MIP Fund Accounting vs. QuickBooks Desktop Pro

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MIP Fund Accounting
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
MIP Fund Accounting™ is a configurable fund accounting solution. The solution includes functionality for fund accounting, procurement, budgeting, payroll, human resources, timekeeping, fixed asset management, grant management, and dashboards for nonprofits and government agencies.N/A
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
Score 8.0 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
Pricing
MIP Fund AccountingQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MIP Fund AccountingQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MIP Fund AccountingQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Considered Both Products
MIP Fund Accounting
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
We moved from QuickBooks Pro to provide a better reporting mechanism of the monies and tracking of the streams of revenue in our non-profit world. We have seen better reporting after converting to the MIP Fund Accounting and we are able to produce reports that the Board is …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
Our county still has EDEN - we use MIP for our grant and contract tracking because MIP is much more flexible to track the Data and run reports from. EDEN is impossible to do the kind of tracking that we need to track and bill our grants and contracts.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
MIP Fund Accounting is the only financial software program that I have used for the purpose of consolidating financial data, and it seems to perform that function with a minimal learning curve. My employer is a non-profit entity. MIP Fund Accounting is built to function for …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
Compared to other software I've used, MIP is by far the most user friendly and easiest to operate that've I've seen. Reports are easy to run, and I love being able to narrow down the information to only pull specific items.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
I like the fund separation in MIP
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
This is the first time I've worked in the non-profit world. Accounting is somewhat different so I am very glad to be using a product designed specifically for non-profits. Many accounting processes are similar of course, but it is nice to have them tailored to fit the …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
I feel like MIP Fund Accounting (formerly Abila MIP) has more features and options for customization. I can get the exact report I want showing the exact information and data I need for just about everything. Sometimes it takes a while to find the correct report but I always …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
When our company first started, we used QuickBooks Pro. I felt it worked fine for the organization when we had just one funding stream. As the organization grew, we decided to move to MIP but I was hesitant as it was new to me, more detailed transactions and overall a more …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
Our organization has had this accounting software more than ten years.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
I was not involved in the choosing of this system, so I cannot comment on this.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
We have not started using Fund Accounting. The accounting dept still uses Mas 90.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
QuickBooks and Peachtree just didn't have the multi-user environment depth that MIP has. As such, our clients transitioned over the years. From the Sage days onwards we have used MIP to great effect. Sure there have been bumps in the road but it is an intuitive product. With an …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
This product has delivered reliable data, consistency and is user friendly. Its complexity produces reports needed, fund accounting, cost allocations and accounts payable. We have not needed to vet other software as this meets our needs.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
MIP is barely functional. Even QuickBooks would have been a better choice. The only functionality that MIP has is the ability to track by year across multiple year ends. There are no functional financial statement templates. Cash management is a nightmare. The work arounds to …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
Again, MIP Fund accounting was already in place when I arrived 7 years ago. I had only experienced QuickBooks and some other industry specified accounting systems prior to working at a non-profit.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
It's as good and better in almost all areas of any program I have ever worked in.
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
Each not-for-profit is different. If it's an association QuickBooks works fine. Generally once you have restricted funds either blackbaud or MIP becomes the better solution. Many nonprofits use Great Plains Microsoft GP but with its inability to report multiple grant periods …
Chose MIP Fund Accounting
MIP combines the level or functionality that is needed for complex non profits, NGO's with ease of use of intuitive software. MIP provides the ability to customize as much or as little as needed for Fund/ Grant Accounting. You need to be able to produce reports for Program …
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro
MIP Fund Accounting has better reporting but is lesser used than QuickBooks. The reporting is not as clear when using QuickBooks for example it does not have a drill-down that is available with MIP Fund Accounting from Sage. We purchased QuickBooks Desktop Pro because we have …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro
QuickBooks Desktop Pro is easy to use. I can learn it by myself by looking at the demo.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
MIP Fund AccountingQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
MIP Fund Accounting
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
9.3
65 Ratings
22% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings9.961 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings9.835 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.853 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings9.949 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.350 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
MIP Fund Accounting
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.9
39 Ratings
11% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings8.032 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings7.836 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
MIP Fund Accounting
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.5
93 Ratings
6% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.975 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.188 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
MIP Fund Accounting
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.4
108 Ratings
10% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings9.693 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings7.5108 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.2106 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
MIP Fund Accounting
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.0
112 Ratings
8% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings9.7107 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings7.5109 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings2.497 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.7108 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.899 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings8.747 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings6.064 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.927 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings5.752 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.239 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.050 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings9.738 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings7.015 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.837 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.438 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.517 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.665 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings9.733 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.141 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.824 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.748 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
MIP Fund Accounting
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
6.7
56 Ratings
5% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.553 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings6.132 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings6.229 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
MIP Fund Accounting
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.3
70 Ratings
1% below category average
Pricing00 Ratings6.650 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings7.449 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings7.148 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings9.058 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings9.021 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings3.216 Ratings
Best Alternatives
MIP Fund AccountingQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online
Score 8.0 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct
Score 8.7 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
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User Ratings
MIP Fund AccountingQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(430 ratings)
5.6
(124 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(126 ratings)
10.0
(18 ratings)
Usability
8.1
(100 ratings)
8.2
(31 ratings)
Availability
9.8
(15 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
Performance
8.5
(86 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(99 ratings)
2.3
(29 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(9 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.4
(28 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Configurability
8.6
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.8
(13 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.7
(15 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.4
(13 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.1
(13 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MIP Fund AccountingQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
Community Brands
I do like the check register, it is easy to access. It is also easy to access information for bank reconciliations but some entries are difficult and I have had ongoing issues with duplicated entries. Those situations coming at times when I am not really sure how I have duplicated an entry and they are somewhat intimidating. It is also somewhat difficult to delete or void erroneous entries or those that need to be otherwise corrected. I do understand that it is accounting software, but feel again that it could be a little bit more user friendly, at least from a fairly "new" user's standpoint!
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Intuit
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.
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Pros
Community Brands
  • General Ledger processing, including journal entries and reports
  • Ability to download all reports directly to Excel and PDF formats
  • Use of Grant codes to enable grant reporting by month/quarter/year
  • Ability to have multiple departments and consolidate into groups for reporting
  • Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable cannot be out of balance
  • Multiple ways to use the product including Cloud and Classic options, Visual menu or Standard (Top of screen) menus to select processes, many options we are not using in our simple organization
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Intuit
  • 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.
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Cons
Community Brands
  • With the payroll process, if there is an error in sending the stubs through email, there is no option to resend without a restore. That really needs to change.
  • Being able to void encumbrance at the same time as a PO would be an incredible time saver.
  • When processing W2 the system deletes info.
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Intuit
  • 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.
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Likelihood to Renew
Community Brands
My company is pretty dug into our current day-to-day systems that serve our operations (ServTracker, Kantime, MicroMD). Without MIP Fund Accounting, we would have no choice but to figure out a way to consolidate those three accounting/operations programs into (ideally) one program, which is basically impossible if we want to salvage any historical data. MIP Fund Accounting is a great hub to bring all those pieces together in a palatable form.
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Intuit
We've used the program for more than 20 years in our firm both with clients and as our software. For the cost and value of the program it works well for our firms needs and desires for an accounting software program. At this point to switch would not make sense.
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Usability
Community Brands
I have used this system for about 12 years now and I still learning how to use it. It always surprises me how there is another report to learn to achieve my data reporting goals. It is great to have a system that you have used long enough to feel comfortable with but also a system that allows you to learn new ways to report and enter data into the system
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Intuit
It is a great software that does everything a small business needs it to do, but there are just a few bugs and quirks that make additional software necessary. The slowness of the software occasionally might eventually be overshadowed by the quickness of cloud-based software though.
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Reliability and Availability
Community Brands
I have rarely encountered any issues accessing MIP Fund Accounting over the years. On the rare occasions when availability was interrupted, the reasons were always found in-house when using the on-premises version. Since we have migrated to the MIP cloud, we have had no issues with availability. Any maintenance or updates are always communicated to us and are usually done outside of business hours.
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Intuit
I haven't experienced a time when QuickBooks Pro was unavailable when I needed it in the entire 20 years of using the software
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Performance
Community Brands
This software is really good as you can run reports for various funds by Revenue Code or Grant code to capture all the data you need for specific revenue streams. Like I said before, this software is amazing for the tracking of grants if you set up your chart of accounts up correctly.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Community Brands
I have not reached out to MIP for technical support; however, their website offers great help resources so I can solve an issue on my own. Another team member reached out to MIP for support and was helped quickly. The transition process took longer than expected due to a lag in communication.
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Intuit
The support team is not always easy to use or able to understand the problems. There are some difficulties understanding [...] the issues the purchaser has and the solutions are sometimes hard to implement. A lot can be avoided if the users have adequate training and security is set up correctly at implementation.
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In-Person Training
Community Brands
There are no specifics on what happens if you make one choice or another to know which is the best selection. This is true for JVs and AP. In training we were not given specifics of what happens when one possibility is selected over another.
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Intuit
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.
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Online Training
Community Brands
Denise O'Malley provided training for the HR module when we added it to our system. Denise also gave us a demo of the EWS module which we were able to see that it would not meet our needs. She was very kind about and understanding regarding the functions we needed with a time clock system.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Community Brands
Don't waste your time with MIP. There are plenty of other softwares out there that will do the job better. Do your homework. Get references from actual users. Make sure that what you choose will truly integrate. Make sure that there is local support. Get training. You will be glad that you passed this one by. Trust me.
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Intuit
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.
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Alternatives Considered
Community Brands
The HRA used RealPage (I'm not sure if it is actually the one listed above), and it did not work well. I'm not sure if it wasn't set up well, designed for larger property management companies, or just not good software, but it did not suit our needs at all. We chose a different property management software and MIP for our accounting. We used Quickbooks for Heartland Lakes, but as our business is expanding and we needed a better true fund accounting software, we chose AccuFund to start with, but it was difficult to get set up how we needed. We did not trust the information we were getting out of it, and it wasn't easily customizable to what we needed. We canceled that software and chose MIP.
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Intuit
Zoho had great end-user support and it was almost as simple to learn and was as easy to use. But its reports were not as [customizable] as QuickBooks Desktop Pro, and its job cost and department accounting [were] more cumbersome than QuickBooks Desktop Pro was. In addition, while I like an underdog (Zoho) the fact is that it is easier to find staff that [is] comfortable with QuickBooks Desktop Pro than anything else on the market.
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Scalability
Community Brands
The flexibility to create certain features are helpful and are designed to be easier on MIP Accounting Cloud. It has been easier than the MIP Accounting classic version. I may have not fully utilized the software to deploy across multiple departments other than generating revenue reports or expenses. As well as developing budget worksheets for our departments. Which are great as it is, but have not gone farther than that.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Community Brands
  • MIP has allowed us to break down our costs even further to be able to improve our use of funding.
  • I'm looking forward to streamlining our accounting processes even further as I learn more about the possibilities with MIP.
  • As we fundraise for specific projects, we are able to track income and expenses by project to give our donors true numbers on how the money was used.
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Intuit
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a no hassle accounting solution that ticks a lot of boxes. It almost never disappoints and organizations will usually keep using it for many years. If anything, the only time I've seen an organization migrate away from it is if they have specific accounting needs, or if the organization has grown to the point that they need a more robust accounting solution. Even then, QuickBooks can usually be maintained within another accounting software system for specific functions, like A/R & A/P for example.
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ScreenShots

MIP Fund Accounting Screenshots

Screenshot of MIP Advance™ Dashboards with drilldownScreenshot of MIP™ Transactions WorkflowScreenshot of MIP DashboardsScreenshot of MIP DashboardsScreenshot of MIP Dashboard drilldownScreenshot of MIP Transactions