Quickbooks subscription only option now?

Mar 3rd, 2022 4:29 pm

#1

lehmanr [OP]: Sr. Member; Jul 2, 2013; 792 posts; 216 upvotes; Aurora

Mar 3rd, 2022 4:29 pm

Quickbooks subscription only option now?

I have been using an excel spreadsheet to track profit and loss and its getting tedious as the business grows. I don't have any employees and my accountant says I should start learning QB.
Is subscription the only way to use QB now?

Mar 3rd, 2022 10:04 pm

#2

Tiberious: Member; Jun 23, 2010; 361 posts; 141 upvotes

Mar 3rd, 2022 10:04 pm

There is a desktop version as well but the upfront cost is a lot more than an annual subscription

Tiberious

Your friendly Ontario neighbourhood accounting firm owner and business professional (MBA, CPA, CFA)

Mar 4th, 2022 2:15 am

#3

someone16: Deal Addict; Jul 19, 2004; 1504 posts; 833 upvotes; Vancouver

Mar 4th, 2022 2:15 am

Quickbooks 2021 desktop is the last version where you can buy it standalone without a subscription. It's $354.99 right now at Staples, $329.99 at Costco.

Mar 4th, 2022 10:08 am

#4

Scote64: Deal Fanatic; Jan 21, 2018; 8082 posts; 8838 upvotes; Vancouver

Mar 4th, 2022 10:08 am

Traditionally you could buy QB desktop version for about $130-$180 when it went on sale, and you only had to update it once every 5 years, so it was way cheaper than subscription. I'm not surprised if QB has dropped that option, as subscription-only has been their clear direction in recent years.

+1

Mar 4th, 2022 10:38 am

#5

Tiberious: Member; Jun 23, 2010; 361 posts; 141 upvotes

Mar 4th, 2022 10:38 am

Scote64 wrote: ↑ Traditionally you could buy QB desktop version for about $130-$180 when it went on sale, and you only had to update it once every 5 years, so it was way cheaper than subscription. I'm not surprised if QB has dropped that option, as subscription-only has been their clear direction in recent years.

That and raising their subscription prices by over 100% over the past 4 years...

Tiberious

Your friendly Ontario neighbourhood accounting firm owner and business professional (MBA, CPA, CFA)

+1

Mar 4th, 2022 5:16 pm

#6

MrR4ven: Newbie; Jul 15, 2018; 89 posts; 65 upvotes

Mar 4th, 2022 5:16 pm

try Waveapps

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Mar 4th, 2022 5:20 pm

#7

ThiruIO: Member; Apr 19, 2014; 274 posts; 257 upvotes; Toronto, ON

Mar 4th, 2022 5:20 pm

Most software companies are going the way of SAAS (software as a service), it's an inevitable trend.

+1

Mar 5th, 2022 11:10 pm

#8

waloshin: Deal Addict; Dec 6, 2012; 1749 posts; 895 upvotes; Regina

Mar 5th, 2022 11:10 pm

Seriously if the business is growing just pay it!

Looking to buy Epson HT2150ST

Mar 10th, 2022 12:30 am

#9

MrR4ven: Newbie; Jul 15, 2018; 89 posts; 65 upvotes

Mar 10th, 2022 12:30 am

So buy Quickbooks 2021.
if you open 2015, and compare 2021. you could not feel the big difference. it is not worth to keep update.
Do not watse the money.
you could use waveapps, or find out an old computer run erpnext, or akaunting if you want to cut cost.

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Mar 11th, 2022 9:01 pm

#10

dr_torch: Deal Addict; Mar 3, 2009; 1765 posts; 1077 upvotes; Ottawa, ON

Mar 11th, 2022 9:01 pm

MrR4ven wrote: ↑ So buy Quickbooks 2021.
if you open 2015, and compare 2021. you could not feel the big difference. it is not worth to keep update.
Do not watse the money.
you could use waveapps, or find out an old computer run erpnext, or akaunting if you want to cut cost.

On this note, is there any reason to ever upgrade? I'm running 2017 I think and it's just fine. What advantage is there to getting 2021?

I don't want the cloud solution simply because I don't want me corporate data hosted on their servers. It's perfectly fine in my office.

Mar 11th, 2022 11:49 pm

#11

MrR4ven: Newbie; Jul 15, 2018; 89 posts; 65 upvotes

Mar 11th, 2022 11:49 pm

if you have 2017, then it is good enough, keep it.

signature removed for self promotion

Mar 14th, 2022 5:13 am

#12

bargainhunter99: Member; Oct 8, 2010; 212 posts; 53 upvotes

Mar 14th, 2022 5:13 am

Just recently downloaded 2021 trial to compare 2018 and I'm shocked at how little the improvements are.

The most basic thing such as the calendar control does not have a quick shortcut to select "today" You have to manually select the date after entering previous old transactions.

There is no real cool "wow" feature that is blowing me away.

If you are new to QB I would suggest go with online because you will have more integration options with 3rd party apps if you need those for your business.

Mar 14th, 2022 2:12 pm

#13

Tiberious: Member; Jun 23, 2010; 361 posts; 141 upvotes

Mar 14th, 2022 2:12 pm

Not a surprise given that QB is not investing as heavily on desktop as they are on QB Online.

Yes, a lot more 3rd party apps and integrations are available for QBO but the annual subscription price increases over the past few years are insane

Tiberious

Your friendly Ontario neighbourhood accounting firm owner and business professional (MBA, CPA, CFA)