Full QuickBooks Review with Product Breakdown

It is estimated that over 7 million people use QuickBooks.

However, over 2 million users combine QuickBooks with other accounting tools.

With this QuickBooks review, our goal is to help you decide if it’s a good option for you or if you would benefit from another accounting software so you don’t need to pack your tool stack.

What is QuickBooks? 

QuickBooks ia a popular collection of accounting products developed by Intuit.

Although it is commonly referred to as “an accounting software,” QuickBooks offers a collections of multiple separate software or applications, each for a specific need, for example, accounting, payroll, or bookkeeping.

The platform’s primary purpose is to help SMBs to manage bookkeeping and handle financial records and payments without risking compliance with tax and reporting requirements.

The QuickBooks product collection includes some simple tools designed for solo operators and other advanced desktop apps for more complex inventory or job-costing environments.

QuickBooks' Main Products

Each QuickBooks product is designed for specific tasks and businesses, so understanding the difference between them is the first step if you’re considering this brand.

Although there are more products and small apps, these are the most relevant products:

QuickBooks Online (QBO)

QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting platform that offers a subscription model.

It is available in 4 tiers that range from $24 to $75 per month. Each tier adds more sophisticated features such as multi-user access, advanced reporting, inventory management, or workflow automation.

QBO is designed for small to medium-sized businesses that need flexible access to their financial data from any location and prefer automated, real-time bookkeeping tools.

QuickBooks Online is typically used by service providers, consulting firms, e-commerce sellers, small retailers, contractors, hospitality businesses, and startups.

For example, a small consulting firm with five employees uses QBO Essentials to manage recurring invoices, track billable hours through linked apps, and collaborate with an external bookkeeper who accesses the file remotely.

Larger businesses can use QuickBooks Online Advanced, a relatively new addition to the collection that includes workflows, automation, and cashflow management in the feature set.

QuickBooks Solopreneur

QuickBooks Solopreneur is a product created specifically for single-person businesses such as freelancers, gig workers, and sole proprietors who need basic financial management without the complexities of full accounting software.

It focuses on simple income and expense tracking, receipt capture, invoicing, and self-employment tax tools.

There are two pricing plans for this product for $20 and $38 per month.

This tool is useful, for example, for an independent photographer to categorize project-related expenses, track mileage, send invoices to clients, and generate tax-ready summaries for quarterly estimated payments.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll provides automated payroll processing, tax calculation and filing, direct deposit, benefits administration, and limited HR tools.

Although it can be used as a stand-alone product, this feature also exists as an add-on if you’re already using QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Online Advanced.

It is available in Core, Premium, and Elite and ranges from $88 to $203 per mont.

QuickBooks Payroll offers tax penalty protection, where it covers up to a specified amount if payroll tax penalties occur. The system also provides full-service tax handling by automatically calculating, filing, and paying payroll taxes, supported by an accuracy guarantee.

The platform allows employee payments through same-day direct deposit, you can also automate payroll runs, reducing manual entry and saving time on recurring pay cycles.

The system also includes e-filing for 1099 forms, so you can manage contractor compliance efficiently and at no additional filing cost.

You can use this product if you have a small businesses with employees, if you need tax-compliant payroll processing, or require HR support tools.

For example, a small restaurant with 15 hourly employees could use QuickBooks Payroll Premium to run bi-weekly payroll, track tips and overtime, automatically file federal and state payroll taxes, and store employee documentation.

QuickBooks Contractor Payments

QuickBooks Contractor Payments is designed for businesses that rely heavily on independent contractors.

It allows contractor onboarding, automated payments, secure collection of W-9 information, and simplified 1099 filing at year-end. This product helps to lighten the administrative load of managing contract-based workforces.

There are four subscription plans available that range from $15 to $88 per month.

It’s a good product for marketing agencies, construction firms, event companies, property managers, and organizations that hire multiple freelancers.

For example, a small marketing firm that works with remote freelance designers and video editors uses Contractor Payments to send direct deposits, track payment history, and automatically generate 1099s during tax season.

QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) is a time-tracking and workforce management tool that integrates with QuickBooks payroll and accounting products.

QuickBooks Time offers simple timesheet management, where you can review and approve multiple employee timesheets. This gives managers control over recording hours and helps ensure accuracy before payroll is processed.

Customizable reporting features offer insight into job costs, labor expenses, and productivity trends. This will help you plan payroll, estimate project budgets, and identify opportunities for improved profitability.

Team management features include GPS tools and optional geofencing, which remind employees to clock in or out when they arrive at or leave a job site.

QuickBooks time include a scheduling tool to allow managers to create and update schedules by shift or job. These schedules can be edited, published, and shared with teams instantly.

Finally, the platform offers task management controls, including recurring alerts for overtime, schedule adjustments, and timesheet approval deadlines and users will receive notifications.

This product is usually used by field service companies, construction crews, maintenance businesses, staffing agencies, and any business that tracks hourly labor, like some legal firms.

For example, if you have a landscaping business, with QuickBooks Time you can monitor team hours on various job sites, then the data syncs automatically with payroll.

QuickBooks Desktop

QuickBooks Desktop is QuickBook’s on-premise accounting software. It is a better option is you need a more secure environment.

Desktop Enterprise supports up to 40 users, provides granular inventory controls, and supplies specialized modules such as advanced pricing, job costing, and industry-specific reporting.

Certain legacy desktop versions are being phased out, but Desktop Enterprise continues to work effectively.

QuickBooks Desktop integrates accounting, payroll, inventory management, job costing, reporting, pricing rules, and time tracking. This all-in-one design allows you to manage your financial operations from one location.

Desktop Enterprise supports flexible payments and bookkeeping, including processing credit cards, ACH payments, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Customers often save on payment processing fees when using QuickBooks Desktop Payments.

For field-based businesses, Intuit Field Service Management integrates office operations with service technicians, improving scheduling, invoicing, job management, and overall operational productivity.

Some industries that use this product include manufacturing firms, wholesale distributors, construction companies, nonprofits, and businesses that require advanced inventory or controlled on-premises environments.

Bear in mind that this version will have a higher upkeep and is very inefficient if you have remote workers.

It could be used by a mid-sized distribution company to manage warehouse stock, barcode scanning, lot numbers, and multi-location inventory while restricting access for compliance and audit purposes.

QuickBooks for Accountants

The final product is QuickBooks for Accountants.

Accounting tools for accountants needs to have more advanced features and must be able to hable multiple companies easily.

QuickBooks for Accountants, including QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA) and QuickBooks Ledger, is designed to help accountants and bookkeepers manage client books.

It provides real-time access to all client QuickBooks Online accounts from a single login, with accountant-only tools for reviewing, adjusting, and managing transactions.

The platform supports automation of accounting tasks, bank and app integrations, and project-level tracking of income, expenses, time, and labor, allowing you to provide your clients insight and reporting.

QuickBooks for Accountants also offers secure document sharing, client collaboration tools, and pricing discounts for clients, making it a comprehensive solution for managing multiple clients efficiently.

Note: At the time this article was written, Black Friday deals were posted, however, the original prices were added. Not the Black Friday deals.

Who is QuickBooks for?

Except for QuickBooks Online Advanced, QuickBooks is aimed mostly for small businesses, including freelancers and micro businesses.

Service businesses, retailers, contractors, manufacturers, and nonprofits regularly use QuickBooks.

QuickBooks provides adequate support for most small business industries, with specialized desktop editions for contractors, nonprofits, manufacturing, and retail.

QuickBooks is suitable for businesses with straightforward to moderately complex accounting needs.

Howver, if your company requires advanced financial consolidation, audits or multi-entity structures yo may need a more specialized platform.

What Do Users Think?

As we mentioned at the start of this article, QuickBooks is a widely used brand, so there is a lot of information from actual users.

Many users appreciate the ease of invoicing, bank reconciliation, and real-time cloud access.

However, reviews also highlight consistent concerns, including customer support responsiveness, frequent pricing increases, and occasional technical glitches.

In addition, some long-term users express frustration with the gradual discontinuation of legacy desktop versions and the push toward cloud products.

✔️ Pros

• All QuickBooks products integrate seamlessly with one another
• A good option if you work with multiple vendors
• Straightforward billing and invoicing

✖️ Cons

• Pricing scales quickly when adding products
• Subscription can be confusing
• Lacks advanced features like automated bookkeeping, multi-currency and multi-company accounting or scalable general ledger among other.
• Not very scalable

Is QuickBooks the Best Choice?

QuickBooks is a strong choice for many small businesses, especially if you cannot afford a dedicated in-house accountant or require an affordable, all-in-one bookkeeping system.

It performs well with basic bookkeeping, invoicing, and has a pretty extensive list of products that integrate well with one another.

However, QuickBooks may not be the optimal solution for more complex financial organizations, including CPA firms, multi-entity structures, and family offices.

If you have a CPA or family office with sophisticated accounting workflows, Eleven might be a better choice because it is a solution built specifically for accountants and is highly scalable.

Additionally, it offer:

• Automated bookkeeping
• Multi-company and multi-currency accounting
• A universal tax engine
• Analytical accounting

If you’re ready to know more, book a demo a find out which accounting software will meet your needs.