Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop are designed to handle small business’s bandwidth and needs. Strictly based on ease of use and basic functionality, QuickBooks Online is an easier-to-adopt option that can handle small business accounting needs well. It has faster load times and quicker response rates, all while requiring minimal local processing power. You can (almost) always trust your local access, and QuickBooks Desktop reinforces that by keeping your accounting data on your local drive or network. QuickBooks Desktop is a better fit for businesses that prefer to store their data locally and are less dependent on real-time updates or extensive collaboration.

1. If QuickBooks Desktop seems to be the better fit after reading this comparison, make sure to act quickly to start your subscription to avoid missing out.
2. QuickBooks Enterprise is designed for large businesses or small enterprises and starts at $1,481/year or $142/month.
3. This means that if you rename an account or reorganize the chart of account list you will get an error when QBDT tries to run this bank rule.
4. For many small-business owners, most of the time, QuickBooks Online works better than QuickBooks Desktop.
5. If you go with QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier, a payroll add-on is available for an additional monthly fee.

Even though QB Desktop has more comprehensive features in general, there are some key features that only QuickBooks Online has, such as bookkeeping support. In comparison with QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online is cloud-based, cheaper, easier to use, supports more integrations, and is unlikely to be discontinued by QuickBooks. As you consider whether QuickBooks Desktop vs. QuickBooks Online is better for your accounting needs, keep in mind that QuickBooks Online is the more recent, up-to-date, and constantly evolving product. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop share the same basic functionality of organizing your accounting processes and automating much of the manual data entry work. Seeing as it’s a program installed on your local system, it relies on the device’s processing power and resources. With larger datasets or complex operations, QuickBooks Desktop might utilize more local processing power compared to the online version.

What QuickBooks Online offers

It includes 100+ reports, while QuickBooks Online Simple Start includes around 40. The Desktop Premier edition escalates to 150+ reports, including industry-specific reports for general contractors, manufacturers and wholesalers, nonprofits, and retailers. If you’re searching for accounting software that’s user-friendly, full of smart features, and scales with your business, Quickbooks is a great option.

QuickBooks Desktop: Best for industry-specific reporting

Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop are capable programs with strong accounting features. In contrast, QuickBooks Desktop offers hardly any payment gateways, making it difficult for the modern merchant to accept online invoice payments easily. Unfortunately, pricing is no longer disclosed and you will need to contact QuickBooks Sales for more pricing details.

Generating reports in QBO

While QuickBooks Online does offer security features like multi-factor authorization and encrypted data storage, it’s accessible by anyone with employee login credentials and an internet connection. The specific QuickBooks version and edition you buy dictates how many users are allowed access to your business’ individual account. In other words, if you buy one license for QuickBooks Desktop, only one specific person at your company can access the app and file.

Join me in GoSkills’ beginner-friendly QuickBooks Online course to gain the confidence you need to handle your business’ books, boost your accounting efficiency, and enhance your bookkeeping skills. For both cases, I strongly encourage you to find or buy a migration checklist. There are many cases where it’s to your benefit to learn how to approach and resolve a task. QuickBooks migration is (hopefully) something you do once, and there is no benefit for you to spin your wheels for days trying to make this work.

How features differ between QBDT and QBO tend to be in looks, what does capitalize mean in accounting functionality, and comprehensiveness. You can, however, switch your business’s account from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online without losing your data. Live Bookkeepers aren’t responsible for errors resulting from incorrect information that you provide, or if you re-open the books by overriding closure after a Live Bookkeeper completes the month-end closure.

QuickBooks Online files are also easier to share because you only need to invite an accountant to your company file, and they’ll have 24/7 access to your books. While both QuickBooks Online and Desktop are supported by a large network of independent ProAdvisors, it’s much easier to share your books with your ProAdvisor using QuickBooks Online. Getting assistance with your Desktop bookkeeping is difficult since you must save an Accountant’s Copy of your company file and send it to your ProAdvisor. In addition to third-party integrations, QuickBooks Online integrates with native products, such as QuickBooks Payments, QuickBooks Payroll, unprofitable products and QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets). QuickBooks Desktop can be integrated with QuickBooks Desktop Payroll and QuickBooks Time.

Customer service is evaluated based on the number of communication channels available, such as phone, live chat, and email. Software providers also receive points based on other resources available, such as describe and prepare closing entries for a business self-help articles and user communities. Finally, they are awarded points based on the ease with which users will find assistance from independent bookkeepers with expertise in the platform.