While the two iterations are different in some aspects, they’re essentially the same product, and the differences between them aren’t as glaring as they are with other accounting software solutions. The two iterations of QuickBooks’ accounting software shine in different areas. Whereas one is completely online and cloud-based, the other operates locally on your computer. One is sleek and modern, and the other seems to have been designed for a cubicle.
Those who want to take their accounting on the go will appreciate the mobile app. It brings most of the features of the online platform, plus it enables mileage tracking and receipt capture for quick and convenient recordkeeping. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. 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.
How do I get QuickBooks Online for free?
You can, however, switch your business’s account from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online without losing your data. 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. If you invoke the guarantee, QuickBooks will conduct a full n evaluation of the Live Bookkeeper’s work. Cassie is a former deputy editor who collaborated with teams around the world while living in the beautiful hills of Kentucky.
- The software offers comprehensive features, unique touches (such as lead management and sales orders), industry-specific versions of the software, and the potential to be more secure.
- Prior to joining the team at Forbes Advisor, Cassie was a content operations manager and copywriting manager.
- As you consider whether QuickBooks Desktop vs. QuickBooks Online is better for your accounting needs, keep in mind that QuickBooks Online is the more recent, up-to-date, and constantly evolving product.
- Unless you’re an accountant, the learning curve will likely be a little higher for you than it would with QuickBooks Online.
- QuickBooks Online’s month-to-month subscription service starts at $30 a month (totaling $360 a year).
- The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Is QuickBooks Online Right for You or Your Business?
While human error will always play some role in security breaches, you can be confident in your accounting platform when it comes to keeping your information safe. Intuit reports that 94% of accounting professionals feel QuickBooks Online saves them time and thus saves their clients’ money. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop are capable programs with strong accounting features. In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop offers hardly any payment gateways, making it difficult for the modern merchant to accept online invoice payments easily. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro offer a good number of helpful integrations and add-on products.
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Both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online utilize a subscription pricing model. It has less of a learning curve than QuickBooks Desktop and comes with a much more simplified dashboard that’s easy to navigate. QuickBooks Desktop can feel rigid and resistant to modification or integration—the same lockbox banking way Apple products and iOS felt rigid back when everyone had overheating, self-cooking Android phones. And let’s not forget offline accessibility for the times your ISP decides to ruin your Monday.
Granted, you don’t have to be an accountant to learn QuickBooks Desktop either, but if you are new to accounting, you will need a lot of time to learn the program. Even though QB Desktop has more comprehensive features in general, there are some key features that only QuickBooks Online has, such as bookkeeping support. QuickBooks Online supports up to 25 users, which does fall short of the 40 users supported under QuickBooks Desktop. As you consider whether QuickBooks Desktop vs. QuickBooks Online is better for your accounting needs, keep in mind that QuickBooks Online is the more recent, up-to-date, and constantly evolving product. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop share the same basic functionality of organizing your accounting processes and automating much of the manual data entry work.
QuickBooks is a suite of accounting software developed and marketed by Intuit, designed for small and medium-sized businesses to handle their financial management and automate accounting operations. It provides features that cater to invoicing, expense tracking, payroll management, and tax preparation. Access your account via the cloud for up to 25 users with the Online version, and pay an additional fee per user, up to 40 users, for cloud access with Desktop. What used to be a huge bulk of QuickBooks business is no longer so—it focuses mostly on its cloud version and actively encourages users to make the switch from Desktop to Online. This may signal future abandonment of its Desktop version as more people move to the cloud. If you make the switch from Desktop to Online, you can import your data and access your original company file at any time.
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. It’s important to note that FreshBooks is the most competitively priced software solution we found. While QuickBooks Online is only 50 cents more than Xero, note that that is the introductory cost for the first three months. QuickBooks Online goes to $30 per month after that and is easily our most expensive option.