Each user has their own login credentials, which can be customized to limit access to sensitive information. There’s also a feature that facilitates inviting your accountant to the platform, so they can have direct access to your data. If you don’t know much about accounting, you’ll probably want to shy away from QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise, unless you’re willing to put in the time to learn. The number of users you need will also help determine which software is best for your business. Take a look at this chart to see which product suits your business’s size.

QuickBooks Premier Plus VS QuickBooks Enterprise

QuickBooks Online is user-friendly, but it requires some prior accounting knowledge to get the most out of it. Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. Yes, you can switch to another plan from any version of QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Payroll, and QuickBooks Time. Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. 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.

QuickBooks Online Accountant

Since QuickBooks Online offers four cloud-based plans, it easily grows with your business. As you hire more employees or bring on more customers, you can contribution to sales ratio management online scale up your software to match. And if you manage your business from multiple locations, you’ll want QuickBooks Online over Desktop.

1. While the numerous options seem intimidating at first, each version of QuickBooks is designed to reach a certain business size and type.
2. QuickBooks Desktop is also a good fit for niche businesses such as nonprofit organizations, retailers, and general contractors looking for a more industry-specific solution.
3. Move from any version of QuickBooks Desktop, and only migrate the data that matters most to you.
4. 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.
5. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop applications offer a good selection of features, though QuickBooks Desktop features tend to be more comprehensive.

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. 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 Online is cloud-based software, so it offers more mobility.

Is QuickBooks Online easier to use than QuickBooks Desktop?

QuickBooks Online offers many advantages over QuickBooks Desktop, such as cloud accessibility, more convenient file sharing and collaboration, scalable plans with varying features, and a functional mobile app. Compared to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop offers more advanced accounting. QuickBooks Desktop also offers different versions of its software for certain types of businesses (construction, nonprofits, manufacturing, etc.). These versions offer industry-specific reports, in addition to 50 more reports than you’ll find on QuickBooks Online. The software must have a mobile app to enable users to perform accounting tasks even when away from their laptops or desktops.

No need to worry if you skip one; you can always go back and add it at a later date. 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 income statement analysis 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. It has faster load times and quicker response rates, all while requiring minimal local processing power.

In contrast, employee turnover QuickBooks Desktop’s interface was built with accountants in mind. Instead of showing clear images of your cash balance, outstanding invoices, and upcoming bills like the QuickBooks Online dash, the desktop version’s dash is a flowing series of connected folders and files. Unless you’re an accountant, the learning curve will likely be a little higher for you than it would with QuickBooks Online. Different software packages include licenses for 1 to 10 users, up to 20 users, up to 30 users, and up to 40 users.

As far as other add-ons, QuickBooks Online integrates with over 750 business apps and programs — well over twice the number of integrations you’ll find with Desktop. You can download a 30-day trial version of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise only—both the Premier Plus and Pro Plus plans come with a 60-day money-back guarantee, but no free trial. Alternatively, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial with QuickBooks Online. Just know that doing so waives your option to get 50% off your QuickBooks Online subscription for your first three months. To expedite product setup, you can choose to use the default chart of accounts that is included in the application.