QuickBooks Review
7 million customers worldwideExclusive FREE 30-day trial
Save an average of $2,100+ per year
Cloud-based & accessible on multiple devices
Trusted & used by professional accountants
Pros & Cons
- Full access from desktop or mobile apps
- Information stored in the cloud and highly secure
- Direct connection to bank and credit card accounts
- Customizable reports and dashboards
- No contract required
- No 24/7 support
- Limited amount of users
- Payroll is an extra cost
Plans & Pricing
Simple Start
Priced at $35 per month, this plan allows you to securely import transactions, automate bookkeeping, and organize your finances effortlessly. With features like receipt snapping, automatic mileage tracking, and customizable estimates, you can easily manage your business on the go. Additionally, you can accept credit card payments, track your income and expenses, and share your books with your accountant. Plus, enjoy live tax expert support powered by TurboTax to ensure you get every credit you deserve.
Essentials
This plan costs $65 per month. In addition to everything Simple Start offers, you can connect up to three online sales channels, seamlessly syncing transactions with QuickBooks. Managing international transactions is a breeze with multi-currency support, eliminating the hassle of exchange rate conversions. You can also invite your accountant with customized access levels, ensuring your financial data remains secure. Plus, streamline your invoicing process by recording employee time by client or project and automatically adding it to invoices. This plan includes three users.
Plus
This plan costs $99 per month and is intended for small to mid-sized corporations, partnerships, and non-profits. Building on the features of the previous plans, it allows you to connect any available online sales channels, automatically syncing all transactions with QuickBooks for seamless financial management. Invite your accountant with controlled access levels to maintain security while collaborating easily. Additionally, you can track products, manage inventory, create purchase orders, and oversee vendor relationships with ease. The Plus plan also enables you to manage all your projects in one place, including tracking labor costs, payroll, and expenses. With the ability to create detailed budgets using real-time data, you and your team can collaborate efficiently to keep your business on track (this plan includes five users).
Advanced
Priced at $235 per month, this plan is a great option for larger scale businesses or organizations. Along with all the features from the previous plans, this plan allows you to automatically track and manage fixed asset values, giving you a complete view of your assets and insights into future needs. Seamlessly integrate QuickBooks with Excel to enhance accuracy and gain custom business insights. You can also create, edit, and send multiple invoices faster, control data visibility with custom permissions, and assign tasks to specific users. With continuous, automatic backups, you can easily restore specific versions of your company data and view your version history. Finally, you can enjoy 24/7 support with QuickBooks Priority Circle, including access to special training resources.
Overview
With over 7 million users, QuickBooks is one of the most popular accounting platforms for small and mid-sized businesses. Although it still offers a desktop version, the majority of business owners favor the cloud-based QuickBooks platform, which can be accessed on practically every device. Coupled with easy accessibility, this accounting platform also has various plans available, depending on the size and needs of your business.
Features and Functionality
Custom Invoices, Quotes & Payment Tracking
The invoices and payments feature allows users to create custom invoices, accept payments from clients, and monitor past-due invoices. It is extremely easy to convert estimates to invoices, set up recurring invoices, and set automatic invoice reminders. There are also options to include tax, discounts, and shipping costs, all while Quickbooks keeps track of how much you earn and owe.
Business Insights
Easily view profit & loss, balance sheets, and other easy-to-read visual reports in one click. By connecting your bank and credit card accounts you can view accurate cash flow insights instantly.
Mile Tracking
The mile tracking tool is available with the Self-Employed plan and uses your cell phone GPS to automatically track distances. It also allows you to categorize the miles and then deduct them from your taxes.
Project Tracking
Available with the Plus plan, QuickBooks lets you analyze the revenue and expenses of a particular venture to aid in long-term decision making for your business. Since the plan allows up to five employees to access the platform, all project stakeholders can easily see its successes and pitfalls.
Payroll Processing
For an additional charge, full payroll services can be added to any level plan. This includes full-service payroll and pay employees via next-day direct deposits. The platform also stores W2 forms and provides automated tax filing.
Cloud Accounting & Data Security
Quickbooks is a cloud based platform. This means all of your information stays stored in the cloud and can be accessed at anytime from any device. Everything is protected by bank-level security to ensure that your data is only accessible to you or those you choose to share it with.
Tax Management, Powered by TurboTax
Quickbooks Online has recently introduced a new feature that offers a streamlined and expert-assisted tax filing experience. It allows users to manage their books and prepare their taxes effortlessly, saving time and effort. It also provides access to expert help for tax returns and helps ensure accuracy.
The payment is low-risk and it only requires payment upon filing, and the cost starts at $169, making it a valuable, affordable, and effective tool for tax management.
Ease of Use
Although it’s not rocket science, familiarizing yourself with QuickBooks does take some effort. The platform itself is set up almost instantly. As with all accounting platforms, you will need to set up your company at the beginning. Once your company information is added, you’ll find that the interface is clean and easy-to-use, with a navigation bar on the left-hand side and a simple layout. There’s also a search bar where you can find transactions, contacts, and reports.
Don’t be scared away if the dashboard seems foreign to you; QuickBooks has a rich library of tutorial videos to help you get up and running. Since it’s such a popular platform, there are numerous how-to videos on YouTube and other third-party sites. If you prefer to learn in-person, Intuit hosts two-day classes in various cities throughout the United States.
Add-ons and Integrations
Intuit carefully designed QuickBooks so that it could be integrated with multiple applications and platforms. Below is an outline of some of the essential add-ons and integrations that make QuickBooks so powerful:
- Import transactions from PayPal, Square, your bank, and other financial institutions
- Link Shopify and other e-commerce platforms to track both sales and sales tax
- Process payments with mobile credit card readers or POS
- File both federal and state payroll taxes directly from your dashboard
- Download the QuickBooks app on both Androids and iPhones
- Link with Bill.com to automate your accounts payable process
- Sync Method: CRM to keep track of all customer interactions
Customer support
The team at QuickBooks is available via chat and phone 12 hours per day during the week and between 6 am and 3 pm PCT on Saturday. All level accounts come with unlimited customer service, and the advanced plans come with a dedicated account manager.
Along with technical support services, there’s a detailed FAQ page with questions ranging from payroll to backing up data. If you’re a visual learner, there are countless tutorial videos both on the company’s official website and YouTube.
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Phone Support
The company offers phone support during business hours. -
Live Online Chat
Online chat support is available for all your inquiries. -
Video Tutorials
Various video tutorials are available both on QuickBooks’s official website and on YouTube. -
FAQ
The company’s website has a comprehensive FAQ page. -
Blog
The Quickbooks support page is full of helpful articles.
Final Word
Often regarded as the industry standard, QuickBooks is a powerful accounting tool for small to mid-sized businesses. From inventory management to financial reporting, the various plans available make it easy for you to find the right fit for your business.
The cloud-based platform is user-friendly and continually being improved with new features and add-ons. With tons of help resources available online, you’ll never be left in the dark. Not only will QuickBooks take away the headaches of pen and paper bookkeeping, but it will also give you more time and tools to analyze the profitability and success of your business.
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Join the discussion by writing a question or comment in the form below.
I’m looking for something that can help me with taxes. Does this quickbooks create and process tax forms, like W-2s?
Will mine and my customer’s financial information be safe? What kind of security does this software have?
Is this software secure? Will my financial information be safe?
What is the computer system requirements to run quick book with payroll.
Hi Ray,
You can check out the system requirements here:
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/product-system-requirements/system-requirements-quickbooks-desktop-2024/L3PMFJBjS_US_en_US
I don’t want a cloud based program. I would like to do all my work on my pc and pay an annual fee for the updated payroll tax tables and just do it all myself. Does Quickbooks offer anything like that anymore?
Hi Rosemary,
QuickBooks does offer a desktop version called QuickBooks Desktop that might be a better fit for your needs. It’s installed on your PC, has annual fees for updates (including tax tables), and offers payroll (but may require extra software for W-2s).
Does quickbooks also manage inventory?
Hi Robin,
Yes, QuickBooks actually has inventory management capabilities, though the extent depends on the specific version you choose. Here are some resources to learn more:
QuickBooks Inventory Management Software: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/inventory-management/set-track-inventory-quickbooks-online/L22FZLBGN_US_en_US
Set up and track your inventory in QuickBooks Online: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/inventory-management/set-track-inventory-quickbooks-online/L22FZLBGN_US_en_US
We have five companies. Will we a subscription for each one
Hi Linda,
Yes, with QuickBooks Online, you will need a separate subscription for each of the 5 companies you want to manage.
Does QuickBooks Online provide account numbers as the Desktop version does?
Hi Maureen,
Yes, QuickBooks Online does support account numbers, but it’s a feature you need to activate.
You can check out more information here:
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/chart-accounts/use-account-numbers-chart-accounts/L7lRLN0Do_US_en_US
I am the treasure of 2 non-profit organizations. I need, on a daily basis, to enter in information for specific areas: Dues, Educational outreach, Scholarships, etc. I need a running total of income and expenses for each day/month/year.. Will quick books handle my needs? Also, do you support non-profits with a reduction in costs?
Hi Richard,
Yes, QuickBooks can definitely handle your needs as the treasurer of two non-profit organizations. You can track income & expenses by category (dues, scholarships, etc.) and get running totals for daily/monthly/yearly finances.
QuickBooks is user-friendly and offers online access for managing finances on the go. Quickbooks offers special features for non-profits (fund accounting). There should be discounted licenses for non-profits are available through TechSoup. You can check that out here: https://www.techsoup.org/intuit
Can I import my windows Quickbooks files to my android phone or tablet ???
It should be possible. Here you can see how: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/banking/how-to-import-qb-file-from-desktop-to-the-app/00/1076002