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QuickBooks Desktop for Mac vs. QuickBooks Desktop Premier

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AQuickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.N/A

    QuickBooks Desktop Premier

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AQuickBooks Desktop Premier is an installed version of QuickBooks for general business, contractors, manufacturing and warehouse accounting, as well as nonprofits, professional services, and retail.N/A
    Pricing
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    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
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Considered Both Products
    Intuit
    Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    QuickBooks for Mac definitely outshines other competitors mainly due to its ability to sync seamlessly with all mac products, which other programs have continual problems with. Although the Mac version isn't quite as powerful as the Microsoft counterpart, it is still one of the …
    Incentivized
    Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    I feel that the online (QBO)version is the platform of the future. With third party companies building solid apps and plugins that integrate with QBO seamlessly, the desktop versions are becoming limited.
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    80%
    Would buy again
    4 Answers
    82%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    4 Answers
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    4 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    16 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    87%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    8.9
    13 Ratings
    16% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.5
    54 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Pay calculation8.411 Ratings9.252 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration7.98 Ratings8.425 Ratings
    Direct deposit files10.010 Ratings8.242 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.47 Ratings8.333 Ratings
    Reimbursement management10.09 Ratings8.336 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.5
    12 Ratings
    1% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.5
    24 Ratings
    1% below category average
    API for custom integration7.08 Ratings8.017 Ratings
    Plug-ins8.011 Ratings7.024 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    10.0
    22 Ratings
    20% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    58 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Single sign-on capability10.022 Ratings8.450 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions10.019 Ratings8.249 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    6.7
    24 Ratings
    15% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    69 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Dashboards5.121 Ratings8.758 Ratings
    Standard reports7.924 Ratings8.468 Ratings
    Custom reports7.024 Ratings7.766 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.6
    26 Ratings
    0% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.8
    72 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Accounts payable8.126 Ratings8.370 Ratings
    Accounts receivable7.725 Ratings8.571 Ratings
    Cash management5.520 Ratings8.765 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation9.526 Ratings8.769 Ratings
    Expense management8.622 Ratings8.768 Ratings
    Time tracking7.514 Ratings7.535 Ratings
    Fixed asset management7.016 Ratings6.249 Ratings
    Multi-currency support5.011 Ratings7.623 Ratings
    Multi-division support6.012 Ratings8.239 Ratings
    Regulations compliance10.011 Ratings8.224 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing10.017 Ratings7.836 Ratings
    Self-service portal7.715 Ratings5.923 Ratings
    Global Financial Support5.08 Ratings6.09 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.615 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting8.116 Ratings7.917 Ratings
    Localizations8.07 Ratings7.66 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations9.519 Ratings8.725 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting8.67 Ratings8.313 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting6.511 Ratings7.915 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework6.511 Ratings7.210 Ratings
    Standardized Processes6.915 Ratings8.315 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    7.4
    17 Ratings
    2% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.0
    43 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Inventory tracking9.516 Ratings8.342 Ratings
    Automatic reordering6.512 Ratings7.321 Ratings
    Location management6.911 Ratings8.825 Ratings
    Manufacturing module6.510 Ratings7.722 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
    9.1
    20 Ratings
    21% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.2
    47 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pricing9.019 Ratings8.037 Ratings
    Order entry9.518 Ratings7.838 Ratings
    Credit card processing9.119 Ratings9.134 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold9.118 Ratings8.943 Ratings
    Order Orchestration9.07 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility9.19 Ratings8.59 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution9.18 Ratings7.56 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    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
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (34 ratings)
    8.2
    (75 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (9 ratings)
    7.5
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    6.1
    (8 ratings)
    8.9
    (26 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.0
    (4 ratings)
    4.0
    (13 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.2
    (7 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.1
    (27 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    QuickBooks Desktop for MacQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Intuit
    If you're a freelancer or running a very small business where you do your own bookkeeping I think this is a great option, especially if you're familiar with accounting and bookkeeping in general. If you're not so familiar with bookkeeping, I would say that the learning curve is too steep and you might want to look elsewhere for a more intuitive solution
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    We really think that ANY typical business would be a reasonable fit for QuickBooks Desktop Premier. While not necessary, even a comparatively unexperienced accounting person could look at the "Home" screen and follow their nose thru typical daily accounting processes without much detailed knowledge. Reporting is simple, looking up customer info and prior transactions is simple, looking up vendors and prior payments is simple... all in all, quite straightforward. I really can't think of an instance where it would be 'less appropriate'.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Intuit
    • The program is very easy to learn, the interface is incredibly user-friendly and there are tons of free resources and tutorials available
    • It makes managing payroll really easy for the employee and accountant on staff. No more lost time sheets or late paychecks!
    • Managing bills and paying them has become streamlined and it's great having everything in one place so we don't lose track of things.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • Employment - it makes creating paychecks a snap and tracks taxes.
    • Invoicing - they have a straightforward approach to creating invoices and you can even email them to your customers.
    • Customers - the program makes tracking customer information and balances easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Intuit
    • The #1 complaint is that setting it up right is a challenge. People waste time trying to figure it out only to realize that they don't know accounting so of course they don't know how an accounting program should be set up. Like any time you are in over your head, reach out to your network and find someone who can log onto your computer and walk you through it.
    • If you need to track the cost of wages to jobs you can't do it with the online payroll, but check for yourself because it's a function that landscaping companies and construction businesses usually need, so maybe they have added it by now. That would really help!
    • It's premise-based software and that means you take on the role of hardware admin, and it's a lot of work for what is increasingly becoming a smaller gap in the functionality between QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online.
    • QuickBooks for Mac 2015 has been updated consistently over the last 3 years and continues to provide for the bookkeeping needs of small companies using Macs in their offices. However, it has limited job costing functionality. It is similar in functionality to the 2010 version of QuickBooksPro which runs on Windows.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • Support for older versions of QuickBooks ends after three years, then users must purchase the newest version at full price. Renewals should be deeply discounted for existing users.
    • I would like to see better in-product inventory tracking, so we can choose LIFO or FIFO rather than the ambiguous "average cost" method.
    • I would like to be able to assign payroll taxes to jobs for better job costing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Intuit
    I haven't spent that much time with the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac, but I think I'm seeing it make the much-needed improvements. For example, something as simple as undoing the previous reconciliation was a terrible chore, and I'm glad that feature has been included in the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    Because we have been extremely happy with the product and our organization tends to be creatures of habit. We rarely leave a product that works this well for the latest and greatest. Typically we follow the "if it's not broken, don't fix it rule". While QB does make changes we typically just roll with it. If we do find something we don't like we work through it until we fully understand its functionality.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Intuit
    The Mac version is OK overall. I find the Windows versions to be much more robust but Mac is quite good for Mac users. Though I think die hard Mac users should consider QuickBooks Online instead as there is a new QB for Mac app that makes using QBO much better!
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    We switched to a more "robust" software program with the hiring of a new CFO. The migration of historical data and ancillary information has been cumbersome and riddle with errors and issues. In hindsight much of what the new software program was touted to accomplish is not come to fruition. QB Desktop Premier was sufficient for the organization needs
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Intuit
    I've been using the QuickBooks online version for a little over 6 months now (upgraded from Mac desktop) and I haven't had any access issues. There have been times when it was down for service/upgrade however there is always plenty of notification time given by the Quick Books Online Support team. These upgrade maintenance time frames are always over night hours and on the weekends so everything can be worked around very easily.
    Read full review
    Intuit
    This is very reliable software, the desktop version is fast. If there is a problem, it is most likely on your own hardware!
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    It takes forever to load.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Intuit
    Fortunately, I haven't had to reach out much for support.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    This is where QuickBooks falls short. Many times my staff has had questions that have not been able to get resolved easily with a chat or call. I personally have had more general questions that have not been answered easily as well. I think QuickBooks needs to provide the resources of having readily accessible help in order to make it simpler to get solutions.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    It is important to do your research. There are tutorial videos online that could help new user of this accounting system. These tutorials are straightforward and easily understandable.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Intuit
    I love using Quickbooks compared to other software we've tried. QuickBooks Online and TSheets interface. Customer service and problem resolution are generally excellent, with well-trained and proficient agents taking calls or on chat. Ease of use and accessibility via the mobile app. Great courses were available to help with learning the basics and some advanced accounting background. I love learning! Online accessibility - it can work anywhere with an internet connection. Linking to bank and credit card accounts is handy.
    Read full review
    Intuit
    QuickBooks Premier handles most of my business functions efficiently in one package. It is not my "everything." I use Replicon for time rather than QuickBooks. I don't want my WIP data interfering with my accounting. I use PaySimple for it's web interface and back office processing. I don't have security issues since I don't have any credit card data in my possession. With today's identity theft environment, I have to protect myself as much as I can. Not having credit card data in my accounting software lets me sleep much better at night. Quicken will do basic accounting but does not have all the double entry accounting systems contained in QuickBooks. QuickBooks Online does much of the basic business functions but I don't like the pricing structure. As a professional accountant, that is very important to me. Bill.com provided a good service but the ability of QuickBooks to add bills and receipts to transactions makes it redundant.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    They're getting better. Still room for improvement.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Intuit
    • It has allowed us to offer multiple bookkeeping softwares for clients that do not want to change from what they have been using.
    • Payroll filing has given us ease of mind because we can physically make the filings rather than waiting on payroll software to make them for us.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    • Most of our business clients use QuickBooks which makes it efficient for us to work on clients that use the program. We can import QuickBooks data into our software which adds efficiencies to our tax practice.
    • Having staff that are familiar with the software enables our firm to provide quality service to the clients that use QuickBooks.
    • We receive referrals from satisfied QuickBooks clients.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots