QuickBooks Pro vs Premier vs Enterprise vs Accountant 2022
Tim is a Certified QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) Pro, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and CPA with 25 years of experience. He brings his expertise to Fit Small Business’s accounting content.
Mark has researched and reviewed accounting software at Fit Small Business since 2019 and has developed an extensive knowledge of accounting software features and how unique business needs determine the best accounting software.
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
Businesses interested in the QuickBooks Desktop software can choose from four different products depending on the size of the business and the features they need. If you own a very small business that has no inventory, you can choose from QuickBooks Pro and Premier. For a large business that needs inventory accounting, QuickBooks Enterprise is the best choice. If you’re a bookkeeper or accountant that provides services to clients, you should consider QuickBooks Desktop Accountant. The four QuickBooks Desktop products each have features that work best depending on the users.
- QuickBooks Pro: Best for businesses with up to three users and minimal inventory
- QuickBooks Premier: Best for nonprofit, manufacturing and wholesale, professional services, construction, or retail businesses with five or fewer users
- QuickBooks Enterprise: Best for small to medium-sized retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers with advanced inventory needs
- QuickBooks Accountant: Best for bookkeepers and accountants that provide bookkeeping or payroll services to multiple businesses
We rated QuickBooks Desktop as our best small business accounting software for users dealing with internet speed or reliability issues. QuickBooks Desktop offers many of the core accounting features needed by small businesses, such as:
- Importing bank transactions
- Reconciling credit card balances
- Printing checks
- Setting up recurring vendor payments
- Recording credit card charges
- Paying a credit card invoice
Answer a few short questions to see a personalized recommendation for the best QuickBooks Desktop product for your business. After the quiz, you can link directly to our recommended software or continue reading the article to learn more.
Which QuickBooks Version Is Right for You?
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When to Use QuickBooks Online
Business owners with multiple locations might want to consider QuickBooks Online as an alternative to the desktop version. As a cloud-based solution, QuickBooks Online lets you access your data from any smartphone or computer that’s connected to the internet. If you think QuickBooks Online might be best for your business, you can learn more by reading our QuickBooks Online vs Desktop comparison.
If you want to stick with QuickBooks Desktop but need cloud access to your accounting data, you should consider using a QuickBooks Desktop hosting service. With QuickBooks hosting, your desktop application will be transferred to a remote cloud server, allowing you to access your files anytime and anywhere with an internet connection. If you need to take your QuickBooks Desktop to the cloud, check out our list of the best QuickBooks hosting providers.
Tip: The only QuickBooks desktop software available for Macintosh users is QuickBooks for Mac, which has features similar to QuickBooks Pro. Macintosh users looking for additional features should consider QuickBooks Online, which will run on either Windows or Macintosh computers.
QuickBooks Desktop Comparison: Chart of Pricing and Features
QuickBooks Desktop is offered as a paid annual subscription with an additional cost per user. Your account subscription renews every year, and you have the option to cancel your subscription at any time. You can no longer purchase a one-time license of QuickBooks Desktop products.
Pricing & Features | Pro | Premier | Enterprise | Accountant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Plus Subscription 2022 ($/Year) | $349.99 for one user; $549.99 for two users; $7499.99 for three users | $549.99 for one user; $849.99 for two users; $1,149.99 for three users; $1,449.99 for four users; $1,749.99 for five users | $1,275 for one user; $2,037 for two users; $2,547 for three users; $3,057 for four users; $3,566 for five users; Custom pricing for six to 40 users | Accountant Desktop: $499 for each ProAdvisor Enterprise Accountant: $849 for each ProAdvisor |
Maximum Users | 3 | 5 | 40 | Accountant Desktop: 5 Enterprise Accountant: 40 |
Export Accountant’s Copy | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Import Accountant’s Copy | ✔ | |||
Manage Sales Taxes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Manage Inventory | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Account for Multiple Currencies | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Track Unpaid Bills | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Compare Actual to Estimated Costs by Job | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Prepare, Print & E-file Form 1099s | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Track & Bill Time by Customer | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Choose From Industry-specific Editions | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Create Sales Orders | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Create Bill of Materials | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Create Inventory Assemblies | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Access Inventory Center | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
Use Advanced Pricing Rules | Enterprise Accountant | |||
Access Accountant Center | ✔ | |||
Toggle to Pro, Premium & Industry Editions | ✔ | |||
Void & Delete Transactions in Batches | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Manage Fixed Assets | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Approximate Number of Reports | 100+ | 150+ | 200+ | 150+ |
QuickBooks Pro vs Premier
QuickBooks Pro is a comprehensive bookkeeping program, and it contains essential accounting features for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) tracking unpaid bills, invoicing clients, and printing detailed reports. It’s our pick for the best farm accounting software for farmers with independent bookkeepers or tax preparers.
However, QuickBooks Premier offers additional options for managing inventory, plus five industry-specific editions―retailing, nonprofit, contractors, manufacturing and wholesaling, and professional services. Other features of QuickBooks Premier not present in QuickBooks Pro include creating and tracking budgets and forecasts and monitoring project profitability.
QuickBooks Pro vs Premier at a Glance
Features & Pricing | QuickBooks Pro | QuickBooks Premier |
|---|---|---|
Plus Subscription 2022 ($/Year) | $349.99 for one user; $549.99 for two users; $7499.99 for three users | $549.99 for one user; $849.99 for two users; $1,149.99 for three users; $1,449.99 for four users; $1,749.99 for five users |
Connect Bank Accounts & Reconcile Easily | ✔ | ✔ |
Create Invoices & Email or Print | ✔ | ✔ |
Input & Track Unpaid Bills | ✔ | ✔ |
Track Inventory | ✔ | ✔ |
Track Time | ✔ | ✔ |
Manage & Track Sales Tax | ✔ | ✔ |
Unlimited Customer Support | ✔ | |
Manage 1099 Forms | ✔ | |
Create a Budget or Forecast | ✔ | |
Track Project Profitability | ✔ | |
Choose From Industry-specific Editions | ✔ | |
Takeaway: QuickBooks Pro is suitable for most businesses that don’t require more than three simultaneous users. However, QuickBooks Premier is worth the additional price if your business deals extensively in inventory or operates in one of the five industry-specific editions of Premier. The industry-specific editions provide both additional reporting options and workflows customized for your industry. For more information, you can read our expert reviews of QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks Premier.
QuickBooks Premier vs Enterprise
QuickBooks Enterprise is the most powerful of all QuickBooks products, scaling up the functionality provided by Premier by allowing up to 40 users (Diamond). Enterprise comes in a general business edition plus the same five industry-specific editions as QuickBooks Premier. It has all the features of Premier, plus the ability to track inventory at multiple locations and use bar codes, create advanced reports, pay employees with QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll (Platinum only), track inventory with more details and efficiency, and implement advanced pricing (Platinum and Diamond). The advanced features come at a steep price, as Enterprise is more than twice the cost of Premier. Read our review of QuickBooks Enterprise to learn more about its advanced features.
QuickBooks Premier vs Enterprise at a Glance
QuickBooks Enterprise has all of the features found in Premier in addition to those included in the table below.
Pricing & Features | QuickBooks Premier | QuickBooks Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
Plus Subscription 2022 ($/Year) | $549.99 for one user; $849.99 for two users; $1,149.99 for three users; $1,449.99 for four users; $1,749.99 for five users | $1,275 for one user; $2,037 for two users; $2,547 for three users; $3,057 for four users; $3,566 for five users; Custom pricing for more than six to 40 users |
Maximum Users | 5 | 40 |
Approximate Number of Reports | 150+ | 200+ |
Choose From Industry-specific Editions | ✔ | ✔ |
Create Charts With Advanced Reporting | ✔ | |
Set Complex Pricing Rules With Advanced Pricing | ✔ | |
Calculate Inventory Cost Using the First-in, First-out (FIFO) Method | Platinum Diamond | |
Track Inventory With Bar Code Scanning | Platinum Diamond | |
Track Inventory by Location & Bin | Platinum Diamond | |
Manage Fixed Assets | ✔ | |
Unlimited Support | Priority Circle | |
Cloud Access | Additional fee | |
Takeaway: Because of the high price, most businesses will probably wait to upgrade from Premier to Enterprise until they require more than five concurrent users. However, if your business spends a lot of time dealing with inventory in multiple locations, Enterprise might be worth the additional cost.
QuickBooks Premier vs Accountant
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop has all the features of QuickBooks Premier but has special tools and capabilities designed to help professional bookkeepers work with many different clients. For instance, QuickBooks Accountant Desktop can toggle between all the industry-specific versions of Premier as well as Pro. It can also access QuickBooks Desktop files from prior-year versions without updating the files. This is important so that clients with older versions of QuickBooks Desktop can still open the file when it’s returned. Additionally, QuickBooks Accountant Desktop has features that help professional bookkeepers import, review, adjust, and communicate changes with their clients. Read our review of QuickBooks Accountant Desktop and QuickBooks Premier for more information.
QuickBooks Premier vs Accountant at a Glance
Features & Pricing | QuickBooks Premier | QuickBooks Accountant |
|---|---|---|
Pricing ($/Year) | $549.99 for one user; $849.99 for two users; $1,149.99 for three users; $1,449.99 for four users; $1,749.99 for five users | Accountant Desktop: 499 for each ProAdvisor Enterprise Accountant: $849 for each ProAdvisor |
Maximum Users | 5 | Accountant Desktop: 5 Enterprise Accountant: 40 |
Requires QuickBooks ProAdvisor Membership | ✔ | |
Transfer Accountant’s Copy File | Export only | Import only |
Access Industry-specific Editions | Select one | Toggle between all |
Batch Process Transactions | ✔ | |
Review & Adjust Client Data With Special Tools | ✔ | |
Manage Fixed Assets | ✔ | |
Send Journal Entries to Client | ✔ | |
Takeaway: If you’re a bookkeeper or accountant looking to provide accounting services to clients that use QuickBooks Pro or Premier, you need QuickBooks Accountant Desktop. However, the license requires a current ProAdvisor membership. You can purchase and access the program immediately but are required to complete about 20 hours of training and pass an exam to become a ProAdvisor.
Bottom Line
Choosing the right QuickBooks Desktop edition depends on the size of your organization and the specific features and functionality you need. If you’re a large business that needs sophisticated inventory tools, then go with QuickBooks Enterprise. If you don’t need these inventory features and have less than five users, go with either Pro or Premier. If you’re an independent bookkeeper with many clients, then QuickBooks Accountant Desktop is your best choice.
QuickBooks offers a variety of powerful software applications to fit almost any need. Whichever QuickBooks edition you choose for your business, it can be downloaded immediately and comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
