Compare QuickBooks Desktop Products 2023: 

Quickbooks Desktop 

Scroll down for our reviews of QuickBooks Desktop Pro & Premier software. Click here to compare all QuickBooks products.

QuickBooks customers have two versions of the software to choose from, Online and Desktop. While Intuit has been trying to push customers toward the online version, many businesses and bookkeepers still prefer QuickBooks Desktop. Here’s a closer look at QuickBooks Desktop, how it works, and what its features are.

QuickBooks Desktop Updates

Intuit is always eager to receive requests for improvements and new features from their users. Likewise, they want to see their clients confidently get more done using QuickBooks products, which is why QuickBooks Desktop is one of the most widely-used accounting software solutions among small businesses. To preserve their patronage, they have fulfilled some of the most requested product improvements and changes. This year’s release of updates is meant to help fulfill customer orders faster, receive inventory with ease, keep your data protected, and promote accuracy and transparency in completing your workload while keeping your clients confident and content. 

1. Improved  Tracking of Sick & Vacation Time

As it was previously easy to mistakenly overpay for these benefits, there is now a warning feature that displays an alert when your employee has used more sick time than they have been allotted. The pay stub will now clarify how much sick leave & vacation time employees have used and have available by sharing currently accrued, used, and available time for both benefits.

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise (with an active Payroll Subscription)

2. New: Opt To Include Inactive Inventory Items On Balance Sheets

Issue: The balance sheet often did not match the Inventory Item Summary report. By default, inactive items were not listed in the inventory item summary report, however the inventory total would include inactive items in the total on the balance sheet, which created an inventory asset account balance that did not match across different reports.

Solution: A new feature in the Inventory Valuation Summary report allows you to see the items that have been inactivated by enabling the “Show Inactive Inventory Items” check box to the right of the “Hide zero QOH” check box. In addition, when you try to mark an item inactive while it still has a value or on hand balance, you will now get an error message that says: “Hold on! This item’s Quantity on hand needs to be zero before you make it inactive. This item has a quantity on hand other than zero. If you make it inactive now, your inventory asset account balance won’t match across different reports.” It then provides you with actions you can take: “To fix the problem click cancel. Then create an inventory adjustment to make the quantity on hand zero.” or “If you’re OK with the Inventory Valuation Summary report being off, click Make Inactive.”

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

3. Improved Invoice Tracker  

Instead of viewing multiple screens, you can now see a more a consolidated real-time timeline snapshot of an invoice by clicking the “see history” link to the right of “Invoice”. By viewing a timeline of when the invoice was sent, viewed, paid and/or deposited, you can now track the status of an emailed invoice with ease. This new feature allows for more clear communication between you and your clients about their open receivables, making sure that payments are processed within the agreed time frame.

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

4. Transfer Credits Between Jobs of the Same Customer

You can now apply credits from one job to another of the same customer. A new column on the Apply Credits window displays the Customer and Job, which the credit is currently assigned to. To make the transfer select “Apply Credits” from the “Create Invoice” window.

Note: In order to perform this task QuickBooks creates a new account called “Account for credit transfer”. It is listed as inactive and zeros out – users should not select it during normal transaction entries.

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

5. Track Employee Pay Rate Changes

You can track employee pay rate changes over a customizable date range within the employee “Pay Adjustments History” report, allowing you to see all changes in a single report. Trackable payroll items only include: hourly payroll, annual salary, bonus rate and commission items. Information provided in the history tracking report includes: pay periods, paycheck dates, payroll earnings items, previous rates, percent of changes, and the exact amounts of each payroll-earning item paid in previous paychecks.

This feature was added to the 2018 update a few months after its release, during maintenance. While it is not technically new, some users are still unaware of it, which is why it has been added to the list of updates and improvements.

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

6. “Pay Bills” vs. “Write Check”

A new “check for bills” dialog box lets users know that the vendor they are writing a check for has open or unpaid bills and the proper transaction type that should be made is “pay bills”, not “write check”. “Pay bills” makes sure that the payment is connected to the bill correctly.

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

7. Improved User Access / Payroll Permission

Admin now has more options when modifying the roles of users, controlling what they have permission to view, such as transactions and sensitive payroll information. Only the Admin user of the file may add or modify user’s accessibility. This feature is accessible from the menu bar under Company > Users > Setup Users and Role.

Available with: QuickBooks Enterprise

8. Reduce QB Company File Size Without Deleting Data

A new option allows you to reduce a QB company files’ size by 32% (10MB). The process keeps all transactions and only removes the audit trail, which takes up a large percentage of your file size. It also cleans up a few performance logs and technical details from behind-the-scenes that will not be missed. Now you can rest easy knowing your files can be condensed without deleting valuable list elements or summarizing lengthy transactions. Find this feature under: Condense Your Company File > “Keep all transactions, but remove audit trail info to date”.

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

9. Improved Intuit Interchange Format (IIF) Data Imports

You no longer need to manually check IIF imports for mistakes. Any failures will now be listed in a report. The improved import method uses the SDK interface to insert data, including lists and transactions. The SDK interface already has the required validations and business logic that determine how data can be created, stored and changed by automatically encoding QB business rules.

Available with: QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

10.  Improved Intuit Data Protection

Not only are data backups now faster as a result of behind-the-scenes technology advancements - Intuit has also made it easier to schedule automatic data backups of QB company files. With the new data protection system you can:

• Choose how often to backup your data.

• Which type of email notifications you would like to receive, including: 1) The backup fails, 2) The backup is successful, 3) The backup takes longer than a selected number of days, or 4) Other critical issues arise. If you are to receive an email notifying you of any of the previously mentioned issues, it will include steps to take to correct the action.

• Receive a notice if you are waiting too long between backups.

• Choose what you backup - for example, you can choose to include other data from your computer’s file structure as long as they are within the total capacity of the service.

Intuit has taken measures to improve the user setup experience because it is crucial to safeguard your QB data off-site (cloud based) - if an unfortunate event such as a hard drive failure, physical computer damage, data corruption, or a cyber-attack were to take place, your date is sure to be safe if you have followed Intuit’s proposed data backup measures.

Available with: Quickbooks Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise

11. Improved Receive Inventory Process

The improved inventory receiving process helps to reduce data entry errors and optimizes your workflow by utilizing the Purchase Order Worksheet, which ensures that all details of an order are clearly communicated from the QB Enterprise file to the warehouse worker and back again. The PO Worksheet creates clear communication and accuracy throughout the inventory receiving process. Item Receipts or Vendor Bills can also be automatically created directly from the PO Worksheet. An Internet connection is required for both the QB Enterprise file as well as the warehouse location. The optimized workflow is as follows:

Note: The worksheet can be used on mobile devices, but can also be used manually with a printout.

Available with: Platinum Subscription to QuickBooks Enterprise

This feature was added to the 2018 update a few months after its release, during maintenance. While it is not technically new, some users are still unaware of it, which is why it has been added to the list of updates and improvements.

12. Streamlined Pick, Pack, and Ship Process – Improved Sales Order Worksheet

Simply put, the process of fulfilling sales orders has been enhanced by giving users a single worksheet on which they can manage all fulfillment aspects including the three major steps: pick, pack and ship. The process is now more flexible and can be customized to fit the respective needs of various business models. Customer Sales Orders are now more efficiently fulfilled and accurate. Once the new worksheet is enabled and a mobile device is connected, the pick, pack, and ship workflow should be smoother than ever.

The following features are examples of how intuitive the new Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet is, in the sense that it provides insight and access to the order fulfillment process. The improved dashboard allows you to see a snapshot of your sale order statuses and more vie the following filters: Search for a specific customer or sales order, Date range, Fulfillment sites, and Whether or not the order is fulfillable. The easily accessed drop-down titled “available actions” allows you to apply the following actions to individual sales orders: Send for picking, Send for packing, Print shipping label, mark as shipped. You can now select multiple sales orders and do Batch Actions where before you could only do one order at a time.

Note: Users must have the latest QB Warehouse App (v 1.2) for the Pack/Ship feature to function properly. Additionally, an internet connection is required for the QuickBooks file and at the warehouse.

Available with: The pick workflow is available with a Platinum membership to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise or newer. The pack and ship workflow is available with QuickBooks Enterprise . For both workflows Advanced Inventory must be enabled.

13. QuickBooks Mac

The first Mac update since 2016 includes the following improvements and additions:

• iCloud Document Sharing

• Bank and or Credit Card Reconcile Discrepancy Report

• Square Import

• Email Tracking

• Report Windows

Included with: QuickBooks for Mac

14. Easily Transfer Your QuickBooks Program and Files to Another Computer

Transfering your QB Program and Files to a new computer is no longer a long, laborious process. Now all you need is your old computer, new computer, an internet connection and a USB flash drive with 237 MB of free space. The transfer tool is located under File > Utilities > Move QuickBooks to another computer. You can only use this tool to transfer up to three company files, so unfortunately this awesome new migrator function is only awesome for smaller operations. But on the upside, QBs will download the latest version of whichever product you already have when you use this tool.

Available for: QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier (only works on 2016 - 2020 products)

QuickBooks Desktop Software Overview

As the name implies, Desktop is software linked to your physical computer. You must purchase the software upfront, and it is also only accessible from the computer it’s installed on, since it is not cloud-based. Unlike QuickBooks Online, the desktop version doesn’t allow simultaneous access from multiple users.

Unlike QuickBooks Online, which includes 24/7 support, QuickBooks Desktop users will need to pay $219.95 for one year of support or $89 for a 90-day period.

Although QB Desktop is not as modern as its cloud based sibling, it is still the more powerful and full featured tool. Those features include the ability to create invoices, track sales and expenses, manage accounts payable, and create one-click sales and tax reports – also features that come with the online version. QuickBooks Desktop also offers features not currently available with QuickBooks Online including advanced inventory tracking, industrys-specific reports and the ability to calculate and rebill job costs and calculate discounts by customer.

Advantages and Disadvantages

While Intuit makes the case that QuickBooks Desktop is more limited, many QuickBooks Desktop users note that it is a much more robust product in terms of offering more report options, analytical capabilities, and future forecasting.

Some bookkeepers also like that Desktop lets you keep multiple screens open in the background, so you can easily switch back and forth between reports, bills, and vendors. That’s something that the Online version does not allow.

However, Desktop’s big limitation is that it’s not available in the cloud, and is connected to only one computer. For that reason, this product is probably best for businesses that have a fixed office location and won’t need remote access to QuickBooks, with a small number of employees who will need access, that don’t need their books accessible online, or that want more customized features.

The Role of Payroll

If you’re a Desktop user, you can activate a Payroll subscription to enable the payroll features in the QuickBooks software. You have three choices: Basic, Enhanced, or Assisted Payroll. If you already have Payroll as standalone software, it will export transactions to QuickBooks Desktop. 

Desktop Pro

Desktop Pro Screenshots
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Images)

This version is great for:

• All small business owners who want a complete bookkeeping software and don't have the need for sales and expense forecasting, grouped tracking by class, or the ability to create a business plan with their bookkeeping software.
• Anyone who wants a robust bookkeeping software for their small business, but does not need remote access to their books online.
• Businesses that need inventory tracking and want to be able to set levels of inventory that will alert you to order more of that product  
• Companies that need to track international sales in various currencies
• (Online access is not available for and Desktop or Desktop Plus Software. If mobility is important, try one of the QuickBooks Online products)

Conclusion:

QuickBooks Desktop Pro is for those who want the comprehensive features of the best bookkeeping software for small businesses, but do not need the ability to forecast sales and expenses or create a business plan within the software. Desktop Pro includes more than 100 detailed reports and creates a copy of your business’ books on your desktop for easy access. Also, unlike the Online versions, this software will save a local copy of your books to your hard drive, which users will find especially valuable if your Internet connection gets disrupted or the Intuit website goes offline.

New for QuickBooks: QuickBooks Desktop software now lets you see invoices, billing dates, and other scheduled tasks in an integrated calendar view. They have also added the Document Center which will let you scan and attach receipts, estimates, and other documents to invoices and customer files. Another addition is a "Lead Center" that allows you to manage valuable business leads and transfer them easily into the "Customer Center" with a single click. Also with this new release, all Desktop software comes with Industry-specific report templates created by other QuickBooks users that you can populate with your own financial data in one click of the mouse. Keeping your exported reports in Excel up-to-date has been made easier as well. By connecting these files with your QuickBooks software, all you have to do is refresh the Excel file and your reports are automatically updated every time you need it. A few more additions to the QuickBooks software are covered in the detailed review.

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Desktop Pro Features
Price	$399.99
Number of User Accounts	1
Free Trial	No, but
Unlimited Customer Support	$299.95
Ease of Use
Managerial Features	Extensive
Number of Reports	100
Online Access	N/A
Prints Checks
Creates Invoices
Uploads Bank Files
Tracks Inventory
Helps Create Tax Forms
Industry-Specific Reports

Desktop Premier

Desktop Premier Screenshots
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Images)

This version is great for:

• Small businesses that need the ability to do just about anything with their bookkeeping software except access their books online
• Anyone who wants all of the bookkeeping features of QuickBooks Pro, plus the ability to forecast sales and expenses, create a business plan, and use industry-specific reports, accounts, menus, and charts
• Business owners who have some experience with QuickBooks or plan on hiring someone to help set up their books
• (Online access is not available for and Desktop or Desktop Plus Software. If mobility is important, try one of the QuickBooks Online products)

Conclusion:

QuickBooks Desktop Premier is one of the most extensive QuickBooks products offered by Intuit. This bookkeeping software is truly all a small business could ask for with its robust feature set, including more than 150 detailed reports, industry-specific files, menus, and accounts and the ability to create sales and expense forecasts and business plans. An advantage of this software over the Online versions is that the Desktop versions will save a local copy of your business’ financials on your hard drive, which users will find incredibly useful if their Internet connection gets disrupted or the Intuit website goes offline (which happens on rare occasions).

New QuickBooks Features: QuickBooks Desktop software now lets you see invoices, billing dates, and other scheduled tasks in an integrated calendar view. They have also added the Document Center which will let you scan and attach receipts, estimates, and other documents to invoices and customer files. Another addition is the Lead Center that allows you to manage valuable business leads and, once they become a customer, transfer them easily into the Customer Center with a single click. Also with this new release, all Desktop software comes with Industry-specific report templates created by other QuickBooks users that you can populate with your own financial data in one click of the mouse. Keeping your exported reports in Excel up-to-date has been made easier as well. By connecting these files with your QuickBooks software, all you have to do is refresh the Excel file and your reports are automatically updated every time you need it. A few more additions to the QuickBooks software are covered in our detailed review.

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Desktop Premier Features
Price	$649.99
Number of User Accounts	1
Free Trial	No, but
Unlimited Customer Support	$299.95
Ease of Use
Managerial Features	Complete
Number of Reports	150
Online Access	N/A
Prints Checks
Creates Invoices
Uploads Bank Files
Tracks Inventory
Helps Create Tax Forms
Industry-Specific Reports