QuickBooks Desktop Premier vs. QuickBooks Online Advanced

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks 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
QuickBooks Online Advanced
Score 7.8 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 PremierQuickBooks Online Advanced
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks 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 PremierQuickBooks Online Advanced
Considered Both Products
QuickBooks Desktop Premier

No answer on this topic

QuickBooks Online Advanced
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 is easier to use than QBs Desktop.
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. …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Online Advanced
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
8.9
47 Ratings
17% above category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
-
Ratings
Pay calculation7.046 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration10.020 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.036 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.927 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.529 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
1.3
20 Ratings
138% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.5
90 Ratings
19% above category average
API for custom integration1.315 Ratings8.773 Ratings
Plug-ins1.320 Ratings8.478 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
7.4
49 Ratings
8% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.2
160 Ratings
3% above category average
Single sign-on capability4.843 Ratings8.2143 Ratings
Role-based user permissions10.040 Ratings8.2156 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
6.8
57 Ratings
11% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.6
173 Ratings
13% above category average
Dashboards4.848 Ratings8.8163 Ratings
Standard reports7.856 Ratings8.8172 Ratings
Custom reports7.854 Ratings8.2164 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
7.1
60 Ratings
4% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.1
175 Ratings
9% above category average
Accounts payable7.058 Ratings8.7169 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.059 Ratings8.9164 Ratings
Cash management8.054 Ratings8.0145 Ratings
Bank reconciliation8.057 Ratings8.2167 Ratings
Expense management6.156 Ratings8.5154 Ratings
Time tracking5.028 Ratings8.188 Ratings
Fixed asset management5.139 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency support9.018 Ratings7.544 Ratings
Multi-division support7.033 Ratings8.374 Ratings
Regulations compliance1.819 Ratings7.977 Ratings
Electronic tax filing10.028 Ratings9.097 Ratings
Self-service portal8.017 Ratings8.692 Ratings
Global Financial Support9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers7.06 Ratings8.673 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting9.08 Ratings6.874 Ratings
Localizations5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations7.014 Ratings8.4151 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting9.05 Ratings6.863 Ratings
Configurable Accounting7.16 Ratings8.581 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework9.93 Ratings6.961 Ratings
Standardized Processes4.37 Ratings7.7115 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
2.9
36 Ratings
83% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.1
70 Ratings
14% above category average
Inventory tracking1.735 Ratings8.170 Ratings
Automatic reordering1.015 Ratings00 Ratings
Location management8.019 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing module1.017 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
7.0
38 Ratings
5% below category average
QuickBooks Online Advanced
8.8
118 Ratings
17% above category average
Pricing10.030 Ratings8.786 Ratings
Order entry10.031 Ratings8.879 Ratings
Credit card processing7.027 Ratings9.0103 Ratings
Cost of goods sold6.334 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Orchestration10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility1.04 Ratings00 Ratings
Order exception Resolution5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Online Advanced
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
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 8.1 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
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
3.0
(63 ratings)
8.9
(175 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
1.3
(12 ratings)
9.5
(6 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(14 ratings)
9.5
(4 ratings)
Availability
8.9
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.7
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.1
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
1.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.2
(7 ratings)
6.5
(3 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.2
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Online Advanced
Likelihood to Recommend
Intuit
QuickBooks Premier is not well suited to manufacturing industries, as it cannot handle the complicated inventory requirements of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. Retailers and Wholesalers can use QuickBooks Premier as long as they have an add-on inventory tracking program or Point of Sale system that integrates with QuickBooks. Likewise, restaurants would need specialized restaurant software that integrates with QuickBooks Premier. Non-profits can use QuickBooks Premier non-profit edition, but if they use fund accounting, it will require some complicated work-arounds. QuickBooks Premier is well-suited to most construction trades, personal and professional services providers, small retailers, and rental property owners.
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Intuit
I gave this rating more from the standpoint that I enjoy using other bookkeeping platforms more than I enjoy QuickBooks Online Advanced. While QuickBooks Online Advanced is a solid platform that I have no issue working in, there are some areas that could be improved. The biggest of these areas is the overall design of the platform. I feel that when you first log in and are brought to the home screen, everything just looks cluttered.
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Pros
Intuit
  • The program is easy to learn and use. We can train our clients' personnel how to use the program with out difficulty.
  • It is easy for clients to generate bills and manage accounts receivable.
  • It is easy to manage accounts payable and allows clients to pay their bills electronically.
  • Transactions can be imported electronically for credit card and banking transactions.
  • It is easy to reconcile bank and credit card accounts.
  • We can import data generated by QuickBooks into our tax and accounting software.
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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
  • I would like to be able to choose how i want to view accounts receivable aging. I would like some flexibility to sort and choose how to present the data.
  • For a seasoned accountant, I would like to see some of the restrictive controls that are in place for novices to be able to be relaxed so that I can easily make some entries and adjust some balances that ordinarily a regular user would not be able to do.
  • I would like to see an easy way to clear old outstanding checks that need to be reversed without affecting prior balances/history.
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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
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.
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Intuit
QuickBooks Online Advanced is not like any other accounting software. With how great the software is now, I would definitely renew QuickBooks Online Advanced
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Usability
Intuit
QuickBooks is an amazing tool that provides all of the necessary features needed to run the finances of a company. I would like for QuickBooks to provide better resources for training. There are many features that go unused because of lack of knowledge. Procore offers chatting and calls on their platform and they make it easy and accessible to get answers and solutions.
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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
This is very reliable software, the desktop version is fast. If there is a problem, it is most likely on your own hardware!
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Performance
Intuit
It takes forever to load.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Intuit
This is an awesome product and the support team is very knowledgeable. The product is mature, so there are not a lot of bugs and the support team really solves problems quickly. Usually it is a user error issue, but the support desk helps me out. I love the fact that it is US based support.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Intuit
The online training was easy to follow and understand. The online training gave us the specific instructions to follow
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Implementation Rating
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.
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Intuit
Need to make an option for non-profit organizations
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Alternatives Considered
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.
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Intuit
I have not evaluated any yet. I have used QuickBooks since 2008 and I used Sage in the corporate environment before using QuickBooks. Honestly, I can't remember it because it was early 2000's. I thought about evaluating and looking because of the issues I've had with QuickBooks, but I haven't really investigated.
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Scalability
Intuit
They're getting better. Still room for improvement.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Intuit
  • Since our financials are kept very up to date, it helps us compare our financial results to prior years and it is used for our internal goal setting.
  • Due to the accountant copy function, we are able to provide better service since our clients are not waiting on us to fix historical data. They can continue their operations uninterrupted.
  • The import feature certainly speeds up the process of accounting for our payroll. As previously mentioned, it takes about a minute to do our entries for payroll and check them.
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Intuit
  • Positive - time and accuracy: Improved bank feeds with rules for automating categorization (expense account) of transactions.
  • Negative - time and efficiency: Very slow response in data entry such as estimates, purchase orders, invoices, sales receipts, bills & bill payment, and even check writing.
  • Negative - time and error correction: Payroll taxes and sales taxes remain in their own silos and are very difficult to correct OR wrong to correct with regular ledger and transaction entries.
  • Negative - time and reporting: Customer activity cannot be tracked using deposits or JE'd transactions. Reporting and research require the use of transaction forms such as invoices, sales receipts, payments, and credit memos. As an example, the transaction register for a customer can be sorted by various parameters. A default is "All" transactions but does not include all transactions -- you have to select "All plus deposits" and you will also not see checks. This is about the same for Vendor activity, where deposits (e.g. refunds) will not show in the vendor's activity register. A vendor credit memo is required, then the refund can be pushed against that credit balance. The credit memo will appear in the vendor register, but a deposit will not.
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