If you need personalized customer support, you can upgrade to QuickBooks Online Advanced or QuickBooks Enterprise. Doing so grants you access to the Priority Circle loyalty program, including a dedicated account team, free on-demand training, and premium care from QuickBooks experts. QuickBooks Online is generally easier to use than QuickBooks Desktop as it has a more streamlined navigation menu. QuickBooks Online files are also easier to share because you only need to invite an accountant to your company file, and they’ll have 24/7 access to your books.
QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop starting plans and prices
QuickBooks Online is easier to use and has more automations, more integrations, and better invoicing. The downsides are the lack of sales orders, lead management, and other complexities that loyal Desktop users may miss (such as customizable letter templates, a built-in calendar, and even spellcheck). These versions give business owners more features and reports geared toward their industry. 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). QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop operate on true double-entry accounting principles and have both accrual and cash-basis accounting.
The bank reconciliation module must also let users reconcile accounts with or without bank feeds for optimal ease of use. Meanwhile, QuickBooks Online provides some customization options for businesses, but they’re not as extensive as those in Enterprise. For instance, you can set up QuickBooks Online for nonprofits by adjusting the settings, customizing sales forms, and creating a chart of accounts based on Form 990. While QuickBooks Online offers project management features, it doesn’t have the same level of customization options as QuickBooks Desktop. For instance, QuickBooks Desktop allows you to create customized job costing reports tailored to specialized industries, including manufacturers, contractors, and retailers. We developed an internal case study to evaluate the accounting software we review subjectively.
Class & Location Tracking: QuickBooks Online Wins
If you need help, we can migrate your data for you at no additional cost. For those customers that choose to stay on Desktop Plus subscriptions, we’ll continue to focus on product maintenance and security. If you don’t renew your QuickBooks Desktop subscription at the end of the year, then you will no longer be able to access your data on the desktop app. During our testing, it took us no time to get up to speed on how to use the QuickBooks Online platform. The platform has an intuitive layout that we were able to navigate on our own.
- Yes, you can, but the process is a bit tedious, as you need to export your files from QuickBooks Online to Desktop manually.
- The QuickBooks mobile app is also available for free and lets you manage your account on the go.
- The mobile app for Online is robust, and Desktop’s mobile app is so limited, that it essentially functions as a receipt uploader.
- QuickBooks Payroll allows you to pay your employees by checks or direct deposits, e-file and e-pay taxes, print and e-file W-2 Forms at year-end, and more.
- Even after initial setup, the software must also let users modify information like company name, address, entity type, fiscal year-end, and other company information.
Best Accounting and Bookkeeping Apps for Small Businesses
The QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus plan is target costing and how to use it particularly useful for business that want industry-specific features. Most notably, Premier Plus has 150+ customizable reports for nonprofits, general contractors, and retailers. Unlike QuickBooks Online, Desktop Pro includes built-in inventory management. And if data analysis is an important part of growing your business, QuickBooks Desktop is a solid pick.
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. Both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online utilize a subscription pricing model. Find help articles, video tutorials, and connect with other businesses in our online community. You can send email invites to your accountant from within the software.
Not sure which QuickBooks Online plan you need? We can help.
Terms and conditions, features, support, pricing, and service options are subject to change without notice. Terms and conditions, features, support, pricing, and service options subject to change without notice. QuickBooks Desktop is more traditional accounting software that you download and install on your computer, while QuickBooks Online is cloud-based accounting software you access through the internet.