What's New for QuickBooks for Mac? Get 1-click access to what you use most. The new Left Hand Toolbar lets you create shortcuts so you can move around QuickBooks even faster than before. QuickBooks for Mac is an accounting software specifically designed for business owners who use Mac computers. You can purchase QuickBooks for Mac for a one-time fee of $299.99 and use it to track of all your business finances.
Mac users who want to (or have to) use have plenty of choices—we can run the Mac, Windows, or Web app version. One of those options probably pops out as an obvious choice, but as I recently discovered, the least-obvious solution is sometimes the best one. My wife and I are both professional writers. A few months ago, on the advice of our accountant, we reorganized our small business as a corporation.
We agreed to endure a considerable amount of extra paperwork in exchange for significant financial and legal benefits. Accountants love QuickBooks (even if authors don’t) Our accountant all but insisted that we use QuickBooks so that she could easily view and update our financial records. However, I don’t like that the Mac versions of both QuickBooks and Quicken have for years lagged behind the Windows versions, and I find that expensive annual updates rarely add crucial features. Recently, I also learned about the. Despite my misgivings, I agreed to use QuickBooks to keep my accountant happy. Initially, I assumed I’d buy the ( ), but when I read Macworld’s review, I discovered that the app’s data files aren’t cross-platform compatible. So if I wanted to share data with my Windows-using accountant, I’d have to back up my data in QuickBooks for Windows format and send her that file, which she could then “restore.” Once she finished with the file, she would send it back to me and I could reimport it.
But in the meantime I wouldn’t be able to make any changes to my company’s data, because unlike QuickBooks for Windows, QuickBooks for Mac has no way to merge an accountant’s changes into an existing file. Well, I thought, I’ll just buy the. After all, I have Windows 7 running on my Mac thanks to ( ). But before I clicked the Buy button, I saw the fine print about licensing, which changed my mind. The Mac and Windows versions of QuickBooks 2013 cost the same—$250—for a single-user license. But we would have two users—my wife and I would both need to work in QuickBooks, sometimes concurrently, on different computers.
Whether or not it would have been technologically feasible for us to share a license, I prefer to stick to the letter of the law. So we would have had to pay $500, not counting the cost of future upgrades. Outwitting file-format foibles online Then I noticed another option on the QuickBooks website:, which is essentially most of QuickBooks rolled into a Web app. We wouldn’t have to mess with Windows software, or with exporting and importing files, and our accountant could access our data over the Web, too. QuickBooks Online can perform nearly all the functions of the desktop version of QuickBooks, including producing a wide range of reports. Web apps typically offer less-convenient interfaces than desktop apps, but in this case, the cost won me over.
Pricing for QuickBooks Online ranges from $13 to $79 per month, depending on the features you need. I went with the $27-per-month QuickBooks Essentials plan, and my bookkeeper was able to get me a discounted rate of just over $20 per month for a year. This was the cheapest plan to allow multiple users at once.
So, for a year’s worth of service for three users, we’re paying less than half of what it would cost to get a two-user license for the Mac or Windows version. (And, although we haven’t yet had needed it, we can also access our account using ( ).) Although QuickBooks Online has all the features we need, it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing. It’s finicky in, my current browser of choice. For example, even after instructing Chrome to let the site open pop-up windows, most of those windows are far too small and have to be resized manually. Check printing works, but you can adjust only the overall alignment, not the location of individual form elements—some of which don’t line up correctly on our check stock. But on the whole, the online version has been fine.
Although it’s less pretty than the Web-based version, the iOS client for QuickBooks Online gives you a native interface for managing your business accounts. Sometimes the best Mac option isn’t a Mac app I find it incredible that in 2013 I have to even think about different platforms using different file formats. And I’m astonished that given three options—the native Mac app, the native Windows app, or the Web app—the Mac version of QuickBooks turned out to be the worst choice for my business.
But our books are in order and our accountant is content. And I’ve learned that sometimes the best tool for a Mac isn’t a Mac app at all.
QuickBooks for Mac is financial accounting solution from Intuit for small businesses and accounting professionals. The solution allows users to create professional invoices, track sales and expenses, and manage accounts payable. QuickBooks provides Mac-specific features. For example, users can embed a notification bar in Mac's menu bar, add reminders to iCalendar and sync contacts with their Mac OS address books.
Users can also share data with Windows-based users. QuickBooks for Mac's online version can be accessed on from anywhere and any device. The online version provides more features than the desktop version, such as automatic scheduling and invoice sending, advanced security and access for up to five users. QuickBooks for Mac also offers a mobile app for iOS.
An Assest to my Payroll QuickBooks Payroll helps me and my small business look and act more professional. Pros I like that this software provides me with a comprehensive and professional looking platform to keep track of my employees earnings. Once I spent some time playing around with it I found it very intuitive and it is my go-to for all things related to payroll. Cons It does take awhile to get used to using it since I just used to do everything with pen and paper before. It can be overwhelming in the beginning.
I've been using it for over 5 years and so far it's been good Overall, I haven't had too many problems. I had to deal with one missed quarterly filing but I think that was the EDD's fault since QB says that it was filed online but EDD says that it wasn't. Other than that, I've been happy. Pros It is relatively a cheap option vs hiring an accountant and I haven't gotten into any trouble with IRS so I'm guessing that it's calculations are correct. Cons Lack of easy customer support.
They really try to get you to solve your own problems with online stuff and no one to answer your questions. Highly Recommend Since implementing QuickBooks Payroll, our process has been streamlined which allowed our team to focus on other tasks which are value-add to the business.
Pros The support received during setup was outstanding. The whole process was very easy and all of our questions were answered.
Since implementing QuickBooks Payroll we have saved a lot of time and frustration. It's great to know that everything is taken care of automatically and our employees like the timeliness.
Cons I would like a feature to set up multiple employee groups which are on different pay schedules. Bookkeeping for non-accountants Pros I'm clueless when it comes to keeping our books and so the ease of use in QBO is really helpful. If I don't know what to do, I can find an article to tell me how or get someone from their tech staff on the phone to help. It's easy for accountants to log into our account too once we grant them access. I like the ease of processing payments, invoices, and receipts, as well as running reports on how we're doing. Quickbooks online a lot better than the offline version of the software. Cons Some features need some accounting knowledge, I will say.
Mainly if you don't know how to file a charge or something it doesn't tell you waht to do, but once you know (or learn from the CPA) the features are easy to use in the program.