desktop will still be relevant a decade down the road. 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.

1. Before joining NerdWallet in 2020, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content and specializing in business financing.
2. You may consider switching to QuickBooks Online if you want a cloud-based solution with several affordable plans and an easy-to-use interface.
3. A/P features include creating vendors and bills, recording purchase orders and converting them to bills, creating service items, and recording full or partial bill payments.
4. Intuit may terminate these terms or the Revenue Share Program or modify the terms of the Revenue Share Program for any reason and at any time, at Intuit’s sole discretion, without notice.
5. Our editorial team independently evaluates and recommends products and services based on their research and expertise.

Class & Location Tracking: QuickBooks Online Wins

It’s important to note that QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online are two separate products, and data in the two versions do not automatically sync. A company should work with either QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online to avoid data discrepancies. After that date, you won’t be able to access QuickBooks add-on services like Online Banking, Online Backup, Live Support and QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Services from any version of the desktop software.

How features differ between QBDT and QBO tend to be in looks, functionality, and comprehensiveness. Thanks to the cloud, you can also access QBO from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet. This means you can check in and manage your books from anywhere in the world, whether you’re relaxing on a beach in The Bahamas or enjoying a hot chocolate at a ski lodge.

We also evaluated whether an electronic bill pay integration was available. This requires the software to allow users transitioning from other bookkeeping software to import their chart of accounts (COA), vendors, customers, service items, and inventory items. Ideally, there will be a wizard to walk the user through the import process. The software must have features that allow users to set sales tax rates, apply them to invoices, and enable users to pay sales tax liability.

QuickBooks is the platform most used by professional accountants so if you plan to work with an accountant, they will likely be very familiar with the platform, its features and capabilities. Since QuickBooks Online offers four cloud-based plans, it easily grows with your business. As you hire more employees or bring on more customers, you can scale up your software to match.

However, QuickBooks Mac Plus does noticeably lack some of the features available on QuickBooks Online, including recurring invoices and live bank feeds. QuickBooks Mac Plus also has no integrations, whereas QBO has more than 650. 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 https://www.wave-accounting.net/ QuickBooks features is one of the best ways to decide which version of the software is the best fit for your business. The main downside of QuickBooks Mac Plus is that the software doesn’t have a single integration. Additionally, QuickBooks Mac Plus never seems to get the same amount of attention as other QuickBooks products in terms of new features and updates.

Know that your data is protected without downloading and installing product updates. You don’t have to worry about losing everything in a fire or an unforeseen event. A new and improved migration process gives you even more ways to move online. Move from any version of QuickBooks Desktop, and only migrate the data that matters most to you. Accountants often find QuickBooks Pro and Premier to be more traditional, but you don’t have to be an accountant or professional bookkeeper to learn QuickBooks Online.