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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    APS

    Score5.7 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    APS is a national workforce management and cloud-based HR solution provider. The platform includes core HR, payroll, time and attendance (including manager and employee self-service), compliance tools, and onboarding.N/A

    QuickBooks Desktop Premier

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AQuickBooks Desktop Premier is an installed version of QuickBooks for general business, contractors, manufacturing and warehouse accounting, as well as nonprofits, professional services, and retail.N/A
    Pricing
    APSQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    APSQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsThe Payroll solution is offered as a standalone service, but additional solutions must be used in conjunction with the Payroll solution.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    APSQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Considered Both Products
    APS
    No answer on this topic
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    86%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    82%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    86%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    16 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    87%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    4 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    APSQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of APS and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    APS
    9.1
    34 Ratings
    9% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.5
    54 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Pay calculation10.033 Ratings9.252 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.013 Ratings00 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment10.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.023 Ratings8.425 Ratings
    Direct deposit files10.033 Ratings8.242 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.025 Ratings8.433 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.913 Ratings8.336 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of APS and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.5
    24 Ratings
    1% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings8.017 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of APS and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    58 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.450 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.349 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of APS and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    69 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.758 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.468 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings7.766 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of APS and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.8
    72 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.370 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.571 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings8.765 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.769 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings8.768 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings7.535 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings6.249 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.623 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings8.239 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings8.224 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings7.836 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings5.923 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.917 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.725 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings8.313 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.915 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.210 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.315 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of APS and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.0
    43 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings8.342 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.321 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings8.825 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings7.722 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of APS and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.2
    47 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings8.037 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings7.838 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings9.134 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.943 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings8.59 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.56 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    APSQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Small Businesses
    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Netchex
    Score9 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    APSQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (37 ratings)
    8.2
    (75 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.7
    (6 ratings)
    7.5
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    8.9
    (26 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.8
    (5 ratings)
    4.0
    (13 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.7
    (4 ratings)
    7.2
    (7 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.1
    (27 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    APSQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Likelihood to Recommend
    APS
    APS Payroll is an easy to use payroll system, and integrates well with some things such as the APS Hire feature, which handles onboarding, and the eSelfServe timeclock feature. It exports well to Quickbooks, but is only ok with NetSuite. (It works but is a completely manual process and takes a lot of setup.) Our tax registration and filing has been fine and we're always apprised of any tax discrepancies such as small Unemployment overages/underages when filed compared to what was withheld.
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    Intuit
    We really think that ANY typical business would be a reasonable fit for QuickBooks Desktop Premier. While not necessary, even a comparatively unexperienced accounting person could look at the "Home" screen and follow their nose thru typical daily accounting processes without much detailed knowledge. Reporting is simple, looking up customer info and prior transactions is simple, looking up vendors and prior payments is simple... all in all, quite straightforward. I really can't think of an instance where it would be 'less appropriate'.
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    Pros
    APS
    • It's fast and intuitive. Our previous contractors were ADP and Paychex and neither were intuitive. Our payroll runs have less errors now than with previous vendors. Payroll prep time is down from 5 hours with ADP to 2 hours with APS for the HR Manager.
    • The limiters are great. I'm always afraid of that error that no one caught. Let's assume that you add a $200 limiter to overtime. Any time that a staff member is about to receive more than $200 in overtime for that pay period, a red flag goes up for the HR manager to double check.
    • We have 3 programs in public schools that block certain ports. APS has a 2nd feature using GPS so that staff can only check in for their shift while they are in the designated GPS range. Great for someone who has to report to a remote location. Just add the GPS coordinates and they can't check until they get to the project.
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    Intuit
    • Employment - it makes creating paychecks a snap and tracks taxes.
    • Invoicing - they have a straightforward approach to creating invoices and you can even email them to your customers.
    • Customers - the program makes tracking customer information and balances easy.
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    Cons
    APS
    • Reporting - We have six different business units and the reporting is separate for all three. Most reporting I do requires information from all business units so am running six reports and then copying and pasting to get the report I need.
    • Multi-state taxes - We have a number of employees who live in New York and work in New Jersey. APS OnLine is designed to accommodate one state withholding so ability to have "worked in" state and "lived in" state taxes withheld went away. This was a shortfall.
    • The Carrier connection setup took much longer than expected. After a year, we are still having some issues with some items transferring over to the GL.
    • The CA overtime calculation does not calculate after 8 hours per day, only on the 40 per week so we override each week.
    • Reporting - when running Benefit reports, it recognizes employees who formerly carried the plan but may have dropped it. To get around this, we have to delete off the employee's record so the history is not readily available.
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    Intuit
    • Support for older versions of QuickBooks ends after three years, then users must purchase the newest version at full price. Renewals should be deeply discounted for existing users.
    • I would like to see better in-product inventory tracking, so we can choose LIFO or FIFO rather than the ambiguous "average cost" method.
    • I would like to be able to assign payroll taxes to jobs for better job costing.
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    Likelihood to Renew
    APS
    I have been using the system for over a year now and feel more comfortable with the functionality of it. I have just recently implemented the benefit administration portion.
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    Intuit
    Because we have been extremely happy with the product and our organization tends to be creatures of habit. We rarely leave a product that works this well for the latest and greatest. Typically we follow the "if it's not broken, don't fix it rule". While QB does make changes we typically just roll with it. If we do find something we don't like we work through it until we fully understand its functionality.
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    Usability
    APS
    The APS Payroll software is very easy to use, and it is easy to train new employees on it. The APS Payroll support team is very helpful and response time is quick. It is easy to enter/change employee information, adjust salaries and benefits, etc. New features have also been added that makes it even better, such as being able to set up your own income/deduction items.
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    Intuit
    We switched to a more "robust" software program with the hiring of a new CFO. The migration of historical data and ancillary information has been cumbersome and riddle with errors and issues. In hindsight much of what the new software program was touted to accomplish is not come to fruition. QB Desktop Premier was sufficient for the organization needs
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    Reliability and Availability
    APS
    I haven't had any outages
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    Intuit
    This is very reliable software, the desktop version is fast. If there is a problem, it is most likely on your own hardware!
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    Performance
    APS
    Very quick
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    Intuit
    It takes forever to load.
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    Support Rating
    APS
    I had to learn APS on my own, and the support team held my hand. They are still there when I have an occasional question. Anytime I need support, I can call my rep or send an email and help is on the way, without failure. The support team is awesome
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    Intuit
    This is where QuickBooks falls short. Many times my staff has had questions that have not been able to get resolved easily with a chat or call. I personally have had more general questions that have not been answered easily as well. I think QuickBooks needs to provide the resources of having readily accessible help in order to make it simpler to get solutions.
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    In-Person Training
    APS
    Even if it wasn't in-person on location, we felt like we had our trainer in the room with us.
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    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    APS
    We had great webinars.
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    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    APS
    It would have been helpful to understand the phases of the implementation up front so I could have prepared differently for enrollments, billing, and transfer of information to payroll. At the end of the day, I'm happy with the selection and the system and anticipate I will like it better as we go along. We have done a number of other system implementations in the past few years, and this has been pretty painless, however, I've had a few surprises.
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    Intuit
    It is important to do your research. There are tutorial videos online that could help new user of this accounting system. These tutorials are straightforward and easily understandable.
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    Alternatives Considered
    APS
    We had used ADP for years and had always struggled with their customer service. With over 20 locations (20+ W2s, quarterly filings, etc) we had a lot of questions. We would have to call and sit on hold for long periods of time to talk to someone who couldn't always answer our questions. Then we would get different answers from different people or have to re-explain our issue. It was a major time suck for my employees and they dreaded having to call all of the time. For us - the final straws for us to switch providers were: +Numerous year end filings with incorrect names and addresses (they couldn't keep our 20+ locations separate even though our paperwork was completed correctly) +Incorrect SUI rates for several locations that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in overpayments which was a lot of money for small hotels. We had sent in numerous requests for them to fix this but it never happened +Lack of care - even though we were having all of these issues, nobody would work with us to get them all resolved and make sure to remedy the situation. We had to seek out a manager to get them resolved but even after this, we still had more issues. Overall - DON'T stick with ADP or even think about switching to them. They might be able to slash prices but their poor customer service and lack of care will cost you in the end. It's not worth it. APS does everything ADP had the capability of but we don't have the errors or headaches we did before. I am really looking forward to this year end!
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    Intuit
    QuickBooks Premier handles most of my business functions efficiently in one package. It is not my "everything." I use Replicon for time rather than QuickBooks. I don't want my WIP data interfering with my accounting. I use PaySimple for it's web interface and back office processing. I don't have security issues since I don't have any credit card data in my possession. With today's identity theft environment, I have to protect myself as much as I can. Not having credit card data in my accounting software lets me sleep much better at night. Quicken will do basic accounting but does not have all the double entry accounting systems contained in QuickBooks. QuickBooks Online does much of the basic business functions but I don't like the pricing structure. As a professional accountant, that is very important to me. Bill.com provided a good service but the ability of QuickBooks to add bills and receipts to transactions makes it redundant.
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    Scalability
    APS
    I've never had a problem with the system nor in finding the right information.
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    Intuit
    They're getting better. Still room for improvement.
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    Return on Investment
    APS
    • We were able to transition quickly and continue to successfully hire and onboard new hires for several Clubs that opened within weeks of moving to APS.
    • We do struggle a bit with the ease of reporting simply because our locations are all under separate EIN and that can make it difficult to easily combine data queried under custom reports, so the volume of reporting that I might wish to be able to push through weekly in order to help address 'real time' trends is not always available.
    • The lack of effective dating for position and wage changes does mean that HR and available APS data is not 'real time' accurate and that HR does need to return to the system to update changes well after-the-fact, which is not ideal.
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    Intuit
    • Most of our business clients use QuickBooks which makes it efficient for us to work on clients that use the program. We can import QuickBooks data into our software which adds efficiencies to our tax practice.
    • Having staff that are familiar with the software enables our firm to provide quality service to the clients that use QuickBooks.
    • We receive referrals from satisfied QuickBooks clients.
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    ScreenShots

    APS Screenshots

    Screenshot of workforce planningScreenshot of expense management