QuickBooks for Mac Review: Features & Pricing for 2023
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023, also called QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, is a subscription-based accounting software program designed exclusively for Mac users. It offers features similar to its Windows counterpart but with added Mac-specific functionality, such as the ability to connect iCloud Contacts for easy access to customer or vendor contact information. It’s available on an annual subscription plan, with prices that start at $549.99 for one user.
We recommend QuickBooks for Mac for small businesses that primarily operate on Apple computers. This comprehensive QuickBooks for Mac review will help you decide if this program is right for you.
You can’t purchase QuickBooks for Mac directly from the Intuit website. Instead, you need to contact QuickBooks Desktop’s sales team at (844) 848-0426. One possible reason is that Intuit is actively encouraging businesses to use QuickBooks Online, which we believe is better software. It’s as robust as QuickBooks Desktop for PC, and it has the added benefit of being cloud-based, which means you can access your files remotely from any device.
Overall Score:
4.00 / 5
Pros
- Has an easy-to-use and well-designed user interface
- Supports an unlimited number of companies with a single license
- Includes unlimited customer support and product updates
- Has Mac-only features to improve productivity
Cons
- Difficult to purchase as Intuit is now focused on QuickBooks Online
- No accountant’s copy—file sharing with your accountant is complicated
- No mobile app to manage accounting on the go
- Maximum of three users
- Has fewer versions than the Windows version
Supported Business Types | Self-employed professionals and small businesses that prefer Apple products |
Pricing |
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Money-back Guarantee | 60 days from the purchase date |
Standout Features |
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Scalability | Not that scalable, as it can't accommodate more than three users and has very limited third-party integrations |
Ease of Sharing | Sharing files with your accountant is difficult because you can't create an Accountant's Copy like you can in the PC version |
Ease of Use | Easy to use but not as user-friendly as cloud-based software like QuickBooks Online |
Customer Support | Call back support (submit a request and they'll call you), live chat, chatbot, and user guides |
- Mac users who prefer desktop-based accounting software: If you want to manage your accounting on your Mac computer with no need for an internet connection, then this is a good choice.
- Self-employed individuals: QuickBooks for Mac is an easy-to-use program that you can use for tracking time to bill your clients, sending invoices, and collecting payments.
- Experienced bookkeepers: Many experienced bookkeepers prefer the desktop versions of QuickBooks over QuickBooks Online because navigating and inputting data is faster.
- Project-based businesses: QuickBooks for Mac includes useful features for managing and tracking costs for projects, including the ability to send progress invoices and track time, mileage, and expenses by customer and project.
- Businesses that prefer cloud-based software: If an internet connection and speed aren’t a concern and you dread lengthy installation and setup, then you may want to move your accounting to the cloud using QuickBooks Online, which is our top-recommended small business accounting software. To help you decide if it fits the bill, see our review of QuickBooks Online.
- Small businesses using Windows and wanting desktop-based software: QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier are great alternatives to small businesses using Windows computers. Read our detailed comparison of QuickBooks Pro vs Premier to see which is more suitable for you.
- Businesses seeking mobile access to their accounting data: QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023 doesn’t have a mobile app that performs basic accounting functions. If you need access to your accounting files even when you’re on the go, then consider Zoho Books, which you can learn more about through our Zoho Books review. Alternatively, explore our list of the best mobile accounting apps, where Zoho Books takes the top spot.
- Businesses seeking an affordable monthly plan: QuickBooks Desktop for Mac is only available with an annual plan. If you want something more affordable, we recommend Xero. It offers almost all the same features as QuickBooks Online but is far more affordable, making it one of our best QuickBooks alternatives.
Are you looking for something different? Explore other comprehensive accounting platforms for Apple devices in our guide to the best accounting software for Mac.
QuickBooks for Mac vs Alternatives
Software | Pricing | Number of Users | Project Accounting | Inventory Management | iOS Mobile App | Phone Support | Mac-specific Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | From $549.99 per year for one user | 1 to 3 (fee per additional user) | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | Callback only | iCloud sharing, iPhone scanner, and Contact Sync |
 | $0 to $275 per month | 1 to 15 | ✓ | ✓ | Excellent | ✓ | Live Text, Quick Notes, Lock Screen widgets, and more |
 | $30 to $200 per month | 1 to 25 | ✓ | ✓ | Excellent | Callback only | ✕ |
 | $17 to $55 per month or custom priced | 1 plus fee for additional users | ✓ | ✕ | Excellent | ✓ | ✕ |
 | $13 to $70 per month | Unlimited | ✓ | ✓ | Limited | ✕ | ✕ |
 | Free | Unlimited | ✕ | ✕ | Limited | ✕ | ✕ |
QuickBooks for Mac New Features for 2023
- Pay bills online: QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023’s Pay Bills Online feature lets you schedule and pay bills online without leaving QuickBooks.
- Upload bills: You can now upload a photo of your bill using the iPhone scanner or QuickBooks Photo Sync feature. When a new bill is uploaded, QuickBooks will match the data to an existing transaction or create a new one automatically.
- Customer group reporting: You can now run reports on a specific customer group and create a group with certain criteria, such as high-balance customers.
- Additional reports: QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023 added four new reports: adjusting journal entries, profit and loss (P&L) unclassified, P&L budget performance, and unpaid bills by job.
- Expanded Photo Sync: You can now add bills and attachments to your company file using the Photo Sync feature. Place them in a shared Photos album on your computer and then import them easily to QuickBooks for Mac.
- Improved item management: You can now duplicate existing items with the ability to change information to the new item as needed.
- Improved condense facility: QuickBooks for Mac 2023 has added more options to condense your company file, allowing you to customize the data that you want to condense. For instance, you can choose to remove audit trail info to date or remove transactions based on date choices.
You can learn more about the new QuickBooks for Mac 2023 features with a series of videos from QuickBooks.
QuickBooks for Mac vs QuickBooks for Windows
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac isn’t the same as the PC version. The table below sums up the differences.
Features | QuickBooks Desktop for Mac | QuickBooks Desktop for Windows |
|---|---|---|
Accountant’s Copy | ✕ | ✓ |
Industry-specific Editions | ✕ | Premier and Enterprise |
Inventory Assembly | ✕ | Premier and Enterprise |
Integration | Limited; no integration through the QuickBooks App Center or software development kits (SDKs) and WebConnector | Integrate with over 200 apps |
Set Multiple Price Levels for Product & Services | ✕ | ✓ |
Multicurrency Support | ✕ | ✓ |
Payroll | QuickBooks Online Payroll | QuickBooks Desktop Payroll |
QuickBooks for Mac Pricing
QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023 is available on an annual subscription, which costs $549 for one user, $749 for two users, and $949 for three users. All plans include unlimited customer support. You can’t purchase QuickBooks for Mac directly from the Intuit website, and you have to contact QuickBooks at (844) 848-0426.
Fit Small Business Case Study
Our internal case study shows how QuickBooks Desktop for Mac stacks up against some of its competitors. The chart below sums up the result of our case study.
Touch the graph above to interact Click on the graphs above to interact
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QuickBooks for Mac $549.99 per year for one user
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QuickBooks Online Starting at $30 per month, $90 as tested
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Zoho Books Starts at $0 for businesses with less than $50,000 in annual revenue; $40 as tested
As seen in the chart above, QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online have a decisive advantage over Zoho Books in terms of project accounting. QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online have the ability to provide a detailed breakdown of actual inventory used in a project in the actual vs. budget report. Meanwhile, Zoho Books only allows you to view inventory in your profit and loss (P&L) statement.
QuickBooks for Mac also shares the spotlight with QuickBooks Online for banking and Zoho Books for inventory management. Meanwhile, QuickBooks for Mac’s biggest weakness is the lack of a mobile app.
QuickBooks for Mac Features
QuickBooks for Mac did well in this criterion but could have garnered a higher score if it could track income and expenses by location—the same weakness of the other QuickBooks Desktop products. If you need to track accounting data for location-based activities, a way around this would be to set up each location as a class.
Despite its weakness, QuickBooks for Mac still has great standard accounting features and includes added Mac-specific features, including the ability to add general contact information, credit limits, to-do lists, default sales tax, customer credits, maps, and directions. There’s also an option to create contact groups and invoice the entire group at once.
Importing an existing chart of accounts and beginning balances is also possible, but the program lacks an Accountant’s Copy―offered in the Windows version―making it complicated to share accounting files with your accountant. However, the new version lets you exchange data with the Pro, Premier, and Premier Accountant editions.
Mac-specific Features
- iCloud Document Sharing: This allows you to work on your QuickBooks company file from multiple computers. It also enables you to share a link to your file with your client through iCloud Drive so that they can make changes as needed. However, note that this feature isn’t intended to allow work on multiple computers simultaneously.
When working from multiple devices, be aware of how long it takes your computer to sync to iCloud to avoid unintentional changes to your company file. If changes are made simultaneously from two devices, QuickBooks will indicate that it detects a conflict, and you’ll be able to choose which version to keep.
- iPhone scanner: You can use your iPhone or iPad to take photos or scan documents and attach them to any transaction in QuickBooks. To use this feature, use at least macOS Mojave and iOS 12 on your phone.
- Contact Sync: When you set up Contact Sync, all contacts from your app automatically synchronize with QuickBooks. This means whenever you make changes in Contacts or QuickBooks, all changes are automatically synced between the programs.
QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023 has solid A/P features, but it’s not that easy to use—which explains the slight blow to its score. The A/P module allows you to enter and pay a bill, track unpaid bills, record recurring expenses, create and print vendor checks, and short-pay an invoice. The Pay Bill screen isn’t as streamlined as in the Windows version, but the fields are almost similar.
Entering a bill in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Vendor management is also excellent in the Mac version. It allows you to perform advanced transactions, such as recording credit memos and paying independent contractors through service items.
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac would have the same features and benefits as QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop if only it included a mobile application. As such, it doesn’t have a feature that allows you to upload an expense receipt through a mobile app, which could have been time-saving for users.
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac lets you create and send invoices to your clients. While not as flexible as QuickBooks Online’s invoicing, the Mac version allows you to change the format setup, adjust alignment, add a logo, and update the text color of your invoice. You can choose from QuickBooks’ default templates or create your own template.
Sample invoice in QuickBooks for Mac Plus 2023
Additionally, it offers excellent customer tracking in its A/R module, where you can view outstanding invoices, view balance by customer, view transactions by customers, and set up recurring invoices.
You can even create invoices from estimates. When a customer approves your estimate and agrees to pay a fixed rate rather than for time and costs, you can convert that estimate into an invoice.
All the information in your original estimate will carry over to the new invoice and, if needed, you can remove or add additional line items or change the quantities or prices. If applicable, other items, such as sales tax, discounts, and other subtotals, will also appear on your invoice.
Banking in QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023 is as great as in QuickBooks Online. You can connect your bank accounts, import bank transactions to QuickBooks, and perform bank reconciliations—even if you don’t connect your bank account to the software.
You can also enter the ending balance in your bank statement and match bank statement items manually with the books. After reconciling your bank and credit card accounts, the software generates a reconciliation report to show any timing differences between transactions in your books and those that have cleared your bank.
Sample reconciliation summary report in QuickBooks for Mac
QuickBooks Mac Plus 2023 allows you to create projects connected to customers. With this feature, you can set a job status, start date, projected end date, and description. You can also run job costing reports. Most importantly, the program allows you to compare actual and budgeted project costs. You can track time, create timesheets, attach billable time to invoices, and use progressive invoicing as each step of a project is completed.
To add a new job, select Customers, click on the customer you wish to create the job for, and then complete the New Job form. The new job form consists of three tabs: Address Info, Additional Info, and Job Info. Complete all the required details, and then click the OK button to record the new job.
Adding a new job to a customer in QuickBooks for Mac
You can find the new job as a dropdown item under the customer name in your customer list. Once the job is completed, click on the job entry and then update the status field under the Job Info tab in the New job screen.
This application offers the same features that other QuickBooks products have. You can add sales tax items, track sales tax liability, and adjust sales tax from sales returns. If you’re working with independent contractors, you can add them to QuickBooks and track their 1099 payments. Unfortunately, unlike QuickBooks Online, the Mac-only version doesn’t allow you to e-file your taxes.
QuickBooks for Mac 2023 uses the average cost (AVCO) method to track the cost of inventory items, as opposed to QuickBooks Online’s first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.
Inventory tracking in the Mac version is easy, as it computes the cost of goods sold (COGS) automatically in every invoice and determines the cost of ending inventory. This means that there’s no need to track the original costs of your removed items since they’re calculated automatically.
What’s more, the inventory screen shows the quantity and total value of your item and reorder points, so you can be prompted to order more inventory.
Tracking inventory items in QuickBooks for Mac
There are more than 100 reports available in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, which include P&L statements, balance sheets, sales reports, charts, and graphs. Reports can be modified through filters and presented per class. The only limitation to its reporting feature is the inability to create reports by location, which is a big deal for businesses that operate in multiple locations or offices.
Sample reports available in QuickBooks Mac
Mileage Tracking
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac lets you charge your clients for business-related trips or deduct mileage from your taxes. However, mileage tracking on the platform is not as comprehensive as with QuickBooks Online, as you have to enter your starting and ending destinations manually. With QuickBooks Online, you can use the mobile app to track your trips automatically via your phone’s GPS.
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac has a clean interface, but it isn’t as easy to use as cloud-based programs like QuickBooks Online. Luckily, with the new subscription-based plan for all installable QuickBooks products, users will now enjoy unlimited access to live customer support without an additional fee. With the earlier versions, you would have needed to purchase a QuickBooks Care plan to enjoy unlimited support.
You can also ask QuickBooks to call you in case you have questions. Apart from that, chatbots and self-help information are available online. Unfortunately, most articles about QuickBooks Desktop for Mac are outdated and scarce.
Just like the other QuickBooks Desktop products, QuickBooks for Mac has a workflow-based homepage. From the main page, you can find important features that are categorized by vendor, customer, company, and banking. This helps you navigate through the program easily.
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac Homepage
On the downside, QuickBooks for Mac lacks the Accountant’s Copy feature found in QuickBooks for Windows. With QuickBooks for Mac, you can send your accountant a copy of your company file, but you then can’t use the program until they send an updated company file back to you. Otherwise, you’ll end up with two different company files that will need to be reconciled manually. With QuickBooks Online, none of this is necessary as your accountant can access your cloud-based account whenever needed.
We found several QuickBooks for Mac reviews, and users love the program for its clean interface and the ability to enter transactions easily, such as monthly expenses and input checks. Others are also impressed by its seamless bank account reconciliation capability. Meanwhile, some are dissatisfied with its customer service, explaining that they usually spend many hours on the phone just to receive support.
Generally, QuickBooks for Mac reviews are positive on several third-party sites:
- Software Advice1: 4.00 out of 5 from around 80 reviews
- TrustRadius2: 7.7 out of 10 from more than 110 reviews
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It’s the right fit if you’re a self-employed freelancer or a very small business owner who does your own bookkeeping on a Mac computer.
While the interface is clean, it may still take time to familiarize yourself with the features, especially if you’re used to cloud-based accounting programs.
Yes, you can convert QuickBooks for Mac to QuickBooks for Windows. To do this, click on File on your QuickBooks for Mac dashboard and then select Export. Next, select To QuickBooks for Windows and follow the on-screen instructions to convert QuickBooks for Mac to Windows.
No, it’s not. However, it’s hard to find as QuickBooks is focusing its energy on QuickBooks Online, which we believe is better software.
QuickBooks for Mac 2023 has several new features, such as the ability to pay bills online, upload bills, and run new reports, such as P&L unclassified and P&L budget performance.
Bottom Line
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac offers many of the powerful features found in QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop for Windows, such as job costing, class tracking, invoicing, and income and expense tracking. While it has some limitations, such as the lack of a mobile app and location tracking, the added Mac-specific features make up for its weaknesses. If you use a Mac and manage your books in-house, then we don’t see any reason not to use QuickBooks for Mac.
User review references:
1Software Advice
2TrustRadius
