QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting software designed to help small business owners manage their bookkeeping and accounting. With QuickBooks Online, you can access your accounting platform wherever you have internet access (making this software different than the traditional QuickBooks Desktop), as well as on your mobile device. You can use QuickBooks Online in the full range of web browsers, as well as through the downloadable QuickBooks Mac or Windows app.
Because QuickBooks Online is a SaaS product, that means you have access anywhere, any time, including on your phone. You don’t need to install any software, and updates are automatic with no need to download a package.
QuickBooks Online can be a great option for small businesses. QuickBooks Online is available on a monthly subscription basis, in four different pricing plans. It has many of the same features as Enterprise at a fairly low, monthly cost.
Cost of QuickBooks Online vs Enterprise
Most people believe that QuickBooks Online is the cheaper option, because it has a low monthly fee. This is true for a single user who doesn’t need many bells and whistles. But once you have multiple users, things start to even out.
While QuickBooks Enterprise is more expensive, you’re still paying nearly $2,000 a year for QuickBooks Online with payroll services, hardly the affordable product it is marketed to be! You’re also missing out on loads of additional features.
Additionally, as a QuickBooks Solution provider, we offer a 20%* lifetime discount on QuickBooks Enterprise. This means that you’ll have 20% off forever. This helps insulate you from price increases. QuickBooks Online will give you a great discount, but it will only be for the first year. They also increase prices regularly, so your monthly payment could increase 25% at any time.
Functionality Comparison
On functionality, Quickbooks Enterprise will win every time. QuickBooks Online has the edge in accessibility but Enterprise has more features. The features of Enterprise are more robust and customizable. As a cloud-based product, it is meant for businesses on the go.
| Feature | QuickBooks Enterprise | QuickBooks Online Plus | QuickBooks Online Advanced |
| Maximum number of simultaneous users | 1-10 or 30 users | Up to 5 | Up to 25 users |
| Track sales, sales taxes, and customer payments | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Accept credit card payments right in QuickBooks | Preferred Rates Available | ✔ | ✔ |
| Access to product experts, unlimited technical support, and upgrades | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Anywhere, anytime, on any device access | Available with hosting subscriptions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Track fixed assets such as computers and other ofice equipment with Fixed Asset Manager | ✔ | Fixed assets must be tracked manually | Fixed assets must be tracked manually |
| Complete more activities in multi-user mode | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Import data from Excel, Quicken, Microsoft Ofice Accounting & prior QuickBooks versions | ✔ | Excel and Quickbooks | Excel and Quickbooks |
| Download or import your bank & credit transactions into QuickBooks | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Industry-specific reports, sample files, menus & chart of accounts | ✔ | Limited | Limited |
| See all your key customer information at a glance with the Customer Snapshot | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Track international sales & expenses in multiple currencies | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Track & manage inventory & create purchase orders | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Set and manage inventory reorder points | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Easily find and locate inventory tasks all in one place with the Inventory Center | Attach inventory images | ✔ | ✔ |
| Control, customize and automate your pricing right inside QuickBooks | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Consolidate reports from multiple company files | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Invoice multiple customers at once with Batch Invoicing | Up to 115 different activities | ✔ | |
| Create customized financial reports | Available with Intuit Statement Writer | Available with Fathom | |
| ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Forecast sales & expenses. Easily create a business plan | ✔ | ||
| Access all of your QuickBooks data to create any report you need with Advanced Reporting | ✔ | ||
| Create custom reports with ODBC compliant applications using a direct connection to the QuickBooks database | ✔ | ||
| Expanded list limits allows you to track 100,000+ customers, vendors and inventory items and employees | 100,000+ | ||
| Leverage 14 predefined user roles to help you set up new users quickly | ✔ | ||
| Get a consolidated view into your business with Company Snapshot | ✔ | ||
| Reduce paperwork and data entry errors by send- ing sales orders to mobile inventory scanners | ✔ | ||
| Fulfill sales orders faster with customized pick- lists to be completed by warehouse workers across multiple locations | ✔ | ||
| Sales Order Management helps empower employees to fulfill orders faster, and lets you check on sales order status in real time | ✔ | ||
| Get the right information for your business wit-h customized inventory reports | ✔ | ||
| Manage inventory using bin location tracking, bar code scanning, serial number or lot tracking- , FIFO costing and multiple location inventory | ✔ |