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QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

Overview

What is QuickBooks Desktop for Mac?

Quickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.

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Recent Reviews

Piece of cake accounting!

7 out of 10
March 07, 2020
We use it for our products and sales. It addresses all the accounting reports, invoices, monitor our sales and expenses, plus other …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 44 features
  • Standard reports (22)
    10.0
    100%
  • Bank reconciliation (24)
    8.8
    88%
  • Accounts payable (24)
    8.1
    81%
  • Accounts receivable (23)
    8.1
    81%
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Pricing

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N/A
Unavailable

What is QuickBooks Desktop for Mac?

Quickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Features

Payroll Management

Provides for pay calculation and benefit plan administration, in addition to managing direct deposit, salary revisions and payroll tracking.

10
Avg 7.5

Customization

This addresses a company’s ability to configure the software to fit its specific use case and workflow.

6
Avg 7.1

Security

This component helps a company minimize the security risks by controlling access to the software and its data, and encouraging best practices among users.

10
Avg 8.0

Reporting & Analytics

Users can report on and analyze usage, performance, ROI, and/or other metrics of success.

10
Avg 7.6

General Ledger and Configurable Accounting

Financial management solution, including capabilities for general ledger and configurable accounting

5.8
Avg 7.4

Inventory Management

The ability to track and manage the flow of goods or materials into and out of an inventory.

7.7
Avg 7.0

Order Management

The ability to process orders, and track them from quote to cash.

8.3
Avg 7.4
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Product Details

What is QuickBooks Desktop for Mac?

Quickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. The software allows Mac users to integrate Quickbooks with their iCloud-based applications and data. Desktop for Mac provides the core accounting features as the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop line. These features include contractor management, sales, time, and expense tracking, invoicing, email tracking, and inventory management. Desktop for Mac also provides a library of prebuilt reports, plus exportability to Numbers or Excel. The software also enables user permissions control for financial information security.

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac Video

What's New in QuickBooks Desktop Mac 2021

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac Competitors

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Quickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.

Priority AccountEdge are common alternatives for QuickBooks Desktop for Mac.

Reviewers rate Pay calculation and Benefit plan administration and Direct deposit files highest, with a score of 10.

The most common users of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(120)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(26-32 of 32)
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Shelly Robbins | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I teach QuickBooks for Windows at Bellevue College, and I set up, troubleshoot, and teach QuickBooks for Mac to small business owners and their bookkeepers online and in the Seattle area. I am an Intuit Trainer/Writer and I teach QuickBooks for Mac once/year at the large national conference on QuickBooks, and at home I sometimes answer questions or perform file management/conversion tasks for others who support QuickBooks for Mac clients.
  • Online banking is easy and fun to learn, and saves data-entry for those little debits/ATM's on your bank statement.
  • Invoices can be designed to look nice and emailed with a "Pay link which speeds up cash flow; a #1 concern for new businesses.
  • Save money by using the online payroll that syncs in data so you don't have to enter complicated paychecks at all.
  • The #1 complaint is that setting it up right is a challenge. People waste time trying to figure it out only to realize that they don't know accounting so of course they don't know how an accounting program should be set up. Like any time you are in over your head, reach out to your network and find someone who can log onto your computer and walk you through it.
  • If you need to track the cost of wages to jobs you can't do it with the online payroll, but check for yourself because it's a function that landscaping companies and construction businesses usually need, so maybe they have added it by now. That would really help!
  • It's premise-based software and that means you take on the role of hardware admin, and it's a lot of work for what is increasingly becoming a smaller gap in the functionality between QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online.
  • QuickBooks for Mac 2015 has been updated consistently over the last 3 years and continues to provide for the bookkeeping needs of small companies using Macs in their offices. However, it has limited job costing functionality. It is similar in functionality to the 2010 version of QuickBooksPro which runs on Windows.
It's easy and fun to use QuickBooks for Mac when it is set up right. It works well for the most part and has only a few bugs. I would rate it a 9 if it was able to do job costing for wages, and if there were more programs/apps that integrate with it.
But if you are choosing accounting technology QuickBooks for Mac might be a poor choice because an online accounting program, instead of premise-based software, will make it easier to collaborate with your bookkeeper, CPA, Advisor, etc.. The exception is running QuickBooks for Mac in a hosted environment which allows multiple users to access it. Of course if your internet connection is unreliable, you are not ready for online accounting software! In that case, QuickBooks for Mac is easy to use, just be sure it's set up right first.
Nick Zeckets | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 4 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We're a lean startup, so it covers all financial reporting and analysis apart from sales where it's worthless.
  • It's very standard so most banks and others who need financial data can easily review your data.
  • It's a UX disaster. I don't think anyone has ever thought about the SMB user. Really painful to use.
  • So many QB users are not accountants so that QB has no accounting intelligence built in is such a loss.
Does anyone on staff have deep experience with QuickBooks? If not, you'll need a professional trainer or accountant to get you up to speed.
Spencer Judd | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I help a few of my clients who have decided to use QuickBooks for Mac. We like to make sure that the clients are able to choose the version of QuickBooks that they feel the most comfortable with. I'm the only one in my team who is able to help those who want to use QuickBooks for Mac, and while the 2013 version was a major improvement over the 2012 version, I feel most comfortable with the pc version.
  • It does a great job at fitting in the Apple ecosystem.
  • It looks and feels user friendly for less sophisticated users.
  • It's a great tool for those looking for a simple accounting solution.
  • Everything seems hidden in the menus, making it difficult to find what I'm looking for.
  • It doesn't run as many reports as the pc version, or if it does, it doesn't make it easy.
  • Journal entries give up flexibility for interface.
I think it would be great for a small firm looking for a simple quick and easy way to keep track of checks and do bank recs. Other than that, you really need to get a pc version equipped with much more flexibility and functionality. Moving from PC to Mac is really tricky with this QB.
Brent Blackburn | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
I support QuickBooks for Mac with multiple clients and I also use it to keep the financial books for my own company. It is great for the micro to small business with basic accounting needs. It handles the usual accounting functions like bank downloads, reconciliation, invoicing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchase orders, estimates, job costing, and budgeting. Payroll is available via Intuit Online Payroll.
  • The user interface is very "Mac-like" and yet QB for Windows users will be able to find most functions quickly, especially via the menus, as their layout is similar to the Windows version
  • If your accountant and/or bookkeeper uses QuickBooks for Windows, your file can be easily passed over to them after saving it as a Windows backup. You can also import journal entries they create on the Windows version directly into your company file.
  • The "Company Snapshot" function gives a great one-screen overview of your company's finances including profitability and receivable and payables.
  • The inventory function works but lacks units of measure, assembly items, price levels, and current availability functions.
  • The payroll imports from Intuit Online Payroll, so it is not completely integrated and provides no mechanism for assigning labor costs to jobs. You have to do your own journal entries in order to add those costs to jobs.
  • There is no Accountant's version, so your accountant or bookkeeper cannot work on a copy of your file and then import changes into your company file. However, this is less of a drawback than it might sound, since the Windows implementation of this is fraught with problems as well. Just ask any accountant or bookkeeper who uses it regularly. The new facility to import journal entries from the Windows version is very nice.
  • There is no SDK for developers, so there are no third-party applications available to add functionality like improved inventory, CRM, point-of-sale, etc. Does not even integrate with QuickBooks Point of Sale.
QuickBooks for Mac is a good option for small companies with basic accounting needs. It can be set up for multiple users networked together. It provides all basic accounting functions. The job costing is adequate for most companies, though probably not for contractors. If your inventory needs go beyond the basics, or you need a more fully integrated payroll, or you have multiple users who are mobile and always in different locations, then other solutions are more suitable.
Robyn Smithson, CB | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I am a Advanced Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor. I do not actually use QuickBooks for Mac on a daily basis for my own business. I am a bookkeeper and I support QuickBooks for Mac clients and I have several clients using various versions of QuickBooks for Mac. It has improved greatly in the last few years.
  • QB for Mac allows Mac users a good accounting program without having to utilize parrallels or a virtual machine environment.
  • There are not nearly as many add on applications available to the QB for Mac user. QuickBooks is a great accounting program overall but there are many things it cannot do no matter what version and that is where the add on applications come in. However the choices are quite limited in the QB for Mac universe.
  • As there is no time sheet integration from the payroll program for the Mac version, if you need job costing, you must do it by utilizing what is called a zero dollar check. You unfortunately cannot push time data from payroll to invoicing like you can in the Windows version.
  • Many reports in the QB for Mac version do not have the ability to show details that are available in the Windows versions. Sometimes this make finding and correcting errors more difficult.
  • QB for Mac does not have the functionality of QB for Windows. Backing up and restoring files is one area that leaves a lot to be desired. The file label created automatically is not a clear cut as it is in the Windows version, and many people overwrite the wrong file and lose data.
I am vendor- and program-neutral until asking questions of the colleague looking for a recommendation. First and most important question: Are you a die hard MAC user who will not give it up even for a better accounting program? If yes, then: How comfortable are you running windows programs either on a PC or a Parallel environment? If that is a definite no, then QB for Mac is probably the way to go. However, it also depends on the business you will be running utilizing the Mac version. Are you a contractor with a full staff and job costing needs? Or a you a sole proprietor doing professional services and your books are pretty simple? I personally wouldn't recommend the Mac version for a contractor. Two of the clients that I support using QB for Mac are a single small family rental property and a professional services corporation. Neither has payroll or detailed job costing needs.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
QuickBooks for Mac is currently being used as the main financial software for several clients of mine. These are small businesses that use MAC computers for all other work, so QuickBooks for Mac is a great tool that fits within their business structures. It also helps these companies avoid using a PC or the online versions, while also giving them the comfort and ease of using a computer system they're already familiar and comfortable with using. It is used across the organizations and seems to be a winning option for their financial management of their service-based businesses.
  • It has the familiar look and feel of QuickBooks for other platforms, making it an easy transition for someone not Mac-savvy.
  • It is easy to install and update regularly. It is also easy to create regular backups.
  • The size of the software is minimal, so hard drive space is not an issue.
  • Ideally, QuickBooks for Mac would be formatted a bit more like the other desktop version for PC. There is sometimes confusion as to what windows are open/closed, etc.
  • A better integration of online services would be great for QuickBooks for Mac.
  • The first assessment should be if the user wants a Mac-specific software for financial management.
  • Does the user want online access, or will they mainly use their own laptop or desktop Mac for QuickBooks access?
  • If the user wants access from any computer, at any time, QuickBooks for Mac may not be the best solution; QB Online may be a better solution, provided they use the proper internet browser.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Quickbooks for Mac is not being used by my organization; I use it for my private practice and it makes accounting and tax management much simpler.
  • Easy layout for check register
  • Canned reports are the ones you'll use most often
  • Can set as many user-defined income and expense categories as you need, for simple to complex budget management
  • The customer option is not set up well for systems outside retail; I would love to see more flexibility in this area
  • Quickbooks is not a practice management system, so it is not HIPAA-compliant
Quickbooks for Mac works beautifully for small businesses with few employees, or sole practitioners. I have not used it for payroll but I think that would be equally easy to use. QB helps me record and manage income and expenses so that tax time is less of a headache. I also like the simple graphical representations of profit and loss, so I can see how my business is doing each month.
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