ApprovalMax vs. QuickBooks Desktop Premier

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ApprovalMax
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
ApprovalMax provides approval workflow automation for cloud accounting platforms such as Xero and QuickBooks Online. It replaces paper- and email-based approval processes with multi-step and multi-role automated approval workflows that enable automated notifications to approvers, automated audit trails, and mobile approvals. Approval workflows include: Invoice approvals / bill review and bill approval Purchase order approval, including the functionality to create…
$54
per month per organization
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Desktop Premier is an installed version of QuickBooks for general business, contractors, manufacturing and warehouse accounting, as well as nonprofits, professional services, and retail.N/A
Pricing
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Desktop Premier
Editions & Modules
ApprovalMax Standard
$54
per month per organization
ApprovalMax Advanced
$83
per month per organization
ApprovalMax Premium
$121
per month per organization
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Desktop Premier
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiscount available for annual pricing and for management of multiple organizations.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Desktop Premier
Considered Both Products
ApprovalMax
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
We actually switched with the hiring of a new Chief financial officer to Sage Intacct. We are significantly behind with prior year audits and regulatory reporting and still used QuickBooks Premier for those reasons. In hindsight we should have done more research with …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
They are similar, my clients like QuickBooks Desktop Premier setup better and I like the payroll better in QuickBooks
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
Online - We have some clients on AgExpert, Xero, and QB Online. All 3 provide good value in my opinion.
QuickBooks Desktop Premier - In our experience, QuickBooks Desktop Premier is the best desktop software we have encountered.
We have some clients using AgExpert and Simply, …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
We've used QuickBooks Desktop Premier for many, many years. We've not reviewed any other accounting products internally - but have a handful of the customers that use Cyma (mentioned above). While I've never had occasion to functionally use Cyma, I have had to install and …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
It is so much better with reports and journal entries.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
We tried a few other options like Bookkeeper and using Excel to track it. Bookeeper was a little outdates and more difficult to use. I had issues find the functions that I needed. Excel is just spreadsheets of the information with no easy way to do reporting. They don't have …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
[QuickBooks] doesn't have meaningful Reorder Reports. TracLine wouldn't work on my new computer. I'd have to invest $35,000 again & buy new Unix software 7 & new Cobol. I should have done it. I thought [QuickBooks] was a leader.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
[With] QuickBooks [it] is easy to make corrections without having to do a journal entry every time you need to correct an entry.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
I have always used QuickBooks and I am not familiar with others.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
This question really isn’t applicable to me, but I am intrigued by some of the new online systems that are replacing QuickBooks. That said, I really don’t want to be dependent on the delays and other limitations of working on a web-based application only. QuickBooks is still …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
We reviewed Sage 50/Peachtree and went with QB because of date flexibility in reporting.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
We have looked at Peachtree and other custom applications for an enterprise organization. Those products might be more robust - but for a small business, our needs are basic. This is easy to learn, intuitive and affordable. It's easy to install and maintain. Even non-technical …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
The only other accounting software I have used, and it was a long time ago, was Axapta.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
I think Quicken for my purposes is superior to QuickBooks Premier. I selected QuickBooks at my accountant's urging. It took a significant amount of time to set up, migrate, learn, and maintain. After almost 2 years of use, I abandoned it and returned to Quicken. Easier bank …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
The other accounting-based programs I have attempted to utilize in this position have been far inferior to the functionality of QB premier. One, in particular, has several methods of use and not all of them were easy to navigate. QB's use of icons and homepage direction chart …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
I have recently started working with Deltek Vision as a consultant project for a large sized architectural company with firms across the world. Understandably, Vision is a great project for this firm because of the needs that are required for a global firm, but is much more …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
Although cloud-based platforms with a monthly subscription are very popular, I still prefer a desktop enterprise solution. Profit & Loss reports by Customer are not accurate in the online version because they cannot account for employee-related costs that should be assigned to …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
Not so user-friendly, and has limitations depending on the level of software that you sign up for.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
QB Premier allows us to better track from a cost accounting standpoint and is easy for the average user to understand.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
Selected QuickBooks over ten years ago due to it's ease of use and low-cost. At the time, it was a good bang for the buck!
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
QuickBooks' user-interface and features are better than that of other accounting systems we have encountered so far. It is easier to navigate through accounting modules and reports even for bookkeeping beginners.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Premier
QuickBooks Premier is more powerful and versatile than QuickBooks Online. We use QuickBooks Premier in a hosted environment, which allows our clients to access their software online, but retains the great features of QuickBooks Premier that we love. QuickBooks Online's web-page …
Features
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Desktop Premier
Payment Management
Comparison of Payment Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
8.0
Ratings
7% above category average
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
-
Ratings
Customizable Approval Policies9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial Document Management9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Payment Status Tracking9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Payment Audit Trail9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Bill Detection4.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Accounts Payable
Comparison of Accounts Payable features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
8.5
Ratings
25% above category average
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
-
Ratings
Automated Accounts Payable Processes9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Vendor Management8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
9.0
Ratings
15% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings9.90 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
1.3
Ratings
142% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings1.30 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings1.30 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
10.0
Ratings
18% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
8.2
Ratings
4% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
8.3
Ratings
6% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings1.80 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
2.9
Ratings
87% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings1.70 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
ApprovalMax
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
8.0
Ratings
3% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
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ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Desktop Premier
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User Ratings
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Desktop Premier
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
1.3
(0 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
5.7
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
6.2
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ApprovalMaxQuickBooks Desktop Premier
Likelihood to Recommend
As mentioned previously - able to send invoice based on amount , program code and division code ,supplier is very useful feature ; If an invoice does not fit into approval process than it is rejected and an email is received mentioning the reason
Read full review
QuickBooks Desktop is an easy-to-use software with good services. Their invoicing, employment, and vendor sections are all wonderful. These sections allow efficient tracking and instant business summaries and reporting. However, the pricing for additional services and upgrades and lack of good customer service makes it a less attractive software for small businesses.
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Pros
  • choice based on Program codes / division codes - we use Xero accounting system and we have 22 program codes and 11 divison codes ; once invoice is entered in Xero depending on relevant program code and divison code, Approval max automatically send invoice to relevant person depending on approval workflow process . One manager could be handling multiple divison and program codes; if our approval work flow process is properly designed - it is accurate in sending invoice to relevant manager.
  • invoice can also send to various managers based on General ledger codes ; this flexibility makes useful when manager is handling only certain nature of expenses regardless of program codes / divisionl.
  • Approval process can also be designed based on level of amount ; and level of amount is derived from our Delegation policy. it makes audit of application of delegation policy easy ; we give copy of delegation policy and print of approval work flow process to auditor.
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  • QuickBooks Premier is easy to use, yet flexible and powerful enough to handle some complicated accounting scenarios.
  • QuickBooks Premier offers a wide array of canned reports. Custom reports can be easily created.
  • QuickBooks Premier with Enhanced Payroll gives us the tools to handle complex payrolls with multiple variables.
Read full review
Cons
  • date and time of change in approval process ; for example if Mr. A was responsible for all expenses above $1000 in Oct 23 and from Nov 23 it is changed to $5000 . in Dec 23 if it is checked - it will show approval limit of $5000 ; but will not show from which date limit was changed. Auditor always asks this question when the limit was changed in approval max - we cannot prove it.
  • If there is audit trail of who made the changes , when and what changes were made ; will be good.
  • when we are in main page of seeing invoices awaiting approval - there are hundreds of invoices - searching for one invoice from particular supplier is very cumbersome job - we have to go by each and every invoice in order to find that invoice ; it will be good if we have search function on main page itself ; in current scenario we have to go to report section - input all filters and than search for that particular invoice.
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  • I would like to be able to choose how i want to view accounts receivable aging. I would like some flexibility to sort and choose how to present the data.
  • For a seasoned accountant, I would like to see some of the restrictive controls that are in place for novices to be able to be relaxed so that I can easily make some entries and adjust some balances that ordinarily a regular user would not be able to do.
  • I would like to see an easy way to clear old outstanding checks that need to be reversed without affecting prior balances/history.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
Because we have been extremely happy with the product and our organization tends to be creatures of habit. We rarely leave a product that works this well for the latest and greatest. Typically we follow the "if it's not broken, don't fix it rule". While QB does make changes we typically just roll with it. If we do find something we don't like we work through it until we fully understand its functionality.
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Usability
No answers on this topic
We switched to a more "robust" software program with the hiring of a new CFO. The migration of historical data and ancillary information has been cumbersome and riddle with errors and issues. In hindsight much of what the new software program was touted to accomplish is not come to fruition. QB Desktop Premier was sufficient for the organization needs
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Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
This is very reliable software, the desktop version is fast. If there is a problem, it is most likely on your own hardware!
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Performance
No answers on this topic
It takes forever to load.
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Support Rating
No answers on this topic
This is where QuickBooks falls short. Many times my staff has had questions that have not been able to get resolved easily with a chat or call. I personally have had more general questions that have not been answered easily as well. I think QuickBooks needs to provide the resources of having readily accessible help in order to make it simpler to get solutions.
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
It is important to do your research. There are tutorial videos online that could help new user of this accounting system. These tutorials are straightforward and easily understandable.
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Alternatives Considered
Read full review
We've used QuickBooks Desktop Premier for many, many years. We've not reviewed any other accounting products internally - but have a handful of the customers that use Cyma (mentioned above). While I've never had occasion to functionally use Cyma, I have had to install and troubleshoot problems with it. Put simply... not impressed. I found installation a bit confusing, and once started up, I wasn't able to easily find anything I would have wanted to find - where conversely, QuickBooks Desktop Premier excels on both of these fronts.
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
They're getting better. Still room for improvement.
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Return on Investment
  • It has certainly made a positive impact ; it is definately worth its value ; when we are processing hundreds of invoices every fortnight ; getting approval of invoices in timely manner for all invoices is of paramount importance . as approval max has its own app - approval can be done on mobile phone also ; this is particularly helpful when staff is travelling .
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  • Most of our business clients use QuickBooks which makes it efficient for us to work on clients that use the program. We can import QuickBooks data into our software which adds efficiencies to our tax practice.
  • Having staff that are familiar with the software enables our firm to provide quality service to the clients that use QuickBooks.
  • We receive referrals from satisfied QuickBooks clients.
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ScreenShots

ApprovalMax Screenshots

Screenshot of where approval processes are set up  – no matter how simple or complex.Screenshot of the interface to build approval steps that follow any business rules – whether approvals happen one after another, all at once, or only in certain cases. The user can also control who approves based on things like amount, supplier, account code, or category.Screenshot of where to approve bills and purchase orders the way that works best.Screenshot of the interface that matches bills to approved purchase orders from the same supplier to keep coding accurate and control spending. Unmatched bills can also be stopped from being approved.Screenshot of where to mention others in comments to bring them in or get their input – even if they’re not part of the original approval. If they don’t have access, a prompt to add them as a Watcher is sent. Mentions work on web and mobile, sending notifications as soon as access is granted.Screenshot of where to raise purchase orders, approve requests, and extract key details from bills and purchase orders – all on the go with the ApprovalMax mobile app for iOS and Android.