QuickBooks Desktop Premier vs. QuickBooks Self-Employed

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 Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
N/AN/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Self-Employed
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Self-Employed
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 PremierQuickBooks Self-Employed
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Self-Employed
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 Self-Employed
7.8
3 Ratings
4% above category average
Pay calculation7.046 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Benefit plan administration10.020 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.036 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.927 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.529 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
1.3
20 Ratings
138% below category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
5 Ratings
35% above category average
API for custom integration1.315 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Plug-ins1.320 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Premier
7.4
49 Ratings
8% below category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
8 Ratings
22% above category average
Single sign-on capability4.843 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Role-based user permissions10.040 Ratings10.05 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 Self-Employed
10.0
14 Ratings
27% above category average
Dashboards4.948 Ratings10.012 Ratings
Standard reports7.856 Ratings10.014 Ratings
Custom reports7.854 Ratings10.08 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 Self-Employed
10.0
15 Ratings
30% above category average
Accounts payable7.058 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.059 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Cash management8.054 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Bank reconciliation8.057 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Expense management6.156 Ratings10.014 Ratings
Time tracking5.028 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Fixed asset management5.139 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Multi-currency support9.018 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Multi-division support7.033 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Regulations compliance1.819 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Electronic tax filing10.028 Ratings10.013 Ratings
Self-service portal8.017 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Global Financial Support9.03 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers7.06 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting9.08 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Localizations5.01 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations7.014 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting9.05 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Configurable Accounting7.16 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework9.93 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Standardized Processes4.37 Ratings10.05 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 Self-Employed
10.0
3 Ratings
35% above category average
Inventory tracking1.735 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Automatic reordering1.015 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Location management8.019 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Manufacturing module1.017 Ratings10.02 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 Self-Employed
10.0
5 Ratings
30% above category average
Pricing10.030 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Order entry10.031 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Credit card processing7.027 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Cost of goods sold6.334 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Order Orchestration10.03 Ratings10.02 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility1.04 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Order exception Resolution5.01 Ratings10.02 Ratings
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QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Self-Employed
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop PremierQuickBooks Self-Employed
Likelihood to Recommend
3.0
(63 ratings)
10.0
(15 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
1.3
(12 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(14 ratings)
9.4
(2 ratings)
Availability
8.9
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.7
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.1
(12 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Online Training
1.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.2
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 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 Self-Employed
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
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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
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
No answers on this topic
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
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
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
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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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
No answers on this topic
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
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
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
  • 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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