The lower tiers of QuickBooks Online are still much cheaper than the costs for QuickBooks Desktop. But top-tier plans – targeted at enterprise businesses – are within the same ballpark. For example, QuickBooks Online’s products and services module allows you to incorporate more advanced estimating features that initially may not seem accessible. Five months ago, you could only use QBD if you wanted to do job costing, and we know that In the field service industry, job costing is very common. After the updates though, now we can track labor costs even if we don’t use QBO for our payroll. We can track job supplies, job time, purchases, and anything directly related to income or expense to a particular job.

• This provides the highest level of security from hacking and fraud, but it does mean you won’t be sending invoices from your phone or tablet.
• QuickBooks Desktop, on the other hand, is highly customizable and suitable for small to large-sized businesses with advanced requirements.
• However, please note that access to add-on services will be discontinued for all QuickBooks Desktop software after May 31, 2023.
• While QuickBooks Online does offer security features like multi-factor authorization and encrypted data storage, it’s accessible by anyone with employee login credentials and an internet connection.

You can easily connect to any third-party app from within the application, saving you a ton of time in the process. QuickBooks Online offers a variety of pricing plans, which range from $12 to $75 for the first three months. 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.

Since the data is stored in the cloud, there is minimal risk of data loss due to hardware failure or disasters. In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop relies on local data storage, making it susceptible to data loss in the event of system crashes or physical damage to the device. In addition to industry-specific features, QuickBooks Desktop Premier and Enterprise have unique reports tailored to each industry. For instance, the QuickBooks Desktop Contractor Edition has unique reports, such as Job Profitability Summary and Job Profitability Detail to track costs and profitability on a per-job basis. These reports help in assessing project profitability, estimating future jobs, and identifying areas for cost optimization.

Getting Started with QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Desktop offers more comprehensive features and tools that any accounting professional may need. QuickBooks Online is the cloud-based, mobile-friendly version of the popular accounting software. It began as a “light” counterpart of QuickBooks Desktop but quickly evolved into a sophisticated version in itself.Mobility and ease of use are the primary focus of the online edition. Thanks to cloud computing, businesses can manage their finances anywhere in the world using any device they choose.

Many users also complain that QuickBooks Online doesn’t compare to QuickBooks Pro in terms of features and quality. However, the majority of reviews are positive, with QuickBooks Online receiving 4.3/5 stars (based on 6,200+ reviews) on Software Advice and 4/5 stars (based on 3,100+ reviews) on G2. In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop offers hardly any payment gateways, making it difficult for the modern merchant to accept online invoice payments easily. The online version of QuickBooks is much easier to use than the desktop version. 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. Users can simply click on the Reports option to access reports in a variety of categories including Favorites, Business Overview, Expenses and Vendors, Employees, and Sales Tax reports, along with several others.

Evaluating Pricing and Billing

However, QuickBooks Desktop does offer some key reporting features you can’t get in QuickBooks Online (yet). However, setting up and reviewing your job costing metrics in QuickBooks Online is much easier than in QuickBooks Desktop. So if you’re a small construction business that isn’t focused as much on job costing, this will quickly help you track your projects and keep them from going over budget. In this article, we’ll outline the differences between QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online. We’ll focus on differences specific to the construction industry, so you can make an informed decision about which version is best for your accounting needs. Construction companies of all sizes use QuickBooks to streamline their accounting and improve efficiency when tracking expenses or running other day-to-day operations.

Inventory Management (Winner: QuickBooks Desktop)

While the cloud-based convenience of QuickBooks Online certainly has its appeal, it seems that when functionality takes center stage, QuickBooks Desktop often steals the limelight. QuickBooks Desktop is like the traditional superhero – reliable, strong, and has been saving the day for years. According to in-depth research reports from Gartner and Forrester, QuickBooks Desktop often scores higher points than QuickBooks Online when it comes to advanced features and industry-specific functionalities.

QuickBooks Services

QuickBooks Desktop still has a place in the accounting software industry. It’s an especially good choice for small-business owners without a consistent internet connection and big businesses with complex, industry-specific financial needs. But for most small-business owners in most industries, QuickBooks Online has better automation, better access, accounting study guide by accountinginfo com and a better price point. QuickBooks Online is better for business owners who want easy-to-use cloud-based accounting that includes anywhere online access, mobile apps, and tons of integrations with other business apps. In addition, the Premier and Enterprise plans offer more than 150 reports, with industry-specific reporting options available.

Access All Your Clients Data

All of their transactions and statements are downloaded to the server nightly, which means all the necessary data will be available when you need it. Plus, you can set up bank rules within QuickBooks to define how each transaction should be treated, and the system will categorize them for you. With data coming straight to you in real-time, you’ll never have to chase down a client for paper receipts and statements again. Every day, your clients face complex financial decisions, increasing demands on their time and growing competition—and they rely on you to help them overcome these challenges. Every QuickBooks Enterprise user will have a dedicated Customer Service Manager who will be your point-person at Intuit for support concerns.

Intuit also offers QuickBooks for Mac for Mac users looking for an on-premise option. Check out our complete roundup of the best accounting software for other options, or read more about the best QuickBooks alternatives. This may be an important deciding factor for your business as you try to ensure every staff member gets the access they need to the program. This is for the “Self-Employed” version that is intended for use by freelancers.

Feature differences between QuickBooks Online and Desktop

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 around $2,000 per year for five users. QuickBooks Online is generally easier to use than QuickBooks Desktop as it has a more streamlined user interface. 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. While both QuickBooks Online and Desktop are supported by a large network of independent ProAdvisors, it’s much easier to share your books with your ProAdvisor using QuickBooks Online. Getting assistance with your Desktop bookkeeping is difficult since you must save an Accountant’s Copy of your company file and send it to your ProAdvisor.

QuickBooks Online has more third-party integrations than its desktop counterpart. It connects with over 750 popular business tools and platforms, simplifying and automating many accounting tasks. In contrast, the majority of QuickBooks Desktop integrations are geared at ecommerce. Many seasoned accountants and bookkeepers may be more accustomed to this “traditional” version of QuickBooks that needs to be installed on your computer.