Quicken vs QuickBooks: Differences & What’s Best 2023
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.
Danielle is a writer for the Finance division of Fit Small Business. She has owned a bookkeeping and payroll service that specializes in small business, for over twenty years.
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
The main difference between Quicken and QuickBooks Online is that Quicken is primarily for managing personal finances, whereas QuickBooks Online is a double-entry bookkeeping system for small businesses. However, Quicken does have features to track income and expenses of rental houses and simple one-person businesses.
A double-entry bookkeeping system tracks assets and liabilities as well as income and expenses. This enhances the reliability of income and expenses by ensuring that all changes in assets and liabilities are reflected in net income.
Quicken vs QuickBooks at a Glance
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
Best For | Rental property owners and individuals | Most small businesses |
Who It’s Best For | $4.99 to $9.99 per month, billed annually | $30 to $200 per month |
Pricing Plans | $4.99 to $9.99 per month, billed annually | $30 to $200 per month |
Double-entry Bookkeeping System | ✕ | ✓ |
Payroll Add-on Available | Add-on | Built-in |
Inventory Tracking | ✕ | |
Separate Business & Personal Expenses | ✓ | ✓ |
Schedule C & E Reports | ✓ | ✕ |
Print Income Statement & Balance Sheet | ✕ | ✓ |
Rental Property Center | ✓ | ✕ |
Grant Access to Accountant | ✕ | ✓ |
Number of Users Included | 1 | 1 to 25 |
Ease of Setup & Use | Moderate | Easy |
Mobile App | ||
When To Use
Is Quicken or QuickBooks Best for You?
Quicken vs QuickBooks: Pricing
Quicken | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
Monthly Pricing | $4.99 to $9.99 billed annually | $30 to $200 |
Numbers of Users | 1 | 1 to 25 |
Special Promo | 30-day, risk-free trial | 50% off for three months or 30-day free trial |
QuickBooks Online is priced much higher than Quicken, with QuickBooks Simple Start costing three times as much as Quicken Home & Business. However, the cost of QuickBooks Online will be worth it if you need the features of a full bookkeeping system, such as tracking assets and liabilities and printing a balance sheet. Quicken offers great value, provided that all you need is to track income and expenses.
Quicken’s Home and Business edition is available only for Windows users. It’s the only subscription that lets you track business income and expenses and manage rental properties. This is a major difference between Quicken and QuickBooks.
Quicken vs QuickBooks: Features
Quicken | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
Platform | Web browser and desktop | Web browser |
Print Complete Financial Statements | ✕ | ✓ |
Integrated Payroll | ✕ | ✓ |
Track Inventory & COGS | ✕ | ✓ |
Separate Activity by Class & Location | ✕ | ✓ |
Track Employee Time & Add to Customer Invoices | ✕ | ✓ |
Track & Categorize Spending | ✓ | ✓ |
Double-entry Bookkeeping | ✕ | ✓ |
Track Unpaid Bills | ✓ | ✓ |
Connect Bank Accounts | ✓ | ✕ |
Manage Lease Terms, Rental Rates & Security Deposits | ✓ | ✕ |
Investment Reporting Features | ✓ | ✕ |
Quicken and QuickBooks Online offer very different features. Quicken’s are geared mostly toward managing personal expenses and investments, but the Home & Business edition adds some business income and expense tracking along with a suite of rental management tools.
Meanwhile, QuickBooks Online is designed to track assets, liabilities, income, and expenses of a business accurately. It includes features many businesses require, such as collecting and remitting sales tax, paying employees, and tracking the cost of inventory.
Quicken vs QuickBooks: Ease of Use
Quicken | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
Overall Ease of Use | Moderate | Easy |
Online Help Section | ✓ | ✓ |
Community Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Email Support | ✕ | ✕ |
Live Chat Support | Monday to Friday 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time | ✓ |
Phone Support | Monday to Friday 5 a.m. to 5 p .m. PT | QuickBooks Support will call you |
Third-party Support | Limited | Extensive |
QuickBooks Online is easier to set up because it’s purely web-based and can be accessed from any browser, so you have nothing to download or install. It is also easier for tracking business income and expenses because that’s its primary focus.
Meanwhile, Quicken, which has many personal finance features that can be confusing and unnecessary for tracking business income, offers Quicken for Web. This is a companion app to the desktop version; however, you still need to purchase Quicken for desktop to use its web version.
Quicken Dashboard
- Menu bar: Click on the top menu bar to navigate to the various areas of the program like Bills & Income, Rental Property, and Tips & Tutorials.
- Total spending: Keep tabs on where your money is going by reviewing the graph that shows the amount spent by category, such as Auto or Utilities.
- Bills to pay: Stay on top of monthly bills that you pay using the Bill Pay feature.
- Budget: Create a budget to help you find ways to decrease your spending and save more money.
QuickBooks Online dashboard
- Left menu bar: You can access just about any task from the left menu bar, including creating invoices, bank accounts, and reports.
- Money in: In this section, you can add products and services, manage customers, create estimates, send invoices, receive payments, and apply for funding.
- Money out: In this section, you can pay bills, track time, and manage employee payroll.
- Accounting and reports: View your bank accounts, review transactions, see reports and trends, and manage taxes (sales and payroll) in this section.
- Expert help: If you need assistance, you can either invite your accountant to view your file or request expert help through QuickBooks Online.
Quicken vs QuickBooks: Mobile App
Quicken | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
Availability | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
View Transactions & Account Balances | ✓ | ✕ |
Attach Receipts | ✓ | ✓ |
See Budgets | ✓ | ✕ |
Add Customers & Vendors | ✕ | ✕ |
Create Invoices | ✕ | ✓ |
Enter Vendor Bills | ✕ | ✓ |
Quicken and QuickBooks Online allow you to access your data on the go with their mobile apps, but Quicken’s mobile app is limited in functionality as compared to QuickBooks. For example, it doesn’t allow you to create invoices and enter vendors, two features that are available with QuickBooks Online’s mobile app. Also, neither app is as good as the web and desktop platforms.
If you want a top-notch mobile accounting app, then we recommend Zoho Books. It can perform advanced functions, such as assigning time worked and expenses to customers or projects.
Quicken vs QuickBooks: Integrations
Quicken has limited integrations, while QuickBooks Online has more than 750, making QuickBooks the clear winner. It even has built-in integrations, like QuickBooks Payroll, QuickBooks Time, QuickBooks Payments, and Intuit Merchant Services. On top of these, you can add apps like Shopify and Square to manage your ecommerce business. Visit the QuickBooks App Store to see the full list.
Meanwhile, Quicken integrates with PayPal for accepting online credit card payments from customers; Dropbox to store important documents, such as rental agreements and contracts; and Zillow Zestimate, a tool that you can use to calculate the value of your home. Similar to QuickBooks Online, it has a built-in bills payment tool, allowing you to pay bills online.
Quicken vs QuickBooks: User Reviews
Both Quicken and QuickBooks Online scored high with users. Quicken users said that they appreciate that the platform is inexpensive and an easy way to track personal expenses. Reviewers also praised its ability to track retirement assets. The software’s biggest drawback is its inability to perform basic bookkeeping tasks such as invoicing clients.
Quicken earned the following average scores on popular review sites:
- G2: 4.2 out of 5 based on nearly 100 reviews
- GetApp: 3.9 out of 5 based on nearly 400 reviews
Meanwhile, users who left QuickBooks Online reviews said that the software is easy to set up and use, adding that it has a simple and clean user interface and intuitive features. Some also praised all of the available integrations. However, some noted that it doesn’t allow for unlimited users.
These are its average scores on popular review sites:
- G2: 4.0 out of 5 based on about 3,100 reviews
- GetApp: 4.3 out of 5 based on around 6,200 reviews
- TrustRadius: 7.9 out of 10 based on more than 1,500 reviews
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The main difference between QuickBooks and Quicken is that QuickBooks focuses on accounting for small businesses, while Quicken focuses on the finances of individuals. Although Quicken does have a version of its software for both rental property owners and small businesses, it is not double-entry accounting software and thus is not as advanced as QuickBooks.
Yes, Quicken has a mobile app for both iOS and Android users, but its functions are limited. You can view transaction and account balances, attach receipts, and view budgets, but not add customers and vendors, create invoices, or add vendor bills.
Yes, Quicken is less expensive than QuickBooks at prices that range from $4.99 to $9.99 per month, billed annually. QuickBooks charges $30 to $200 per month, depending on the features and number of users you need.
While Quicken is primarily designed for personal finance management, it can also be used to manage the finances of very small businesses or self-employed individuals with basic bookkeeping needs.
QuickBooks Online offers a 30-day free trial, whereas Quicken offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line
QuickBooks Online is the clear winner for small business bookkeeping. However, Quicken is better for businesses with around three rental properties and solopreneurs whose business activities are integrated with their personal bank and credit card accounts. Most businesses need more than Quicken offers, but you may go for it if you’re also looking for a personal finance app.
User review references:
1G2 | Quicken
2 GetApp | Quicken
3 G2 | QuickBooks Online
4GetApp | QuickBooks Online
5TrustRadius | QuickBooks Online
