This is a question that we get often. Usually, QuickBooks Simple Start, Pro, or Premiere are what most people are familiar with, but QuickBooks On-Line Plus is starting to get some attention. All four versions handle Accounts Payable (printing checks, paying bils, tracking expenses), Accounts Receivable (tracking sales, customer payments, sales tax), and work with QuickBooks Payroll solutions.
Simple Start is free, but has a limited number of vendors, customers, etc. that you can add to the data file. Simple Start cannot import data from prior versions of QuickBooks: Pro or Premier, Quicken, or Peachtree. If you’re new to QuickBooks or have a part-time business and want to do your own bookkeeping, this may be the best option for you. Get your free download here: http://tinyurl.com/lyj6jf
QuickBooks On-Line Plus is for those who need to manage their finances any time, any where. It also provides automatic software updates, data backup, and unlimited support; something you do not get with the other versions. You also pay a monthly fee instead of buying the software for a fixed fee.
For most who want to organize their financials all in one place, QuickBooks Pro is all you need. There is full general ledger accounting, inventory, and payroll as well as multi-user access licensing, if needed. One can quickly create invoices and reports or securely download transactions from more than 3,000 financial institutions. As of this writing, we’ve seen the best price for QuickBooks Pro at Costco-$149.
QuickBooks Premiere offers tools for a specific industry and is twice the price of QuickBooks Pro. It offers all the features of QuickBooks Pro plus: industry-specific reports; advanced tools for inventory and purchase orders; easily track time, expenses, and revenue by project. However, should you need more than five user licenses you must make a considerable investment on QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions.
We urge businesses to do their homework and make an advised decision before purchasing any version of QuickBooks.
