Quickbooks desktop vs Quickbooks online: Which one to choose?

The Quickbooks desktop is present in the market from a very long time but with the introduction of Quickbooks online edition in 2000, the only question which businesses still have in their mind is; which one is better? The desktop users who are using it from the 90’s always fall into the dilemma of whether to switch to online version or not? Although the adoption rate of QB online has been high but even after 17 years of release of the online edition, the debate of preferring one over another is still a hot topic.

That’s why in this article, we will look at a detailed comparison between  QB desktop and QB online, so that the enterprises can choose the best for their businesses because both the products are different and deciding which one is better will be like deciding the best from jam and peanut butter. But before even starting the comparison, let’s look at what these products are.

QB Online

It is cloud based software which requires reliable internet connection for accessibility. It can be accessed from anywhere (where you have internet) and from any device. It also comes with a 30 days free trial and free support. As the trial period ends, you will have to pay a monthly subscription fee.

QB desktop

QB desktop needs to be installed on a computer and there is no free trial period for it. The accessibility is also limited to the computer in which it is installed because it is not cloud based. Support for this is available in only the ProPlus version or by paying for it.

Comparison

First of all we will look at what these both products have in common. Although this comparison doesn’t cover all the benefits but it will be enough to give a shape to your perception of both the products.

Benefits	QBO	QBD
One click sales and tax report	Yes	Yes
Manage Account Payable	Yes	Yes
Expense Tracking	Yes	Yes
Reports	Yes	Yes
Inventory	Yes	Yes
Multi-Currency	Yes	Yes
Business Planner	Yes	Yes
Create Professional invoice	Yes	Yes
60 days money back guarantee	Yes	Yes
Tax support	Yes	Yes
Importing and Exporting	Yes	Yes
Print Checks	Yes	Yes
Bank Reconciliation	Yes	Yes
Budgeting	Yes	Yes
Price Levels	Yes	Yes
Units of Measure	Yes	Yes
Shipping Manager	Yes	Yes
Forecasting	Yes	Yes
Calendar	Yes	Yes
Customer Snapshot	Yes	Yes

Now we will look at the advantages which online edition has over the desktop  

Benefits	QBO	QBD
Accessibility through any device at any time	Yes	No
Automatically send and schedule invoice	Yes	No
Automatic updates	Yes	No
Company scorecard	Yes	No
Income list	Yes	No
Free technical  support	Yes	No
Automatic access to latest version	Yes	No

Now we will look at the advantages which desktop edition has over online

Benefits	QBD	QBO
Industry specific reports	Yes	No
Calculate discount by customer	Yes	No
Forecasting	Yes	No
Calendar	Yes	No
Inventory Center	Yes	No
Price levels	Yes	No
Sales Orders	Yes	No

Now after looking at the various benefits which both the editions have in common and different, an enterprise can choose one of them by analyzing their requirement but to make it more clear while opting, we will now look at which edition is suitable for which type of business.

The desktop version is suitable for those types of businesses which are product based.  This is because product based business requires features of QBD like, two options for tracking inventory; FIFO and Average cost method, batch  invoicing capability which allows you to invoice the billing of multiple clients at the same time when the amount and type of service is same. Product based enterprise also requires industry specific version which only desktop has.

While talking about the QBO; it is best suitable for service based businesses which requires simple invoicing. A service based enterprise can be benefited from various features of QBO versions like flexible accessibility, regular update and entry of transaction through mobile device, PC or MAC.

So, both the products have different features and benefits, and the choice of opting one over other; totally depends upon the requirement of your business. So analyze the features and advantages of both the products and choose the best for your business.