The maximum amount of users you can have with a QuickBooks Online subscription is 25 (plus an accountant). If you need more users than that, you can contact QuickBooks Online’s customer support to see if you can create a custom plan with custom user access. Otherwise, you’ll need QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, which supports up to 40 users. However, if you’re not a Mac user, you can choose from all three QuickBooks Desktop plans. The QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus plan is particularly useful for business that want industry-specific features.
Since QuickBooks Online is priced as a monthly subscription, it doesn’t require a contract and you can cancel your account at any time. Additionally, the desktop products are only available as annual subscriptions, making them a bigger commitment than QuickBooks Online. With four plans, robust features and a user-friendly interface, QuickBooks Online is the ideal choice for most small businesses. QuickBooks Desktop, on the other hand, is a good option for businesses that prefer desktop software, need its advanced inventory tracking and reporting tools, or are looking for an industry-specific solution. QuickBooks Online is better for business owners who want easy-to-use cloud-based accounting that includes anywhere online access, mobile apps, and tons of integrations with other business apps.
But based on the tech industry’s growing emphasis on cloud storage over local storage, it’s hard to imagine that downloadable programs like QuickBooks Desktop will still be relevant a decade down the road. You can also accept payment directly through this online invoice by credit card, debit card, and ACH bank transfers. The easier you make it for your clients to pay, the more likely they are to do so right away—putting less time between you and your money. With cloud accounting software, your data is always at your fingertips. Yes, you can migrate your data from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.
Since it must be maintained on-premise, you must invest considerably for the initial setup. However, with QB Cloud, you can offset these costs and provide your services remotely. Since everything is remotely accessible, you can hire remote workers for outsourcing your work and efficiently manage clients without worrying about any geographical or time-zone limitations. However, with QuickBooks hosting, the entire IT maintenance is provided by your cloud provider. They take care of the IT infrastructure while solely focusing on managing the end-point devices used for accessing QB.
If you purchased Desktop software via retail, make sure to place your credit card on file for uninterrupted service. Advanced Pricing / Control, customize, and automate pricing is included in the Platinum and Diamond subscriptions only. If you need personalized customer support, you can upgrade to QuickBooks Online Advanced or QuickBooks Enterprise. Doing so grants you access to the Priority Circle loyalty program, including a dedicated account team, free on-demand training, and premium care from QuickBooks experts. If you have employees, you can add QuickBooks Payroll to your QuickBooks Online account for as little as $45 per month plus $5 per employee.
Here’s a quick way to tell which version of QuickBooks is right for your business. QuickBooks Online is praised for its mobility, ease of use, feature selection, time-saving automations, and integrations. One of the most common complaints about QuickBooks Desktop is its steep learning curve.
The two versions are independent of each other, which means the data you enter on Desktop doesn’t sync to the Online version and vice-versa. You can upgrade to any version of QuickBooks Desktop as your needs change. However, converting your data from one desktop solution to another can be a complex process. Each Desktop plan comes with one user; additional licenses cost extra. Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice. QuickBooks Desktop in the cloud provides the same environment like your local desktop.
Whether you opt for QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online, Tax1099 seamlessly integrates with both accounting software systems. With a single click, effortlessly sync your 1099 vendors from QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online to Tax1099, streamlining your tax preparation process. If you want to learn more, check out our complete QuickBooks Pro review, QuickBooks Premier review, or QuickBooks Enterprise review. We rate features, customer support, customer reviews, security, and more in each of these reviews.
In addition to QuickBooks Online, Intuit offers a desktop product called QuickBooks Desktop, which is locally installed rather than cloud-based. QuickBooks Enterprise is the desktop lineup’s most robust plan — it allows up to 40 users and has industry-specific versions. To see which lineup is best for you, compare QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop plans’ main features and pricing. Previously, QuickBooks users also had the option to purchase a one-time license.
Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team. QuickBooks Desktop offers good integration options, integrating with more than 200 third party applications, making it one of the better integrated desktop application options. However, it doesn’t compare with the more than 500 options offered by QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Online offers integration with more than 500 third party apps in categories such as Payments, CRM, Project Management, Payments, Payroll, Invoicing, Inventory, and Time Tracking.
Collaborating using a traditional QB Desktop involves repeatedly exchanging the edited data files back and forth via email. This process is tedious, time-consuming, and creates confusion with numerous copies of the same file. QB cloud hosting has a centralized database and instantly reflects any changes.
Each data center is interconnected and placed strategically to minimize the impact. So, even if one of them gets destroyed, you can still access your data without facing any losses. Both QB Desktop and Cloud vary significantly in terms of accessibility. When you move to QuickBooks Online, you’ll create a new account and login. You can migrate your business and payroll data to QuickBooks Online and keep a copy of the original file for your records. Advanced Inventory is included in the Platinum and Diamond subscriptions only.
Julie is a dynamic professional with over 16 years of rich experience as a VDI and Application Hosting expert. On the weekend, you will find her hanging out with her family or surfing around the North Shore of Oahu. QuickBooks Cloud offers a standardized interface with limited customization options.
Ease of use is one of the most important things to consider when shopping for software. Neither QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop are difficult to use, although they offer very different achieve an outcome definition and meaning user experiences. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop applications offer a good selection of features, though QuickBooks Desktop features tend to be more comprehensive.
