QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs. QuickBooks Self-Employed

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Quickbooks Desktop Pro is accounting software from Intuit, Inc. It includes core accounting features, plus analytics and exportable reports. It is offered in on-premise and SaaS forms.N/A
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
N/AN/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks 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 ProQuickBooks Self-Employed
Considered Both Products
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro
The transparency of QuickBooks Desktop Pro is less complex. This really helps with larger projects/companies with one shared accounting office.
QuickBooks Self-Employed

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
TrustRadius Insights
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed
Highlights

TrustRadius
Research Team Insight
Published

Quickbooks Desktop Pro and Quickbooks Self-Employed are both accounting software designed to handle financial data, invoicing, and reporting. Both versions of Quickbooks share a lot of features, but Quickbooks Desktop Pro is designed for businesses with employees, whereas Quickbooks Self Employed is built for freelancers or very small businesses. As a result of these design decisions, Quickbooks Desktop Pro is a popular choice for small to mid-sized businesses while Quickbooks Self-Employed is used almost exclusively by very small businesses.

Features and Limitations

Quickbooks Desktop Pro and Quickbooks Self-Employed both offer the same suite of essential features for financial management. These features include income and expense tracking, downloadable transaction information, and automated data backup. Despite these similarities, there are also a few key differences between the products.

Quickbooks Desktop Pro includes features for tracking employee timesheets and payments, and also allows for multiple users. These features are essential for businesses with employees to manage or multiple accountants that need to access financial data. Quickbooks Self-Employed lacks these features but allows for the separation of personal and business expenses, which can save time for users.

Pricing

Both Quickbooks Desktop Pro and Quickbooks Self-Employed offer 30-day free trials for users to try out the product before purchasing. After the free trial, Quickbooks Self-Employed costs $7.00 per month. Quickbooks Desktop Pro is priced at $299.95 per workstation. This pricing makes Quickbooks Self-Employed an affordable option for businesses without employees while Quickbooks Desktop Pro is ideal for small to medium businesses.

Features
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
9.3
65 Ratings
22% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
7.8
3 Ratings
4% above category average
Pay calculation9.961 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.835 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.853 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.949 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.350 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.9
39 Ratings
11% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
5 Ratings
35% above category average
API for custom integration8.032 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Plug-ins7.836 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.5
93 Ratings
8% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
8 Ratings
24% above category average
Single sign-on capability8.975 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.188 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.4
108 Ratings
10% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
14 Ratings
27% above category average
Dashboards9.593 Ratings10.012 Ratings
Standard reports7.6108 Ratings10.014 Ratings
Custom reports8.2106 Ratings10.08 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.0
112 Ratings
8% above category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
15 Ratings
30% above category average
Accounts payable9.7107 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.6109 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Cash management2.697 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Bank reconciliation9.7108 Ratings10.010 Ratings
Expense management8.899 Ratings10.014 Ratings
Time tracking8.747 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Fixed asset management6.064 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.927 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Multi-division support5.752 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Regulations compliance7.239 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Electronic tax filing8.050 Ratings10.013 Ratings
Self-service portal9.738 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Global Financial Support7.015 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.837 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting7.438 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Localizations8.517 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations9.665 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting9.733 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Configurable Accounting8.141 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework7.824 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Standardized Processes9.748 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
6.7
56 Ratings
5% below category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
3 Ratings
35% above category average
Inventory tracking6.553 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Automatic reordering6.132 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Location management6.229 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Manufacturing module8.216 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.4
70 Ratings
0% below category average
QuickBooks Self-Employed
10.0
5 Ratings
30% above category average
Pricing6.750 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Order entry7.549 Ratings10.04 Ratings
Credit card processing7.148 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Cost of goods sold9.058 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Order Orchestration9.018 Ratings10.02 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility9.021 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Order exception Resolution3.216 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks 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 ProQuickBooks Self-Employed
Likelihood to Recommend
5.6
(124 ratings)
10.0
(15 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(18 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(31 ratings)
9.4
(2 ratings)
Availability
8.3
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
2.6
(29 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed
Likelihood to Recommend
Intuit
I am only going to recommend it because it is currently ubiquitous, and most accountants prefer it at the moment. I do not stand by the company, and will not use the product any longer than I have to. [I believe] the support is lousy, the product is overpriced, but it does the basics of what we need. I'm very happy for all those outside Intuit who make their living supporting QuickBooks Desktop Pro; third-party support is desperately needed. They also doubled their prices for software upgrades this year, and require those who don't pay double what the last upgrade cost, to subscribe every year for $200. If one does not subscribe beyond the first year, one will not be able to use the software beyond the first year. They are moving to a rental model even for those who refuse to use the LOUSY QuickBooks online. They were good company once. Now they just turn out bloatware that everyone uses, so the rest of us have to. I look forward to the day that an honest, better-priced competitor wipes the floor with Intuit.
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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
  • It is easy to manage and adjust inventory on hand.
  • It is easy to make reports and customize them to your needs.
  • We also use it to pay our employees directly.
  • It is easy to make year-to-year comparisons to see where we can make improvements and the current financial situation.
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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
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro has been around for a few years and after an update[,] they force you to look at the changes/updates before you can use [them] after updating.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro does not have 2FA.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro should offer a way to store backups to a personal cloud without having to map a local network drive.
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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 used the program for more than 20 years in our firm both with clients and as our software. For the cost and value of the program it works well for our firms needs and desires for an accounting software program. At this point to switch would not make sense.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Usability
Intuit
It is a great software that does everything a small business needs it to do, but there are just a few bugs and quirks that make additional software necessary. The slowness of the software occasionally might eventually be overshadowed by the quickness of cloud-based software though.
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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
I haven't experienced a time when QuickBooks Pro was unavailable when I needed it in the entire 20 years of using the software
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Intuit
The support team is not always easy to use or able to understand the problems. There are some difficulties understanding [...] the issues the purchaser has and the solutions are sometimes hard to implement. A lot can be avoided if the users have adequate training and security is set up correctly at implementation.
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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
Best thing I ever did was to attend a two day training seminar on QuickBooks, I learned an immense amount in a short time with hands on training by experts. I strongly recommend such training for anyone using any part of the software. It will pay for itself in the first month.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Intuit
We implemented the software ourselves. The training we received on the software was done by taking a community course teaching us how to use QuickBooks. It allowed me to get started with some basics of how to use the program and have not needed much assistance since completing the course work.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Intuit
Zoho had great end-user support and it was almost as simple to learn and was as easy to use. But its reports were not as [customizable] as QuickBooks Desktop Pro, and its job cost and department accounting [were] more cumbersome than QuickBooks Desktop Pro was. In addition, while I like an underdog (Zoho) the fact is that it is easier to find staff that [is] comfortable with QuickBooks Desktop Pro than anything else on the market.
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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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Return on Investment
Intuit
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a no hassle accounting solution that ticks a lot of boxes. It almost never disappoints and organizations will usually keep using it for many years. If anything, the only time I've seen an organization migrate away from it is if they have specific accounting needs, or if the organization has grown to the point that they need a more robust accounting solution. Even then, QuickBooks can usually be maintained within another accounting software system for specific functions, like A/R & A/P for example.
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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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