Sunday, June 29, 2008

QuickBooks Online versus QuickBooks Desktop Software

Ahhh, the thought of being able to access your QuickBooks data from anywhere in the world…multiple offices in different locations being able to access one central file…being able to review reports from the comfort of your hotel room…just think of the possibilities.

Now, think of the price of doing this. No, not the monetary price…in fact, the QuickBooks Online Edition only costs approximately $200 more for one year of service than the actual desktop software version (such as QuickBooks Pro or QuickBooks Premier). The price I’m speaking of is in terms of speed, and functionality:

  1. The biggest downside for me and the average business owner is speed. The Online Edition adds a tremendous amount of time to your day-to-day operations…reports that generate in just a few seconds on the desktop edition now take 10-60 seconds depending on the size of your company file and the speed of your internet connection. Limitations on keyboard shortcuts add to the amount of time you will need to spend entering data.


  2. While all users won’t experience a decline in functionality due to their limited use of the program, any business that uses QuickBooks as more than just a “checkbook” program will notice a dropoff in features offered by the Online Edition. One of the features that I find most frustrating is the fact that you can only have one report/screen displayed at a time. On the desktop software, you can have several windows opened at one time and flip back-and-forth between them as needed.

If remote access is your main reason for leaning towards QuickBooks Online, I would suggest that you combine the QuickBooks desktop software with some type of remote access program such as GoToMyPC, WebEx, Citrix, VPN, or some other similar type of remote access software. This way, you have the full functionality of the QuickBooks desktop software and you are still able to access it from remote locations.

Already have QB Online? Don’t worry. QuickBooks has developed a wonderful conversion process where they take your Online Edition company file and convert it to a working company file that can be used with your desktop software. It takes about a 24-48 hour timeframe to complete, during which time you cannot add new data to your file. However, it is well worth that minor inconvenience in order to avoid the ongoing inconveniences of the Online Edition!


----------








Effective Tax Planning for the MicroBusiness is in stores now.
Click on this link to receive 20% OFF plus FREE Shipping!

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is excellent advice, featured it on my blog:
http://financialsoft.about.com/b/2008/09/16/is-quickbooks-online-too-slow.htm

Allan Branch said...

We're not the biggest fans of Quickbooks for many reasons the first being the interface is to confusing. Plus there are way to many features for the average user. We developed our own accounting package for this reason. LessAccounting.com

Brave new Baby said...

I have to disagree with your finding and rating of QBOE. It sounds a lot like the IT department grumbling about the switch to windows Vista. Prepare yourself for the slight learning curve, and in no time the new online system seem like it was meant to be. Our Clients have been very receptive to the new system, considering they are all on a dedicated T1 the speed issue is non existent. This web-service combined with the proper manual controls could easily reduce a 3 person accounting department down to 1 person part time.

Michael Hanley, CPA said...

The speed I refer to isn't affeceted by internet speed...it's the fact that you cannot have multiple windows open that you can flip between and the fact that reports are not generated instantaneously. I have experienced very few internet connection speed-related issues with QuickBooks Online.

Ian L said...

Internet stability can be a problem in some areas.

Leslie and Associates, Inc. Home

Unknown said...

You can also try RHUB http://www.rhubcom.com remote access appliance. For one thing, it provides more security than online hosted solutions and you won’t have to pay monthly fees either, as with the latter. TurboMeeting can connect to up to 1000PCs remotely and ensures consistent access without the worry of blockers such as strong firewall settings in the Remote PC or lockdown systems. TM works well even on low bandwidths, and ensures instant remote control, remote reboot, auto-reconnection, file transfer/ sharing, and maximum customization, among others.

CGlide said...

Thanks, that was exactly the information I was looking for.

Dorreen said...

Great blog on the differences between QuickBooks Online and QB Desktop Software. Clients interested in being able to access their data anywhere and still user their same version of QuickBooks should consider Quickbooks Hosting

prettytasty said...

Thank you for your advice - this is just what I was looking for. The difference between the desktop and online versions. Frankly, I dislike the subscription payment method with nothing to show for it (software on my own puter). This is now April 17, 2012 and it's quite pricy per month versus buying the physical package. I used to have GotoMyPC and loved it!!

Phil said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Phil said...

Terrific post - the issue of QB Pro vs QB Online is one that continues to be a heated discussion and debate even today in 2012 (this blog is 4 years old and still relevant!).

At ProOnGo, we get asked "QB Pro or QBO" so many times every week, that we put together a QBO vs QB Pro price comparison calculator.

Ultimately, we think QBO will win out, but that it'll probably take as much as another 5-10 years to do so.

Safdar Ali said...

From where i can download this software with full serial?

Unknown said...

Very fantastic blog !

QuickBooks Cloud Hosting
http://www.sapiencecloud.com/quickbooks-cloud-hosting.php

Unknown said...

Call us Toll Free +1-844-898-4398 For QuickBooks, We Provide Quickbooks Phone Number,Quickbooks Online, Quickbooks Online Login, QuickBooks Login of immediate help 24*7.

Quickbooks Recovery said...

This website was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Kudos!

marketing8130 said...

QuickBooks is an accounting software package developed and marketed by Intuit.This is really great post by admin for Quickbook learners. Looking for Quickbook Training? Find the best resolution for Installation Error in QuickBooks 2016 call toll free 1844-887-9236

Unknown said...

An invincible Quickbooks tech support is just a call away to feed your accounting software with potions indispensable for bringing automation in financial management. All you need is to dial toll-free Quickbooks tech support phone number of Support Quickbooks and increase efficiency of your business with ease. Precisely, this Quickbooks tech support phone number acts as a panacea to troubleshoot all technical issues that hamper the performance of the accounting software. http://supportquickbooks.com/

Dorothy said...

Your blog provide a complete information about the tax and i really like and appreciate it.
Gold Coast Accountant

Unknown said...

you are providing great and quality services, i appreciate you. Thanks for sharing as it is an excellent post would love to read your future post.
Individual tax return

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot for publishing this. All accounting steps are defined by the QuickBooks. Quickbooks is accounting software that is used for business. If you need Quickbooks support then you can visit us for the help.

nick joans said...


I wanted to read your blog, I enjoyed reading your blog. there is a lot of good information on your blog, I loved reading and I think people will get a lot of help from this blog. Sam, I have written this kind of blog, You can also read this blog. I think you will get a lot of help from this too I hope you got a lot of help from this blog. For other information in the future
visit for site

adams said...

when are you looking for technical support service your Gmail account? Our assistant gives you an outstanding solution to your problems. Get "Gmail Tech Support Number" with the Link provides Customer Service to all. https://WWW.gmailtechsupportnumber.com +1-855-341-9287

adams said...

Amazon is one of the leading e-commerce companies in this world. If you facing any issues Amazon like Video streaming issue, Product delivery is wrong and How to ask for a refund contact our support service and customer service for the users.

Amazon Support Number

https://www.optcustomerservice.com/amazon-customer-service-number.html

+1(855)424-9807

adams said...

Amazon Customer Service" handling Amazon products and servicing issues in a very efficient manner. We are providing top class Amazon support services to the Amazon users and customers.

Amazon Support Number

https://www.optcustomerservice.com/amazon-customer-service-number.html

+1(855)424-9807

Unknown said...

I used to love Cash App and now I don’t want to use anymore because I forget my password, so unable to sign and can't transfer the money one account to another account. Not worry OPT Customer Service executive not far from you.+1(855)504-2121

Cash App Support Number

Unknown said...

If you find support service fix all issues regarding Zelle Pay. OPT has an incredible team of support services. They are accessible 24*7 for your service. They have served support service last 10 years it is the best choice of customer service+1(855)-504-2278

https://www.optcustomerservice.com/zelle-support-number.html

Zelle Support Number

Unknown said...

Coinbase Customer Service customer care executive are available 24/7 to assist if you believe your account has been accessed without your authorization. The customer care executive is also available to assist with general inquiries about the Coinbase account.

Coinbase Supprt Number
https://www.cryptoexchangedir.live/coinbase-customer-service.html

Unknown said...

Once in a while do you will be able to get the solution to the Coinbase problem as soon as possible. Coinbase has been one of the stunning stands for the trading but there are some problems, Not worry Coinbase customer support number +1-855-504-2315 contact with them
https://www.onesearchpoint.com/coinbase
https://coinbasesupportnumberservice.blogspot.com

Lucasscott03 said...

Thank you for this Informative Blog, All points are explained clearly.

Sage Error 22665