Catalyst, by EBM Software vs. QuickBooks Desktop Pro

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Catalyst, by EBM Software
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Catalyst from EBM Software in Minneapolis is a cloud-based business performance application suite, designed to provide an environment and workflow for understanding business profitability.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
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFlexible and tiered pricing structures available - monthly, 1-3-5- contracts, and more
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareQuickBooks Desktop Pro
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.1
2 Ratings
13% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Customizable dashboards7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
2 Ratings
7% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Drill-down analysis7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Formatting capabilities8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
2% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Publish to PDF7.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.7
1 Ratings
1% above category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Predictive Analytics8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
9% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Multi-User Support (named login)8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
0% above category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
Comparison of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
2 Ratings
4% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Long-term financial planning7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial budgeting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Forecasting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Scenario modeling8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Management reporting8.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Consolidation and Close
Comparison of Consolidation and Close features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
1 Ratings
11% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Financial data consolidation9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Journal entries and reports8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency management6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Intercompany Eliminations5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Minority Ownership7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Local and consolidated reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Financial Reporting and Compliance
Comparison of Financial Reporting and Compliance features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
8.0
1 Ratings
3% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Financial Statement Reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Reporting9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel-based Reporting7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated board and financial reporting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Analytics and Reporting
Comparison of Analytics and Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.2
2 Ratings
11% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Personalized dashboards7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Color-coded scorecards6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
KPIs7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost and profitability analysis8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Key Performance Indicator setting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Benchmarking with external data7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration
Comparison of Integration features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
7.4
2 Ratings
12% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
-
Ratings
Flat file integration8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Excel data integration7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct links to 3rd-party data sources7.12 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
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
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
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
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.5
93 Ratings
8% 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
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.4
108 Ratings
10% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings9.593 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings7.6108 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
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.0
112 Ratings
8% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings9.7107 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings7.6109 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings2.697 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
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
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
Catalyst, by EBM Software
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.4
70 Ratings
0% below category average
Pricing00 Ratings6.750 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings7.549 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
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Small Businesses
IBM Planning Analytics
IBM Planning Analytics
Score 8.4 out of 10
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Centage
Centage
Score 9.6 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(2 ratings)
5.6
(124 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(18 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(2 ratings)
8.2
(31 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(2 ratings)
2.6
(29 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Catalyst, by EBM SoftwareQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is well suited to track invoices from vendors to get them paid on time to avoid late fees. [Catalyst, by EBM Software] is less appropriate when paying vendor because that is not a function they currently have. If the system was an all in one system that could track and pay your invoices it would be an amazing software.
Read full review
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
EBM Software
  • The GUI is easy to navigate on the iPad mini, which we use for charting.
  • The options are simple so there is very little room for mistakes.
  • Charting is easy and the setup allows for necessary fields that must be completed so charting stays uniform.
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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.
Read full review
Cons
EBM Software
  • The browser closes unexpectedly at times when refreshing the page and you get logged out
  • The incorrect vendor is chosen by Catalyst a few times
  • The Catalyst file is occasionally not placed on time in the folder
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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
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
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
EBM Software
Well.... when it works... it's good. When it doesn't it is very frustrating for our staff.
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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
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
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
Read full review
Support Rating
EBM Software
The support for Catalyst is great and they are usually within the 48 hour response time. There could be a little quicker upload time for invoices that are submitted. They usually show up until the next day on the system and sometimes gives us a stress on time. Overall, the support is quite good
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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
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
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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Implementation Rating
EBM Software
No answers on this topic
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
EBM Software
[Catalyst, by EBM Software] is a very easy system to use and is very user friendly. It gives you different ways of researching an invoice and not just one. Catalyst also helps to allow us to research an invoice within seconds and eliminates a lengthy and confusing process. It is a great software for first time users to learn quickly and efficiently.
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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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Return on Investment
EBM Software
  • Catalyst is better than pencil and paper data analysis. But the app can be very frustrating when it's not working the way it did last week.
  • The GUI is very simple. Sometimes too simple, like there is no way to go back in and edit SOAP note options.
  • New feature roll-outs are mandatory. I understand that no one would opt in to being the guinea pig, but it would be nice if you weren't the first user to try it.
  • The integration with billing software has streamlined the billing notes and saved us money over having two separate systems.
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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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