QuickBooks can be one of the most important and powerful tools for running your business. It has been providing companies with accounting and bookkeeping solutions for over 30 years. It has evolved over the years to ensure that accounting remains as simple as possible. While it started as desktop software, it has now moved online as QuickBooks Online. They both offer a variety of business tools to help you with your finances. One of the most common questions that is asked which is better for your business.
In this post, we are going to explore the differences between Online vs Desktop QuickBooks. We will compare both products features, pricing, users experience, and customer support. This is a way to help choose which software will be better for your business.
QuickBooks is the world’s most used accounting software. Each year, QuickBooks adds new features to the software to help businesses in their accounting. This is why it’s important to keep up to date with what’s going on with the software and how it can help you.
QuickBooks Online | QuickBooks Desktop | |
Features | Excellent | Excellent |
Pricing | $25/month+ | $299.99+ |
Ease of Use | Good | Fair |
Customer Support | Fair | Fair |
Reviews & Complaints | Fair | Good |
Integrations | Excellent | Good |
Best For | Small to large businesses looking for easy accounting software with strong features and mobility | Small to large businesses with complex accounting needs that want locally installed software |
Cloud Base VS Locally Installed:
The two big differences between the two QuickBooks software are that Online QuickBooks is cloud based and runs by using the internet. While QuickBooks Desktop must be downloaded and installed onto a computer. Having the desktop version doesn’t require internet to work to get in but it also means that you can’t access your accounts remotely. Unlike Online you are able to access your accounts from anywhere using the internet.
Security:
The Security for both desktop and online are completely different. QuickBooks online security is taken care by Intuit because it is on a cloud base. But for QuickBooks desktop it is not protected by Intuit because it is downloaded and installed onto a computer where it is potentially to be a little more secure, but you are responsible for taking those security measures to protect that information.
Pricing:
Another big difference between the two software’s is the pricing. For QuickBooks Online you are able to pay monthly pricing structure. Where with QuickBooks Desktop you don’t have the choice for monthly subscriptions you have to buy a license that will be good for 3 years or you can pay a yearly subscription for desktop version.
Numbers of user used:
QuickBooks Desktop depends on the number of user license you have it also depends on if you have premier or pro desktop version. QuickBooks desktop premium version also only up to only 5 users and Pro version only allows 3 users. Then with QuickBooks online it allows up to 25 users depending on your plan you choose.
The question as to whether you should use QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks online arises frequently. The answer is that it depends on your business and needs. You should decide which software meets your needs and then use that software. If you decide to use the online version, you will be able to access your account and information from any device and it will be updated and available to you as soon as changes are made.
