QuickBooks Online vs Desktop: Which Is Right for Your Business?

A key difference between the two versions is how they handle updates. QuickBooks Online shines with its automatic updates, ensuring you always have the latest features, security patches, and bug fixes without any effort. This seamless process keeps your software current and performing well. corporate sponsorships for nonprofits Tipalti highlights this advantage, contrasting it with the Desktop version’s manual update process. When choosing between QuickBooks Online and Desktop, consider your team’s workflow. Do you need access from anywhere, or is a central office setup more your style?

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Think about whether you need real-time collaboration and remote access. If not, and you prefer a more traditional software experience, Desktop might be a better choice, even if your business operates primarily online. You can access your financial data from anywhere with an internet connection—whether you’re at the office, working from home, or on the go. This makes it easier to stay organized and collaborate with your create an employee advance team, as Zapier points out.

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). For $1,922 per year, get the Enterprise plan with advanced pricing, reporting and inventory. The higher your plan tier, the more reports and users you can add, although it’s important to understand concurrent users are each sold separately.

Downloaded banking transactions

QuickBooks Online gives small-to-mid-sized businesses the ability to host their accounting on a cloud-based system, allowing for access and collaboration across devices. On the other hand, QuickBooks Desktop offers large businesses and enterprises a more advanced system that’s limited to desktop devices. 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 guide to taxes on dividends automate accounting operations. It provides features that cater to invoicing, expense tracking, payroll management, and tax preparation. While QuickBooks products work for many businesses, they aren’t the best choice for all businesses.

Long-Term Cost Considerations

Answer a few questions about what’s important to your business and we’ll recommend the right fit. Katherine Haan is a small business owner with nearly two decades of experience helping other business owners increase their incomes. To get the best possible experience please use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge to view this website.

Zapier is a no-code automation tool that lets you connect your apps into automated workflows, so that every person and every business can move forward at growth speed. QuickBooks Desktop can feel rigid and resistant to modification or integration—the same 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. Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

1. Each user is typically covered under the main subscription, eliminating the need for additional user licenses, a common cost with desktop software.
2. Both include the basic reports you’d expect to find with accounting software, such as a balance sheet, a Profit & Loss report, a cash flow statement, etc.
3. Otherwise, you’ll need QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, which supports up to 40 users.

Bookkeeping and accounting software

The Desktop Premier edition escalates to 150+ reports, including industry-specific reports for general contractors, manufacturers and wholesalers, nonprofits, and retailers. If your team thrives on real-time collaboration and the flexibility to work from anywhere, QuickBooks Online is generally the better choice, according to this Forbes article. However, if you don’t need constant collaboration and prefer a more robust, locally installed set of features, QuickBooks Desktop might be the winner. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop offer security measures, but they differ in their approach. Understanding these differences helps you choose the best fit for your business.