QuickBooks® Desktop Enterprise and QuickBooks Online are both great options for businesses looking to streamline accounting and financial management processes.
However, there are some key differences between the two that could lead some businesses to choose QuickBooks Enterprise. Read on to find out which version works better for you: desktop or online.
Evaluating the details of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise and QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is a great option for businesses that need the fundamental capabilities that QuickBooks offers in a package that’s simple to manage. QuickBooks Enterprise is a bit more sophisticated in some aspects. It offers features and capabilities that aren’t available in QuickBooks Online.
For example, QuickBooks Enterprise:
- Allows for inventory tracking and multiple location management.
- Has a higher user limit, meaning more people can access the software at the same time.
Another differentiator of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise—as the name suggests—is that it’s a desktop product. Having the software installed on your computer versus accessing it through a web browser brings up some key differences:
- Businesses can work with a product already familiar to staff rather than switching to a new platform.
- Desktop products can be faster and more stable than web-based products. That’s especially important for businesses that need to process a large number of transactions quickly.
QuickBooks Online is a more cost-effective option than QuickBooks Enterprise for many businesses. Some, however, might want to look at QuickBooks Enterprise’s additional features and capabilities.
Some businesses have found that investing in QuickBooks Enterprise delivers an excellent return on investment because of how it enables them to streamline their accounting and financial management processes—saving them time and money.
Another key difference to consider is subscription model. For instance, with QuickBooks Online:
- Each company file is considered a separate subscription.
- Each subscription is billed separately.
If you have multiple company files, you have to purchase and manage a separate subscription for each one. (This could bump up the cost of QuickBooks Online.) Keep in mind that each company file will have its own set of user access permissions, which you will need to set up and manage separately as well.
Consider the cloud when evaluating QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise and QuickBooks Online
Running applications and storing files in the cloud is another factor to consider when choosing between QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise and QuickBooks Online. A cloud provider can deliver valuable services for both platforms. Running QuickBooks Online with a cloud provider delivers enhanced security, for instance.
QuickBooks Enterprise offers a few options in the cloud that aren’t the same as those for QuickBooks Online, including:
- Access to QuickBooks data in a desktop application at any time and from any place with an internet connection. This is a big advantage for businesses with remote employees or those needing access to their financial data from multiple locations.
- Additional security and disaster recovery options. Disaster recovery is easier and more effective in the cloud.
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise and QuickBooks Online are both great options
QuickBooks Enterprise and QuickBooks Online are both powerful options for small to medium-sized businesses that are looking to streamline accounting and financial management processes.
Businesses that only need essentials and are cost-conscious will do well adopting QuickBooks Online. Businesses that need more features and capabilities and prefer to work with a product that staff are already familiar with should look into adopting QuickBooks Enterprise.
In either case, Rightworks offers a cloud experience that enhances QuickBooks applications of all kinds and enables your business to boost productivity and efficiency
Are you ready improve your QuickBooks experience? Get started today.