QuickBooks offers six accounting products, but one of its online accounting plans will be the best choice for most small businesses. Freelancers and independent contractors may opt for simpler options, while larger small businesses might turn to QuickBooks products with advanced inventory, sales and reporting features. It has four plans, which means businesses can scale up to plans with more features and users as they grow.
Existing Desktop users will retain support access and can renew their subscriptions through 2025. However, some third-party resellers may still have older versions of QuickBooks Desktop available for purchase. Clarify complexity with efficient inventory management and integrated payroll and time tracking. Plus, with access for up to 40 users, Enterprise can scale with your business as it grows. Both versions offer automatic syncing with your bank so you can categorize transactions. Add payroll to QuickBooks Online starting at $45 per month, or to Desktop starting at $50, plus $2 per employee, per month.
We’re here to make migrating your desktop data and getting to know QuickBooks Online as seamless as possible. Easily do it yourself, or get help from a specialist if you have questions. We also offer expert-led webinars, easy-to-use guides, and free phone and chat support. But there isn’t just one version of QuickBooks—if QuickBooks Online doesn’t work for you, another one of the six different versions of QuickBooks could. Plus, QuickBooks isn’t the only accounting solution in the world—far from it. Plenty of QuickBooks alternatives can meet all sorts of business needs, including your business’s needs.
These relationships do not dictate our advice and recommendations. Our editorial team independently evaluates and recommends products and services based on their research and expertise. QuickBooks Online Simple Start works best with the mobile app because all its features are available.
Features designed for more productivity
Unfortunately, in February 2023, QuickBooks announced it was doing away with its dedicated POS software. To have a full POS solution, you’ll have to use QuickBooks Payments paired with Shopify’s GoPayment app. While this combo gets the job done, the fact that you need additional POS support can be a major drawback.
- If you contact the sales team, they’ll most likely try to sell you on QuickBooks Online rather than a desktop Pro subscription.
- Popular business cloud platforms like Microsoft Office 365 or Google Apps for Work offer collaboration tools and are tailored for mobile employees.
- If you have an Android, you can also send invoices via WhatsApp.
- Though you need an internet connection to work on the cloud, many platforms have offline modes.
QuickBooks Desktop vs. Online: The differences
This website referenced in 2021 does not produce a page that matches the description provided. Additionally, multiple web searches over the last few months keep producing a download page for the old QBO app that was cancelled and no longer operational. People including me are wasting their time with a bogus download that is not functional. I wanted to see how everything is going about the concern you had yesterday. Because QuickBooks Online is connected to the cloud, you can work from any device with an internet connection. Information that users submit is encrypted to Square’s servers, regardless of whether they’re using a public or private Wi-Fi connection or a data service on their phone.
How do I know which version of QuickBooks I need?
QuickBooks Pro Plus was QuickBooks’ least expensive and least customizable desktop-based plan. As of 2023, you can still purchase QuickBooks Pro Plus, but only if you reach out directly to QuickBooks’ sales team. If you contact the sales team, they’ll most likely try to sell you on QuickBooks Online rather than a desktop Pro subscription. With plans starting at which quickbooks app do i need $15 a month, FreshBooks is well-suited for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small-business owners alike. Furthermore, if you are referring to using QuickBooks Online mobile, you need to install the application on your phone and log in to your account there with no additional fee. Advanced Pricing / Control, customize, and automate pricing is included in the Platinum and Diamond subscriptions only.
Attach receipts to invoices
- Customers happy with Square praised its knowledgeable customer service, appointment-booking features and invoicing capabilities.
- The most notable difference, aside from price, between QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop is the Online version is cloud-based.
- It syncs across all your devices, making it easy to track business expenses anytime.
- Conversely, many classic QuickBooks Desktop tools are not available in the online version.
- Its invoices aren’t very customizable, and you can’t use any versions of QuickBooks to interact with customers the same way you can with FreshBooks’ or Zoho Books’ client portals.
If you entered data in a custom field in QuickBooks, you’ll see the custom field and the data when you preview the estimate or invoice. If you didn’t enter data in a custom field, the field won’t display. When viewing your invoice list, overdue invoices are listed first so it�’s easy to see who owes you.
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
A credit card processing system can make or break a customer’s experience, and those with POS capabilities can also help you keep track of sales, inventory and revenue. This can happen if the data on your device is momentarily out of sync with QuickBooks, or if the customer has invoices over 179 days old. The first time you create a transaction (invoice, estimate, or sales receipt) you’ll be prompted to add your company information.
Since many small businesses have been using Microsoft and Google programs for years, their cloud interfaces are familiar and make for an easy transition. QuickBooks (QB) is a leading tool for tracking business income and expenses. These include several online based plans, as well as different desktop versions.
The most notable difference, aside from price, between QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop is the Online version is cloud-based. The mobile app for Online is robust, and Desktop’s mobile app is so limited, that it essentially functions as a receipt uploader. Working from the cloud means you need an internet connection, so a poor signal or an intermittent connection can be an issue. When you manage your account from the web you’ll also get additional features.
The different versions of QuickBooks may at first seem confusing. If you think about your type of business and what features you need, the best option is usually clear. Small businesses that prefer locally installed software and work from a Mac. Small businesses that prefer locally installed software and work with a PC. 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. The developer, Intuit Inc., indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below.
QuickBooks Payment Links: A Smarter Way to Get Paid
Square is one of the top contenders in the POS game with built-in inventory and contactless payment. Known as a powerhouse in the accounting world, it also offers some in-person and online payment solutions that might work for your company. You can create “Receive Payment” transactions to indicate when and how your customers paid you, and to which open invoice(s) you’ve applied the payments. Customer, expense, estimate, invoice, payment, and sales receipt data you add or update in QuickBooks is immediately available in QuickBooks Online.