QuickBooks Desktop, Compare QuickBooks Desktop to Online

If you are a small business owner, it will come back to the decision between cloud-based and locally-installed software to determine which software is right for you. Deciding which type of software works best for your business model can make your QuickBooks choice a whole lot easier. If you want cloud-based software, there’s QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Solopreneur. If you want locally-installed software, you can take your pick from QuickBooks Pro, QuickBooks Premier, or QuickBooks Enterprise. Cloud-based software operates entirely in the cloud (on the internet), whereas locally-installed software is downloaded and installed on a single, on-premise computer.

Is QuickBooks Online cheaper than QuickBooks Desktop?

A new and improved migration process gives you even more ways to move online. Move from any version of QuickBooks Desktop, and only migrate the data that matters most to you. As with QuickBooks Pro, Premier will no longer be available for purchase by new users after September 30, 2024.

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Testimonial given in an online survey among remunerated QBO customers. Yes, you can, but the process is a bit tedious, as you need to export your files from QuickBooks Online to Desktop manually. If you are currently using QuickBooks Online and want to switch to an interface similar to QuickBooks Desktop, we recommend using the QuickBooks Online Desktop app. Read our article on what the QuickBooks Online Desktop app is to learn more.

QuickBooks Enterprise: Best For Large Businesses

The software is incredibly expensive, and for the price you’re paying, certain features are fairly limited. Apart from being expensive, the other thing with QuickBooks Enterprise is that it really isn’t an enterprise solution — it’s best for large businesses. The real thing that sets QuickBooks Premier apart from QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Pro is the industry-specific features. You also can have one to five users with QuickBooks Premier (instead of QuickBooks Pro’s three-user limit). QuickBooks Desktop Premier is the step up what are noncash expenses meaning and types from QuickBooks Pro and is best for medium-sized businesses.

1. Banking services provided by our partner, Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC.
2. Because QuickBooks Online is connected to the cloud, you can work from any device with an internet connection.
3. Because of this, QuickBooks Online is much easier to use and has many more integrations and time-saving invoicing automations, such as auto-scheduling.
4. 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.
5. You can (almost) always trust your local access, and QuickBooks Desktop reinforces that by keeping your accounting data on your local drive or network.
6. With QuickBooks Online, you also get the latest security capabilities.

We immerse ourselves in every platform we review by exploring the features down to the finest nuances. Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice. However, businesses with three or fewer users that plan to use only the standard version of QuickBooks Premier are better off saving their time (and money!) by signing up for QuickBooks Pro.

QuickBooks Online is easier to set up because it’s a cloud-based platform that doesn’t require installation. Also, the guided setup helps new users easily and effectively set up their company information, connect their bank accounts, create customers and vendors, etc. Additionally, QuickBooks Online allows you to calculate sales taxes automatically to apply to an invoice based on the customer’s address.

Each plan varies in terms of features and the number of users allowed. If you can’t decide if QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or another QuickBooks version is right for your business, this guide is for you. 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. QuickBooks Online is optimized to be as user-friendly as possible and very easy to navigate. The side menu categorizes features for easy access, for example, aggregating sections for employees, their taxes, and compliance details under the Payroll category. It takes a bit of time to click around and understand where everything is, but a quick run-through is more than enough to familiarize yourself with what QuickBooks Online can do.