QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs. QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Desktop Pro

QuickBooks Online

Overview
Product	Rating	Most Used By	Product Summary	Starting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Pro	Score7.8 out of 10	N/A	Quickbooks Desktop Pro is accounting software from Intuit, Inc. It includes core accounting features, plus analytics and exportable reports. It is offered in on-premise and SaaS forms.	N/A
QuickBooks Online	Score8.3 out of 10	N/A	QuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.	$38 per month

Pricing

QuickBooks Desktop Pro

QuickBooks Online

No answers on this topic

Simple Start: $38
per month
Essentials: $75
per month
Plus: $115
per month
Advanced: $275
per month

Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro	QuickBooks Online
Free Trial
No	Yes
Free/Freemium Version
No	No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No	Yes

No setup fee

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Community Pulse
Key User Insights
	QuickBooks Desktop Pro	QuickBooks Online
Considered Both Products	Intuit Alexis Lewis Finance Assistant in Finance and Accounting at Chmura Economics & Analytics (Computer Software, 11-50 employees) Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro We tried switching from QuickBooks Desktop Pro to QuickBooks Online, but there were a lot of issues and bugs so we ultimately decided to stay with Desktop Pro. Unfortunately, we are losing a lot of Online Banking capabilities on 5/31 as we have an older version of QB, but we … Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro QuickBooks Online is a great cloud-based accounting software that is easy to use and accessible from anywhere. QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a fantastic option for users who are stationary and rely on using the same computers on a weekly basis. For those on the go who may need to … Incentivized Helpful? Meredith Turcotte Political & Tax Staff in Finance and Accounting at Atchley & Associates, LLP (Accounting, 11-50 employees) Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro I would recommend QuickBooks Pro over QuickBooks Online for almost everyone. It is easy to learn the basics, the payroll is so much easier to use, the reports are better and easier to use. The advantages of QBP far outweigh those of QBO. When asked, I recommend QBP almost every … Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro Although QuickBooks Online does allow for remote capabilities, it just doesn't compare. The template customization is impossible. The desktop interface is not as friendly and not intuitive at all. The online version lacks the back and forth buttons the desktop version provides. … Helpful? Stan Klaff Executive Director in Marketing at Hebrew Order of David International (Non-profit Organization Management, 1-10 employees) Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro I think QuickBooks Online is better than QuickBooks Desktop Pro Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro The transparency of QuickBooks Desktop Pro is less complex. This really helps with larger projects/companies with one shared accounting office. Incentivized Helpful? JaCoby Marston, CPA Chief Financial Officer » Finance Management \| Accounting \| Taxation \| Cost Controls in Finance and Accounting at Trust Brands (Computer Software, 11-50 employees) Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a great option if you just want to pay a one-time fee and are okay that the software does not have any updates included. QuickBooks Desktop Pro provides an affordable way to manage your accounting for your business no matter the size of the business. … Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro QB Non-profit was not as user friendly in the actual "non-profit" modules. We have had more luck adjusting the QB Pro version to suit our needs as a non profit organization. Business is business, however the ways in which we forecast and budget can be different, as well as … Incentivized Helpful? Christy Moonan Accountant in Finance and Accounting at The Swift School (Education Management, 51-200 employees) Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro My experience in QuickBooks has allowed the system to do what I need. The functionality of the others is somewhat limited for what I need to do for reporting purposes. Incentivized Helpful? Cindy Hovig Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor in Finance and Accounting at Beyond Balanced Books Inc (Accounting, 1-10 employees) Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro We prefer QuickBooks Pro over QuickBooks Online. We feel like we can work more efficiently in QuickBooks Pro. We prefer Xero over QuickBooks Pro when the features in Xero fit the client's needs. We prefer using on online accounting solution over a desktop solution. Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro Quickbooks Desktop Pro is much simple and easier to use, so it fits better to the ticket of our small non-profit organization needs. The other options are either, or both, more pricy and complicated. For example, the implementation for QuickBooks Desktop Pro was simple enough … Incentivized Helpful?	Intuit Verified User Chose QuickBooks Online As a freelance bookkeeper, the Desktop version of QuickBooks Online doesn't allow for ease of access from any device. Having to be on a computer with the software downloaded creates additional work to gain access to all required filings etc. Also, I personally find the linking … Incentivized Helpful? Donna Sturma Controller in Finance and Accounting at Hercules Design Build (Architecture & Planning, 11-50 employees) Chose QuickBooks Online We selected QuickBooks Online because it is supposed to integrate with a new Project Management software package we are starting to use. QuickBooks Desktop is much better suited to job costing and project management. Incentivized Helpful? Jeff Henkel Consultant in Finance and Accounting at Jeff Henkel (Accounting, 1-10 employees) Chose QuickBooks Online I chose QuickBooks Online primarily because I had the most experience with it. Although the desktop versions will generally have more robust reporting and some areas of versatility, QuickBooks Online has the best immediate access when it comes to support and it's online … Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Online Ultimately, QuickBooks/Intuit has the most market share when it comes to accounting software. The benefit of so many people using this software is that there's always an answer to a problem that you may be having when it comes to using the software. Intuit has provided a … Incentivized Helpful? Kitty McClelland Office Manager in Corporate at Dynamic Energy Solutions (Consumer Goods, 1-10 employees) Chose QuickBooks Online There are pros to both - but the online version won due to the simple fact that if we have to shut down due to the pandemic, or there is an illness preventing us to work....we can work from home and still get everything accomplished!! Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Online It is NOT as good as the desktop version. The sales/use tax module is terrible and it isn't customizable enough. I wish we had never changed to QBO. Incentivized Helpful? Gayle Potter, IOM President at Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce (Non-Profit Organization Management, 1-10 employees) Chose QuickBooks Online It is very easy and straightforward to use. The ability to use it from anywhere is what sold us. The online version is definitely more limited than the desktop version, but with all of the third-party apps available, we are able to make it work for us. Incentivized Helpful? Jennifer Walschap Director at Imagine Music and Arts (Music, 11-50 employees) Chose QuickBooks Online Quickbooks Online has more features than PayPal that I need for my business. I decided to stick with the online subscription service for now so that I receive support and updates regularly, and also because I don't want to drop a chunk of money to purchase the software version. … Incentivized Helpful? Meredith Turcotte Political & Tax Staff in Finance and Accounting at Atchley & Associates, LLP (Accounting, 11-50 employees) Chose QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Online offers a greater access from multiple locations and a better banking activity download capability. Incentivized Helpful? Verified User Chose QuickBooks Online Same company but some businesses would prefer to have a desktop version rather than the information floating around in the cloud. :) Incentivized Helpful? Mary Alford Owner in Corporate at MFB Consultancy, Inc (Accounting, 1-10 employees) Chose QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Online makes working with clients in distant states more seamless. When my clients were on Desktop, I had to upload backups for the client to download and execute. They would frequently make changes and not tell me, which would lead to inaccurate reporting at the end … Incentivized Helpful?
	Would buy again
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Delivers good value for the price
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Happy with the feature set
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Lived up to sales and marketing promises
	No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic
	Implementation went as expected
No answers on this topic	No answers on this topic

Features

QuickBooks Desktop Pro

QuickBooks Online

Comparison of Payroll Management features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online
Feature	QuickBooks Desktop Pro 9.3 65 Ratings	QuickBooks Online 8.5 81 Ratings
Pay calculation	9.961 Ratings	7.872 Ratings
Benefit plan administration	9.835 Ratings	7.033 Ratings
Direct deposit files	9.953 Ratings	9.067 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management	9.949 Ratings	9.046 Ratings
Reimbursement management	7.350 Ratings	9.548 Ratings

Comparison of Customization features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online
Feature	QuickBooks Desktop Pro 7.9 39 Ratings	QuickBooks Online 8.3 71 Ratings
API for custom integration	8.032 Ratings	8.757 Ratings
Plug-ins	7.836 Ratings	8.058 Ratings

Comparison of Security features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online
Feature	QuickBooks Desktop Pro 10.0 94 Ratings	QuickBooks Online 9.7 112 Ratings
Single sign-on capability	10.076 Ratings	9.684 Ratings
Role-based user permissions	10.089 Ratings	9.7106 Ratings

Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online
Feature	QuickBooks Desktop Pro 10.0 109 Ratings	QuickBooks Online 8.1 136 Ratings
Dashboards	10.094 Ratings	8.6128 Ratings
Standard reports	10.0109 Ratings	8.2132 Ratings
Custom reports	10.0107 Ratings	7.5120 Ratings

Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online
Feature	QuickBooks Desktop Pro 9.5 113 Ratings	QuickBooks Online 8.5 147 Ratings
Accounts payable	10.0108 Ratings	9.1125 Ratings
Accounts receivable	10.0110 Ratings	9.4135 Ratings
Cash management	10.098 Ratings	8.7123 Ratings
Bank reconciliation	10.0109 Ratings	9.1141 Ratings
Expense management	10.0100 Ratings	8.7125 Ratings
Time tracking	8.747 Ratings	6.957 Ratings
Fixed asset management	10.065 Ratings	8.155 Ratings
Multi-currency support	10.028 Ratings	7.024 Ratings
Multi-division support	10.053 Ratings	9.245 Ratings
Regulations compliance	7.239 Ratings	9.241 Ratings
Electronic tax filing	10.051 Ratings	9.368 Ratings
Self-service portal	9.738 Ratings	8.869 Ratings
Global Financial Support	7.015 Ratings	8.118 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers	8.837 Ratings	8.737 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting	10.039 Ratings	8.731 Ratings
Localizations	8.517 Ratings	8.123 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations	10.066 Ratings	9.376 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting	10.034 Ratings	8.127 Ratings
Configurable Accounting	10.042 Ratings	7.740 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework	10.025 Ratings	8.426 Ratings
Standardized Processes	10.049 Ratings	8.552 Ratings

Comparison of Inventory Management features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online
Feature	QuickBooks Desktop Pro 6.7 56 Ratings	QuickBooks Online 7.5 49 Ratings
Inventory tracking	6.453 Ratings	8.046 Ratings
Automatic reordering	6.132 Ratings	7.023 Ratings
Location management	6.229 Ratings	8.123 Ratings
Manufacturing module	8.216 Ratings	7.018 Ratings

Comparison of Order Management features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online
Feature	QuickBooks Desktop Pro 8.3 71 Ratings	QuickBooks Online 8.4 90 Ratings
Pricing	10.051 Ratings	8.056 Ratings
Order entry	10.050 Ratings	8.054 Ratings
Credit card processing	7.148 Ratings	8.666 Ratings
Cost of goods sold	10.059 Ratings	9.370 Ratings
Order Orchestration	9.018 Ratings	8.022 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility	9.021 Ratings	9.021 Ratings
Order exception Resolution	3.216 Ratings	8.019 Ratings

User Ratings
	QuickBooks Desktop Pro	QuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend	9.9 (125 ratings)	8.8 (165 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew	10.0 (18 ratings)	1.9 (24 ratings)
Usability	10.0 (32 ratings)	8.8 (80 ratings)
Availability	8.3 (2 ratings)	2.0 (5 ratings)
Performance	- (0 ratings)	1.0 (4 ratings)
Support Rating	1.2 (29 ratings)	1.1 (68 ratings)
In-Person Training	10.0 (1 ratings)	- (0 ratings)
Implementation Rating	9.0 (6 ratings)	3.0 (6 ratings)
Configurability	- (0 ratings)	10.0 (1 ratings)
CPA Rating	8.5 (22 ratings)	7.4 (18 ratings)
Ease of integration	- (0 ratings)	1.3 (2 ratings)
Product Scalability	8.0 (1 ratings)	1.0 (2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale	- (0 ratings)	1.0 (2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale	- (0 ratings)	1.0 (2 ratings)

QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs. QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Desktop Pro

QuickBooks Online

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