QuickBooks Enterprise vs QuickBooks Online

It is understandably a daunting task to select the best accounting software for your company among a plethora of options out there. Being the world’s best accounting software (as claimed by its makers), QuickBooks stands out. But there is another choice after selecting QuickBooks. What QB edition, version, and mode is right for you – online or desktop version?

It is within this comparison that things get interesting. More so if you are a relatively large establishment with intricate accounting needs. If you are having issues between a selection of QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, we are here to help you with that decision.

What Is QuickBooks Enterprise?

Currently, QuickBooks Enterprise is arguably the most powerful accounting software available in the market. Introduced in 2002, it has evolved into a formidable accounting solution with the addition of new features and improvements after every iteration. It can handle humungous quantities of data and provides flexible reporting features. It is a desktop-based product that is especially preferred for security reasons by businesses that deal with personally identifiable information (PII).

What Is QuickBooks Online?

QuickBooks Online is the cloud-based counterpart of desktop-based accounting software. Unlike Enterprise, which is installed on the physical system, QuickBooks Online is exclusively accessed over the Internet. Being a SaaS solution, it receives QuickBooks updates as soon as they are released. In other words, you would never be running an outdated version so long as you have an internet connection. Additionally, the cloud nature of QuickBooks Online makes it an ideal choice for a geographically distributed workforce.

Key Commonalities Between QuickBooks Online and Enterprise

Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Enterprise are competent accounting software designed to assist businesses in managing their financial workflows and operations. They are favored by businesses of varying sizes due to a few critical commonalities, including payroll management, expense tracking, financial reporting, and invoicing tools.

Robust accounting tools include payroll management, cost monitoring, financial reporting, and invoicing options, and all these features are available on both platforms. Additionally, they enable integration with a range of third-party programs, which improves their functionality and lets customers tailor their accounting solutions to meet their own requirements.

Business owners and their accountants may handle finances on the move with the help of QuickBooks Online and hosted QuickBooks Enterprise, which offer access to their systems from a variety of devices.

QuickBooks Online vs QuickBooks Enterprise: Feature Comparison Table

Feature/Aspect	QuickBooks Online	QuickBooks Enterprise
Deployment	Cloud-based	On-premises (with optional cloud hosting)
User Limit	Up to 25 users	Up to 40 users
Pricing Model	Monthly subscription	Monthly or annual subscription
Accessibility	Accessible from any device with internet	Primarily desktop, optional remote access
Advanced Reporting	Limited	Extensive, customizable
Inventory Management	Basic	Advanced
Industry-Specific Features	Limited	Extensive (e.g., contractors, nonprofits)
Payroll Integration	Available	Fully integrated
Customizable Dashboards	Yes	Yes
Automation	Automated workflows and reminders	Advanced automation features
Integration with Other Tools	Extensive (e.g., CRM, e-commerce)	Extensive (e.g., ERP, CRM)
Mobile App	Yes	Limited (primarily desktop)
Customer Support	Standard	Priority support available
Security	Standard cloud security	Enhanced security options
Scalability	Suitable for small to medium businesses	Suitable for medium to large businesses
Custom Fields	Limited	Extensive customization
Batch Invoicing	Yes	Yes
Multi-Currency Support	Yes	Yes
Sales Order Management	Basic	Advanced
Fixed Asset Management	Limited	Advanced

How Does QuickBooks Enterprise Compare with QuickBooks Online?

Let us compare QuickBooks Enterprise vs QuickBooks Online based on 5 of the most important parameters.

• Analytics and Reporting Features

  While QuickBooks Online provides over 65 reports, QuickBooks Online provides over double as many with 150+ out-of-the-box reports. Like a lighter version of the accounting program, QuickBooks Online’s reports are ideal for monitoring daily activities. On the other hand, QuickBooks Enterprise provides industry-specific custom reports for deep insights.

• Inventory Management Tools

  QuickBooks Enterprise emerges as the hands-down winner in the comparison of this aspect. As the name suggests, it is designed specifically for enterprises and has enough capacity for such organizations along with the flexibility needed to track and manage it. Organizations can track items’ bin location tracking, barcode scanners, serial number location tracking, and other such innovative technologies.

  On the other hand, QuickBooks Online can only handle basic tasks like creating automatic purchase and sales orders and setting alerts for reordering. You can also set alerts to be triggered when your inventory is running low, and it is time to restock.

• Invoicing Ease

  Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Enterprise have powerful invoicing features albeit a little different from each other. Both Enterprise and Online (Advanced) versions of QuickBooks support batch invoicing which can be used to send multiple invoices with a single button click. The cloud-based nature of QuickBooks Online ensures that it offers the latest, most modern invoice templates that can be accessed from any location and device with a working internet connection.

  QuickBooks Enterprise on the other hand is more suitable for detailed reporting as it offers more advanced and customizable reporting features that can be tailored to suit specific industries. Ultimately, QuickBooks Online is generally better suited to small and medium businesses due to its ease of use and cloud accessibility while Enterprise is more suitable for larger businesses due to its advanced features and customization options.

• Price Difference

  A cursory glance at the prices of QuickBooks Enterprise and QuickBooks Online can often be misleading primarily because of the differences in the pricing models. While QuickBooks Online might be inexpensive for a single user, the equation tilts in favor of QuickBooks Enterprise for organizations with multiple users over prolonged use especially given the features unavailable in QuickBooks Online.

• Accessibility

  Accessibility is another area in QuickBooks Online that would seem to have an edge given that it can work with any browser and has dedicated Android and Apple apps. However, that challenge too can be overcome with QuickBooks Enterprise hosting which allows users to access the software with any device by connecting to a remote desktop hosting the software.

  While this comparison is restricted to QuickBooks Online vs QuickBooks Enterprise, it must be noted that QuickBooks Desktop is available as QuickBooks Pro and Premier as well. Though Enterprise is the highest edition, there have been cases where there is a downgrade to Pro or Premier editions. QuickBooks Enterprise file is converted to QuickBooks Premier or Pro using third-party tools.

Summary of QuickBooks Enterprise vs QuickBooks Desktop Comparison

Incontestably, QuickBooks Enterprise is more powerful than QuickBooks Online. It has more features, is more robust, and has a greater processing capacity. It is designed for enterprises and the premium it commands also brings with it more skilled technical support. The minor drawback of accessibility can be negated by opting for a hosted QuickBooks Enterprise setup. However, despite the clear edge that Enterprise has over QuickBooks Online, not all businesses would prefer it.

Ultimately, the organization’s structuring, operational workflows, and unique requirements will play an important role in identifying the optimal solution. Are you a large-scale corporation that requires robust accounting software with comprehensive reporting features and a greater level of control over your QuickBooks setup? Then QuickBooks Enterprise meets your needs. Do you belong to a smaller organization with a distributed account team or require remote access to your accounting software? Then QuickBooks Online is what you need. It is therefore of critical importance that organizations take the time to assess their business workflows and requirements before making their choice.

Regardless of the choice you make, you can depend on Apps4Rent to help deploy your QuickBooks account. Apps4Rent is one of few Intuit Authorized Standard Hosts that supports hosted QuickBooks Enterprise. We provide 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email and offer QuickBooks licenses at promotional rates. Contact us now to elevate your QuickBooks Enterprise setup and explore the benefits of cloud hosting!