Our customers frequently ask us: is QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online better for their online sales?
To help you decide what is best for your business, we will give you a comparison between the two systems. Some of our customers switch from one version to another, so even if you’re already using one version of QuickBooks, we recommend that you review the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Both versions have basic functionalities for online sales such as tracking expenses and sales, generating reports and creating invoices.
Although QuickBooks Desktop came out first (in 1992), we will review QuickBooks Online first, as it is popular among ecommerce merchants due to its ease of use and flexibility.
QuickBooks Online: Cloud-Based
QuickBooks Online is ideal if you have multiple users. It is cloud-based, and you can access it from anywhere, with either a PC, a Mac, or mobile device. It also allows you to manage your accounting on-to-go, such as uploading receipts to your bank from your smart phone.
Advantages of QuickBooks Online:
- No need to download a software on your computer
- Login from anywhere and do your accounting via the cloud.
- Run your business on-the-go on any device
- Backups happen automatically
- Integration with hundreds of other online apps.
Disadvantages of QuickBooks Online:
- Fewer features compared to QuickBooks Desktop
- Each company file requires a separate subscription
- Inventory tracking is more difficult
- There are fewer graphs and reports.
Due to its ease of use, QuickBooks Online is the first choice for small businesses starting out. Its features are not as advanced as QuickBooks Desktop, however Intuit is continuously adding new features to accommodate businesses as they grow. Nonetheless, for more established businesses, QuickBooks Desktop is still the platform of choice, and we will cover that below.
QuickBooks Desktop: Local Computer
QuickBooks Desktop resides on a local computer, or is hosted by a company such as AceCloud Hosting or Right Networks. If you are hosting it locally, you need to make sure that your PC is compatible with the version of QuickBooks Desktop that you are purchasing.
QuickBooks Desktop is a good fit for established businesses that need advanced functionality for bookkeeping, inventory management, or generating reports.
QuickBooks Desktop comes in three versions. The most common version is QuickBooks Desktop Pro, which is for small businesses. QuickBooks Desktop Premier is for medium-sized business and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is for larger businesses.
Having said that, we have received inquiries from businesses who were too big for QuickBooks. For example, business processing hundreds of thousands of orders per year would quickly outgrow QuickBooks, as would businesses with hundreds of thousands of SKU’s.
We have helped some of our customers stay with QuickBooks longer by offering a daily summary sale sync. As businesses grow, syncing over individual transactions to QuickBooks can lead to errors and take up too much space. (Click here to learn more about the daily summary feature)
If you manage inventory, you will likely need a 3rd party plugin for QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Desktop files can be backed up and restored, though QuickBooks Online has some apps that back-up and restore apps for a fee. QuickBooks Desktop offers more functionality, but it is more difficult to maintain and more difficult to sync.
Advantages of QuickBooks Desktop:
- Can control accounting access at the computer/device level
- Ability to calculate and rebill job costs
- Ability to calculate discounts by customer
- Do not have to have internet access
Disadvantages of QuickBooks Desktop:
- Can be more difficult to run on Mac computers
- Harder to share files with accountant or others
- Costs for phone support and feature updates can be high
- Not mobile device friendly
Which System Is Better For Your Online Sales?
If you value mobility, ease-of-access, and integration with other apps, QuickBooks Online is a better choice. You can access your accounting from anywhere, with any device, and integrate with hundreds of apps.
If mobility is not a priority for you (or you don’t have a reliable Internet connection), then QuickBooks Desktop is a better fit. In addition to more advanced features than QuickBooks Online, the Desktop version is also considered more secure, because there is no direct access to the Internet.
Connex supports both QuickBooks Online and Desktop
Is Connex the Right Tool For You To Sync Your Orders with QuickBooks?
Most of our customers sell on multiple ecommerce channels, such as Woocommerce, Shopify, Magento, and Amazon, just to name a few.
They want to grow their business, and they also value the peace of mind from knowing their books are always up to date and they can serve their customers.
Why Our Customers Chose Sync with Connex
–Developed specifically e-commerce business owners
-You can scale your business by automatically syncing sales & inventory from multiple e-commerce platforms to QuickBooks Desktop or Online.
-You don’t have to spend your resources manually entering sales, inventory, and customers into your website and QuickBooks accounts.
Recommended by Intuit itself, Connex for QuickBooks will give you peace of mind that your inventory will be updated, and you will be free of the frustration of oversells and missed items.
-When your inventory is up-to-date, you can achieve higher customer satisfaction, leading to more positive reviews, and increased sales.
-For phone orders, we can sync sales from QuickBooks to your shipping solution.
–If you sell on multiple channels, you can simplify by using our solution instead of multiple tools.
–Connex integrates QuickBooks with all major ecommerce platforms such as Woocommerce, Shopify, Magento, Amazon and ecommerce shipping solutions such as Shipworks, Ordoro and Shipping Easy.
–Click here for a full list of our ecommerce, shipping, and payment integrations
How can you decide whether Connex is right for your business?
-Full functionality for 14 days
-Sync up to 500 sales to QuickBooks Desktop or Online
-Complimentary support during your free trial
Are you unsure whether Connex is right for your business?
Click here to schedule a 30 minute call with a member of our sales team.
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