QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is developed by Intuit, a leading financial software company founded in 1983, headquartered in Mountain View, California. Intuit’s mission is to power prosperity worldwide by creating innovative solutions for small businesses, self-employed individuals, and accounting professionals. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is their flagship on-premises accounting software, designed for growing businesses needing robust tools beyond basic QuickBooks versions.
Key Details About QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise:
- Purpose: Tailored for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in industries like construction, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and nonprofits, it offers advanced accounting, inventory management, reporting, and payroll features. It’s positioned as a cost-effective alternative to comprehensive ERP systems like NetSuite or SAP.
- Features:
- Supports up to 40 simultaneous users with customizable permissions.
- Handles up to 1 million customers, vendors, and inventory items, with 100,000 classes and 45 custom fields.
- Includes 200+ customizable reports and industry-specific editions (e.g., Contractor, Manufacturing & Wholesale).
- Advanced inventory tools for tracking across multiple warehouses, down to specific bins or pallets.
- Integrates with QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll, payments, and over 200 third-party apps (e.g., Salesforce, PayPal).
- Offers cloud access via Rightworks for remote collaboration, with automatic backups.
- Subscriptions: Available in Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond tiers, with features scaling by plan. Diamond includes time tracking and is sold for 1-40 users. Pricing varies; for details, visit quickbooks.intuit.com.
- Support: Includes Priority Circle with 24/7 premium support, on-demand training, and U.S.-based experts.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s ideal for businesses that:
- Are outgrowing QuickBooks Pro or Premier and need more flexibility.
- Require tracking for large lists (customers, vendors, inventory).
- Have multiple locations or complex inventory workflows.
- Need advanced reporting, user controls, or pricing automation.
- Want a cost-effective alternative to ERP systems like NetSuite or SAP.
Enterprise offers more capacity (6x the list size of Pro/Premier), advanced features like Advanced Inventory, Advanced Pricing, and 200+ customizable reports. Unlike QuickBooks Online, it’s on-premises (with optional cloud access via Rightworks), requiring installation on Windows. It’s suited for larger, more complex businesses, while Pro/Premier targets smaller firms, and Online emphasizes cloud-based flexibility.
Yes, if the software exports to spreadsheets or text files, you can import lists (customers, vendors, items), budgets, and transactions into QuickBooks Enterprise. Non-QuickBooks users may need manual entry for some data, as direct conversion (e.g., from Sage 50) isn’t always supported. Always back up data before importing.
Yes, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Accountant edition allows accountants to review client data, run reports, and perform tasks. Clients can share files easily, and accountants get discounts and tools via the ProAdvisor program.
Enterprise is optimized for multi-user environments, supporting up to 40 users via a client-server network. It can be hosted on a single server (Windows or Linux) for LAN/WAN access, reducing the need to install on each user’s PC. Version 16.0 offers 40% faster reports and 60% faster searches, though performance varies by system, file size, and user count.
Unlike QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, and Enhanced Payroll, Enterprise is not part of the July 31, 2024, stop-sell for new users. However, Intuit has not confirmed a 2025 release, with QuickBooks Enterprise 2024 (R9 update) supported until May 2027. Check Intuit’s website for updates.
Upgrading is seamless. Export your company file from Pro/Premier, open it in Enterprise, and continue working. Back up your file first, as Enterprise files cannot revert to Pro/Premier.
Intuit’s support may not assist with conversions from unsupported software like Sage 50, leading to potential manual entry for large datasets. Third-party IT help may be needed, but verify compatibility before purchasing.