I switched to QB Online, and HATED it! It was slow. But my biggest complaint was that I could no longer use separate "classes" to allocate payroll expenses, splitting time in an employee's paycheck so it would allocate all overhead to various rental properties. (I'm expecting this functionality to be added soon, and it may have been added after I quit and before today). There were other headaches, although possibly a learning curve would have made it tolerable. But the online version was clearly a step BACKWARDS. And migrating three separate companies BACK to the desktop version was a headache, because Intuit doesn't WANT things to go that direction. I think I'll find a new software solution before going back to QBO.
I want crystal clarity--We are current QB 2021 Desktop Pro users and we can upgrade to QB 2024 Desktop Pro before July 2024 and still receive the payroll updates until QB2027 or the next big release? We live in a very rural area whose internet speed and reliability is not consistent to convert to QB Online
I'm a QB ProAdvisor with experience in desktop and online for 16 years. QB Desktop Pro/Premier for Windows is not a subscription product for 2021 and earlier. You can buy the product license and run it as long as your hardware and Windows version will let you. What are subscription based are payroll and merchant services and other add-in features. Basically, QB will not support them after about 3.5 years. Nor will your QB be supported.
However, if you want to move to QB Desktop Pro/Premier for versions 2022 and onward, you will by a subscription for access and support including your add-ons, that is good for only the subscription period. (Annual) Also, you no longer have access to your QB data on your own computer UNLESS you keep your QB version current. So, you may be looking at 3 to 5 years of continued subscription cost to do that, unless you have access to another person's computer with the latest version of the desktop.
While I am not recommending the following for my clients, I have kept with 2021 for my own bookkeeping and will likely not upgrade desktop and will delay as long as possible moving to QB Online. For anyone who has to enter purchase orders, invoices, bills, etc., QB Online is extremely slow compared to the desktop product. The only advantages that my clients using QB Online have seen are the bank feeds for entering/approving expense entries. These are faster and better in QB Online than in desktop, BUT I do have clients that need to enter expense detail, and that cannot be done efficiently in the bank feed method nor can it be done efficiently in the slow-as-molasses-to-repaint-the-screen QB Online. It makes you want to pull your hair out waiting for the screen to be ready again, plus the other tabs you have open with the program have to be refreshed to show any data you entered on a different tab.
If, however, you need to move to QB Online, if you don't use Bills/Bill Payments, you can consider QB Simple Start. Above that, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced are higher priced services that may or may not be worth your money. You can, however, bounce between services, both upgrading and downgrading if you need.
Finally, avoid QB Self Employed - it has no migration path to upgrade to the regular QB Online products and you will probably find it too limited for your needs. Both clients using Self-Employed asked me to move them to Simple Start.
Only having an online version and not allowing new desktop versions, other than the most expensive one, forces the majority of the small business owners to make some hard decisions about what accounting software they use going forward. QuickBooks will for sure lose customers and if they don't they should. Online storage etc. is scary to some and not having the ability to control Privacy and where your customers information is stored is against the principles of what QuickBooks first started their company on. What is so wrong with having both?
The door has now opened for a new software company to swoop in and pick up those many small business owners wanting to house their customers information "In-House" and keep Privacy alive. I hope some reputable company does this because the world, the government etc. is forcing the word "PRIVACY" OUT THE DOOR and making it obsolete/extinct in every sense of the word.
I get "Change" and embrace it. However, this is not a choice it is being forced on the mere people who have made QuickBooks the company it is today!
The online version still lacks in every dept, especially reports. Working on finding a substitute to QB Pro desktop, if I find the subscription based service has any changes from the desktop version.
I was forced to move from QB Desktop 2021 to QBO, having been told that was my only option. I absolutely hate QBO. The check register, my main method of recording expenses, is buried and lacks simple things like a previous button. It is sooooo sloooooow, takes me so much longet to do things. Even my CPA says it's a big step backwards. I'm going to try and get back on some king of QB Desktop version, or I am going to jump ship and waste a ton of time migrating my data over. I hate this so much!!! Don Farrall, QB Desktop user for the past 30 years.
I switched to QB Online, and HATED it! It was slow. But my biggest complaint was that I could no longer use separate "classes" to allocate payroll expenses, splitting time in an employee's paycheck so it would allocate all overhead to various rental properties. (I'm expecting this functionality to be added soon, and it may have been added after I quit and before today). There were other headaches, although possibly a learning curve would have made it tolerable. But the online version was clearly a step BACKWARDS. And migrating three separate companies BACK to the desktop version was a headache, because Intuit doesn't WANT things to go that direction. I think I'll find a new software solution before going back to QBO.
I want crystal clarity--We are current QB 2021 Desktop Pro users and we can upgrade to QB 2024 Desktop Pro before July 2024 and still receive the payroll updates until QB2027 or the next big release? We live in a very rural area whose internet speed and reliability is not consistent to convert to QB Online
I'm a QB ProAdvisor with experience in desktop and online for 16 years. QB Desktop Pro/Premier for Windows is not a subscription product for 2021 and earlier. You can buy the product license and run it as long as your hardware and Windows version will let you. What are subscription based are payroll and merchant services and other add-in features. Basically, QB will not support them after about 3.5 years. Nor will your QB be supported.
However, if you want to move to QB Desktop Pro/Premier for versions 2022 and onward, you will by a subscription for access and support including your add-ons, that is good for only the subscription period. (Annual) Also, you no longer have access to your QB data on your own computer UNLESS you keep your QB version current. So, you may be looking at 3 to 5 years of continued subscription cost to do that, unless you have access to another person's computer with the latest version of the desktop.
While I am not recommending the following for my clients, I have kept with 2021 for my own bookkeeping and will likely not upgrade desktop and will delay as long as possible moving to QB Online. For anyone who has to enter purchase orders, invoices, bills, etc., QB Online is extremely slow compared to the desktop product. The only advantages that my clients using QB Online have seen are the bank feeds for entering/approving expense entries. These are faster and better in QB Online than in desktop, BUT I do have clients that need to enter expense detail, and that cannot be done efficiently in the bank feed method nor can it be done efficiently in the slow-as-molasses-to-repaint-the-screen QB Online. It makes you want to pull your hair out waiting for the screen to be ready again, plus the other tabs you have open with the program have to be refreshed to show any data you entered on a different tab.
If, however, you need to move to QB Online, if you don't use Bills/Bill Payments, you can consider QB Simple Start. Above that, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced are higher priced services that may or may not be worth your money. You can, however, bounce between services, both upgrading and downgrading if you need.
Finally, avoid QB Self Employed - it has no migration path to upgrade to the regular QB Online products and you will probably find it too limited for your needs. Both clients using Self-Employed asked me to move them to Simple Start.
QBO SUCKS! I only "recommend" for VERY small businesses or those with <10 transactions (total) a month.
Only having an online version and not allowing new desktop versions, other than the most expensive one, forces the majority of the small business owners to make some hard decisions about what accounting software they use going forward. QuickBooks will for sure lose customers and if they don't they should. Online storage etc. is scary to some and not having the ability to control Privacy and where your customers information is stored is against the principles of what QuickBooks first started their company on. What is so wrong with having both?
The door has now opened for a new software company to swoop in and pick up those many small business owners wanting to house their customers information "In-House" and keep Privacy alive. I hope some reputable company does this because the world, the government etc. is forcing the word "PRIVACY" OUT THE DOOR and making it obsolete/extinct in every sense of the word.
I get "Change" and embrace it. However, this is not a choice it is being forced on the mere people who have made QuickBooks the company it is today!
Shame on QUICKBOOKS Shame on them!
The online version still lacks in every dept, especially reports. Working on finding a substitute to QB Pro desktop, if I find the subscription based service has any changes from the desktop version.
I was forced to move from QB Desktop 2021 to QBO, having been told that was my only option. I absolutely hate QBO. The check register, my main method of recording expenses, is buried and lacks simple things like a previous button. It is sooooo sloooooow, takes me so much longet to do things. Even my CPA says it's a big step backwards. I'm going to try and get back on some king of QB Desktop version, or I am going to jump ship and waste a ton of time migrating my data over. I hate this so much!!! Don Farrall, QB Desktop user for the past 30 years.