QuickBooks Review 2025: Core Features, Cost

A Live Bookkeeper cannot begin cleaning up your past books until they receive the required supporting documentation, which your bookkeeper will request from you after your first meeting. Deciding if QuickBooks Online (QBO) is the right fit for your business depends on several factors. Let’s break down the pros and cons, ideal user profiles, and what to expect during setup and data migration to help you make an informed decision. If you’re experiencing several of these signs, it might be time to explore other accounting solutions. Teamwork.com keeps your client projects on track, resources in check, and profits on point. Explore Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, a modular ERP system built to unify accounting, inventory, CRM, HR, and operations.

QuickBooks offers promotions such as a 75% discount for the first six months for new customers, with discounts of up to 80% on certain plans. These offers typically apply to purchases made directly from QuickBooks. Users can also take advantage of a 30-day free trial, although discounts do not apply during the trial period. The Advanced Plan, at $160/month, is designed for mid-sized businesses with complex financial needs, offering advanced reporting and dedicated account management. It’s ideal for industries requiring in-depth data analysis but may be excessive for smaller companies with simpler needs. FreshBooks’ pricing starts at $19 per month, so it costs a little less than QuickBooks’ $20-per-month plan.

Advanced – $235/month (currently $117.50/month for the first 3 months)

For larger businesses with complex accounting needs, the Advanced plan provides advanced features and reporting capabilities. Assess your current and future needs to select the right plan from the start. If you’re unsure which plan aligns best with your business, FinOptimal’s experts can help you determine the most suitable option. Whether you’re in retail, construction, or professional services, QBO can be tailored to your specific needs. Features like time tracking, inventory management, and project profitability tracking can be incredibly valuable for certain industries. When choosing a plan, consider which features are essential for your industry and ensure the plan you select includes them.

We also searched for the ability to create estimates and assign those estimates to projects. Ideally, the program would then compare the actual expenses to the costs on the original estimate. For basic inventory features, we looked for the ability to track units, per-unit costs (using either FIFO or average cost), and the automatic recording of COGS upon a sale. Advanced features included the ability to adjust inventory on hand for shrinkage with an automatic expense recorded and the option to choose from either FIFO or average cost to value inventory.

Reporting Features in QBO

However, businesses with three or fewer users that plan to use only the standard version of QuickBooks Premier are better off saving their time (and money!) by signing up for QuickBooks Pro. However, the primary difference between the two lies in QuickBooks Premier’s industry-specific editions. Users in specific industries can access unique features and industry-specific reporting. Additionally, QuickBooks Premier supports up to five users, whereas QuickBooks Pro only supports a maximum of three. On the surface, QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks Premier are very similar. Both are locally-installed accounting solutions, both offer numerous features and robust reporting, and both have numerous integrations.

  • Get more in-depth information about the differences between Online, Desktop, and Desktop Plus versions of QuickBooks.
  • Businesses that provide services, rather than goods, should consider the QuickBooks Plus plan.
  • QuickBooks also offers connections to a variety of online payment processing services.

If you’re struggling to determine the most suitable QuickBooks product version for your business, this guide is here to help. QuickBooks has several solid competitors, many of which offer similar accounting services at a lower cost. If you like QuickBooks but want to pay a bit less, we recommend looking at FreshBooks, Xero, and Wave Accounting. Yes, QuickBooks allows users to cancel their subscription anytime without being tied to a contract. However, it is important to note that no pro-rated refunds are offered upon cancellation.

QuickBooks Desktop, being tied to a specific computer, lacks this flexibility. While you can access your data remotely with some workarounds, it’s not as seamless as QBO’s cloud-based access. With the Advanced Plan, you gain access to priority support, ensuring that your questions and concerns are addressed quickly. This dedicated support can be a lifesaver when you encounter a technical issue or need help with a complex accounting task. Knowing that you have a dedicated support team available can provide peace of mind and allow you to focus on running your business. For seamless integrations and automation within QuickBooks Online, explore FinOptimal’s Accruer software.

Simple Start

Since it lives in the cloud, you can access your financial data from anywhere, collaborate with your team, and even connect with your accountant or bookkeeper. This accessibility and flexibility make it a popular choice for businesses looking to streamline their financial processes. For businesses seeking to optimize their accounting workflow, FinOptimal offers managed accounting services to help enhance efficiency. It’s ideal for growing businesses as it offers comprehensive features like inventory tracking, project profitability, and support for up to five users. This plan is widely chosen because it strikes a balance between affordability and advanced features, making it suitable for businesses needing more than just basic accounting tools.

Compare projected costs and revenues against actual figures for your projects. This feature helps identify profitability issues and make adjustments to keep projects on track. Unlike QuickBooks Solopreneur, Simple Start allows you to manage and pay bills directly within QuickBooks.

  • Set up recurring invoices for regular clients, automate payment reminders, and connect your bank accounts for automatic transaction imports.
  • Although QuickBooks Online is a great cloud-based accounting platform, it isn’t the only one.
  • You can add QuickBooks Payroll to your existing QuickBooks Online plan.
  • This makes it a good fit for small businesses that need to manage bills and invoices more efficiently.
  • QuickBooks Pro is locally-installed software with highly developed features like contact and lead management, expense tracking, project management, accounts payable, invoicing, and more.

Between the QuickBooks Online monthly fee and add-on costs, the monthly pricing of QuickBooks Online can add up quickly. We’ve got you covered with a breakdown of the four QuickBooks Online (QBO) plans. Learn how to know which plan is right for you and what additional costs to expect before subscribing to QuickBooks Online. With QuickBooks, you can customize your software specifically to your industry or field, such as contractors, retailers, health care professionals, nonprofits, and more. You can generate all the reports you need with the financial information entered into your company’s bookkeeping software. Many small business owners think of using QuickBooks for one tool in particular.

With QuickBooks, you can easily manage your company’s books with one simple tool. QuickBooks Online is one of the best accounting products for small businesses. But whether it’s the best accounting software for you depends on what accounting features your business needs and how much you want to spend on accounting software.

Once you’re ready, check our comparison page for the best accounting software deals. Most midsize businesses can’t afford to (and don’t need to!) spend that much cash on accounting software. You can infer this from the plan’s name alone, but with a cost that high, Enterprise’s price is best suited to enterprises. Still, bear in mind that with only 40 users and a focus on accounting, Enterprise is far from a total enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.

FinOptimal’s QuickBooks Automation Services

This also allows businesses to accept invoice payments like ACH and credit cards via a third-party payment processor. While great for simple income and expense management, it doesn’t offer advanced features or add-ons like multi-currency support or project tracking. In our research, we found that QuickBooks Online was one of the top accounting platforms for businesses of all sizes. It offers solid core accounting and operational efficiency features at a moderately competitive price, particularly with the 50% off deal for the first three months. On top of that, it provides the best help and support options in our research, with 24/7 chatbot assistance and regularly available human representatives, even on the weekend.

User and Data Limits

QuickBooks is currently offering 50% off its plans for the first 3 months, after which it will revert to the standard pricing listed above. On top of that, you’ll have to forego the 30-day free trial to get access to these lower prices. QuickBooks includes plenty of customization options, from the previously mentioned reports to invoice templates that can include your own business logos, branding, terms, and details. You’ll be able to set permissions to give departments different approvals, and the platform’s mobile app adds extra flexibility to business managers who aren’t always near a desktop. Whether QuickBooks Online is a better deal than QuickBooks Desktop depends on the needs of your business.

If you’re running a small business, you’ll be comparing QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Pro. Cloud-based software operates entirely in the cloud (on the internet), whereas locally-installed software is downloaded and installed on a single, on-premise computer. The first major deciding factor is whether or not you want cloud-based or locally-installed software. QuickBooks Mac Plus is best for small to medium-sized businesses looking for locally-installed software compatible with Macs. QuickBooks no longer offers pricing details or allows purchases of Premier online.

You’ll also get QuickBooks’ mobile accounting app, which beats every other accounting app on the market hands down. QuickBooks’ pricing structure is subject to change, but specific historical data on the frequency of changes is not provided. Customers should check the QuickBooks website regularly for the latest information. Connecting accounting software to your tech stack is essential for smooth operations and data management. QuickBooks’ range of over 750 integrations will help you connect your account to useful third-party apps and services. Perhaps you’ve already used some, like Google’s G Suite or Microsoft’s 365, or perhaps you just need to be able to accomplish something that QuickBooks compare quickbooks online plans doesn’t support.

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