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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    QuickBooks Desktop Pro

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AQuickbooks 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 (discontinued)

    Score4.3 out of 10
    N/AA now discontinued accounting solution, QuickBooks Self-Employed featured tools to help the self-employed drive growth and financial stability. It is replaced by the more advanced QuickBooks Solopreneur.N/A
    Pricing
    QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    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 (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    Intuit
    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.
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    88%
    Would buy again
    29 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    28 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    32 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    20 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    25 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    TrustRadius Insights
    QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    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 (discontinued)
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    6.7
    69 Ratings
    12% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    7.8
    3 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Pay calculation6.364 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration6.338 Ratings5.02 Ratings
    Direct deposit files6.656 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management6.352 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Reimbursement management7.754 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    5.7
    43 Ratings
    28% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    5 Ratings
    28% above category average
    API for custom integration6.535 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Plug-ins5.039 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    8.4
    101 Ratings
    3% above category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    8 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Single sign-on capability8.382 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions8.595 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    8.5
    117 Ratings
    9% above category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    14 Ratings
    25% above category average
    Dashboards8.4100 Ratings10.012 Ratings
    Standard reports8.9117 Ratings10.014 Ratings
    Custom reports8.2114 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    7.5
    124 Ratings
    2% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    15 Ratings
    27% above category average
    Accounts payable9.3119 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Accounts receivable9.2121 Ratings10.010 Ratings
    Cash management9.2107 Ratings10.09 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation9.7119 Ratings10.010 Ratings
    Expense management9.4108 Ratings10.014 Ratings
    Time tracking7.451 Ratings10.07 Ratings
    Fixed asset management5.669 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Multi-currency support6.931 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Multi-division support8.958 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Regulations compliance8.342 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing8.355 Ratings10.013 Ratings
    Self-service portal5.941 Ratings10.08 Ratings
    Global Financial Support4.217 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers7.140 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting7.943 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Localizations4.219 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations8.876 Ratings10.06 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting6.838 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting7.647 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework5.427 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Standardized Processes8.555 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    5.8
    59 Ratings
    23% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    3 Ratings
    31% above category average
    Inventory tracking6.056 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Automatic reordering6.035 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Location management6.032 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Manufacturing module5.218 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Feature
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    6.8
    77 Ratings
    8% below category average
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    10.0
    5 Ratings
    30% above category average
    Pricing7.555 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Order entry8.555 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Credit card processing7.251 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold8.063 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Order Orchestration5.220 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility6.123 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution5.218 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    Zoho Books
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.3 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.5
    (135 ratings)
    10.0
    (15 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (19 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    9.1
    (42 ratings)
    9.4
    (2 ratings)
    Availability
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.2
    (29 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    8.5
    (22 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    QuickBooks Desktop ProQuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Intuit
    For a small business, QuickBooks Desktop Pro is great! For a larger, more complex business, another system may be more beneficial. We actually run multiple businesses on QuickBooks Desktop Pro, but all are very small. The help feature is sometimes so beneficial, and sometimes it seems like you just can't get the right answer and need to find a workaround - but this is usually for more complex issues.
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Intuit
    I'd love to keep using it, and do intend to - though we've not been pleased with price increases over the past several years. In fact, we used to subscribe to the payroll service, but QuickBooks priced themselves out of reach for us, so we discontinued that. Currently, pricing would be the primary reason for NOT renewing, if we didn't.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Intuit
    The set up was quite easy. I took some online training causes, and figured our the rest pretty quickly. The only issue I had during the implementation process was it was very hard to change some of the GL Account name to reflect the needs of a non-profit organization, such as Net Assets. At the end I had to scratch what I did, and used the existing formats that the third-party bookkeeping firm shared. Everything else is simple and easy to manage and implement.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Intuit
    They are awful. Intuit doesn't spend real money on support. They appear to have typically said, first-level script readers who are sending messages to the senior people for anything even a little bit difficult. Many of them don't speak particularly good English. Considering that they recently doubled (or, if you are paying annually, tripled) their pricing, and touted as one of the benefits that it includes [..] support, it's a real ripoff. However, we have to use the product because it is ubiquitous. I look forward to the day a competitor comes up with something good enough, which has excellent support, that matches all the features QuickBooks Desktop Pro currently has [...] or at least gives us a way to have all the functionality we currently have without excessive sacrifice [...] so that we can switch. I was very satisfied with QuickBooks for many years. This latest [rise] in price, and their sheer gall at touting the benefit of the 100 to 200% increase as being [the] inclusion of support, is what turned me so far against them.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Intuit
    We tried switching from QuickBooks Desktop Pro to QuickBooks Online, but there were a lot of issues and bugs so we ultimately decided to stay with Desktop Pro. Unfortunately, we are losing a lot of Online Banking capabilities on 5/31 as we have an older version of QB, but we plan to stick with Desktop Pro. In terms of invoicing, SaaSOptics beats QuickBooks in almost all aspects as it's all automated and takes seconds to create and send invoices. However, SaaSOptics is not really a full ERP program so it wouldn't serve us as a main bookkeeping software like QB.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Intuit
    • Training time is low compared to other accounting packages
    • It was difficult to adapt to DCAA requirements, [which] required [the] hiring of [a] special consultant for that
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a standard for small companies and makes it easy to hire bookkeepers
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots