QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise vs. QuickBooks Online Advanced

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks 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
QuickBooks Online Advanced
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online Advanced is a SaaS-based accounting software designed to scale with growing businesses. It includes the functionalities of QuickBooks Online, as well as more robust business analytics, customization, and resource management.N/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Online Advanced
Editions & Modules
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
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Online Advanced
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
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Online Advanced
Considered Both Products
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Significantly better in every way except having a cloud access system that does not require a hosting service.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
WE have actually switched to QuickBooks Online. In my opinion, the cloud server is more secure and less expensive.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
As stated in earlier parts of the review, we moved from Quickbooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online because of the ease of use that QuickBooks Online has, while maintaining 95% of the power of Quickbooks Desktop. The one spot where Quickbooks Desktop comes out on top is the ability …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
QuickBooks [Desktop Enterprise] is much easier to use. While Sage has true accounting control processes, the batch entry and other processes can be redundant and out dated. The Enterprise audit trail can track issues if necessary while allowing for easier functionality within …
QuickBooks Online Advanced
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QuickBooks Desktop is no longer being sold in the US, so we had to switch to the online version of the program. It is not a fully fleshed-out all-in-one solution offering everything the desktop version did. That being said, the desktop enterprise was overkill for many people.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
Quickbooks is more user friendly and easier to use and train another staff as compare to other programs
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
I enjoy QBO Advanced more than Desktop mainly because of the flexibility QBO Advanced offers over QB Desktop. Its also more up to date, and as newer and newer programs and features are created QBO Advanced, always stays ontop of those improvements. It is also extremely helpful …
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QuickBooks Desktop provides slightly more features and functionality, at the cost of disk space and the lack of cloud access. We chose the Online version of this software as the accounting and finance staff travel frequently and may access information remotely. QuickBooks …
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
Enterprise does not provide the geographic flexibility to access you data from anywhere without VPN or other things that are way more expensive to institute.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QBO Advanced does not have the multi-unit capabilities that QB Enterprise offers. Xero is not capable of handling the contractor apps.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
It's at the top of the list with all of the other products. I wouldn't go back to any of the other products after using Advance. The others are very well maintained and user-friendly however QuickBooks Online advance is the top-notch software for any business to sign up for.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
I only use QuickBooks with my clients - both online and desktop. Some clients are moving in from Excel - it is incredible how much better they are to manage their businesses when entering data consistently!
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QBO has the benefit of saving to the cloud and being able to open in any browser without having to back up on a USB first. If my computer crashes I do not need to panic, I know my backup will be on the web.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QBO is just easier to use and can be used anytime, anywhere. I like traveling and usually work some of those days that I'm traveling. QBO allows me to work remotely at ease.
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QuickBooks Online Advanced is a highly powerful tool and provides the backbone for any accounting/finance department; however QB Enterprise is a much more robust product with more features. However, QB Enterprise requires a much higher investment in software and hardware to …
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QuickBooks Online is a no brainer; everything is going cloud so your accounting should too. That trumps the desktop versions of this software hands down. Price is a factor as desktop versions are bought outright and supported for about 5 years, so they are a little bit cheaper. …
Chose QuickBooks Online Advanced
QuickBooks Desktop has limitations, we love QuickBooks Online Advanced because it is fluid. As rates change or customers get updated, the data is available for all remote reps. My accountant and bookkeeping firms both log in remotely and do their work independently so I can …
Features
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Online Advanced
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.5
125 Ratings
12% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
-
Ratings
Pay calculation9.2118 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.871 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.9102 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.193 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.294 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.4
85 Ratings
4% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.0
96 Ratings
4% above category average
API for custom integration7.768 Ratings7.779 Ratings
Plug-ins7.177 Ratings8.384 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.7
178 Ratings
6% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.0
170 Ratings
3% below category average
Single sign-on capability9.1139 Ratings8.1149 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.4176 Ratings8.0166 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
197 Ratings
6% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.1
183 Ratings
3% above category average
Dashboards8.2167 Ratings8.7172 Ratings
Standard reports8.9195 Ratings8.4182 Ratings
Custom reports7.7187 Ratings7.2174 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.9
201 Ratings
4% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.2
187 Ratings
7% above category average
Accounts payable8.7194 Ratings8.3181 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.4194 Ratings8.4176 Ratings
Cash management8.9177 Ratings8.2157 Ratings
Bank reconciliation9.4190 Ratings8.7179 Ratings
Expense management8.1178 Ratings8.2166 Ratings
Time tracking6.692 Ratings7.392 Ratings
Fixed asset management7.2135 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency support6.865 Ratings8.446 Ratings
Multi-division support7.4107 Ratings7.681 Ratings
Regulations compliance7.477 Ratings8.185 Ratings
Electronic tax filing7.3100 Ratings9.3103 Ratings
Self-service portal7.079 Ratings7.9101 Ratings
Global Financial Support6.138 Ratings00 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.472 Ratings8.978 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting7.795 Ratings8.178 Ratings
Localizations8.354 Ratings00 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations9.3150 Ratings8.0162 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting8.6100 Ratings7.969 Ratings
Configurable Accounting8.598 Ratings8.489 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework8.461 Ratings8.667 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.4111 Ratings8.1125 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.6
118 Ratings
1% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
7.9
74 Ratings
5% above category average
Inventory tracking8.1114 Ratings7.974 Ratings
Automatic reordering7.760 Ratings00 Ratings
Location management7.675 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing module7.259 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.1
147 Ratings
6% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
7.6
126 Ratings
0% below category average
Pricing8.3109 Ratings7.691 Ratings
Order entry8.4114 Ratings6.985 Ratings
Credit card processing7.7103 Ratings8.2110 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.7131 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Orchestration7.864 Ratings00 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility8.163 Ratings00 Ratings
Order exception Resolution8.149 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Online Advanced
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 7.2 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 7.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
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User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(208 ratings)
8.5
(188 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.5
(26 ratings)
8.4
(14 ratings)
Usability
9.9
(13 ratings)
7.0
(7 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(4 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(3 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(3 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.5
(10 ratings)
4.3
(5 ratings)
Configurability
5.2
(4 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(2 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(3 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
1.3
(4 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(3 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
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Intuit
Smaller businesses that need affordable accounting software that many people are used to should look at Quickbooks. QuickBooks makes it easier for people to access your books from multiple locations. If cost is an issue, QuickBooks is very affordable, given you do not need to install and maintain a server.
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Pros
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.
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Intuit
  • It allows us to link to bank accounts in order to get up-to-date, real-time information, which is so important in today's lightning speed work world.
  • The "canned" reports are excellent and allow for extreme customization also. This makes them very helpful to both me and my clients.
  • The user interface for QuickBooks Online Advanced is easy to navigate and is intuitive for novices. The screens are well laid out and have cohesiveness on each screen to match tasks with others that match up well.
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Cons
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.
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Intuit
  • Proper advice in QuickBooks Online Pro for the usage if QuickBooks Online Advanced will be more efficient.
  • More features and space in the app for organization of the self-created workflows.
  • The stability of QuickBooks Online Advanced can still be better.
  • There are still file-size issues and limitations on transactions and attributes of transactions.
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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Intuit
QuickBooks Online Advanced is very easy to use and the data is very transparent. The reporting shortfalls (not being able to report the current month and YTD results on the same report) as well as the issues with the limitations with the management reports.
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Usability
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.
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Intuit
QuickBooks Online Advanced is great and effective. I use it for almost three months and it definitely does their job
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Reliability and Availability
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.
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Intuit
No issue at any time with Availability
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Performance
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.
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Intuit
It can be access at any time and reports is generate in less than a minute
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Support Rating
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.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
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
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Online Training
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.
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Intuit
Training was simple
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Implementation Rating
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.
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Intuit
Need to make an option for non-profit organizations
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Alternatives Considered
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.
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Intuit
QuickBooks Online Advanced isn’t as robust as Netsuite or Sage, but it is generally a great choice for most businesses. This software will meet or exceed the needs of most companies, and should be the first part of your accounting software decision. I would even reach out to a QuickBooks Online Advanced expert to ensure you need to step up to Sage or Netsuite before doing so on your own.
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Scalability
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.
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Intuit
Software is very flexible
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Return on Investment
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.
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Intuit
  • QBOA has shown my clients the increase and decrease of my monthly income activity
  • I am able to project my income and spending more easily
  • The P&L reports has shown me a lot and by customizing to focus on my income and expenses has allowed me to better budget
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