QuickBooks® Desktop Premier 2018, Traditional Disc/Download is rated 4.9 out of 5 by 10. Rated 5 out of 5 by Don1 from Great Product Easy to install and setup. Date published: 2018-06-26.
Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by, and we adhere to strict to preserve editorial integrity. QuickBooks Online VS QuickBooks Pro ✓ ✓ Tie Tie ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Tie Tie ✓ ✓?? When the same company offers two amazing accounting software products, how can you possibly choose between them? That’s the question when it comes to and. QuickBooks Pro is the prehistoric dinosaur of accounting software, launched way back in 1992. But this dinosaur is far from extinct (despite Intuit’s efforts to force users to switch to QuickBooks Online).
The desktop version of QuickBooks offers incredible accounting tools, the most extensive feature selection I’ve seen in an accounting program, including expense tracking, budgeting, and job costing, good integrations, and positive customer reviews. It is also one of the primary software choices of accountants worldwide. Thanks to the proliferation of the internet and cloud-based software apps, QuickBooks Pro’s younger counterpart, QuickBooks Online (QBO), was launched in 2004. The software offers a robust feature set, strong accounting, the ability to record bank transactions, online payroll, attractive invoices, 250+ integrations, and a brand new feature. It is also significantly easier to learn and use than QuickBooks Pro, and works anywhere you have an internet connection. Both seem great on the surface, so which software actually wins in this comparison? Well, that’s what we’re here to tell you.
At Merchant Maverick, our goal is to help you to find the best software for your small business needs. To make your decision easier, we’ve carefully researched and tested both products. We’ll put QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro (Desktop) head to head by comparing features, pricing, customer experience, reputation, and more, so you don’t have to.
Read on to learn which software comes out on top. Don’t have time to read the whole post? Or looking for a different accounting option? Check out to see our favorite recommendations. Table of Contents. Accounting Winner: QuickBooks Pro QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro operate on true double-entry accounting principles and support both accrual and cash-basis accounting. Each offers a detailed chart of accounts, a bank reconciliation feature, and the basic reports needed to run a company.
However, QuickBooks Pro beats QuickBooks Online in this category without question. QuickBooks Pro has some of the most advanced accounting features on the market. With the features listed above, plus strong journal entries, more reports, and better importing/exporting capabilities than QuickBooks Online, it is no wonder the desktop version of QuickBooks is one of the top choices of accountants across the globe. Features Winner: QuickBooks Pro Features QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Pro Invoicing ✓ ✓ Estimates ✓ ✓ Expense Tracking ✓ ✓ Bank Reconciliation ✓ ✓ Chart of Accounts ✓ ✓ Contact Management ✓ ✓ Accounts Payable ✓ ✓ Time Tracking ✓ ✓ Project Management ✓ ✓ Inventory ✓ ✓ Reports ✓ ✓ Tracking Categories ✓ ✘ Budgeting ✓ ✓ Print Checks ✓ ✓ To-Do Lists ✘ ✓ Calendar ✘ ✓ Multi-currency ✓ ✓ Sales Tax ✓ ✓ Tax Support ✓ ✓ Importing & Exporting ✓ ✓ Lending ✓ ✘ As you can see from the chart above, QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro are similar in a lot of the features they offer. But what that chart won’t show you is the quality and depth of the features available. QuickBooks Pro has one of the most in-depth feature selections on the market. The developers literally thought of everything when they created this product.
The time management, job-costing, budgeting, contact management, and bank reconciliation features are all more developed in QuickBooks Pro than in QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Online does offer more appealing and customizable invoices and tracking categories, as well as a new financing option But these advantages aren’t enough to give it the win when it comes to features. Pricing Winner: Tie QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro have two very different pricing structures.
QBO offers ranging from $15-$50/mo (with an additional $39/mo+ for payroll). QuickBooks Pro is a locally-installed software that $299.95 for a single user. Additional users cost $250/each. Payroll is an additional $39/mo, phone support is $89/3 mo, and live bank feeds are $10-$15/mo. However, the kicker is that once you buy QuickBooks Pro you should be able to get three years out of your license. It’s hard to say which software is cheaper because there are so many variables.
If you are going to use QuickBooks Pro for three years and don’t have any additional users, this option will save you some serious money. However, the extra costs of QuickBooks Pro add up quickly.
If you have multiple users, use live bank feeds with multiple transactions, run payroll, and want phone support, QuickBooks Online will probably be a much better bet. This is why we’ve left this section as a tie.
We recommend crunching the numbers to decide whether the online version or the desktop version of QuickBooks wins this category for your specific business. Hardware & Software Requirements Winner: QuickBooks Online As cloud-based software, QBO works with nearly any device so long as you have an internet connection, including Mac devices (the most recent internet browser is recommended). Linux is not supported. QuickBooks Pro is a little more particular about their. QuickBooks Pro is compatible with only Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003 (SP2), 2008, 2008 (R2), 2011, and 2012. QuickBooks Online is the obvious winner in this case as it isn’t limited to Windows computers alone. Users & Permissions Winner: QuickBooks Online While both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro have detailed user permissions, QuickBooks Online offers more users.
Additional user licenses for QuickBooks Pro cost $250 each, which is far too expensive for most small business owners. Ease Of Use Winner: QuickBooks Online This is a simple one. The online version of QuickBooks is much easier to use than QuickBooks Pro. One of the most common complaints about QuickBooks Pro is its steep learning curve. Accountants often find QuickBooks Pro easier to use, but you don’t have to be an accountant or professional bookkeeper to learn QuickBooks Online. Mobile Apps Winner: QuickBooks Online As QuickBooks Pro doesn’t offer mobile apps (being a locally-installed software and all), QBO takes the cake here with its and apps. Customer Service & Support Winner: QuickBooks Online Okay, let’s be honest.
Customer service has never been Intuit’s strong suit. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro have had notoriously poor customer service in the past. However, QuickBooks Online is working hard to remedy their customer service reputation. With significantly shorter wait times and a more developed Help Center, QBO edges ahead of QuickBooks Pro. In addition, QuickBooks Online’s support is free, while QuickBooks Pro users have to pay extra for support.
Negative Reviews & Complaints Winner: QuickBooks Online This is one category I’m sure QuickBooks Online did not want to win. QuickBooks Online has received numerous complaints. Some of the most common are about limited mobile apps, slow run time, and bugs. Many users also complain that QuickBooks Online doesn’t compare to QuickBooks Pro in terms of features and quality.
QuickBooks Pro also has its share of complaints about its steep learning curve, forced upgrades, and poor customer service. However, the software is generally well-liked. Positive Reviews & Testimonials Winner: Tie Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro receive high rating across common customer reviews sites and have many happy users. QuickBooks Online is praised for its mobility, ease of use, feature selection, time-saving automations, and integrations. QuickBooks Pro is praised for its strong accounting, ample features, reliability, and reporting; several users even find the software easy to use. Integrations Winner: QuickBooks Online Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro offer a good number of helpful integrations and add-on products; however, QuickBooks Online offers to QuickBooks Pro’s. Security Winner: QuickBooks Online This category is a little unfair.
When you sign up for a locally-installed software like QuickBooks Pro, you are in charge of keeping your data secure. This means that there is no built-in security. However, if you are tech savvy, locally-installed software can actually be more secure than cloud-based software. As web-based software, QBO offers built-in security from the beginning. For most people, we figure that the convenience of security that is taken care of for you outweighs the extra security steps locally-installed software requires. And the Overall Winner Is Despite the fact that QuickBooks Online has seven category wins (we left out the negative reviews “win”) compared to QuickBooks Pro’s two, QuickBooks Pro won the categories that matter—accounting and features. When it comes to accounting software, business owners just can’t beat the desktop version of QuickBooks.
QuickBooks Pro has some of the most developed accounting tools on the market. It offers an unbelievable number of features and each feature is highly developed. Although there is a steep learning curve, the organization of the software is incredibly easy to navigate and the UI is attractive. Another key factor to this win is the fact that many users who switched from QuickBooks Pro to QuickBooks Online have ended up switching back. While QuickBooks Pro is the overall winner of this mash-up, I predict that QuickBooks Online will be the winner for most small and many medium-sized businesses. Not only does QBO offer ample features — including beautiful invoices, lending, class tracking, inventory, payroll, and more — but each of these features is incredibly thorough. The mobility of this online version of QuickBooks, along with strong accounting and unbeatable integrations, has also earned it the title of “” here at Merchant Maverick.
It may even be a good choice for self-employed individuals, depending on their expenses and accounting requirements. In the end, both QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks Online are winners because you can’t go wrong with either option.
Ultimately, the real deciding factor is going to be your specific business size, type, and needs. Whichever you choose, can help you make an informed decision during your hunt for the perfect accounting software. Read our full and reviews for more information. After doing your research, be sure to take each software for a test run, and feel free to reach out with any questions you have along the way.
Let’s start this by saying I am NOT an accountant. I just run a small business. I’ve been a QBD user since 1994 and just switched to Online. I am sad to say I’m very disappointed. I like to think I’m used to “upgraded” interfaces, but the change is dramatic. I could go into gory detail about how invoice templates are not “real” templates, but rather loose guides, the struggle of moving between invoices and a number of other little annoyances. Maybe if I had only seen QBO, I would think it was okay.
In my opinion the user interface and flexibility of QBD is far superior. I suspect there must have been valid programming reasons for not just adapting the desktop version for online use.
The ONLY real advantage to the On-line version I can see is the ability to review and work while traveling, and the ability to grant permission to an off-site accountant to have access to the information. I like the accountant part, but not interested in working on the books while I’m in the field or at home. To new users have at it, QBO should be fine and you will make the program your friend.
I have been reading switching back to the desktop version isn’t automatic, which puts me in a quandary. I need to figure out how and when I can find the time and travel back to the desktop version. Chelsea, Perhaps you can broaden the horizon for me aswell. I have recently started a business. I do about 600k a year in sales and started and finished my first year with QB online. I am hiring a new bookeeper to minimize my workload. She is adamant on switching me to QB desktop.
I am disappointed as I like to review my p&ls and constantly view my financials. After reading this article and all the comments I see that QBD is the choice for accountants clearly. But how does one function without seeing their reports often? I also use my QBO for accounts receivable to process and send my invoices.
With the Desktop version how would I do this if only my accountant has access. Can you clarify or can other viewers mention how exactly they go about doing business without the ability to know their financials on the fly. What would be a suggestion? Do most people allow their bookkeepers to do the work on Desktop and just find out at the end of the quarter/month/year? Am I being to anal always wanting to see my financials. Am i the minority here? Why would an owner see a benefit in QBD if they werent using it themselves with constant access?
Hi Mike, You can import your customer and contact list only into QuickBooks Online from QuickBooks Pro Desktop. Instead of importing your full QuickBooks Desktop Pro into QuickBooks Pro backup company file, you’ll just import your contacts.
To do this, go to your Customer Center and click the Excel button on the top of the screen. Export your customer list to an excel file. Once you’ve exported and saved this your customer list, you can import it into QuickBooks Online (without adding any of the old company information that you don’t want). For importing contacts into QuickBooks Online. Repeat the same process for vendors and employees.
I hope that answers your question! Let us know if you need any other help.
Best wishes, -Chelsea Krause. Hi Brenda, I am going to copy and paste the reply here: Everything should transfer over easily. There are no complaints that I can find on the web about the transfer itself. Most people say this process is smooth. QuickBooks Online also provides you a specialist who will help make sure the transfer goes smoothly. In terms of features, here are the things you will be losing by switching to QuickBooks Online:.
Some reports (You’ll go from 191 reports to 44-106 depending on the plan you choose. Letter templates. Printing checks. Built in calendar.
To-Do list. Notes (With QuickBooks Online, notes are saved with each contact, you can also save attachments of important documents to contacts. All of your notes information should still transfer though, it’ll just be organized a bit differently.). Some invoice templates (You’ll go from 9 templates. But personally, I like the look of the QuickBooks Online templates much more. multiple business support (You’d have to pay for a subscription for each individual business.) The Accounts Payable feature will only be available with the Essentials Plan and Plus Plan.
The time-tracking feature and inventory feature are both limited to the Plus plan of QuickBooks online. The time-tracking feature and project feature are also fairly limited with QuickBooks Online, which is something worth considering. Here are the things you will gain with QuickBooks Online:. Mobility (Both through the cloud and the various mobile apps available.).
Schedule invoices. Recurring invoices. More users. Live bank feeds.
Basic client portal. 400+ integrations (Which could make up for some of the lost features.). No fee for phone support. Multiple budgets (with Plus plan) There are a few complaints about people who switched over to QuickBooks Online and then when back to QuickBooks Pro because there are more features. So you will really want to way these features and your company’s needs before switching. I also recommend using the QuickBooks Online free trial, just to see if you like the feel and organization of QuickBooks Online.
I hope this helps! Personally I dont think any one that has used both would give QBO the win. We tried it for one of our businesses as we collect money in the field. Wethought it would make life easier, but it did not. QB online is not very compatible with QBD as Intuit says.
Run some simple reports like profit and lose after you import your data to QBO in both and you will get completely different numbers! That is unacceptable! QBO support told me that I had just imported the data wrong and they did it and the results were the same.
Then after quite a while going back and forth they finally admitted that they are not completely compatible. The cost of QBO is higher in just one year in most cases and much higher in the long run. Especially after the promotional discount runs out. QBO is an incomplete package, which Intuit want to force everyone to switch to as it is much more profitable for them. They are doing things to force you to upgrade it more often by locking features for no reason, like importing bank data.
I used to be a huge fan of QBD and intuit. I will be looking at other options when I am forced to upgrade again. QBO is a rip off in my opinion. Rigjht on Steve.
Having been a QB user for more than 20 years, I can definitely agree with all your points. QBO is geared to those who either have NOT used QB Desktop, or whose accounting needs are really simple. QBO is slow, clunky, has lacking features sets, costs more in the long run (geared to “regularize” Intuit’s cash flow, mainly), the list goes on & on. In working as a professional accountant, I appreciate feature sets.
QBO has far fewer for any true power user. There really is no comparison. It’s also interesting that the author, Chelsea, doesn’t reply to comments like ours. Hi Heather, Thanks for reaching out! So it sounds like you’re currently frustrated with QuickBooks desktop and the inability to see your information right away. QuickBooks Online would definitely solve this problem for you.
You’d still be able to run payroll and manage your financials in QuickBooks Online, plus you’d get the mobile, real-time access you’re looking for. Is a fairly simple process and you shouldn’t lose any of your existing data. In terms of features, There are a few capabilities you will be losing by switching to QuickBooks Online which are worth considering:. Some reports (You’ll go from 191 reports to 44-106 depending on the plan you choose. Here is a list of the.). Letter templates.
Printing checks. Built in calendar.
To-Do list. Notes (With QuickBooks Online, notes are saved with each contact, you can also save attachments of important documents to contacts. All of your notes information should still transfer though, it’ll just be organized a bit differently.). Multiple business support (You’d have to pay for a subscription for each individual business. I hope that gives you a clearer idea of what to expect if you do decide to switch to QuickBooks Online.
If you need any more help or have any more questions about the transfer process, please let us know! Best wishes, -Chelsea Krause. Hi Michelle, Here is what I sent them: Everything should transfer over easily. There are no complaints that I can find on the web about the transfer itself. Most people say this process is smooth. QuickBooks Online also provides you a specialist who will help make sure the transfer goes smoothly. In terms of features, here are the things you will be losing by switching to QuickBooks Online:.
Some reports (You’ll go from 191 reports to 44-106 depending on the plan you choose. Letter templates. Printing checks. Built in calendar. To-Do list. Notes (With QuickBooks Online, notes are saved with each contact, you can also save attachments of important documents to contacts.
All of your notes information should still transfer though, it’ll just be organized a bit differently.). Some invoice templates (You’ll go from 9 templates. But personally, I like the look of the QuickBooks Online templates much more. multiple business support (You’d have to pay for a subscription for each individual business.) The Accounts Payable feature will only be available with the Essentials Plan and Plus Plan. The time-tracking feature and inventory feature are both limited to the Plus plan of QuickBooks online.
The time-tracking feature and project feature are also fairly limited with QuickBooks Online, which is something worth considering. Here are the things you will gain with QuickBooks Online:.
Mobility (Both through the cloud and the various mobile apps available.). Schedule invoices.
Recurring invoices. More users.
Live bank feeds. Basic client portal. 400+ integrations (Which could make up for some of the lost features.). No fee for phone support. Multiple budgets (with Plus plan) There are a few complaints about people who switched over to QuickBooks Online and then when back to QuickBooks Pro because there are more features. So you will really want to way these features and your company’s needs before switching.
I also recommend using the QuickBooks Online free trial, just to see if you like the feel and organization of QuickBooks Online. I hope this helps!
QuickBooks Pro Plus Desktop QuickBooks Pro Plus is an annual subscription which must be renewed every year to maintain access to your software. The Plus subscription includes QuickBooks Pro, 24/7 support, automatic backups, upgrades, and a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee. Pro Plus Subscription Benefits. Find help when you need it 2 Get live 24/7 support, plus a priority phone number to QuickBooks experts. Protect what matters 3 Safeguard your most valuable information with automatic backups of your QuickBooks information. Get convenient upgrades 4 Get QuickBooks upgrades throughout the year, when available, so you always have the latest version. Features.
Organize finances and payroll in one place, and save time on everyday tasks. NEW: Multi Monitor Support. Get work done significantly faster with windows open across multiple monitors. NEW: Chart of Accounts Search. Easily find an account or sub-account with an added search bar in the Chart of Accounts. Search by account name or number.
NEW! Automated Reports. Customize your reports and schedule them to be generated and emailed automatically. Past Due Stamp. Automatically put a Past Due stamp on outstanding invoices in order to easily keep track of who owes you what. Get answers about your business and use easy-to-see filters within the report to make data easier to interpret. Track how your business is doing with one-click financial, tax and sales reports. NEW! Smart Search. NEW! Report Filters.
Improved Multi-User Support. Remind users of undeposited funds. Showing company file name in deposits summary. Get the information you need with easy-to-use reports. View income and expense trends by category.
Get a real-time view of your business activities with Company Snapshot. Customize Payment Options. Easily choose what payment type you are willing to accept from specific customers when you send out emailed invoices: credit cards, bank transfers (ACH), or both. Customer View. Your customers can now view the invoice online, which also automatically updates to ensure the correct amount due/remaining is always displayed. They can then click the new, blue Pay Now button to pay you online – instantly.
Notification. You get notified by email whenever a payment is made. Improved Integration. Once payment is funded, it will show up in your Deposits so you can apply payment against the invoice which then automatically gets marked as paid.
Compare Features Enterprise Premier Pro Online Maximum number of simultaneous users. Available in 1-10 or 30 users Up to 5 Up to 3 Up to 5 Track sales, sales taxes, and customer payments. ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Accept credit card payments right in QuickBooks.
Preferred Rates ✔ ✔ ✔ Track sales, sales taxes, and customer payments. ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Access to product experts, unlimited technical support, and upgrades. US-Based Experts ✔ Online backup and protection of your QuickBooks data. ✔ ✔ Anywhere anytime access. Hosting available for an additional monthly cost ✔ Invoice multiple customers at once with Batch Invoicing. ✔ ✔ ✔ Set individual user permissions to control access to sensitive information.
Up to 115 different activities Limited Limited Create customized financial reports with Intuit Statement Writer. ✔ Accountant Edition Only Track fixed assets such as computers and other office equipment with Fixed Asset Manager. ✔ Accountant Edition Only Work in two company files at the same time. ✔ Expanded list limits allows you to track 100,000+ customers, vendors and inventory items and employees.
100,000+ Leverage 14 predefined user roles to help you set up new users quickly. ✔ Complete more activities in multi-user mode. ✔ One-click financial, sales & tax reports.
150+ Industry Specific 150+ Industry Specific 100+ 65+ Import data from Excel, Quicken, Microsoft Office Accounting & prior QuickBooks versions. ✔ ✔ ✔ Excel & QuickBooks Download or import your bank & credit transactions into QuickBooks. ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Get a consolidated view into your business with Company Snapshot. ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Industry-specific reports, sample files, menus & chart of accounts. ✔ ✔ ✔ Limited Track and follow up on sales leads with the Lead Center. ✔ ✔ ✔ See all your key customer information at a glance with the Customer Snapshot. ✔ ✔ ✔ Track international sales & expenses in multiple currencies.
✔ ✔ ✔ Forecast sales & expenses. Easily create a business plan. ✔ ✔ Access all of your QuickBooks data to create any report you need with Advanced Reporting. ✔ Consolidate reports from multiple company files. ✔ Create custom reports with ODBC-compliant applications using a direct connection to the QuickBooks database. ✔ Track & manage inventory & create purchase orders.
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Set and manage inventory reorder points. ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Easily find and locate inventory tasks all in one place with the Inventory Center. Attach Inventory Images ✔ Manage inventory using bin location tracking, bar code scanning, serial number or lot tracking, FIFO costing and multiple location inventory.
✔ FIFO Control, customize and automate your pricing right inside QuickBooks. ✔ Enterprise Premier Pro Online. Technical SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. Windows 7 SP1, 8.1 Update 1, or Windows 10 (all 32-bit & 64-bit).
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012 R2, or 2016. 2.4 GHz processor. 4 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended). 2.5 GB disk space recommended (additional space required for data files). 4x DVD-ROM drive (unless user is downloading from Intuit server).
Payroll and online features require Internet access (1 Mbps recommended speed). Product registration required. Optimized for 1280×1024 screen resolution or higher. Supports one Workstation Monitor, plus up to 2 extended monitors. Optimized for Default DPI settings INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SOFTWARE. Microsoft Word and Excel integration requires Office 2010, 2013, 2016, or Office 365 (32 and 64 bit).
E-mail Estimates, Invoices and other forms with Microsoft Outlook 2010-2016, Microsoft Outlook with Office 365, Gmail™, Yahoo! Mail®, and Outlook.com®, other SMTP-supporting e-mail clients. Transfer data from Quicken 2015-2017, QuickBooks 2004-2017, QuickBooks Mac 2016 and Microsoft Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, Office 365 (32 and 64 bit) BROWSER REQUIREMENT. Internet Explorer 11 (32-bit).