QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs. Square Payroll

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
Square Payroll
Score 6.1 out of 10
N/A
Square Payroll is a payroll solution for hourly employees, from Square headquartered in San Francisco, California.N/A
Pricing
QuickBooks Desktop ProSquare Payroll
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
QuickBooks Desktop ProSquare Payroll
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 ProSquare Payroll
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
QuickBooks Desktop ProSquare Payroll
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
9.3
65 Ratings
22% above category average
Square Payroll
7.8
6 Ratings
3% below category average
Pay calculation9.961 Ratings8.96 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.835 Ratings9.15 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.853 Ratings7.06 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.949 Ratings8.94 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.350 Ratings7.85 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings8.65 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings4.44 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.9
39 Ratings
11% above category average
Square Payroll
-
Ratings
API for custom integration8.032 Ratings00 Ratings
Plug-ins7.836 Ratings00 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.5
93 Ratings
8% above category average
Square Payroll
-
Ratings
Single sign-on capability8.975 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.188 Ratings00 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
Square Payroll
-
Ratings
Dashboards9.593 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports7.6108 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.2106 Ratings00 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
Square Payroll
-
Ratings
Accounts payable9.7107 Ratings00 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.6109 Ratings00 Ratings
Cash management2.697 Ratings00 Ratings
Bank reconciliation9.7108 Ratings00 Ratings
Expense management8.899 Ratings00 Ratings
Time tracking8.747 Ratings00 Ratings
Fixed asset management6.064 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.927 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-division support5.752 Ratings00 Ratings
Regulations compliance7.239 Ratings00 Ratings
Electronic tax filing8.050 Ratings00 Ratings
Self-service portal9.738 Ratings00 Ratings
Global Financial Support7.015 Ratings00 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers8.837 Ratings00 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting7.438 Ratings00 Ratings
Localizations8.517 Ratings00 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations9.665 Ratings00 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting9.733 Ratings00 Ratings
Configurable Accounting8.141 Ratings00 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework7.824 Ratings00 Ratings
Standardized Processes9.748 Ratings00 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
Square Payroll
-
Ratings
Inventory tracking6.553 Ratings00 Ratings
Automatic reordering6.132 Ratings00 Ratings
Location management6.229 Ratings00 Ratings
Manufacturing module8.216 Ratings00 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
Square Payroll
-
Ratings
Pricing6.750 Ratings00 Ratings
Order entry7.549 Ratings00 Ratings
Credit card processing7.148 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost of goods sold9.058 Ratings00 Ratings
Order Orchestration9.018 Ratings00 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility9.021 Ratings00 Ratings
Order exception Resolution3.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
QuickBooks Desktop ProSquare Payroll
Small Businesses
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop ProSquare Payroll
Likelihood to Recommend
5.6
(124 ratings)
4.7
(8 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(18 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(31 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
8.3
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
2.6
(29 ratings)
9.0
(1 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 ProSquare Payroll
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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Block, Inc (Square)
Square is an amazing platform to have total control over the payroll of all the employees of a company or a specific sector. This platform has a very good functionality to collect exact information on how long each employee works, that is one of its most outstanding characteristics, because it monitors work schedules and overtime and generates detailed reports on the work time of each employee. Square does not allow to schedule payments, that is one of the main problems, however, I consider that it is a very good option for small and medium-sized companies that are looking for a way to have more exact administrative control over the working hours of all their employees. It is a software that works in the cloud, so all the work information that is collected will remain safe without any risk of loss.
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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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Block, Inc (Square)
  • 1099 contractor payments are easy, and they provide you with the IRS filing as part of the service.
  • Direct deposit/debit from your already connected account to the employee.
  • Reporting and management features are simple yet inclusive.
  • Low cost compared to alternative solutions.
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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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Block, Inc (Square)
  • It's a bit pricey for larger companies at $5 per person paid per month.
  • Has a bit of a learning curve that seems steeper than necessary
  • reports can be confusing at first
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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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Block, Inc (Square)
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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Block, Inc (Square)
It could use a mobile-friendly interface. Other than that it's a simple layout and non-cluttered which allows you to get done what you need to get done. No unnecessary dodads or distractions.
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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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Block, Inc (Square)
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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Block, Inc (Square)
I think they have quick and helpful customer service reps, however, I give them a 9 because I have had to wait on hold for long periods of time before.
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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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Block, Inc (Square)
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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Block, Inc (Square)
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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Block, Inc (Square)
I liked patriot, but I found it to be more confusing than Square and took me too much time to setup. I setup Square Payroll in about an hour. I would also say the Square interface made more sense to me. I also like how Square offers more things like benefits, etc. that can be added on.
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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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Block, Inc (Square)
  • Square Payroll has dramatically reduced the time it takes to process payroll.
  • We could have a faster payroll with the Square POS integration for commission, but that is not something we've implemented yet.
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