QuickBooks Online vs QuickBooks Desktop 2023

Clarify complexity with efficient inventory management and integrated payroll and time tracking. Plus, with access for up to 40 users, Enterprise can scale with your business as it grows. In both QuickBooks Online and Desktop, you can assign costs to your inventory items and track the quantities sold to calculate the cost of goods sold (COGS).

We can track job supplies, job time, purchases, and anything directly related to income or expense to a particular job. The hours of our office employees, rent, electricity for the building and anything like that? Well, QuickBooks is now working on an extension to job costing, which will ultimately make job costing in QBO much more robust than it is in Desktop.

Make the move to QuickBooks Online now and get a free personalized setup*

If you’re interested in getting started with QBD, head over to their website and pick the plan that’s most appropriate for your business. To make it even easier for you to determine whether QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online is a more suitable solution for your home-service business, here’s a breakdown of which features they each offer. If you want to be able to create and access your finances from anywhere, QBO gives users that option. Yes, you can convert your QuickBooks Online data to QuickBooks Desktop using Intuit’s conversion tools. It’s important to note that the process may not transfer all data and features, so thorough preparation and backup are advised before switching.

QuickBooks Online is probably the better option if you need easy-to-use, remote-access accounting software that can be used from anywhere. However, if you need more features and customization options, currently, QuickBooks Desktop has the lead. QuickBooks Online integrates with over 500 third-party apps across multiple categories, including Payments, CRM, Project Management, Payments, Payroll, Invoicing, Inventory, and Time Tracking. It not only has more integrations, but it also has superior integrations. As the chart above demonstrates, both QuickBooks desktop and QuickBooks Online are good solutions and share much of the same functionality. But remember, those who choose the desktop version may eventually need to make the switch to QuickBooks Online, as cloud-based solutions become the industry standard for all IT products.

QuickBooks Desktop vs. Online: At a Glance

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, and a better price point. Its highest-tiered plan is the Advanced option, which costs $100 per month for the first three months, then $200 per month after that. Businesses that have five steps to handling employee complaints explained purchased one-time licenses of the locally-installed QuickBooks Desktop versions that have been sunset can still use the software’s accounting features. However, these versions don’t receive security updates, live support, or access to cloud-based services such as live bank feeds, QuickBooks Desktop Payments, or QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. Accounting software like QuickBooks monitors many small and medium-sized business owners’ revenue and expenses.

• For small business owners new to the accounting scene, this service may bring much-needed peace of mind when managing your books and filing small business taxes.
• If you need personalized customer support, you can upgrade to QuickBooks Online Advanced or QuickBooks Enterprise.
• For $27.50 per month for the first three months, then $55 per month after that, get up to three users, manage and pay bills and track time with its Essentials plan, which is its most popular plan.
• If you scroll down, I’ve even included a handy feature comparison chart for quick reference.

It offers four scalable plans and a user-friendly interface, making it suitable for most businesses. QuickBooks Online can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection, and because it’s web-based, you can work with your accountant in real time. The QuickBooks mobile app is also available for free and lets you manage your account on the go. Its prominence also stems from its inclusion of tools its competitors lack, such as integrated advanced time tracking. 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.

Switch from QuickBooks desktop to QuickBooks Online.

In some cases, your cleanup may take longer depending on timeliness of documentation and the complexity of your books. Yes, you can switch to another plan from any version of QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Payroll, and QuickBooks Time. You can send email invites to your accountant from within the software. QuickBooks Desktop offers more than 100 standard reports that can be customized as needed. QuickBooks Online wins this one, offering easy system navigation from the user dashboard. Ease of use is one of the most important things to consider when shopping for software.

The software provides many features, including powerful bookkeeping, online payroll, appealing invoicing, and more than 650 integrations. QuickBooks Desktop is on-premises accounting software with optional remote access through an internet connection. QuickBooks Desktop versions are Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Enterprise, which are sold as yearly editions with an annual price that varies by the number of users. These include the ability to track raw materials and finished products and automate order management, among other functions. It also has barcode scanning capabilities — business owners can download the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app and use their mobile device as a scanner. Since QuickBooks Online offers four cloud-based plans, it easily grows with your business.

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A company should work with either QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online to avoid data discrepancies. Despite their differences, QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online also have plenty of overlap. Here’s a look at how these two QuickBooks accounting software options stack up. Despite the platform’s ubiquity, however, many business owners remain uncertain about the differences between QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online.

Industry-Specific Features

QuickBooks Online has been part of the Intuit accounting software family for a few decades now. Since QuickBooks Online is browser-based, not desktop-based, you can log on to your Quickbooks Online account from any web-enabled device with a sturdy internet connection. That’s because it’s one of the leading accounting software programs for managing payroll, operations, accounts receivable and numerous other financial functions. QuickBooks Online offers more features on the go and is a better overall value than QuickBooks Desktop. If you don’t need the advanced features offered by the Desktop plan, the Online version will save you money. QuickBooks Desktop is a good choice if you need specialized features such as inventory tracking or forecasting, and you don’t mind paying more for them.