QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs. QuickBooks Online Advanced

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
Score 7.8 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 Advanced
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online Advanced is a SaaS-based accounting software designed to scale with growing businesses. It includes the functionalities of QuickBooks Online, as well as more robust business analytics, customization, and resource management.N/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Free Trial
NoYes
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 ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Features
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
9.3
Ratings
18% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
-
Ratings
Pay calculation9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.9
Ratings
3% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
9.0
Ratings
16% above category average
API for custom integration8.00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Plug-ins7.80 Ratings9.90 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
10.0
Ratings
18% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
9.2
Ratings
10% above category average
Single sign-on capability10.00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Role-based user permissions10.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
10.0
Ratings
24% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.4
Ratings
6% above category average
Dashboards10.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Standard reports10.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Custom reports10.00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
9.5
Ratings
20% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
9.3
Ratings
18% above category average
Accounts payable10.00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Accounts receivable10.00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Cash management10.00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Bank reconciliation10.00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Expense management10.00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Time tracking8.70 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Fixed asset management10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency support10.00 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Multi-division support10.00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Regulations compliance7.20 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Electronic tax filing10.00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Self-service portal9.70 Ratings9.80 Ratings
Global Financial Support7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.80 Ratings9.90 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting10.00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Localizations8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations10.00 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting10.00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Configurable Accounting10.00 Ratings9.80 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework10.00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Standardized Processes10.00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
6.7
Ratings
9% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
9.6
Ratings
27% above category average
Inventory tracking6.40 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Automatic reordering6.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Location management6.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing module8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.3
Ratings
7% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
9.5
Ratings
21% above category average
Pricing10.00 Ratings9.80 Ratings
Order entry10.00 Ratings9.90 Ratings
Credit card processing7.10 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Cost of goods sold10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Orchestration9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Order exception Resolution3.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 8.9 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.0 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.6 out of 10
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
9.9
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.9
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.9
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
6.4
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
I am only going to recommend it because it is currently ubiquitous, and most accountants prefer it at the moment. I do not stand by the company, and will not use the product any longer than I have to. [I believe] the support is lousy, the product is overpriced, but it does the basics of what we need. I'm very happy for all those outside Intuit who make their living supporting QuickBooks Desktop Pro; third-party support is desperately needed. They also doubled their prices for software upgrades this year, and require those who don't pay double what the last upgrade cost, to subscribe every year for $200. If one does not subscribe beyond the first year, one will not be able to use the software beyond the first year. They are moving to a rental model even for those who refuse to use the LOUSY QuickBooks online. They were good company once. Now they just turn out bloatware that everyone uses, so the rest of us have to. I look forward to the day that an honest, better-priced competitor wipes the floor with Intuit.
Read full review
QuickBooks Online Advanced is best suited for small businesses who don’t have any consolidation considerations. Additionally, the software tends to struggle when there are a large number of projects. The report screens will struggle to load at times and it will be difficult to view reports. However, it does really well at creating an all-in-one solution for companies who need payroll, accounting, and tax compliance in a relatively inexpensive bundle.
Read full review
Pros
  • It is easy to manage and adjust inventory on hand.
  • It is easy to make reports and customize them to your needs.
  • We also use it to pay our employees directly.
  • It is easy to make year-to-year comparisons to see where we can make improvements and the current financial situation.
Read full review
  • It allows us to link to bank accounts in order to get up-to-date, real-time information, which is so important in today's lightning speed work world.
  • The "canned" reports are excellent and allow for extreme customization also. This makes them very helpful to both me and my clients.
  • The user interface for QuickBooks Online Advanced is easy to navigate and is intuitive for novices. The screens are well laid out and have cohesiveness on each screen to match tasks with others that match up well.
Read full review
Cons
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro has been around for a few years and after an update[,] they force you to look at the changes/updates before you can use [them] after updating.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro does not have 2FA.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro should offer a way to store backups to a personal cloud without having to map a local network drive.
Read full review
  • Proper advice in QuickBooks Online Pro for the usage if QuickBooks Online Advanced will be more efficient.
  • More features and space in the app for organization of the self-created workflows.
  • The stability of QuickBooks Online Advanced can still be better.
  • There are still file-size issues and limitations on transactions and attributes of transactions.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
We use it with all our clients and have several QuickBooks Pro Advisors and will renew and continue to use it with our client base. It is easy to use, helps with collecting annual data and makes compiling of information for filing annual tax returns much easier. It makes our job a lot easier, than using manual records.
Read full review
QuickBooks Online Advanced is very easy to use and the data is very transparent. The reporting shortfalls (not being able to report the current month and YTD results on the same report) as well as the issues with the limitations with the management reports.
Read full review
Usability
QuickBooks Desktop Pro can be daunting at first. It has the ability to do nearly everything you will ever need in accounting but that means there are a lot of features to learn. It's always best to have an experienced user to guide you with the initial setup as it can be a bit overwhelming.
Read full review
QuickBooks Online Advanced is great and effective. I use it for almost three months and it definitely does their job
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
I haven't experienced a time when QuickBooks Pro was unavailable when I needed it in the entire 20 years of using the software
Read full review
No issue at any time with Availability
Read full review
Performance
No answers on this topic
It can be access at any time and reports is generate in less than a minute
Read full review
Support Rating
I was a BIG fan of QuickBooks support for a very long time up until recently. The representatives were well trained and wanted to solve your problem for you, as a human, not as just a customer. In my recent experiences I feel as though that is no longer so. My last conversation was appalling. The representative only read the narrative provided over and over and would not send me on to a supervisor. Finally I hung up and called back. On this try, I was passed from department to department. I was not presented with a solution until I posted a rant on their Facebook page. It amazes me that I had to publicly complain to get results.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Best thing I ever did was to attend a two day training seminar on QuickBooks, I learned an immense amount in a short time with hands on training by experts. I strongly recommend such training for anyone using any part of the software. It will pay for itself in the first month.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Online Training
No answers on this topic
The online training was easy to follow and understand. The online training gave us the specific instructions to follow
Read full review
Implementation Rating
We implemented the software ourselves. The training we received on the software was done by taking a community course teaching us how to use QuickBooks. It allowed me to get started with some basics of how to use the program and have not needed much assistance since completing the course work.
Read full review
I dont have any
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
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 for me to do so in-house with training courses available and phone calls to a customer service representative or implementation expert accessible.
Read full review
QuickBooks Desktop is no longer being sold in the US, so we had to switch to the online version of the program. It is not a fully fleshed-out all-in-one solution offering everything the desktop version did. That being said, the desktop enterprise was overkill for many people.
Read full review
Scalability
No answers on this topic
Software is very flexible
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Clean and accurate bookkeeping records [have] made reporting and sharing information with tax accountants a breeze.
  • Invoicing out of QB is a bit slow and time-consuming[,] unfortunately, so we were forced to choose another software to integrate.
  • A great way to have all accounting needs in one place - AP, AR, Reporting, etc.
Read full review
  • QBOA has shown my clients the increase and decrease of my monthly income activity
  • I am able to project my income and spending more easily
  • The P&L reports has shown me a lot and by customizing to focus on my income and expenses has allowed me to better budget
Read full review
ScreenShots