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Financial Edge (legacy) vs. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Financial Edge (legacy)

    Score6.8 out of 10
    N/AA legacy software offering, Blackbaud now instead offers and supports their cloud-based accounting solution, Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT as a modern alternative.N/A

    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AQuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is a widely-used accounting package designed for small to mid-sized businesses. It is the top of the QuickBooks line. Pricing starts at $3,000 for five users, and goes up depending on the number of additional users. They also offer an Advanced Inventory module for $999 / year.

    $1,703

    per year per user

    Pricing
    Financial Edge (legacy)QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Diamond
    $447
    per month per user
    Diamond with Remote Access
    $513
    per month per user
    Gold
    2,210.00
    per year per user
    Platinum
    2,717.00
    per year per user
    Gold with Remote Access
    3,000.00
    per year per user
    Platinum with Remote Access
    3,504.00
    per year per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Financial Edge (legacy)QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Financial Edge (legacy)QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    Chose Financial Edge (legacy)
    I like Financial Edge for non-profit accounting the best as it provides a great foundation for fund accounting. It integrates the best with a donor database and the reporting options are truly amazing.
    Incentivized
    Chose Financial Edge (legacy)
    More customizable and able to utilize more features
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    I have used Financial Edge (Blackbaud) in the past and the system allows more functionalities. The downside is the cost. Quickbooks Enterprise annual service plan is 1/10th of the cost of Financial Edge.
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    QuickBooks Online - Small to mid size companies - Ease of use and customer support. Great interaction with POS systems. Best out of the box experience. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise not good for new users - Consider hiring professional accounting consultant for training and …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Would buy again
    100 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    90%
    Delivers good value for the price
    95 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Happy with the feature set
    100 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    69 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    80 Answers
    Features
    Financial Edge (legacy)QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Financial Edge (legacy) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Feature
    Financial Edge (legacy)
    1.0
    4 Ratings
    153% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    8.6
    128 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Pay calculation1.03 Ratings9.0121 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration1.02 Ratings7.873 Ratings
    Direct deposit files1.02 Ratings9.0104 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management1.03 Ratings8.495 Ratings
    Reimbursement management1.04 Ratings8.696 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Financial Edge (legacy) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Feature
    Financial Edge (legacy)
    1.0
    7 Ratings
    153% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    7.1
    87 Ratings
    6% below category average
    API for custom integration1.05 Ratings8.269 Ratings
    Plug-ins1.07 Ratings6.078 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Financial Edge (legacy) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Feature
    Financial Edge (legacy)
    1.0
    9 Ratings
    156% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    8.7
    182 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Single sign-on capability1.06 Ratings9.0142 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions1.09 Ratings8.3180 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Financial Edge (legacy) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Feature
    Financial Edge (legacy)
    1.0
    9 Ratings
    155% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    8.0
    201 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Dashboards1.09 Ratings7.6171 Ratings
    Standard reports1.09 Ratings8.7199 Ratings
    Custom reports1.09 Ratings7.8191 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Financial Edge (legacy) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Feature
    Financial Edge (legacy)
    1.0
    10 Ratings
    154% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    7.8
    206 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Accounts payable1.09 Ratings8.7199 Ratings
    Accounts receivable1.07 Ratings8.1198 Ratings
    Cash management1.09 Ratings8.7181 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation1.010 Ratings9.3194 Ratings
    Expense management1.08 Ratings7.6182 Ratings
    Time tracking1.04 Ratings6.794 Ratings
    Fixed asset management1.08 Ratings7.3138 Ratings
    Multi-currency support1.05 Ratings6.566 Ratings
    Multi-division support1.06 Ratings7.7110 Ratings
    Regulations compliance1.07 Ratings7.580 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing1.04 Ratings7.2103 Ratings
    Self-service portal1.07 Ratings7.380 Ratings
    Global Financial Support1.06 Ratings5.738 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers1.08 Ratings8.374 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting1.08 Ratings8.296 Ratings
    Localizations1.05 Ratings8.055 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations1.08 Ratings9.0154 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting1.06 Ratings8.3103 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting1.07 Ratings8.3102 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework1.06 Ratings8.063 Ratings
    Standardized Processes1.07 Ratings8.2114 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Financial Edge (legacy) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Feature
    Financial Edge (legacy)
    1.0
    3 Ratings
    152% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    7.3
    120 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Inventory tracking1.02 Ratings8.1116 Ratings
    Automatic reordering1.02 Ratings7.961 Ratings
    Location management1.03 Ratings6.876 Ratings
    Manufacturing module1.02 Ratings6.660 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Financial Edge (legacy) and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Feature
    Financial Edge (legacy)
    1.0
    2 Ratings
    152% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    7.6
    150 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Pricing1.02 Ratings7.2111 Ratings
    Order entry1.02 Ratings7.5116 Ratings
    Credit card processing1.02 Ratings7.1106 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold1.02 Ratings8.0133 Ratings
    Order Orchestration1.02 Ratings7.366 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility1.02 Ratings8.164 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution1.02 Ratings8.150 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Financial Edge (legacy)QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Small Businesses
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Financial Edge (legacy)QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Likelihood to Recommend
    1.0
    (10 ratings)
    8.1
    (217 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.6
    (27 ratings)
    Usability
    2.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.4
    (14 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.0
    (5 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.5
    (11 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (4 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.2
    (9 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Financial Edge (legacy)QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    • Financial Edge is well suited for traditional day to day accounting, accounts payable, and related needs.
    • Financial Edge dashboard does not provide a snapshot view of data that I have found are available through other platforms (like QBO).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    QuickBooks Enterprise is great for managing our inventory, purchases and income as we receive it. We use it to help budget and plan our monthly purchases, as well as keep each location on track when it comes to their expenses. It's also used for payroll and timekeeping at each store.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • Financial edge is able to be customized in a way that fits our organization.
    • Financial edge is able to provide reports to our end-users on budget versus actual account balances.
    • Financial edge is able to handle a large volume of transactions with ease, having built-in capabilities for batching and balancing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • Generally, a mouse is not needed!
    • Updating as each transaction is posted means, in the event of a crash, power failure, whatever; all the posted transactions are securely in the data file and can be pulled up on another computer, if the computer being used crashes.
    • Reporting is generally user friendly, in that one can see the desired results by setting a few parameters for the report.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • Customer service blames the customer, and never offers solutions other than "wait it out." I've always been told it's my computer, even though everyone else at my work has the same issues.
    • Website is constantly "under maintenance" and it somehow never gets better.
    • The Database View is outdated and glitchy. Honestly get rid of it.
    • The Crystal Report is the only way to handle monthly recurring statements, and Financial Edge does not offer support for it anymore. Good luck figuring that out on your own.
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • Wish we had the ability to track gallons. We are a truck stop and need to know how many gallons we buy and sell.
    • Matching up credits in Pay Bills can be challenging, especially if you make a mistake.
    • Wish in some of the reporting that it would automatically total some columns.
    • Downloading from the bank wish it would tell you the last time you downloaded and the dates you put in so you don't download the same information twice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    While QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise has been an amazing tool for many years, it seems it is getting phased out for QuickBooks Online. Intuit is decreasing the level of support it offers for QuickBooks Desktop in lieu of stronger support for QuickBooks Online. Although the desktop version is robust and helpful, it seems QBO is the way of the future for bookkeeping with QuickBooks.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    It's user friendly, when it wants to be.
    Read full review
    Intuit
    QuickBooks provides all staff immediate access to the data in whatever form each person wants it. The balancing on entries prevents incorrect data entry on payables/receivables. Reports are easy to customize and save for future use. The records are easy to audit.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    Rating: 7 out of 10
    We rate QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise's availability a 7 out of 10. For the most part, the software is dependable and available when we need it. When hosted on a properly managed local server or through a reputable third-party cloud provider, uptime is generally consistent, and routine day-to-day operations run smoothly.
    However, availability challenges do arise, particularly when accessing QuickBooks remotely or during periods of high system demand. Because it's a desktop-based solution, availability is highly dependent on our internal IT infrastructure. If our network goes down, a server needs maintenance, or if there’s an issue with a remote desktop connection, access to QuickBooks can be temporarily disrupted. These outages aren’t necessarily caused by QuickBooks itself, but they do impact our experience with availability.
    Additionally, we’ve occasionally experienced application errors, especially after updates or when working with large company files. While Intuit support is usually helpful in resolving these issues, they can still lead to frustrating delays—especially during critical periods like month-end closing or grant reporting deadlines.
    Planned maintenance, while infrequent, also affects availability, especially when using a hosted environment. Coordination with IT or hosting providers is sometimes needed to minimize downtime.
    Overall, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is a reliable tool, but its dependence on local infrastructure introduces more potential points of failure compared to cloud-native solutions. Enhancements in cloud-based access or hybrid models could significantly improve both accessibility and uptime. That said, with strong internal IT support or a reliable cloud hosting provider, the availability can easily rise to an 8 or 9.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    I rate QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise's performance a 5 out of 10, mainly because while it’s functional for most routine tasks, it can lag significantly when handling complex operations, large data files, or during multi-user sessions. As our organization has grown, we’ve noticed that report generation—especially for customized or multi-dimensional reports—can be slow, sometimes taking several minutes to load or refresh. This impacts productivity, particularly during key financial cycles like audits, monthly closings, or grant reporting.
    Performance degradation is especially noticeable when multiple users are active in the system at the same time. Even with a solid server setup, there’s often a drop in responsiveness when more than a handful of users are generating reports or entering transactions concurrently.
    We’ve also experienced some slowdowns in third-party integrations, particularly when syncing with Vena Solutions or exporting data for use in external tools. While the integrations are valuable, they occasionally stall or require workarounds, adding friction to our workflows.
    In short, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise delivers the basics well, but its performance limitations become more apparent in high-volume or complex use cases. It would benefit from better optimization for large datasets and faster processing for advanced reporting. Upgrades in system architecture—such as deeper support for cloud hosting or more efficient data handling—could significantly improve the user experience and move this rating closer to an 8.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    I would give this a zero if I could. Here's the deal. Once you request a chat with a representative, they immediately respond. So responsiveness: 10/10. However, they have a tendency to (always) tell you that whatever problem you're experiencing is your problem, not theirs. They offer no solutions and never take responsibility for their website malfunctioning
    Read full review
    Intuit
    It takes a long time to get through to customer support. And sometimes you have to explain the situation multiple times before the rep actually understands the issue, but that's usually because the issue is complex and out of the ordinary. However, the rep is always patient, and will take as much time and effort as necessary to resolve whatever issue you're having. It's nice that they can "take over" your computer rather than having to talk you through the solution over the phone.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    It is a very easy system to learn, so with the help it was even easier. QB is a good solid system, but it lacks some of the complexity other systems have. with QB you need to get additional modules to get the same functionality that other systems offer standard
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    easy to learn system, specially with some kind of support. Just like with any other system, things get lot easier if you have guidance to lead you in your search for answers. having said that, QB is very easy to use and very easy to teach. you wont spend much time memorizing where to click.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    If you're loading QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions onto a computer that you're going to directly log into, you should be able to do it yourself. If you are going to connect to a server through a network or remote connection, you should probably have a professional IT person set it up for you.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    Financial Edge is more economical than GuideStar, and more focused on the financial successes than simply the management of funds and general data.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    We have selected this product as it is affordoable in terms of pricing and features too. Our clients is geeting lots of benefits by using this product. By using QuickBooks desktop client also manage the information realted to financials and also get the clear picture for the future by using the accounting information from this product.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    I would rate QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise a 7 out of 10 for overall scalability. The product offers solid scalability features, particularly for small to mid-sized organizations like ours that are growing and need reliable multi-user access, enhanced data capacity, and cross-departmental functionality. It handles increasing transaction volumes and user growth quite well, especially with its support for up to 40 users and the ability to manage large lists (customers, vendors, accounts, etc.)—a significant improvement over QuickBooks Pro or Premier.
    Its role-based permissions system also allows us to assign tailored access by department or user level, which is essential for maintaining control and security across teams like finance, HR, and program management. Additionally, features like advanced reporting, inventory management, and class tracking have helped us better manage multiple programs or sites within one system.
    That said, the scalability still has some limits. For example, deploying the software across multiple physical locations or for remote teams requires additional IT infrastructure—such as hosting it on a third-party cloud server or setting up a VPN—which introduces cost and complexity. Also, while QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise can technically handle a high volume of data, performance can decline as the file size grows over time unless regular maintenance and optimization are done.
    In summary, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise scales well within its designed range, particularly for growing nonprofits and NGOs. However, organizations with distributed teams or very large, complex operations may eventually find the system’s desktop-based architecture less agile compared to cloud-native ERP platforms. With enhancements to cloud integration and remote accessibility, this rating could easily increase.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • Like any enterprise software, there are costs/investments ahead of return. It isn't something you would implement without support.
    • During the significant financial downturn, we were able to use FE to forecast trends and make budget adjustments easily. It transformed communication about forecasting and cuts with assurance.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    • Good value for the price. The initial setup was quick and easy.
    • When properly set up and processes are followed it's decent at managing inventory which is something we had problems with. Have to have a dedicated employee to builds.
    • Rolling up costs in multi-level BOM's is a project each time we have to review costs, it's very time consuming to manually update all assemblies.
    Incentivized
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