My partner and I own a small company. He keeps the books in QuickBooks 2009. Now he's retiring, so I have to start keeping the books myself. I figure the transition is a good time to upgrade our software, so I've been looking around and it seems like everything has gone online. QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and almost everything else I could find are now online and subscription-based.
My question is... why? From my perspective, I see absolutely no advantage to online accounting software, and I can see a couple of big disadvantages (compromised security and the need for constant internet service). Furthermore, the subscription pricing makes these online options far more expensive than the traditional versions were, and you don't seem to get anything for the extra cost.
What am I missing? If you're using the online version of QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or something else, can you explain to me why you prefer an online accounting program to a desktop version?
In my research, I did discover that QuickBooks still makes a desktop version of its software. It is called QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2019, and it sounds terrible. (I heard that it actually shows ads while you use it.) Unless a better option emerges, I'm planning to either stick with QuickBooks 2009 or switch over to GnuCash. But I am sincerely interested in why these online versions are taking over, and I'd appreciate any feedback you guys can give me.
-TC
My question is... why? From my perspective, I see absolutely no advantage to online accounting software, and I can see a couple of big disadvantages (compromised security and the need for constant internet service). Furthermore, the subscription pricing makes these online options far more expensive than the traditional versions were, and you don't seem to get anything for the extra cost.
What am I missing? If you're using the online version of QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or something else, can you explain to me why you prefer an online accounting program to a desktop version?
In my research, I did discover that QuickBooks still makes a desktop version of its software. It is called QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2019, and it sounds terrible. (I heard that it actually shows ads while you use it.) Unless a better option emerges, I'm planning to either stick with QuickBooks 2009 or switch over to GnuCash. But I am sincerely interested in why these online versions are taking over, and I'd appreciate any feedback you guys can give me.
-TC