QuickBooks Enterprise vs QuickBooks Online Advanced

▶ At a Glance

▶ Where Enterprise Wins

▶ Where Online Advanced Wins

▶ Which Should You Choose?

▶ A Note on One-Time Enterprise Licenses

▶ Three Real-World Scenarios

▶ Questions to Ask Before You Decide

▶ Cost Considerations

▶ FAQs

At a Glance

Where Enterprise Wins

Inventory and warehousing

Enterprise's Advanced Inventory handles multiple warehouses, bin locations, barcode scanning and serial or lot tracking. For distributors and manufacturers this is often the deciding factor.

Industry editions

Contractors, manufacturers, wholesalers, nonprofits and retailers get industry-specific reports and workflows built in.

More users and big files

Enterprise supports up to 40 people at once and handles very large company files.

Desktop speed

Heavy data entry and big reports are fast on a local network.

Where Online Advanced Wins

Work from anywhere

No servers, no VPN. Your team logs in from any browser, including Macs and phones.

Always current

Updates, bank feeds and backups are handled for you.

Integrations

A large ecosystem of cloud apps connects directly.

Automation

Workflow automation, batch transactions and custom reporting tools are built in.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Enterprise if:

• You hold significant inventory across locations
• You need an industry edition
• More than 25 people need access
• Your team works mainly from an office
• You want the option of a one-time license

Choose Online Advanced if:

• Your team is spread out or remote
• You don't want to manage servers or backups
• Your inventory needs are moderate
• You rely heavily on cloud integrations

A Note on One-Time Enterprise Licenses

We still have limited stock of one-time QuickBooks Enterprise 2021 licenses. They're past Intuit's support window, so they don't include Intuit support, bank feeds or payroll, but they give you Enterprise's power with no ongoing fee. It's a cost-effective option for businesses that run payroll elsewhere and are comfortable with offline bookkeeping.

Three Real-World Scenarios

A building supply distributor

Two warehouses, 8,000 items, barcode scanning and 18 people in the system. Enterprise with Advanced Inventory is the clear fit; Online Advanced doesn't offer the same warehouse controls.

A marketing agency with remote staff

Twenty employees spread across three states, no inventory, lots of project billing. Online Advanced lets everyone work from anywhere without servers or VPNs.

A manufacturer with assemblies and lot tracking

Bills of materials, builds and traceability for customers. Enterprise's Manufacturing and Wholesale edition handles assemblies and, with Advanced Inventory, lot numbers.

Questions to Ask Before You Decide

• How many people need access at the same time?
• How many locations do we store inventory in?
• Do we need an industry edition?
• Would our team rather work in the office or from anywhere?
• Who will manage servers and backups if we choose Enterprise?

Cost Considerations

Both are premium products and priced accordingly. Online Advanced is billed monthly or yearly, per company. Enterprise is usually a yearly subscription priced by the number of users, with hosting as an optional extra if you want remote access. A one-time Enterprise 2021 license is the lowest-cost route if its limitations work for you. Our pricing guide has the details.

Frequently Asked Questions