According to a recent announcement from Intuit, significant changes are on the way to the accounting world. Effective July 31, 2024, QuickBooks Desktop is issuing a discontinuation of new U.S. subscriptions for certain products. In this article, we’ll guide you through this transition by providing clarity on the move, exploring its significance, and offering alternatives.
Who Will be Affected?
Businesses will not be able to purchase these QuickBooks products after July 31, 2024:
- QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus
- QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus
- QuickBooks Desktop Mac Plus
- QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll
Current customers of these products, and those who purchase them before the cutoff date, will be able to renew their subscriptions past the date as well as receive necessary support and updates.
Meanwhile, QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise along with Desktop Accounting and ProAdvisor Bundles will continue to be sold and will see no changes.
What Does this Mean?
This move by Intuit is in line with broader industry shifts that prioritize true cloud-native solutions over locally installed accounting software. While support will continue for current subscribers on these QuickBooks Desktop products, the cessation of new subscriptions reflects a market strategy that virtually all publishers of on-premise applications are gradually adopting to convince customers to migrate away from legacy systems.
Ever since launching QuickBooks Online (QBO) in 2001, Intuit has progressively shifted its focus to SaaS products. This step not only encourages organizations to move towards cloud-native accounting solutions, but also opens the door for migrations towards a more comprehensive – and secure – technology stack.
What Should I Do?
QuickBooks Desktop users who want to get ahead of the inevitable push towards QBO have several options:
- Start looking into migrate to QuickBooks Online
- Migrate to a lateral off-the-shelf accounting software, such as Sage 50
- Migrate to a smaller Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution such as Sage 100
- Migrate to a true ERP to grow into, such as Acumatica or Sage Intacct
Below is a more in-depth look at the differences between these choices:
QuickBooks Desktop Alternatives with Growth in Mind (ERP)
Maintaining the importance of financial management and reporting, ERP offers extendable and customizable role-driven functionality. With the help of this software, which functions as a centralized database, users may create an ecosystem of applications that work together seamlessly to transfer data across different parts of their organization with little effort.
Sage Intacct – Focused on scalability, customization, and improved financial controls, Sage Intacct emerges as a smart option for businesses looking to improve their financial management skills and successfully handle the demands of a changing corporate environment. Sage Intacct offers multi-dimensional accounting, sophisticated reporting, and seamless integration capabilities to meet the demands of growing businesses. Read more about Sage Intacct here.
- Sage Intacct also specializes in Industry Specific offerings, including Construction, Manufacturing, and Distribution.
Sage 100 Hosted – Sage 100 is a core accounting program with extensive capabilities and integrations that can be hosted in the cloud, while not being natively cloud-based. This is frequently a good choice for smaller companies. Users also have a choice of whether to adopt the cloud-connect Sage 100cloud for SaaS integration capabilities while remaining on-premise, or host their ERP in a private cloud through a certified Sage Partner. Read more about Sage 100 here, and more about hosting options here.
Immediate QuickBooks Desktop Alternatives
QuickBooks Online – In the past, the limited capabilities of QuickBooks Online were easily sidestepped by just hosting QuickBooks Desktop with a cloud service provider (CSP). However, with the discontinuation of these products, choices are limited. The highest QBO plan only allows for 25 users vs. the 40 allowed in Desktop. Some other downsides include migration issues, the lack of online support without a provider, streaming optimization at the mercy of Intuit servers, and more.
Sage 50 – While offering a user-friendly and modern interface, Sage 50 (formerly Peachtree) takes accounting software to the cloud while offering integration with Microsoft 365 apps, insights into sales orders, and even inventory. SMBs can have access to a simplified view of their financial flow, accounts payable and receivable, project expenses, and other information. Read more about Sage 50cloud here.
What Options are Best for You?
Making the switch to another pure accounting software, like QuickBooks Online, may eventually limit the capabilities and scaling of your business. Moving to another accounting software like Sage 50 can enable you to add more components and integrations, resulting in a more centralized setup. However, switching to a cloud-native ERP can allow your company to grow without worrying about maxing out your desktop bookkeeping system. Solutions such as Sage 100 or Sage Intacct can allow you to have one centralized tech stack, while leveling up your accounting program.
Work Through Your QuickBooks Options with SWK
The SWK team will help you determine if staying on QuickBooks Desktop is the right move for your business, or if the time is approaching when it will make more sense – and save on your ROI – to migrate to another solution that your organization can grow with. Reach out to us today and uncover the best option for your business future.
Contact SWK here to get in touch with our experts and learn more about your options for accounting software beyond QuickBooks Desktop.