QuickBooks Online isn’t just a web-based version of QuickBooks Desktop. Yes, both are designed for small business owners and are easy to use for non-accountants. Both help you create records and enter transactions, and you can track your financial accounts, income and expenses, and the products and services you buy and sell. You can connect to online services such as banks and payment processors. Its built-in capabilities can also be extended by integrating with hundreds of add-on applications.
However, there are many differences, starting with what you see when you sign into QuickBooks Online or open QuickBooks Desktop. QuickBooks Online displays charts and other texts and graphics for instant financial status. The home screen of the desktop version comprises a combination of toolbars, menus, and flowcharts to help you interact with the software. The desktop version of QuickBooks provides more complex accounting which is a need of many small and medium-sized businesses. Also, many businesses who are already working on QuickBooks Online opt to Convert QuickBooks Online to Desktop for their complex accounting needs.
Some of the top differences:
Price
Unless you choose a subscription-based Desktop Plus or Enterprise version, you pay hundreds of dollars in advance for the desktop version. In this case, the web-based edition requires a monthly (or annual) subscription fee.
UPDATES AND BACKUP
With QuickBooks Online, the latest version is always used and backed up automatically. Not so with QuickBooks Desktop. Once the update is released, you will need to install it and set up your backup. You also need to update your copy of the software once a year to take advantage of the latest features.
MULTIPLE USERS
Each edition of QuickBooks Online is available to a certain number of users at no additional cost. If you are using the desktop version, you will need to purchase additional licenses depending on the number of users.
ACCESSIBILITY
You can sign into QuickBooks Online on any device connected to the Internet. Employees can securely access data with the help of Cloud Desktop Service from remote places, even when they are not in the office, allowing them to work together on multi-step projects. Your QuickBooks Desktop connects to your installed PC.
When it comes to remote access, you’ll find QuickBooks Online to be a better choice. With the QuickBooks Online mobile app, you can view and enter transactions, take pictures of expense receipts, receive payments, automatically track mileage, and more. However, the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app can only capture expense receipts and only works with subscription-based versions of QuickBooks 2020 and later.
This website also makes it easy to connect to online financial institutions, import transactions, and monitor your account balances.
QuickBooks is the best accounting software for SMBs. Many businesses have selected the QuickBooks version according to their business needs. For the smooth integration of QuickBooks, you need a good hosting provider.
Some of the best Hosting providers like Apps4Rent are expertise in providing a wide variety of cloud hosting solutions. They also assist in various migrations services like Office 365 Cloud to Cloud Migration and will help you in choosing the perfect version of QuickBooks for your business.