QuickBooks Online Advanced Reviews

Pros

Quickbooks Online Advanced is robust and offers a pretty impressive suite of options for a growing small business. I love that a business owner can run so much of their business from one piece of software. As a business owner and a bookkeeper, I get frustrated with all of the options out there and appreciate that QBO Advanced eliminates the need for multiple programs.

Cons

There are definitely some improvements that could be made. The software is often glitchy, causing frustration for users that are not experienced. I would also love to see even more customization in the reporting screens. I'd love to be able to click and see drop downs on the main profit and loss screens.

Alternatives Considered

Xero

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Overall, I feel like QBO offers better options and even thought the price is higher, the software is better.

Pros

I like QuickBooks reporting, which is very customisable and their responsiveness and desire to know the needs of their clients.

Cons

From time to time problems with VAT reconciliation.

Alternatives Considered

Sage 50cloud Accounting and Xero

Reasons for Choosing QuickBooks Online Advanced

Wave was not good enough for us, we needed more control of the data, more reports

Switched From

Wave

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

QuickBooks offered good discount for our clients, helped with onboarding and offered lots of help with regards to marketing.

Pros

QBO is an easy to use intuitive accounting software package with generally reliable online access. It has the basic accounting features that you would expect for a small business, but lacks the detailed features necessary for a bundled product business (one where your product is composed of Bill of Materials and you need to track the details on the sub components - think of gift baskets with 10 items in it, and the basket has a single SKU.) QBO has been improving in many ways and priority circle is a welcome addition to getting support.

Cons

The Reporting is really poor, you cannot simply build a report using any fields there are significant limitations of what fields you can include in a report. For instance you cannot write a report with customer and invoice information in it. IE. What customers have bought what products and when - this can't be done you need to export all the data and then do your own intersection to answer that question.

There is really limited inventory tracking - as long as you stock and sell individual wigets your are ok, but if you sell bundles you are screwed. We have to do all inventory tracking outside of QBO because it is so lacking.

You can't not do line item discounts.

You cannot have negative product line items ( like volume discounts or returns, etc.)

There are so many basic features in QBO Desktop that are totally lacking in the online version.

Pros

There are so many tutorial videos on the QuickBooks YouTube channel which makes training yourself in Office / Business Management is not very difficult! During my first few months as Office Manager at our small business, we used QB Desktop; I prefer the updated look that the Online version has compared to the Desktop App version.

Cons

When switching from Desktop App to Online Advanced, there were some features we lost. I used Sales Orders as the initial auto / marine mechanic work order form so as to let my technicians know what vehicle/boat needed what work. I am not very upset about losing this feature because we ended up subscribing to ARI software to create our work orders (as well as keep saved vehicle / marine information saved with specific customers). I also would prefer that QB Online had customization abilities.

Pros

What I like most about using QBO Advanced is how user friendly and simplistic it is to use. We transitioned our entire financial management system and for the most part it was relatively smooth.

Cons

There were many obstacles to overcome in the transition to QBO Advanced. It mainly involve how to find work around solutions for areas not offered in QBO Advanced such as specifically detailed inventory management and also fixed assets. The inventory process in QBO is clunky and too simplistic for our company, BUT since QBO is so easy to use we have customized processes to make it work for us.

Alternatives Considered

QuickBooks Enterprise

Reasons for Choosing QuickBooks Online Advanced

We made the switch at the behest of our former accountants.

Switched From

Sage 100

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Our former account didn't inform us of possibly a more suitable program. QBO Advanced was easiest for them.

Pros

The best feature is easily the sales tracking. It's easy to create quotes, turn them into sales orders, and then onto invoices. The process is easily linkable with many POS and ecommerce solutions.

Cons

QBO lacks some of the most robust reporting features that I'm used to. This is the biggest issue with the online software.

Alternatives Considered

QuickBooks Enterprise

Reasons for Choosing QuickBooks Online Advanced

We needed a program that would have 24/7 uptime and allowed for faster uploads/imports.

Switched From

Odoo

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Wanted the web-based application for easier availability, scalability, and extensibility.

Pros

Really is the only software most CPA's are familiar with. Pretty easy to use and leave is mind that it's always backed up in the cloud.

Cons

Still doesn't do a great job as CRM, so have to get third party software that communicates well with this one

Pros

I can better customise my spreadsheets and data compared to other services that offer similar products.

It just feels like I can adjust all of my information more using the online advanced and store my information and clients' information in multiple different ways.

Cons

The pricing, being monthly seems slightly more expensive compared to other services, however, you do get your money's worth for the extra support and extra channels of using QuickBooks.

Pros

QuickBooks Online Advanced has all the capabilities which allows me to save time and eradicate discrepancies by automating repetitive accounting tasks.

Cons

It was daunting to customize QBOA but the vendor offered free support the then when I was a new user.

Pros

I like the accessibility of finding what I need. The reports, the vendors and of course the chart of accounts.

Cons

I wouldn't say I like that I can not edit the rec reports on the same page

Pros

This software is so easy to use and makes training a breeze. A ton of the functionality makes everything more efficient and intuitive. The reporting is awesome and easy to create your own custom reports.

Cons

You cannot have multiple tabs open and you cannot easily create consolidated financials to include multiple instances.

Alternatives Considered

QuickBooks Enterprise

Reasons for Choosing QuickBooks Online Advanced

It was too expensive and our organizational structure changed. We no longer saw the benefit for an expensive system with features we never used. The final straw was the fact NetSuite did not support 1099 preparation!

Switched From

NetSuite

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

We wanted a cloud based system since we utilize multiple instances. It made it easier to switch back and forth between companies.

Pros

Everything is very clean, and easy to navigate. The general features of the software are user friendly to all levels of accounting. If you have never used an accounting software before QBO makes it very accessible to find important and valuable information about your finances with relative ease.

Cons

The more in depth features do take a little time to navigate. There are also a lack to "advance" features for some of the functions but it overall fits the bill. There is nothing that is missing that is an absolute need for business function- just more of a "would be nice".

Alternatives Considered

Xero

Reasons for Choosing QuickBooks Online Advanced

Enjoyed the interface better. The template is much easier to navigate and I find the accounting features to make much more sense to me personally.

Switched From

FreshBooks

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Used the other product briefly and made the final decision for QBO after not being able to get in contact with the other company's customer service for multiple days to resolve any issues.

Pros

I have been thoroughly impressed with QuickBooks Online Advanced. The platform is incredibly intuitive and provides an array of tools and features that make it easy to manage finances. The accounting and invoicing processes are efficient and user-friendly, and the reporting capabilities are comprehensive and accurate.

Cons

One of the drawbacks of QuickBooks Online Advanced is the cost of the subscription. While the features are worth the investment, the cost can be steep for small businesses with limited budgets. Additionally, the platform can be complicated to navigate for those with limited accounting experience.

Pros

We love that QuickBooks provides an online option that is easily accessible for all of our virtual employees and financial advisers. It has been a breeze to use compared with our old system (Abilla MIP). In today's digital age, we don't often need all the complexity - just the natural, simple, and efficient financial management systems.

Cons

The only thing we haven't liked is that our transition from MIP had to be done manually.

Alternatives Considered

MIP Fund Accounting

Reasons for Choosing QuickBooks Online Advanced

Abila was archaic and our installation was no longer supported. For our organization, even moving to MIP online would have been overkill and costly.

Switched From

MIP Fund Accounting, NetSuite, Xola, Basecamp, FF Inventory, SAP Concur and Wave

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Most efficient use of time and money with all the features we needed.

Pros

It is very easy to use and does not require an enormous amount of training. I especially like being able to integrate directly into our electronic data interchange system as well as our bank. QuickBooks online advanced really brings all of the useful features together to create a platform that helps our business run smoothly.

Cons

Although the help section is very thorough, it is not as easy to navigate. I wish there was an easier way. The graphic user interface could also use a little bit of improvement in terms of placing of features to make them more intuitive.

Alternatives Considered

FreshBooks

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

QuickBooks online advanced had significantly more features and more visibility into our business.

Pros

This product optimized our invoicing, inventory, client information and more into one location which saved on price and saves a lot of time.

Cons

I do not love the price per user and would like to see a group discount or something.

Alternatives Considered

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Because Quickbooks has been around for a long time and a trusted name. I made the final choice because I found. Quickbooks kb with updates on what they are doing to keep everyone’s info secure.

Pros

The product is user friendly. It is easy to navigate and find all the features. The tech support are always friendly, fast and always help with any questions I have had.

Cons

There are many features that we do not use, but I'm sure would be helpful to other companies.

Alternatives Considered

QuickBooks Online

Reasons for Choosing QuickBooks Online Advanced

Needed QuickBooks Online for our new company system and chose Advanced to get the most out of the product.

Switched From

QuickBooks Enterprise

Pros

I love how it is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy for me to manage my finances without having an extensive background in accounting. Also, I can access my financial information from anywhere, at any time, as long as there is an internet connection.

Cons

There is nothing I liked least about QBOA.

Alternatives Considered

FreshBooks

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Because Quickbooks Online Advance offers a wide range of features, including invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting, allowing me to manage all aspects of my company's finances in one place.

Pros

Online accessibility - can work anywhere with an internet connection. Linking to bank and credit card accounts is handy. Linking to Bill.com and Expensify are also easy.

Cons

As a controller and an accountant consultant on the side, I would recommend the online version to small businesses with fewer than 5-10 employees and revenues under $1 million that have very few transactions. For companies that have multiple approval layers and AP invoices, you would need an add on app like Bill.com to handle. We use Expensify and Bill.com to handle expense reporting and AP. QuickBooks Enterprise edition would be a better fit for companies with more than a million in sales and more than 10 employees, but costs can add up on that platform.
-Approval levels are very broad. If I want to allow someone to add classes, I have to give them access to banking and reports that are only for partners to see. Further a la carte customization for permissions would certainly be handy.
-Speed - even with high speed internet, processing multiple AP invoices is very slow compared to the desktop counterpart.
-Accounting integration - when allowing accountants access to the company file, downloading the GL needs to go to excel. If the GL is large, it may exceed the line limit for Excel.
-Some reports are unable to use the custom fields. This creates problems when the custom fields are critical. in our case, we can't run a report of payments received that includes project numbers. In order to get that report, I need to use Zapier to extract payments as they come in and send them to a google sheet. So the only listing I have for payments listed with our custom fields is in Google sheets!

Pros

Ah , this product is a life savior, previously i was using a Fox pro base customized accounting software which was a big headache. this product is bug free and provided smooth book keeping experience. The best thing about this software is its user friendliness, which is in my opinion far better than any other software available .

Cons

what i don't like about this software is it limitation to customization, you can not change this according to your specific needs. some times times you need to customize your processes and functions to fit in to QuickBooks advance. Secondly, this is for the small to mid size organizations not for big and multinational entities. For me i had difficulty in setting up project accounting because of less options are available. it is also to note that there is no automated procedure for fixed assets capitalization like other ERPs

Alternatives Considered

Sage 300cloud

Pros

It is easy to enter information into Quickbooks and find it later.
Reports are great! I can always find the infromation I need in a ready report, and love that I can click within a report to access more detailed infromation.

Cons

As a non-profit, it can get a little complicated when tracking restricted revenues and their related expenses.
Year end reporting for fulfilling the 990 is not easy when working around the chart of accounts as it us set up in QBO - some account categories don't match up with the way nonprofits track them.

Pros

I use QBO daily. I appreciate this as our main payroll and accounting system. Quickbooks easily integrates with our third-party websites and needs; eg. credit card processing, Paypal, as well as our donor base as we are a 501c3 non profit. I did not have a background in accounting or business management. Quickbooks Online made it very easy to learn how this function works. QBO Customer service always goes above and beyond assisting any needs. Minimal downtime and errors with this software. Very Happy.

Cons

Over the years QBO has made many advancements and received customer feedback for a quicker, simpler way to run and access reports. I do not have any issues using this software.

Alternatives Considered

ProNavigator

Pros

QBO Advanced is designed to be an all-in-one finance & accounting solution. There are larger-scale ERPs out there, e.g. Oracle, ION, but Intuit definitely has the market cornered on out-of-the-box F&A software. Because Intuit has so many components available, the software is also modular to a certain degree & admins can turn on/off features as needed.

Cons

Intuit does not play nice with 3rd party integrations. There IS a developer portal if you're technical enough to do API work, but we've found software add-ons like Zapier are often necessary to build task automation into the manual steps of many QBO processes (which you will need if your organization works at scale & does not have a large accounting team).

Pros

Quickbooks has great learning tools and resources to acquire knowledge on how to use their platform. It can take some time getting used to everything (as it does with any system), but once you get the hang of it, it is generally pretty easy to navigate and set things up.

Cons

Their customer service is usually pretty helpful for the technical pieces but we had some issues with our billing and they were a complete mess to work with. I guess as long as you are paying your bill, that's all they care about and don't want to waste their time figuring out billing issues. Also, there are a few limitations in a some of their reports that don't seem to make sense and even stumped some of the customer service agents that I had talked to.

Alternatives Considered

Sage Intacct and NetSuite

Reasons for Switching to QuickBooks Online Advanced

Price

Pros

QuickBooks for nonprofits can handle small nonprofits and large ones as well. The system is easy to use and QuickBooks has a ton of guides and videos to help begins with just about anything. Truly accounting made easy, not to mention the dozens of app integrations available.

Cons

My only complaint is when calling customer service, I have been helped by representatives who know less than I do about their program. I just hand up and call again to talk to someone else.