It also offers more time-saving automation features than QuickBooks Desktop and integrates with third-party payment processors, allowing your customers to pay their invoices directly online. It’s also the ideal choice if you want remote access with mobile applications. You should consider QuickBooks Online if you need to provide access to your books for more than one person, including an outside accountant, such as a tax professional. For QuickBooks Desktop, your only option is an independent QuickBooks Desktop ProAdvisor.
QuickBooks Desktop does not include customer service unless you purchase the software as an annual subscription. Customer service: All QuickBooks Online subscriptions include unlimited customer service.
QuickBooks Desktop has editions for construction, retail, professional services, manufacturing and wholesale, and nonprofit companies that include industry-specific reports and workflows. Industry-specific software: QuickBooks Online doesn’t have any industry-specific editions.Any changes made by your accountant must then be imported into your QuickBooks Desktop company file. With QuickBooks Desktop you must create an Accountant’s Copy, which then must be transferred to your accountant. Sharing with your tax pro: You can give an external accountant complete access to your QuickBooks Online company without it counting towards your maximum users.See our pricing section below for more information. QuickBooks Desktop can either be purchased for a one-time fee that varies with the number of users, or as an annual subscription with some additional benefits. Pricing: QuickBooks Online is a monthly subscription that includes a set number of users.This is not to say that Desktop is going away anytime soon, but it’s no longer the focus of QuickBooks. Future development: New features and improvements to QuickBooks Online have been developed at an incredible pace during the past couple of years.
The only mobile app available for Desktop is to capture receipts, and it requires a Plus subscription to Desktop.
Cloud vs Desktop: The biggest difference is that QuickBooks Online is cloud-based and can be accessed from anywhere on the internet, while QuickBooks Desktop must be installed on a single computer or network.9 Key Differences Between QuickBooks Online and Desktop
QuickBooks Desktop is our best desktop accounting program while QuickBooks Online is our best overall small business accounting software. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop make it on our list of best small business accounting software. QuickBooks Desktop is best for experienced bookkeepers in specialized industries who spend most of their time in an office and want a fast program that doesn’t depend on internet speed. QuickBooks Online is best for companies that need to give multiple people access to the program, including an outside accountant. QuickBooks Desktop must be installed on your computer, which offers faster navigation and data input, but a limited ability to share access. A key difference between QuickBooks Online and Desktop is that you can access QuickBooks Online from any computer or mobile device connected to the internet, and it’s easy to share data with your accountant.