QuickBooks Desktop Pro

Score7.9 out of 10

1,013 Reviews and Ratings

What is QuickBooks Desktop Pro?

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.

Categories & Use Cases

Bank reconciliation
The software connects to a company’s financial institutions in order to reconcile accounting records with checking, savings and credit card accounts. Often month and year closing capabilities are included.
Category average: 8.4
Expense management
The software can log and track business expenses and reimbursements, including travel-related expenses, with the ability to tie them to particular projects.
Category average: 8.1
Accounts payable
This includes the automation and tracking of payment to vendors and suppliers, with features such as payment scheduling, check printing, open purchase order alerts, document management, direct ACH bill payment, and vendor records.
Category average: 8.3

Plug-ins
A number of third-party plug-ins are available to expand the core functionality of the software.
Category average: 7.3
Global Financial Support
Account using multiple ledgers, multiple currencies, and multiple entities
Category average: 7.5
Localizations
Meet reporting requirements with country-specific localizations
Category average: 7.6

Most Frequent Users

Top 3 industries using QuickBooks Desktop Pro.

Based on HG Insights installation data

View all Reviews

#1 most frequent

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

25.2%

411 installations of 1,631

#2 most frequent

Construction

7.4%

120 installations of 1,631

#3 most frequent

Other Services (except Public Administration)

7.1%

116 installations of 1,631

Pros

Straightforward for general accounting tasks and account reconciliation
Functions as a central system for comprehensive financial record-keeping
Efficiently handles invoicing, including integration from external sources

Cons

Perceived vendor pressure to migrate to QuickBooks Online, with desktop version unavailable for new customers
Increasing annual licensing fees and high costs for payroll processing
Software updates are sometimes ill-timed, slow, or contain bugs requiring IT intervention

Valerie Young, SHRM-SCP View profile

Vice President of Operations in Finance and Accounting at Metallurgical Associates, Inc. (1-10 employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use QuickBooks Desktop Pro for all our accounting needs: payables, receivables, banking info, clients, vendors, etc. QuickBooks Desktop Pro is an easy system to use for general accounting for a small business. In addition to the basic functions, we are also able to enter notes into clients and/or vendor sections to remind us of special arrangements. Reconciliations of bank accounts is easy. The reporting feature has a multitude of useful reports that make analyzing the financials of the business easy.

Pros

Creates invoices easily from Microsoft Access
Writing checks through QuickBooks Desktop Pro is easy and prints directly to my desktop printer
Vendor notes are helpful
LOVE the Insights! Gives you a snapshot of how the business is doing with a few quick graphs.

Cons

When QuickBooks Desktop Pro puts out an update, it always seems to come at an inopportune time (not QuickBooks Desktop Pro's fault) and sometimes does not allow us to get into the system after an update without contacting IT.

Return on Investment

The system is relatively inexpensive, and you get your ROI back right away if you use QuickBooks Desktop Pro instead of spreadsheets and handwritten forms and documents.

Usability

Stan Klaff View profile

Executive Director in Marketing at Hebrew Order of David International (1-10 employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use QuickBooks Desktop Pro across all our financial departments. I think it is easy to use, scalable, and efficient

Pros

Invoicing
Payments

Cons

I have some difficulty when invoicing and looking up the item to charge

Return on Investment

Positive ROI because I could not work without it

Usability

Alternatives Considered

QuickBooks Online

Other Software Used

Constant Contact, Sage Accounting, MemberTies

Verified User

Director in Finance and Accounting (1-10 employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I used QuickBooks Desktop Pro with my prior employer. We used it for all the accounting and financial management needs, including vendor and customer/donor records, accounts payables, payable tracking, bank reconciliation, cash management, financial reporting, annual budgeting and YOY key financial metrics comparisons. Before implementing into QuickBooks Desktop Pro, we did all our accounting records manually, mostly in Excel, and faced much challenges. Once switched to the QuickBooks Desktop Pro, things became smooth and the financial reporting and analysis were done on a timely manner with an accuracy level much more satisfactory. Thanks QuickBooks Desktop Pro!

Pros

Reports getting ready in no time and with high confidence on accuracy and completeness
Link directly to bank accounts and receive transactions records on real time.
Save time and improve efficiency

Cons

Can allow more users to manage the same books at the same time

Return on Investment

No quantitative impact, but it implements our internal control and standard procedures, and ensure all our records are in compliance and meet the requirements for the annual audit process which is essential to our non-profit organization.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

NetSuite ERP

Other Software Used

QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Advanced

Richard Siena View profile

CEO in Professional Services at Alcyone LLC (1-10 employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We don't use QuickBooks Desktop Pro anymore. In my opinion, it has gotten too expensive, and they try to force you to use the web version. Why should I keep my most important business information on the cloud where anyone can have access to it. In my opinion, QuickBooks cloud is not secure. I feel they can cancel you if they don't like your company, just like social media platforms can. I don't believe what they tell you that it is secure. As a person who has spent 50 years writing programs and making sure they are hacker-proof. NOTHING IS SECURE!

Pros

Billing
Checkbook
Categorize transaction into groups
Backups

Cons

Lower the price back to where it was a few years ago where I could buy a version and it was good for 4 years.
Now I have to pay a license fee per year twice what I paid for a 4 year license.
The desktop version is no longer available for new customers. In my opinion, they want to force you to use the web version.

Return on Investment

Cost too much
Too expensive
Doesn't seem to care about customers

Usability

Other Software Used

Avid Pro Tools

Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology (1-10 employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We really just use it for basic accounting - including customer and vendor tracking. While we do minimal billing thru QuickBooks Desktop Pro, we do ALL of customer receipts thru it, depositing to both our business checking and our Paypal account. Further, we also handle all of our accounts payable in QuickBooks Desktop Pro. When bills are logged as soon as they're received, it makes it easy to keep track of them and get them paid on time.

Pros

Accounts payable
Customer records
Vendor records

Cons

Accounts receivable
Payroll

Return on Investment

Positive - easy AP tracking for on-time bill payment
Positive - easy payment receipts
Negative - payroll service is TOO expensive

Usability

Other Software Used

TeamViewer, Corel PaintShop Pro, Corel VideoStudio Pro, SplashID, Microsoft 365, Visual FoxPro (Discontinued), Tungsten PaperPort

AccountEdge

QuickBooks Desktop Pro

What is QuickBooks Desktop Pro?

Categories & Use Cases