Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. QuickBooks Online

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV) is one of the ERP products in the Dynamics family. The technology is based on the Navision product acquired by Microsoft in 2002. This product is the best-selling Microsoft ERP platform, and is often used by companies in the manufacturing and distribution verticals.N/A
QuickBooks Online
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.
$15
per month
Pricing
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralQuickBooks Online
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Self-Employed
$15
per month
Simple Start
$25
per month
Plus
$75
per month
Advanced
$150
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralQuickBooks Online
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralQuickBooks Online
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
We looked at both Quickbooks and Multiview, and ultimately felt that Quickbooks was too limiting for our growth, while Multiview met our needs but didn't offer quite as much ease-of-use as Business Central. I believe it was the dashboarding, reporting, and single-sign-on …
QuickBooks Online
Chose QuickBooks Online
I have used Wave Accounting for another business. I selected QuickBooks Online over Wave because of the features available from QuickBooks. Wave is great since it is free, but I feel that paying for QuickBooks Online is worth it for the features. In addition there is such a …
Chose QuickBooks Online
Currently using Blackbaud Financial Edge (we're a nonprofit) and I miss the ease and flexibility of QuickBooks Online. I've considered switching (downgrading?) to QBO, although we have needs that are unique to nonprofits. Not sure QBO could handle fund accounting very well.

I …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralQuickBooks Online
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.6
6 Ratings
5% above category average
QuickBooks Online
3.2
78 Ratings
77% below category average
Pay calculation7.86 Ratings4.369 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.04 Ratings3.832 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.35 Ratings4.865 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings1.644 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings1.346 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.0
16 Ratings
10% above category average
QuickBooks Online
2.5
68 Ratings
93% below category average
API for custom integration8.015 Ratings1.354 Ratings
Plug-ins8.013 Ratings3.857 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.0
20 Ratings
10% above category average
QuickBooks Online
3.7
108 Ratings
72% below category average
Single sign-on capability9.016 Ratings2.981 Ratings
Role-based user permissions9.020 Ratings4.5102 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
5.1
21 Ratings
31% below category average
QuickBooks Online
5.3
132 Ratings
33% below category average
Dashboards5.117 Ratings4.6124 Ratings
Standard reports5.121 Ratings5.2128 Ratings
Custom reports5.120 Ratings5.9116 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.8
21 Ratings
14% above category average
QuickBooks Online
3.7
143 Ratings
64% below category average
Accounts payable9.020 Ratings5.4122 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.419 Ratings6.0131 Ratings
Global Financial Support9.08 Ratings1.316 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers10.07 Ratings3.535 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations10.010 Ratings5.174 Ratings
Configurable Accounting10.010 Ratings2.038 Ratings
Standardized Processes9.011 Ratings3.948 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings6.3120 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings6.2137 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings5.6123 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings1.756 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings5.253 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings1.423 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings1.442 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings1.638 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings5.266 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings2.566 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings4.929 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings4.021 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings1.825 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings2.924 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
16 Ratings
10% above category average
QuickBooks Online
1.2
47 Ratings
139% below category average
Inventory tracking9.016 Ratings1.245 Ratings
Automatic reordering6.79 Ratings1.222 Ratings
Location management9.013 Ratings1.321 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings1.317 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.9
19 Ratings
2% above category average
QuickBooks Online
3.7
86 Ratings
63% below category average
Pricing7.117 Ratings4.855 Ratings
Order entry8.016 Ratings4.853 Ratings
Credit card processing10.011 Ratings2.263 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.015 Ratings3.868 Ratings
Order Orchestration8.05 Ratings4.721 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings4.720 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings1.218 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.4
11 Ratings
13% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Billing Management8.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management9.010 Ratings00 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management7.86 Ratings00 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting8.37 Ratings00 Ratings
Period Close10.010 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
8 Ratings
13% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Budgeting and Forecasting10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Costing10.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost Capture10.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Capital Project Management8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance10.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.7
4 Ratings
12% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Project Planning and Scheduling8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools7.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.7
3 Ratings
25% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Award Lifecycle Management10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.0
6 Ratings
14% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Bids Analyzed and Compared8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Authoring8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Contract Repository7.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated7.55 Ratings00 Ratings
Supplier Management8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.6
3 Ratings
38% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Risk Repository9.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Management9.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments9.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue Detection10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Remediation and Certification9.72 Ratings00 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.7
3 Ratings
12% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Transportation Planning and Optimization8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Fulfillment Management7.93 Ratings00 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.1
3 Ratings
6% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Production Process Design9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Production Management5.83 Ratings00 Ratings
Configuration Management1.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Work Execution9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs8.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.5
5 Ratings
27% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Forecasting9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Inventory Planning10.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Monitoring10.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
9.3
2 Ratings
25% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Proposal Management9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Product Master Data Management9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralQuickBooks Online
Small Businesses
Acumatica
Acumatica
Score 8.8 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 7.2 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP Business ByDesign
SAP Business ByDesign
Score 7.4 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
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User Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(21 ratings)
4.2
(161 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
2.5
(24 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(3 ratings)
4.0
(76 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(1 ratings)
2.0
(5 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
1.1
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
2.1
(68 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
3.0
(6 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
1.4
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
1.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
1.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
1.1
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
It addresses well some integration and connectivity issues with other software and adapted technologies: formulation and manufacturing batching software, scanners and bar codes, inventory, financials, emailing of invoices and statement, sales and purchasing... etc. I believe it to be better suited to a medium to large company. Not as simple and seamless as we expected for migrating from another Microsoft Dynamics software product (we moved from GP to NAV). Our staff is going through a tougher time than we thought to learn some procedures. Normal growing pains?!
Read full review
Intuit
It seems Intuit is more interested in generating revenue than taking care of their customers. After only 28 (working) days using it, I've had to call for Help 23 times, and, in my experience, only spoken to 2 people who had an understanding of basic accounting practices and the ramifications of some of their suggested fixes on the General Ledger.
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Automate the creation of bills of materials for production. We can now generate a BoM from a sales order.
  • Organization of all data pertaining to thousands of parts, assemblies, and finished goods. Engineering and purchasing have a common portal.
  • We can create sales orders from quotations instead of re-entering them (this did require some bolt-on software). Less redundant work with fewer entry errors.
  • Accounting can provide reports based on specific criteria stored in NAV. We can pull better and more detailed intelligence.
Read full review
Intuit
  • It enables me to do a P&L for each specific program as requested by the county for the grant money that they give us.
  • It enables me to do [an] organizational budget as well as a budget for each specific program
  • It enables the accountant and the auditor access at any time for transparency
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • The version of software that we currently use isn't compatible with Windows 7, therefore we had to install it using the virtual computer under Windows XP. This created a few additional steps that the users had to go through in order to access the software which generated more calls to our IT Helpdesk.
  • We did research how much it would cost to upgrade the software so that we could get a version compatible with Windows 7, but the cost was way too expensive for our organization. Also, when we need to make updates or changes to the software, there are very few consultants who are familiar with the software so we are limited in who we can use for consulting services. Since we are limited in choosing consultants who can make updates and changes to the software the fees are usually really expensive for their services.
  • There is a .zup file that we constantly have to delete in order for the database to work properly and update. Users get a pop-up about once a week asking if they want to replace the .zup file and if the file is not deleted then the opening page for the software will not show up correctly and the database will not have the most up to date information.
Read full review
Intuit
  • The budgets feature leaves a lot be desired - difficult and clunky to populate and maintain.
  • Reporting for Budget vs Actual is available but the ability to reforecast based on updated data is not.
  • The rules function to default common types of expenses isn't perfect and will get confused if like amounts or a number of similar items present.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
We've already decided to continue using this software. It is too expensive for us to upgrade so we made a workaround by using the virtual computer with Windows XP installed on it. We did research replacing this software, but it was a better financial decision to keep what we had instead
Read full review
Intuit
It like the product 'right out of the box' and I trust Intuit will continually improve it over the years based on my experience with their desktop products. The large providers of Apps makes customizing the entire package relatively easy and seamless for a wide variety of business types.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
It has simplified all processes and reduces turnaround time for month end processes. You can easily navigate through the dashboard which is very user friendly and easily guides you to different functionalities. Duplications of Invoices is avoided because NAV rejects posting of an invoice number already in the system so you increase accuracy.
Read full review
Intuit
While QuickBooks Online is generally easy to navigate, there are some features and functions that often require a Google search in order to find out where they are actually hidden. Additionally, there are some simple customization features that are surprisingly not available for an otherwise advanced program (e.g. only having a pool of 4 fonts to choose from, only having 4 very limited templates for invoicing, not color selection, etc). While I would say that about 75% of users shouldn't have a problem finding their way around with basic functions, there is a learning curve if you want to be able to dive into some of the more useful features, almost to the point that you need to have a dedicated account manager in order to use QuickBooks Online most effectively.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Intuit
We have rarely had outages in the last 10 years. I can only recall 2 times in the last 10 years where we were not able to access our client files.
Read full review
Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Intuit
There are tab issues. When I tab the field doesn't highlight and I have to backspace or delete what is in the field. Happens on the memo field and sometimes other fields. Very time consuming.
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
It provides one to efficiently be able to manage bookkeeping and inventory without much challenges. One can easily navigate through workflow processes while managing usages and budgets. Being able to produce reports in Word, Excel or PDF means one is able to have a working document to produce trends and graphs or produce pivot tables.
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Intuit
Support is great, all incidents been resolved. Quickbooks Online forum is very well organized and helpful. I like the fact that they let the community contribute in resolving issues. Most or many of your answers can be found online. You can also get help on YouTube, but the easiest way to get assistance is through their chat system.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Intuit
The person in charge of QB needs to be very accurate with record keeping and is recommended to stay on top of tasks. The biggest issue we have is reconciliation, and those issues occur only when too much time has occurred between reconciliations
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
I have personally supported all of the Dynamic family of ERP systems and made the decision to concentrate on NAV as the solution of choice. From a support and development standpoint there are few if any packages that can compare. It is not uncommon for most of the companies that I support to only call me once or twice a month after the first year. This is due to the ease of tracking down problems and errors and the ability for a developer to provide the end-user with routines that automatically correct the most basic kind of error
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Intuit
I have used Wave Accounting for another business. I selected QuickBooks Online over Wave because of the features available from QuickBooks. Wave is great since it is free, but I feel that paying for QuickBooks Online is worth it for the features. In addition there is such a robust support network and training available for QuickBooks.
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Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Intuit
As we have grown along our professional path, we have also expanded our use of QB. The scalability is easy and features seem to be waiting for you until you need them. We have increased profits by over 10x from our first year in business to the current and have yet to find a reason to look elsewhere
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • Automation processing, including EDI functionality, has increased employee efficiency and prevented the need for adding additional employees.
  • Implementation of the warehouse functionality, including cycle counts, has resulted in better inventory control/less shrinkage.
  • Implementation of e-Ship and e-Receive, has resulted in greater efficiency and order accuracy.
Read full review
Intuit
  • It has created a lot of cost and in-efficiency whenever we need to talk to support.
  • I spent a lot of time setting up their automatic reminders for past due invoices and it worked for a couple of months and then it stopped. It's currently being worked on by their tech team but it has been months and it is still not working. It would have saved me a lot of time.
  • Their multi-currency saves time in sending invoices abroad but it's limiting when a customer wants an invoice in USD instead of a foreign currency so I have to set up different customer accounts for different currencies.
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