QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise vs. QuickBooks Self-Employed

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Score 8.2 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.
$1,261
per year
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
N/AN/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Self-Employed
Editions & Modules
Gold
1,261
per year
Platinum
1,522
per year
Gold with Remote Access
1,785.60
per year
Platinum with Remote Access
2,083.20
per year
Diamond
3,060.34
per year
Diamond with Remote Access
3,600.36
per year
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Self-Employed
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Self-Employed
Considered Both Products
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
I actually use or offer support to all of the QuickBooks versions. It depends on my client's need as to which product I will recommend.
As for QB Enterprise, I choose this product for my clients who need robust inventory, may have more than one company and want to combine …
QuickBooks Self-Employed

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Self-Employed
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.0
108 Ratings
7% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
7.8
3 Ratings
4% above category average
Pay calculation8.7104 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.861 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.090 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.882 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.583 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.4
73 Ratings
5% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
5 Ratings
35% above category average
API for custom integration7.856 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Plug-ins7.168 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.2
155 Ratings
4% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
8 Ratings
24% above category average
Single sign-on capability8.3117 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.2153 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
172 Ratings
9% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
14 Ratings
27% above category average
Dashboards8.3147 Ratings10.012 Ratings
Standard reports8.5170 Ratings10.014 Ratings
Custom reports8.1165 Ratings10.08 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.0
176 Ratings
8% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
15 Ratings
30% above category average
Accounts payable8.8169 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.9168 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Cash management8.4154 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Bank reconciliation8.9167 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Expense management8.3154 Ratings10.014 Ratings
Time tracking6.577 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Fixed asset management8.0114 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.757 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Multi-division support7.992 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Regulations compliance8.064 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Electronic tax filing8.086 Ratings10.013 Ratings
Self-service portal6.566 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Global Financial Support6.332 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.060 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting8.074 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Localizations8.145 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations8.9125 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting8.485 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Configurable Accounting8.282 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework8.049 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.693 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
7.6
104 Ratings
8% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
3 Ratings
35% above category average
Inventory tracking8.1100 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Automatic reordering7.353 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Location management8.266 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Manufacturing module6.850 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
8.3
128 Ratings
11% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
5 Ratings
30% above category average
Pricing8.595 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Order entry8.6101 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Credit card processing7.689 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.2113 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Order Orchestration8.255 Ratings10.02 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility8.352 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Order exception Resolution8.639 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Self-Employed
Small Businesses
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 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
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Self-Employed
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(187 ratings)
10.0
(15 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.8
(17 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(11 ratings)
9.4
(2 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(5 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop EnterpriseQuickBooks Self-Employed
Likelihood to Recommend
Intuit
When I first started using QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise for my non-profit 7 years ago, there were some struggles, but updates they have made to the product have been great and improved a lot of the functions that were a struggle. It is super helpful for handling specific non-profit needs where the normal QuickBooks, while great, is set up for for-profit businesses. The ability to enter donations and allocate them by classes that I set up is an invaluable tool.
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Intuit
QuickBooks is a great tool for new SoleTraders that need basic accounting software and require digital invoicing for their clients to send via email and access key features via a mobile app on the go. QuickBooks is a straightforward tool to use with a simple design and learning curve for business owners that are not very tech-savvy. For businesses that operate on a larger scale and need to provide access to other users on their team, QuickBooks is limited. This type of business may also require more insights into the business outside of accounting, and QuickBooks won't be able to supply insights outside of that.
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Pros
Intuit
  • Detailed organization of financial information
  • Several security measures and double check systems to ensure incorrect entries aren't made. This prevents accidental errors and protects the company from fraud.
  • Ease of overall use
  • Reporting can be as detailed or as general as you prefer. Each report allows you to look at the overall picture or access specific details of each aspect of the company financials.
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Intuit
  • QuickBooks Self-Employed does keep a running total of your income and estimated taxes. Of course, this requires that your entries are accurate.
  • The mileage feature is particularly helpful. One just needs to either use the phone app in conjunction with QuickBooks Self-Employed, or keep a log of all mileage.
  • When tax time comes around, it's easy to use TurboTax software and import your data from QuickBooks.
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Cons
Intuit
  • The software becomes "cranky" more often than I would like. A quick data scan on the server usually helps, but if I am out the staff get pretty stressed.
  • Record Retention is not working with QuickBooks. Should there be legal action requesting records for 20 years ago the records will be there - not advisable.
  • Upgrades are quite time consuming as I have to "touch" every computer using the software.
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Intuit
  • Doesn't integrate with Mint, which I use for my home expenses. I think this would be a nice addition to the program, so I could keep track of my whole financial situation.
  • A Windows 10 app would be a nice addition to the program, so I could access it securely from my desktop.
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Likelihood to Renew
Intuit
We've been using QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions from when the business started, 11 years ago. I don't see us changing programs any time soon as it is working pretty well for us now. It would be extremely time consuming to start from scratch with a new accounting or inventory management program.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Usability
Intuit
I like the QuickBooks Enterprise edition so much I moved my company to it this year. I like the overall functionality of the program and I am very familiar with the user interface which makes my job easier. One of the things I dislike about the online version it is not modeled after the desktop edition and I have a hard time getting around in the program.
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Intuit
I have been using this software for several years now and it has always put out my data in beautiful generated reports that I can use for verification purposes with my financial institute and the IRS. It has all the tools I need to run my business without loosing track of anything
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Reliability and Availability
Intuit
They have always been available to meet our needs when we need it. We have had zero complaints with getting the assistance we need.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Performance
Intuit
QB is a good and reliable system. We probably should have explore the other modules rather that jump in to the conclusion that we needed a new ERP.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Intuit
Very rare do I call the Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions support staff and I get a customer service associate quickly. On average, my wait time is near an hour, and at times even longer. After spending the first three minutes discussing my problem, they then begin to poke and prod around, sometimes the questions continue. But 80% of the time, the problem is over their head and they have to escalate the issue. The only problem is this escalation arrives usually after spending forty-five minutes poking and proding around but learning nothing. In short, my experience is rarely all that well, let alone great
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Intuit
I have never faced any difficulties that required me to contact QuickBooks customer service. QuickBooks has plenty of online tutorials, blog posts, and helpful tips and advice for almost any issues you may face using the desktop or app version of the software. Even if you can not find the right answer on the QuickBooks webpages, there are loads of YouTube videos from experts.
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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
No answers on this topic
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
No answers on this topic
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
FreshBooks limited my ability to categorize transactions, specifically removing duplicates or excluding them. I selected QuickBooks Self-Employed because it allowed me to be in control of items. Sometimes accounting is just making sure things are organized the way YOU think, and FreshBooks wasn't doing that for me.
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Scalability
Intuit
It has worked for our small company in every way. We have very little issues with the software and when we have had problems, Intuit has stepped up and resolved in promptly.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
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
  • Overall, tagging expenses and mileage has saved me thousands in taxes, for a relatively low cost of around $8/mo.
  • QuickBooks allows me to get invoices to clients quickly and accept online payments, which helps with cashflow.
  • The app has stopped tracking mileage automatically on my device, so I worry that sometimes I am not tracking business miles effectively, which could end up costing me at the EOY.
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ScreenShots