QuickBooks Desktop vs. Online vs. Hosting: What’s the Difference?

QuickBooks is a popular accounting software application that has been around for years. If you’re a business owner or accounting professional thinking about using QuickBooks for your company, you may have narrowed your research to QB Desktop, QB Online & QB Hosting. All three have pros and cons, so it’s essential to weigh your options carefully before making a decision. In this blog post, we’ll break down the key differences between each solution to help you make the best decision for your business. 

QuickBooks Desktop 

QuickBooks Desktop is an intuitive accounting solution designed to help small business owners streamline their finances. It features easy-to-use tools for tracking expenses, creating invoices, managing accounts receivable and payable, and preparing reports. You can simplify accounting processes and save time for tasks that matter most to your business.  

One of the most significant disadvantages of QuickBooks Desktop is the lack of remote access capabilities. Some other disadvantages are speed and performance issues when dealing with large volumes of data. QBD may not handle more extensive operations and alternative solutions due to its limitations in computer resources such as RAM, processor speed, and hard drive space.   

Overall, QuickBooks Desktop is a good choice for many small businesses. However, those looking for remote access capabilities, need to efficiently handle larger volumes of data, or require more advanced features should look into alternative solutions such as hosting QuickBooks on the cloud.   

QuickBooks Online 

QuickBooks Online (QBO) is an online accounting system designed to help small business owners manage their finances. It offers many features that allow users to automate bookkeeping tasks, track income and expenses, generate invoices and reports, and even create budgets. The main advantage of QBO is its accessibility, which means users can access their financial information anywhere, anytime, and on any device.   

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Despite its many advantages, QuickBooks Online also has some potential disadvantages. QBO users sometimes find the software slow or unresponsive, which can disrupt business continuity. Additionally, it requires a strong internet connection to operate continuously, so you may need assistance if problems arise while working remotely. 

In short, QuickBooks Online is a good accounting solution for small businesses, but it does have some downsides. Therefore, it is essential to consider these drawbacks when deciding which accounting solution to use. 

QuickBooks Hosting (QBH) 

QuickBooks Hosting is a cloud solution offered by third-party service providers where your QBD software is hosted on a remote server. The proven solution can speed up your accounting operations and helps you maintain business continuity even during difficult times. QBH is the perfect choice for businesses looking to maximize their financial data security while ensuring their QuickBooks data is always up-to-date and available.  

In addition, it offers improved security protocols and backups of your sensitive financial information, which help you protect your confidential data in case of system malfunctions, power outages, or cyberattacks.  

Overall, QuickBooks hosting is an efficient way for businesses to maximize their productivity by having easy remote access to their QuickBooks applications with state-of-the-art security measures in place. 

QuickBooks Desktop Vs. Online Vs. Hosting: At a Glance  

Parameters  QB Desktop  QB Online  ACE QB Hosting 
Pricing  Starting at $349.99/year  Starting at $20/month  Starting at $34/month 
Customer Support  Extra charges  Only at business hours  Unlimited support 
Industry Specific Editions  Yes  No  Yes 
Customization Level  High  Medium  High 
Number of Users  Up to 30 users  Up to 25 users  Depends on the version (Unlimited users) 
Uptime Guarantee  No guarantee  No guarantee  99.99% uptime 
Backup Facility  Poor backup facility  Poor backup facility  45-day rolling backup 
Performance  The software goes down quite often  The software goes down quite often  High-performing SSD-based servers 
Data Discrepancy  Low  Too high  Very low 
Free Trial  Included  Included  Included 
Third-Party Integration  Extra support needed for the integration  Support issues while integrating add-ons  Seamless integration with customer support 
Internet connection  Not needed  High-speed connection required  Work well even at low internet speed 
QuickBooks Assisted Payroll    Available  Not available  Available  
Advanced Inventory  Available in the Enterprise version  Not available  Available in the QB Enterprise Hosting 
Time Tracking  Included in all the plans  Available only in QBO Plus & Advanced plans  Included in all the hosting plans 
Learning curve  Steep  Short  Short 

Should I Use QuickBooks Online or Host QuickBooks on the Cloud? 

If you are looking for a more reliable and feature-rich QuickBooks experience, consider opting for QuickBooks hosting. It allows you to choose among the various versions, such as Pro, Premier, Accountant, or Enterprise Solution, that serves the needs of different industries of every scale. 

Hosted QuickBooks comes with all the features of the desktop and online versions, plus added benefits like round-the-clock customer support, automatic software updates, and data backup and disaster recovery services. With QuickBooks hosting, businesses can focus on their core activities without worrying about the risks associated with managing in-house IT infrastructure. 

Upgrade Your Accounting Experience with Ace Cloud Hosting 

Ace Cloud Hosting offers comprehensive cloud hosting solutions that provide businesses with unbeatable speed, agility, and productivity. The solutions utilize state-of-the-art technologies such as virtualization, storage optimization, and advanced caching for high availability and fast response times. With us, your data is secure and backed up regularly on multiple redundant servers in the United States, ensuring you get the best performance from QuickBooks every time.  

Whether you’re looking for a basic setup or an advanced integration, we are confident that Ace Cloud Hosting can provide the best solution to fit your budget and needs. Take advantage of our reliable cloud hosting services today and get the most out of QuickBooks! Contact us now to learn more about how Ace Cloud Hosting can help you manage your accounting quickly and confidently. Together, let’s make it count.  

About Julie Watson

Julie is a dynamic professional with over 16 years of rich experience as a VDI and Application Hosting expert. At Ace Cloud Hosting, she humanizes disruptive and emerging remote working trends to help leaders discover new and better possibilities for digital transformation and innovation by using cloud solutions with an enterprise-class security approach. Beyond work, Julie is a passionate surfer.
On the weekend, you will find her hanging out with her family or surfing around the North Shore of Oahu.

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Comments (1)

  • Scott Richardson says:

    How does the price escalate as you go from one to the other? What is a reasonable price point to look at for either Online or Hosting?

    • Deepanshu Gahlaut says:

      QuickBooks Desktop (QBD) and QuickBooks Online (QBO) have several versions and prices vary for them. Comparing the minimum plans- QBD Pro version is available at $219.95 while QBO Simple Start is available at $10/Month (which offers few accounting features). QuickBooks Hosting will require the purchase of QBD version along with the hosting charges, which can vary with the providers. You can start QuickBooks hosting at just $19.5 for first three months. Check more: https://www.acecloudhosting.com/special-offers/

  • Adamaris says:

    Intuit has almost halted the developments with QuickBooks desktop, but combined with hosting, it offers a lot more than QBO.

  • Charley Urtiaga says:

    QuickBooks Online gives you the ability to have a single report or a group of reports emailed automatically after a specified time period.

  • Farun says:

    QBO lacks on the support services. Hosting providers are usually faster with response.

  • Gimer says:

    Business that one serves is an important factor to be considered while choosing accounting solution. There are many other options in the market, apart from QuickBooks versions. As a CPA, I have been working on several of them as per client needs. Often they ask for suggestions and my recommendation varies as per their budget and requirements. Feature comparison is not the only way to go.

    • Deepanshu Gahlaut says:

      That’s true. There are also some cases when you have to pick multiple solutions together, such as – accounting software, tax software, inventory management, etc.

  • Madyn says:

    Most clients, who are existing QB users, find QB hosting comfortable while shifting to the cloud. UI and feature similarity keeps them at ease.

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