QuickBooks for Mac - Great for Many Small Businesses, But Its Not the Only Program on the Block
June 21, 2014

QuickBooks for Mac - Great for Many Small Businesses, But Its Not the Only Program on the Block

Brent Blackburn | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review

Software Version

2014

Overall Satisfaction with QuickBooks for Mac

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.
  • It has helped many of my clients get a much better handle on their finances in real time to improve profitability and to grow their business faster.
  • It has allowed simple integration with accountants and bookkeepers for many of my clients, saving them money overall on both keeping their books and in their overall tax burden.
  • AccountEdge,QuickBooks Online,Xero,Wave Accounting,QuickBooks Pro
QuickBooks for Mac is roughly equivalent in functionality to QuickBooks Pro for Windows. It has better job costing than QuickBooks Online with roughly equivalent inventory functionality. QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Wave offer anytime, anywhere functionality for multiple users that QuickBooks for Mac (or for Windows) simply can't match. In my opinion, Xero and the new QuickBooks Online provide a much cleaner and easier-to-use interface, with superior third-party integration. AccountEdge offers a complete desktop accounting platform for the Mac (and Windows) with robust inventory and job costing, along with fully-integrated payroll, but the interface is somewhat less user-friendly. Wave is great for free cloud accounting software, but offers little beyond the bare basics of accounting.
It works well for my business and for those clients I support that use it. I also support other platforms, so its limitations do not bother me, as I am comfortable in switching when another product would work better, and in recommending another to my clients.
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.

Using QuickBooks for Mac

3 - Accounting, Bookkeeping, Client Support
3 - Accounting or Bookeeping knowledge, basic Mac skills
  • We love Macs!
  • Intuit is the most common accounting software
  • It is easy to use and satisfies most small=business needs