QuickBooks Enterprise Review
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QuickBooks Enterprise covers all the bases, with solutions for accounting, pricing, inventory and payroll. The features (and cost) may be too robust for truly small businesses but just right for more complex businesses that can put the full weight of Enterprise’s reports and tracking capabilities to work. Unlike most small-business accounting software that’s cloud-based, QuickBooks Enterprise is a desktop product with optional cloud access for an added fee.
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QuickBooks Online
$35
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $65, $99, $235.
QuickBooks Enterprise at a glance
Key features | Has a robust suite of more than 200 reports with various customization options, plus invoicing tools. Advanced inventory in the Platinum plan and up lets you use barcodes and track website-specific reorder points. The mobile app is limited in function, but it can be used to track mileage and upload documents. |
Ease of use | Bank feeds and bank rules help automate the reconciliation process, and there’s a global search function. The dashboard is customizable, but the desktop software’s user interface is less modern than competitors. Accessibility is limited without cloud hosting. |
Scalability | Can support hundreds of employees. While you can add up to 40 users, just one is included in the base price. Adding users is expensive. |
Ease of sharing with accountants | Must create an accountant's copy to share and later import any changes. This is less convenient than the cloud-based experience offered by competitors. |
Integrations | Integrates with more than 200 apps, and payroll is included in the Gold plan and up. However, direct POS connections are limited and some integrations may require cloud access. |
Customer support | All plans include 24/7 phone and chat support. |
Cost | Annual subscriptions start at $1,410 per year, and discounts may be available during the first year. Adding one user to the Silver plan, for example, costs more than $700 extra. |
Advanced features | Offers job costing tools, pricing rules and industry-specific reports for nonprofits, manufacturers, retailers, contractors, etc. You can manage multiple businesses under the same software license. |
How does QuickBooks Enterprise work?
QuickBooks Enterprise is primarily a desktop-based accounting and financial management software that handles everything from invoicing to payroll and inventory management. You can have up to 40 licensed users on one account and track up to 1 million items, customers, vendors and employees — a scale best suited for larger businesses.
Because QuickBooks Enterprise is installed locally, you do need to meet certain technical specifications. The product requires an up-to-date Windows operating system.
Pricing and features
The QuickBooks Enterprise pricing below is for one user. Additional users will add to the price.
Plans | Pricing | Features |
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Silver | $1,410 per year. |
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Gold | $1,830 per year. | QuickBooks Enterprise Silver features, plus:
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Platinum | $2,250 per year. | QuickBooks Enterprise Gold features, plus:
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Diamond | $4,400 per year. | QuickBooks Enterprise Platinum features, plus:
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Remote access is available as an add-on for all plans for an additional monthly fee. This allows users to access Enterprise from anywhere.
QuickBooks Enterprise benefits
Robust suite of features
QuickBooks Enterprise doesn’t skimp on features. You can automate pricing, track order fulfillment and run payroll using just one solution. The entry-level version also has more than 200 customizable reports, so you can dig into everything from cash flow to item profitability and inventory valuation. You can also connect with more than 200 applications, expanding the capabilities of your Enterprise system.
» MORE: Best apps for small businesses
Industry-specific setups
QuickBooks Enterprise has versions tailored to the following industries: construction, manufacturing, wholesale and distribution, retail, nonprofit, professional services and accountants. Each version offers specific reports — a donor contribution summary for nonprofits, for example, or vendor return details for retail clients.
Priority customer service
All QuickBooks Enterprise accounts — Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond — include QuickBooks Priority Circle service. This service unlocks a dedicated account team, on-demand training and a direct line to technical support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
QuickBooks Enterprise drawbacks
Expensive annual subscription
QuickBooks Enterprise is a significant investment. The base plan, QuickBooks Enterprise Silver, starts at $1,410 annually. And that’s just for one user. While QuickBooks Enterprise does bring a lot to the table in terms of features and functionality, evaluate your business needs before subscribing to ensure you’ll get your money’s worth. If Enterprise has more features than you need, QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus and QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus are less expensive options to explore.
Additional charge for remote access
QuickBooks Enterprise is installed locally and can’t be accessed on another device unless you purchase remote access. Remote access is an all-or-nothing endeavor: If you have multiple licensed users, you have to purchase it for each of them. This is one of the key differences between QuickBooks Online and Desktop products.
Limited to Windows users
QuickBooks Enterprise works only with certain Windows servers and on an up-to-date Windows operating system. Business owners who use an iOS operating system might consider QuickBooks for Mac, though it doesn’t have the same functionality as the Enterprise version, or a cloud-based choice from QuickBooks’ small-business software products instead.
Alternatives
QuickBooks Online
If QuickBooks Enterprise is out of range (in price or features), consider a scaled-down version like QuickBooks Online. The Plus version lets you track inventory, evaluate job costs and create customized reports. Because QuickBooks Online is, well, online, there’s no upcharge for remote access. But you are limited to five users with the Plus plan and 25 with the Advanced plan.
Sage 50 Accounting
Get many of the same features and functionality for a fraction of the cost. Sage 50 Accounting includes job costing, inventory management and industry-specific functions, among other things. Three different monthly plans are available:
$61.92 per month, for 1 user, for the Pro Accounting plan.
$103.92 per month, for 1 user, for the Premium Accounting plan.
$177.17 per month, for 1 user, for the Quantum Accounting plan.
Prices increase with each additional user.
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