While the features are similar, QuickBooks Desktop offers more functionality, such as the ability to run checks to pay bills and more in-depth customer and vendor management capability. Whether you’re thinking about converting to QuickBooks Online or switching from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, your first step should be to take a long look at both applications. When you do, you’ll notice the difference immediately as QuickBooks Online offers a streamlined user interface, while QuickBooks Desktop relies on a flow-chart based interface. While both provide easy access to a variety of features and functions, only you can decide which one will work best for you.

QuickBooks Enterprise supports up to 40 users, compared to Premier’s maximum of five. QuickBooks Enterprise also has a number of other useful features and tools you won’t find with Premier, such as a business plan creator. QuickBooks Premier is suitable for small to medium businesses with five or fewer users.

QuickBooks Pro only supports up to 3 users, while QuickBooks Premier supports up to 5. The other big difference between QuickBooks Pro and Premier is that QuickBooks Premier offers more features and reports for specific industries like construction, retail, manufacturing, nonprofits, and more. QuickBooks Mac Plus is not available for purchase directly through the QuickBooks website. Instead, you will need to contact QuickBooks Sales by phone or purchase a subscription through an authorized QuickBooks reseller. Best for small to medium-sized businesses with five users or fewer in need of strong accounting and industry-specific accounting features.

  1. But there are some general guidelines to know which version might be the one for your business (and your budget).
  2. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop have very different pricing structures, with QuickBooks Online available by a monthly subscription, while QuickBooks Desktop has an annual cost.
  3. The main downside of QuickBooks Mac Plus is that the software doesn’t have a single integration.

Both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online utilize a subscription pricing model. Sign up to receive more well-researched small business articles and topics in your inbox, personalized for you. It’s easier to upgrade from Simple Start to Essentials, Plus, or Advanced than to switch from Self-Employed to any other QuickBooks Online version. You can switch from QuickBooks Self-Employed to any QuickBooks Online plan—except Advanced.

We also look at less tangible benefits, such as customer support quality and ease of use. Finally, we consider reviews from users of each platform to see how customers view the pros and cons of each accounting software. Sage Business Cloud Accounting is a stripped-down set of accounting tools for small businesses that need an affordable and simple solution. You won’t find project- or time-tracking tools and there aren’t advanced analytics or automated workflows—for those features, you’ll need to find apps to integrate.

Xero is one of the best QuickBooks alternatives because it’s rich with features established businesses need to manage finances and projects. QuickBooks Self-Employed might not be the best choice for an LLC because it lacks important features you might need, including profit and loss reports and 1099 contractor payments. However, it all depends on the needs of your business and may be sufficient for single-member LLCs. It can help you track sales tax on every invoice, which is especially helpful if you sell in different locations. While you can only connect one online store in the base plan, the Plus plan lets you have unlimited storefronts.

Depending on your budget, it may or may not be worth it for your small business. FreshBooks was built with the freelancer in mind with its single-user access. You can add more users to your account, but it costs $10 per user, per month, at which point FreshBooks loses considerable value. Once you’ve landscaping expense accounting decided QuickBooks is the accounting solution for your business, you have a few more decisions to make—namely, should you use QuickBooks Online or Self-Employed? We think Online is better for small businesses and Self-Employed is better for freelancers, but it all depends on your needs.

Can I change QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Self-Employed?

It also lets you update inventory costs and quantities, separate taxable from nontaxable items, and set up alerts if you’re running out of stock. Most importantly, Plus will separate the cost of your ending inventory from COGS using first-in, first-out (FIFO). You’ll need to make this tedious calculation in a spreadsheet if you choose a lower-tier plan. QuickBooks is an easy-to-learn program, which is one of the reasons why it’s such a popular choice.

This means the data operates as fast as your computer, all without needing to worry about a connection issue. You must pay an additional fee for every user who wants to access the account simultaneously, whereas Online lets multiple users access the account at the same time. QuickBooks Online is one of the best accounting products for small businesses.

QuickBooks Self-Employed offers none of this, so if it seems like something your business would need, you’ll need QuickBooks Online. All reports can be exported to Microsoft Excel for customizing, viewing on screen, printing, or emailing directly to recipients. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop applications offer a good selection of features, though QuickBooks Desktop features tend to be more comprehensive. Once purchased, the licensing of QuickBooks Enterprise is good for 3 years.

Is QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop cheaper?

It is incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate, so if you are a sole proprietor looking for basic accounting software, FreshBooks will meet your needs at a relatively low cost. Its basic plan is in line with QuickBooks Simple Start, at $15 per month. QuickBooks Self-Employed is suitable for freelancers and independent contractors who want to be able to track all their business expenses (such as rent or marketing) in one place.

Best Accounting and Bookkeeping Apps for Small Businesses

When subscribing to this service, you’ll get a 1099 e-file of forms and a next-day direct deposit. QuickBooks Online’s solid set of features (invoicing, inventory management, reporting, etc.) makes it a great solution for a variety of small businesses. It’s easy to loop in your accountant and, unlike some competitors, it can scale to meet a growing business’s changing needs.

This may signal future abandonment of its Desktop version as more people move to the cloud. If you make the switch from Desktop to Online, you can import your data and access your original company file at any time. Most midsize businesses can’t afford to (and don’t need to!) spend that much cash on accounting software. You can infer this from the plan’s name alone, but with a cost that high, Enterprise’s price is best suited to enterprises.

However, QuickBooks Mac Plus does noticeably lack some of the features available on QuickBooks Online, including recurring invoices and live bank feeds. QuickBooks Mac Plus also has no integrations, whereas QBO has more than 650. If you can’t decide between two programs, https://quickbooks-payroll.org/ here’s how they stack up head-to-head to help you determine which version of QuickBooks is the best accounting solution for your business. This table takes a deep look into each program’s features, so you’ll know exactly what each version of QuickBooks is capable of.

QuickBooks Plus is the most popular plan for businesses since it includes features such as inventory tracking, project management and tax support. Midsized businesses with several customers or clients might benefit from the ability to track profitability with QuickBooks Plus. Full accounting departments are likely to appreciate the comprehensive features of QuickBooks Online. You can track income and expenses, send invoices and accept payments, handle tax deductions and track receipts and mileage, which are all available on all plans. Other plans include advanced features, such as bill management and time tracking, advanced analytics and workflow automations.

How does QuickBooks Online work?

We’ll also walk you through what questions to ask so that you can pinpoint the perfect QuickBooks software for your business and choose the right QuickBooks accounting solution with confidence. Intuit QuickBooks has been pushing its online products, so switching from QuickBooks Online to Desktop isn’t as easy, but it is possible. Go to the Settings gear icon and click “Export Data.” Then, select your reason for leaving.

Includes tools that help automate the reconciliation process, along with a global search function and customizable dashboard; however, there is a learning curve. Katherine Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel. Another notable difference is QuickBooks Online offers a Self-Employed version for $15 per month, which is not available with QuickBooks Desktop.