Xero vs QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

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Our analysts compared Xero vs QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Accounting Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Software Tool

Product Basics

Xero is a cloud-based accounting software designed for small businesses. It streamlines bookkeeping tasks like invoicing, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and payroll, all accessible from any device. Xero boasts user-friendly interfaces and automated features, saving time and simplifying financial management. Popular features include online invoicing with reminders, bank feeds for automatic transaction import, and customizable reports for insights into cash flow and profitability. While Xero caters well to various industries, its strengths lie in freelancer/contractor work, startups, and service-based businesses. Pricing scales with business size and complexity, starting at a monthly subscription for basic accounting needs and increasing with additional features and users. Compared to some competitors, Xero offers a robust mobile app, strong integrations with third-party tools, and a focus on user experience. However, it may lack advanced inventory management or complex accounting functions suited for larger enterprises. Ultimately, Xero's value proposition lies in its ease of use, automation, and scalability, making it a popular choice for small businesses seeking a streamlined and efficient accounting solution.

Pros:
  • Cloud-based access anywhere
  • Easy invoicing and expense tracking
  • Automated bank reconciliation
  • User-friendly interface
  • Mobile app for on-the-go use
Cons:
  • Learning curve for new users
  • Limited inventory management
  • No built-in payroll (separate fee)
  • Higher cost for advanced features
  • Limited phone support
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QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is a comprehensive software solution designed to manage complex accounting tasks, including payroll, inventory, and financial reporting. It is particularly well-suited for medium to large-sized businesses across various industries such as manufacturing, retail, and construction, due to its robust features and scalability. The software offers unique benefits like advanced inventory tracking, customizable reporting, and enhanced user permissions, making it a powerful tool for businesses with intricate financial needs.

Users appreciate its ability to handle large data files and multiple users simultaneously, which sets it apart from similar products. The software's advanced features, such as job costing and field service management, provide significant value to businesses requiring detailed financial oversight. Pricing for QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise varies based on the number of users and specific needs, typically involving an annual subscription model. For precise pricing details, it is recommended to contact SelectHub for a tailored quote.

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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Affordable Payroll: Take advantage of the free trial to see how much time automated data entry can save and assess if the solution is a good fit for the business. Save countless hours on tracking expenses, calculating payments, processing payroll and more.
  • Better Interoperability: Centralize company processes and handle a wide range of functionality with more than 700 add-ons available through the app marketplace. This includes programs for CRM, e-commerce, inventory, invoicing, job tracking, payroll, time and attendance and more.
  • Centralizes Data and Processes: Organize information and put the primary software that handles day-to-day issues all in one place. Manage files to a document library where users can see originals next to updated versions. Send files to stakeholders to ensure a clear flow of information.
  • Saves Time: Eliminate tedious data entry and ensure better data integrity by cutting down on human error. Provide a clear documentation trail to ensure that the business is running ethically and save time hunting for documents when it’s time to verify the information.
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  • Enhanced Reporting: Generate detailed financial reports with customizable templates, providing deeper insights into your business performance.
  • Advanced Inventory Management: Track inventory across multiple locations and manage stock levels efficiently to reduce carrying costs and avoid stockouts.
  • Robust Security: Implement user permissions and roles to control access to sensitive financial data, ensuring compliance and data integrity.
  • Scalability: Accommodate up to 40 simultaneous users, making it suitable for growing businesses with expanding teams.
  • Comprehensive Payroll Management: Automate payroll processing, tax calculations, and compliance reporting to save time and reduce errors.
  • Customizable User Interface: Tailor the dashboard and navigation to fit your workflow, enhancing productivity and user experience.
  • Industry-Specific Solutions: Utilize specialized features designed for industries like manufacturing, wholesale, and nonprofit, ensuring relevant functionality.
  • Seamless Integration: Connect with third-party applications and services to streamline operations and enhance functionality.
  • Efficient Job Costing: Track project expenses and profitability with precision, aiding in better budgeting and financial planning.
  • Reliable Customer Support: Access dedicated support from QuickBooks experts to resolve issues quickly and keep your operations running smoothly.
  • Multi-Currency Support: Manage transactions in multiple currencies, making it easier to handle international business operations.
  • Batch Invoicing: Create and send multiple invoices simultaneously, saving time and reducing administrative workload.
  • Data Backup and Recovery: Protect your financial data with automatic backups and easy recovery options, minimizing the risk of data loss.
  • Comprehensive Audit Trail: Maintain a detailed log of all financial transactions and changes, ensuring transparency and accountability.
  • Flexible Payment Processing: Accept various payment methods, including credit cards and ACH transfers, to improve cash flow and customer convenience.
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  • Payroll Processing: Provide payroll across 50 states. See when payments are due, track them and ensure on time payment. Analyze accounts payable with a quick view, schedule advanced payments and make batch payments.
  • Banking: Connect to the right bank to track and facilitate transactions daily. Keep an eye on the flow of money through a secure connection that goes directly into the solution.
  • Expense Management: Seamlessly track and manage expense claims. Access real-time data and reports that provide insight into patterns and trends. Record costs, see and approve claims, view overall spending and dole out reimbursements. Capture receipts to monitor employee spending and verify costs.
  • Project Management: Integrate with other workflows to facilitate financial project management. Provide a quote for client work before you begin to track time, costs, profitability and other variables for an accurate invoice.
  • Customer History: Use smart lists and contacts to contact details, emails, past sales, emails, invoices, past payments and more when working with a partner or client.
  • Mobile App: Let users track bank transactions, send invoices, access supplier details and more, from any mobile device.
  • Inventory Management: Undertake basic inventory management, including taking inventory, seeing what was bought or sold, look at reports on how well items are doing and get invoices and orders.
  • Gusto Integration: Calculate and pay taxes, deductions and employees through an integration with the accounting software Gusto. Simplify compliance and keep on top of industry updates.
  • Other Capabilities: Processes payment in multiple currencies, calculates sales taxes, tracks purchase orders, manages files and does several other administrative tasks.
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  • User Permissions: Set up users quickly with 14 pre-set roles such as accountant, accounts payable and receivable, banking, finance, inventory and more with the user permissions tool. 
  • Inventory Management: Initiate automatic inventory and order management appliances with the advanced inventory attribute. It also has picking, packing and shipping assets to administer the full sales order fulfillment process from beginning to end. 
  • Reporting: Work with more than 200 built-in adjustable report templates that cater to your industry. Users may also develop custom ad hoc reports for particular business requirements. 
  • Time Tracking: Guarantee that assignments are done on time and under budget with the TSheets elite function in the time tracking apparatus. Users may record time on any mobile device, compare estimated to actual hours, distribute jobs and follow a task's progress. This tool also enables users and patrons to sign off on projects and timesheets with the digital signature capture extension on the mobile app. 
  • Connect with Salesforce CRM: Leverage the Salesforce CRM connector integration to sync QuickBooks data right into Salesforce to reduce duplicate entries. This component provides users with a single source of information between the sales and support department, improving how users help their clients, produce prompt sales orders and invoices and obtain a more transparent snapshot of the sales pipeline. 
  • Field Service Management: Gain more insight on financial and field service data, including real-time updates, effective job scheduling and immediate invoicing. Users may also utilize GPS and mapping with Google Maps to monitor workers and manage client sites, receive a clear view of tasks complete, electronic work orders and more. 
  • Job Costing: Distribute all associated costs to projects as they accumulate with the job costing appliance. Users also obtain real-time project information to take the necessary actions if expenses are cutting into profits. This appliance even allows users to evaluate the difference between proposed expenditures and actual fees to make improved budgets in the future. 
  • Advanced Reporting: Create custom reports with ease using the built-in report builder, which allows for deep data analysis and tailored insights.
  • Enhanced Payroll Services: Handle complex payroll needs, including direct deposits, tax calculations, and compliance with federal and state regulations.
  • Role-Based User Permissions: Assign specific access levels to different users, ensuring that sensitive financial information is only accessible to authorized personnel.
  • Multi-User Mode: Allow multiple users to work on the same company file simultaneously, improving collaboration and efficiency within your team.
  • Job Costing: Track expenses and revenues for individual projects, providing detailed insights into job profitability and helping to manage project budgets effectively.
  • Advanced Pricing: Set up custom pricing rules and discounts based on customer, item, or date, allowing for flexible and dynamic pricing strategies.
  • Batch Invoicing: Create and send multiple invoices at once, saving time and reducing the administrative burden of billing.
  • Field Service Management: Integrate with third-party applications to manage field service operations, including scheduling, dispatching, and invoicing for service calls.
  • Customizable Dashboards: Design personalized dashboards to monitor key performance indicators and financial metrics at a glance.
  • Data Backup and Recovery: Protect your financial data with automatic backups and easy recovery options, ensuring business continuity in case of data loss.
  • Industry-Specific Editions: Choose from editions tailored to specific industries such as manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and nonprofit, each with specialized features and reports.
  • Mobile Inventory Barcode Scanning: Use mobile devices to scan barcodes for inventory management, streamlining the process of tracking and updating stock levels.
  • Vendor Management: Manage vendor relationships with tools for tracking purchase orders, bills, and payments, as well as setting up vendor-specific terms and conditions.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Integration: Integrate with popular CRM systems to synchronize customer data and improve sales and service processes.
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Product Ranking

#3

among all
Accounting Software

#259

among all
Accounting Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
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Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Banking And Cash Management Budget And Expense Management Financial Statements And Revenue Management General Ledger And Chart Of Accounts Integration And Extensibility Inventory Management Journal Entries Mobile Support Multi-company Accounting And Asset Management Platform Capabilities Project Accounting Reporting And Analytics Tax Management 93 97 100 89 89 100 100 83 100 100 79 89 100 90 92 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 4652 reviews
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86%
of users recommend this product

Xero has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 86% when considering 4652 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

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Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Xero and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Integration and Extensibility and Mobile Support.

Integration and Extensibility Award
Mobile Support Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Affordable: Of all the reviews that mentioned price, over 70% felt it was well within their price range and felt satisfied.
Good Customer Service: Over 70% of reviews that mentioned the customer support said they received excellent service, especially from their reps.
Excellent Functionality: In more than 50% of all reviews that mentioned features, users were happy with its capabilities. They especially like the integrations, reconciliation process, invoices and accounting functions.
Simple and intuitive interface: Xero's clean layout and straightforward navigation make it easy for users of all skill levels to manage their finances. In over 80% of reviews that mentioned the UI, users said it was easy to navigate.
Automated tasks: Xero automates repetitive tasks like invoicing, expense tracking, and bank reconciliation, saving users valuable time and reducing errors.
Mobile app for on-the-go access: Manage your finances and stay up-to-date on your business performance anytime, anywhere with Xero's mobile app.
Customizable reports and dashboards: Gain valuable insights into your cash flow, profitability, and other key financial metrics with Xero's customizable reports and dashboards.
Multi-user access and permissions: Collaborate with team members and advisors seamlessly with Xero's secure multi-user access and permission controls.
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User-Friendly Interface: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is celebrated for its intuitive design, which simplifies the process of setting up new companies and navigating its features.
Comprehensive Reporting: The software offers a wide array of reporting options, encompassing accounts payable, receivable, and payroll, providing businesses with a comprehensive financial overview.
Advanced Features: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise includes advanced tools such as inventory tracking, job costing, and customizable reports, catering to businesses with intricate operational needs.
Integration and Flexibility: The software seamlessly integrates with other systems and third-party applications, offering businesses the flexibility to connect their existing tools and workflows.
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Limited inventory management: Xero lacks advanced inventory tracking features, making it less suitable for businesses with complex inventory needs.
Learning curve for complex features: While basic tasks are easy, some advanced features like multi-currency accounting can be challenging for non-accountants to navigate. Though the system was widely popular after implementation, users said it was old-fashioned and had a steep learning curve in 20% of reviews that mentioned the UI.
Higher cost for advanced features: Access to advanced features like payroll processing and multi-currency comes at a higher price point, potentially exceeding budgets for smaller businesses.
Limited phone support: Xero primarily relies on email and live chat for support, which may not be ideal for users seeking immediate assistance with critical issues.
Integration limitations: While offering many integrations, some key business tools may not have seamless integration with Xero, requiring workarounds or data duplication.
Invoices: While around 60% of users felt that the invoicing system worked well, around 40% said they had trouble making changes to them once they were saved.
Downgrading Issues: Around 20% of reviews that mentioned price said they had issues while trying to go to a lower pricing tier and often ended up paying a month or more at a higher rate.
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Price: The recurring subscription fees, especially when factoring in potential costs for cloud storage and additional user licenses, can strain budgetary constraints for some businesses.
Complexity: Navigating the software's extensive features can pose a challenge for some users, particularly those transitioning from simpler accounting solutions or lacking prior experience with similar software.
Compatibility: The software's exclusive compatibility with the Windows operating system may present a significant obstacle for businesses utilizing alternative operating systems, potentially necessitating a costly transition to ensure compatibility.
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Xero’s users say it’s easy to use and has good accounting and bookkeeping capabilities. Most found the price to be acceptable, with some complaints about issues they ran into while trying to switch to a lower pricing tier. More than 70% loved the customer service and felt their representatives were extremely helpful. It has a range of features including band feeds, invoice creation, integrations and reconciliation processes. The reconciliation was particularly popular with over 80% of reviewers who mentioned it describing positive experiences. One issue with the system came in making updates to invoices after they’d been saved. Some users said they were sent prematurely to clients or claimed to have difficulties changing the data at a later date. Many also felt that the implementation process for the new platform was difficult, but that once they learned where things were they felt comfortable. This may be a good choice for small and medium businesses. Larger companies should consider a system that’s able to handle a higher volume.

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Is QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise a quick book to success for businesses, or does it leave users feeling like they're drowning in a sea of red ink? User reviews from the past year paint a somewhat mixed picture of this popular accounting software. While many appreciate its user-friendly interface and comprehensive reporting features, some find the cost prohibitive and the software overly complex. Users consistently highlight the intuitive design as a major strength, praising its ease of navigation and setup. The robust reporting capabilities, including detailed accounts payable, receivable, and payroll reports, are also frequently commended. Many users find these features a significant upgrade from their previous accounting solutions, allowing for better financial oversight and decision-making. However, the high cost of the software, particularly the annual subscription fee and additional charges for cloud hosting and extra users, is a recurring concern. Some users feel that the price tag, while justifiable for larger businesses, might be too steep for smaller enterprises with limited budgets. Another point of contention is the software's complexity. While some users find it relatively straightforward, others report a steep learning curve, particularly those unfamiliar with accounting software. The platform limitation to Windows is also a drawback for some, restricting its accessibility for businesses using other operating systems. Overall, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise seems best suited for medium to large businesses with dedicated accounting personnel who can fully utilize its advanced features and justify the investment. Smaller businesses or those with limited technical expertise might find more value in simpler, more affordable accounting solutions.

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