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QuickBooks Desktop for Mac vs. QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AQuickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.N/A

    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AA now discontinued accounting solution, QuickBooks Self-Employed featured tools to help the self-employed drive growth and financial stability. It is replaced by the more advanced QuickBooks Solopreneur.N/A
    Pricing
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    Intuit
    Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    QuickBooks for Mac definitely outshines other competitors mainly due to its ability to sync seamlessly with all mac products, which other programs have continual problems with. Although the Mac version isn't quite as powerful as the Microsoft counterpart, it is still one of the …
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    80%
    Would buy again
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    4 Answers
    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 for MacQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    8.9
    13 Ratings
    14% above category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    7.8
    3 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Pay calculation8.411 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration7.98 Ratings5.02 Ratings
    Direct deposit files10.010 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.47 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Reimbursement management10.09 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.5
    12 Ratings
    2% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    5 Ratings
    27% above category average
    API for custom integration7.08 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Plug-ins8.011 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    10.0
    22 Ratings
    18% above category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    8 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Single sign-on capability10.022 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions10.019 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    6.7
    24 Ratings
    16% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    14 Ratings
    24% above category average
    Dashboards5.121 Ratings10.012 Ratings
    Standard reports7.924 Ratings10.014 Ratings
    Custom reports7.024 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.6
    26 Ratings
    2% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    15 Ratings
    25% above category average
    Accounts payable8.126 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Accounts receivable7.725 Ratings10.010 Ratings
    Cash management5.520 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation9.526 Ratings10.010 Ratings
    Expense management8.622 Ratings10.014 Ratings
    Time tracking7.514 Ratings10.07 Ratings
    Fixed asset management7.016 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Multi-currency support5.011 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Multi-division support6.012 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Regulations compliance10.011 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing10.017 Ratings10.013 Ratings
    Self-service portal7.715 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Global Financial Support5.08 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.615 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting8.116 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Localizations8.07 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations9.519 Ratings10.06 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting8.67 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting6.511 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework6.511 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Standardized Processes6.915 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.3
    17 Ratings
    1% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    3 Ratings
    31% above category average
    Inventory tracking9.516 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Automatic reordering6.512 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Location management6.911 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Manufacturing module6.510 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    9.1
    20 Ratings
    16% above category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    5 Ratings
    26% above category average
    Pricing9.019 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Order entry9.518 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Credit card processing9.119 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold9.118 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Order Orchestration9.07 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility9.19 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution9.18 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    Sage Accounting
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Sage Accounting
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score7.7 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score6.8 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score6.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (34 ratings)
    10.0
    (15 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (9 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    6.1
    (8 ratings)
    9.4
    (2 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Intuit
    If you're a freelancer or running a very small business where you do your own bookkeeping I think this is a great option, especially if you're familiar with accounting and bookkeeping in general. If you're not so familiar with bookkeeping, I would say that the learning curve is too steep and you might want to look elsewhere for a more intuitive solution
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    QuickBooks is a great tool for new SoleTraders that need basic accounting software and require digital invoicing for their clients to send via email and access key features via a mobile app on the go. QuickBooks is a straightforward tool to use with a simple design and learning curve for business owners that are not very tech-savvy. For businesses that operate on a larger scale and need to provide access to other users on their team, QuickBooks is limited. This type of business may also require more insights into the business outside of accounting, and QuickBooks won't be able to supply insights outside of that.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Intuit
    • The program is very easy to learn, the interface is incredibly user-friendly and there are tons of free resources and tutorials available
    • It makes managing payroll really easy for the employee and accountant on staff. No more lost time sheets or late paychecks!
    • Managing bills and paying them has become streamlined and it's great having everything in one place so we don't lose track of things.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    • QuickBooks Self-Employed does keep a running total of your income and estimated taxes. Of course, this requires that your entries are accurate.
    • The mileage feature is particularly helpful. One just needs to either use the phone app in conjunction with QuickBooks Self-Employed, or keep a log of all mileage.
    • When tax time comes around, it's easy to use TurboTax software and import your data from QuickBooks.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Intuit
    • The #1 complaint is that setting it up right is a challenge. People waste time trying to figure it out only to realize that they don't know accounting so of course they don't know how an accounting program should be set up. Like any time you are in over your head, reach out to your network and find someone who can log onto your computer and walk you through it.
    • If you need to track the cost of wages to jobs you can't do it with the online payroll, but check for yourself because it's a function that landscaping companies and construction businesses usually need, so maybe they have added it by now. That would really help!
    • It's premise-based software and that means you take on the role of hardware admin, and it's a lot of work for what is increasingly becoming a smaller gap in the functionality between QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online.
    • QuickBooks for Mac 2015 has been updated consistently over the last 3 years and continues to provide for the bookkeeping needs of small companies using Macs in their offices. However, it has limited job costing functionality. It is similar in functionality to the 2010 version of QuickBooksPro which runs on Windows.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    • Doesn't integrate with Mint, which I use for my home expenses. I think this would be a nice addition to the program, so I could keep track of my whole financial situation.
    • A Windows 10 app would be a nice addition to the program, so I could access it securely from my desktop.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Intuit
    I haven't spent that much time with the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac, but I think I'm seeing it make the much-needed improvements. For example, something as simple as undoing the previous reconciliation was a terrible chore, and I'm glad that feature has been included in the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Intuit
    The Mac version is OK overall. I find the Windows versions to be much more robust but Mac is quite good for Mac users. Though I think die hard Mac users should consider QuickBooks Online instead as there is a new QB for Mac app that makes using QBO much better!
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    I have been using this software for several years now and it has always put out my data in beautiful generated reports that I can use for verification purposes with my financial institute and the IRS. It has all the tools I need to run my business without loosing track of anything
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Intuit
    I've been using the QuickBooks online version for a little over 6 months now (upgraded from Mac desktop) and I haven't had any access issues. There have been times when it was down for service/upgrade however there is always plenty of notification time given by the Quick Books Online Support team. These upgrade maintenance time frames are always over night hours and on the weekends so everything can be worked around very easily.
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    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Intuit
    Fortunately, I haven't had to reach out much for support.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    I have never faced any difficulties that required me to contact QuickBooks customer service. QuickBooks has plenty of online tutorials, blog posts, and helpful tips and advice for almost any issues you may face using the desktop or app version of the software. Even if you can not find the right answer on the QuickBooks webpages, there are loads of YouTube videos from experts.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Intuit
    I love using Quickbooks compared to other software we've tried. QuickBooks Online and TSheets interface. Customer service and problem resolution are generally excellent, with well-trained and proficient agents taking calls or on chat. Ease of use and accessibility via the mobile app. Great courses were available to help with learning the basics and some advanced accounting background. I love learning! Online accessibility - it can work anywhere with an internet connection. Linking to bank and credit card accounts is handy.
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    Intuit
    FreshBooks limited my ability to categorize transactions, specifically removing duplicates or excluding them. I selected QuickBooks Self-Employed because it allowed me to be in control of items. Sometimes accounting is just making sure things are organized the way YOU think, and FreshBooks wasn't doing that for me.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Intuit
    • It has allowed us to offer multiple bookkeeping softwares for clients that do not want to change from what they have been using.
    • Payroll filing has given us ease of mind because we can physically make the filings rather than waiting on payroll software to make them for us.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    • Overall, tagging expenses and mileage has saved me thousands in taxes, for a relatively low cost of around $8/mo.
    • QuickBooks allows me to get invoices to clients quickly and accept online payments, which helps with cashflow.
    • The app has stopped tracking mileage automatically on my device, so I worry that sometimes I am not tracking business miles effectively, which could end up costing me at the EOY.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots