PDS Vista vs. QuickBooks Online

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PDS Vista
Score 6.2 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Vista® is a human resource, benefits, payroll, recruiting, and self-service software. Functional elements include recruitment, staffing, position and training management, compliance, and performance and compensation.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
PDS VistaQuickBooks 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
PDS VistaQuickBooks Online
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsLicense pricing is based on the number of full and part-time active employees within bands (e.g. 751-1,000). SaaS pricing is based on PEPM.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PDS VistaQuickBooks Online
Considered Both Products
PDS Vista

No answer on this topic

QuickBooks Online
Chose QuickBooks Online
I didn't chose QuickBooks Online as it was already in use when I began the job. Of the ones I've tried, I liked Logos ConnectNow because it was better suited to nonprofit organization. Nonprofits need software that is affordable and can give them the reports they need (on …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
PDS VistaQuickBooks Online
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.7
18 Ratings
2% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data9.017 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history9.018 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.014 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.012 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.013 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.016 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.011 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.0
18 Ratings
0% below category average
QuickBooks Online
3.1
78 Ratings
83% below category average
Pay calculation8.216 Ratings4.369 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.216 Ratings3.832 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.217 Ratings4.865 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.213 Ratings1.644 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.25 Ratings1.346 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.2
13 Ratings
2% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Approval workflow8.27 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details8.213 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.212 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.1
17 Ratings
13% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information7.314 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.38 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition7.25 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history5.84 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
6% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets7.37 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.0
16 Ratings
5% above category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Report builder8.014 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports8.016 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data8.013 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
5.8
2 Ratings
34% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting5.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting5.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking6.42 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
4 Ratings
8% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Performance plans7.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking7.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders7.23 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
3.6
1 Ratings
75% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
2.5
3 Ratings
102% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management3.13 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting3.13 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention1.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking2.33 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts2.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
2.5
68 Ratings
95% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings1.354 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings3.857 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
3.7
108 Ratings
73% below category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings2.981 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings4.5102 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
5.3
132 Ratings
35% below category average
Dashboards00 Ratings4.7124 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings5.3128 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings5.9116 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
3.7
143 Ratings
67% below category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings5.4122 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings6.0131 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings6.3120 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings6.2137 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings5.6123 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings1.756 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings5.353 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings1.423 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings1.442 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings1.738 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings5.266 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings2.566 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings1.316 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings3.535 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings4.929 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings4.121 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings5.174 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings1.825 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings2.038 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings2.924 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings3.948 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
1.2
47 Ratings
142% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings1.245 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings1.222 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings1.321 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings1.317 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
3.7
86 Ratings
67% below category average
Pricing00 Ratings4.855 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings4.853 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings2.363 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings3.968 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings4.721 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings4.720 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings1.218 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PDS VistaQuickBooks Online
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PDS VistaQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(23 ratings)
4.2
(161 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(7 ratings)
2.5
(24 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(2 ratings)
4.1
(76 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(2 ratings)
2.1
(5 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
1.1
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(3 ratings)
2.2
(68 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(1 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
PDS VistaQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
As Vista HRMS is fully customizable to suit your needs, a company should determine if they have a current employee who can do the work themselves otherwise they will need to consider the additional cost of asking PDS to do the customizations for them. There are additional modules that we aren't currently making use of, but each company should learn about the functionality of each of them as some may be more beneficial than others. When gathering your questions, ask all potential users of the system what they would want to see in an HRMS. We did so before selecting Vista HRMS and we got pages and pages of questions and comments and made sure that each item was addressed beforehand and was something that we would be able to incorporate into the system. You have the option of taking the system in house or being a hosted client. Make sure you figure out what resources your IT department has available. If you have a dedicated administrator who will do all the upgrades and enhancements great, otherwise you may need PDS to help out and having PDS host may be a better option
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
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Vista HRMS is very flexible, it does everything we need for HR, benefits and payroll. It’s user-friendly and intuitive to use, when we roll out new self-service items our employees have no problems and require minimal training or documentation.
  • PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are usually addressed within a few days. We were upgrading our production servers to Windows 2012 over a weekend and a key person in our organization was on leave. When we checked with PDS to see what cost would be involved if we needed their help, they said it was included in our regular maintenance, no extra cost.
  • The PDS User’s Conference is an excellent learning opportunity for training on everything Vista does, including using Crystal Reports for custom reporting. You also get to meet and talk to the executive and development staff and have direct input into the future product development.
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
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Typical of any system built for the unknown requirements of hundreds or thousands of customers with varying needs, PDS sometimes doesn't fit our processes precisely out of the box. However, this con is far outweighed by the ability to configure and customize the system.
  • The most significant pet peeve of our users is the necessity for so many clicks to navigate between different areas or the system or to review applicants. These items are being addressed based on feedback from the user community in an upcoming release.
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
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I feel so invested in Vista HRMS that I don't really want to try other options. I know we as an organization are not using this product to it's full potential and that is just due to us lacking the resources to be able to invest the time into breaking it apart and making it work to the best ability for us. The system works great as is, but there are a lot of implementations we can put into place to help us out even more. For example, we would love to start using Workflow to create more efficiencies. I personally have a very good relationship with our hosted vendor who supports Vista HRMS and can help me with any issues and concerns, this is a big part of the reason that I would renew with this product and continue to be an advocate for Vista HRMS.
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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.
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Usability
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The interface is intuitive, even if it does require some extra clicks to get to where you are going. The screens are consistently designed and formatted. There is a logical flow and organization to the application layout and menuing systems.
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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.
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Reliability and Availability
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
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
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
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.
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Support Rating
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the
majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we
call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are
usually addressed within a few days
Read full review
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.
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Online Training
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The resources and online tools that PDS provide are extremely thorough and helpful in our training and learning.
Read full review
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
Ask lots of questions, ensure you fully understand the functionality (particularly history records) and train, train, train the users for correct and complete utilization of the system.
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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
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I've used Peoplesoft HCM in the past. The products have some similarities, but they are marketed to different sized companies, so it's a bit of apples to oranges. Peoplesoft was very complex and challenging to manage and support. Vista HRMS should require fewer technical resources and still provide robust features for HR and Payroll. We selected Vista HRMS because it met the majority of our requirements and was priced to enable us to purchase and implement it within our budget. Also, it's an integrated system (although not truly one system when you count Vista Time) which is an improvement over our current state.
Read full review
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
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
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
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Positive impact would definitely be self-service for both employees and managers to view and update selected data.
  • Through some analytics our managers are able to track turnover for their site/department by many criteria (length of service, reason, etc) and can view a number of other analytical reports such as headcount and demographics which help them to make informed decisions about their department.
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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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ScreenShots