What’s the Difference Between QuickBooks Pro vs. Premier?

QuickBooks Pro vs. Premier: These are 2 major versions of Intuit’s flagship accounting software. QuickBooks Pro features several industry-specific tools, while QuickBooks Premier caters to small and midsize businesses.

Let’s dive into the differences in more detail to ensure you’re getting the best value for your money.

QuickBooks Pro

This basic QuickBooks version features major accounting capabilities, such as: 

• Creating invoices
• Recording transactions
• Generating financial statements 
• Tracking daily expenses

QuickBooks Premier

QuickBooks Desktop Premier is more advanced, with multiple, industry-specific tools and reports for retail, manufacturing and wholesale industries, general contractors, professional service companies and nonprofit organizations.

• QuickBooks: The Various Desktop Versions

  In addition to QuickBooks Pro and Premier, there are other versions of QuickBooks Desktop products: 

  • QuickBooks Enterprise 
  • QuickBooks Accountant 

  It might be difficult to know which one is best for your business, so we’ll help you compare QuickBooks Desktop versions of Pro vs. Premier as well as the other options too.

QuickBooks Version Comparison Chart: Pro vs. Premier

The following prices are for the 2022 Desktop versions and pricing is based on a single user.

Differences Between QuickBooks Pro and Premier

Both types of QuickBooks versions have their fair share of differences. Let’s compare the major features of QuickBooks Pro vs. Premier.

Functions

QuickBooks Pro’s features are well suited for small-scale businesses in the service industry or companies just starting. The software allows users to create invoices and track sales while simplifying and streamlining the tracking, accounting and reporting process.

QuickBooks Premier is a more advanced option for large entities, allowing them to:

• Track inventory, purchase orders and backorders
• Create invoices and sales orders
• Perform reverse journal entries

Premier also can track financial progress separately by department, center and location. Additionally, Premier allows you to fulfill the industry-specific needs of your business, whether general business, wholesale and manufacturing, retail, professional services, nonprofit or contracting.

Multiple Users

Both versions allow multiple users at a time. QuickBooks Pro allows up to 3 users to share the software, while QuickBooks Premier allows up to 5 users. However, there is an additional cost per user.

Reports

QuickBooks Pro offers more than 100 customizable sales, financial and tax reports, while QuickBooks Premier provides 150-plus reports, including those related to specific industries. The Premier version also has forecasting capabilities. 

QuickBooks Pro vs. Premier Features

The Pro and Premier versions boast a range of features:

QuickBooks Pro

This version provides the most common accounting processes. Features include:

•  Account receivables and payables management
• Estimate and invoice creation
• Inventory and sales tax management
• Purchase order creation
• Time- and mileage-tracking capabilities
• More than 100 financial reports
• Multiple currencies
• Up to 14,500 customers, employees and vendors combined

QuickBooks Premier

QuickBooks Premier has everything found in the QuickBooks Pro version, plus certain advanced features.

• Tracking multiple units of measurement for inventory items
• Creating price levels and sale orders for your business
• Tracking changes to job estimates
• Viewing and printing bank reconciliation reports
• Track balance sheets by location, profit center and department
• Exporting and importing templates into different QuickBooks business files
• Managerial planning and forecasting
• Access to more than 150 reports related to specific industries

QuickBooks Pro vs. Premier Pricing

While searching for the best accounting software to handle your finances, it’s important to consider the cost of the service. How do QuickBooks Pro and Premier compare in terms of cost?

While the Pro and Premier versions used to be offered in 2 pricing options, beginning in 2022, QuickBooks will only offer 1 option for each (i.e., Pro Plus and Premier Plus) and they will be available as annual subscriptions only. 

Subscriptions include unlimited customer support and automated data backup and recovery. Users can also download the mobile app to complement the Desktop version.

QuickBooks Pro vs. Premier Annual Subscription Pricing

Be sure to check Intuit’s website regularly as they offer discounts for both QuickBooks Pro and Premier versions.

QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs. Premier vs. Enterprise

Depending on the size of the organization and number of users who need access to QuickBooks, you might want to upgrade to a plan that provides your business with more advanced capabilities and a wider array of features. QuickBooks Enterprise is a good option for companies with more than $1 million a year in revenue.

This year’s QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise 22.0 offers advanced tools to manage and review client data files. This version includes all QuickBooks Pro and Premier features, plus other customized tools.

Features include:

• User permissions and restrictions to control more than 100 user activities
• Up to 30 or 40 simultaneous users, depending on the specific plan and advanced roles
• More than 200 advanced reporting features
• Advanced inventory reporting and tracking
• Sales, tax and payment tracking
• Batch invoicing to invoice multiple customers
• Capacity for 1 million customers, vendors and inventory items
• 100,000 classes
• 45 custom fields
• Advanced integrated time-tracking and payroll tools available
• Optional Salesforce CRM connector with Enterprise Diamond
• Online access to training 
• 7 industry-specific editions
  • Contracting
  • Manufacturing
  • Wholesale and distribution
  • Retail
  • Nonprofit
  • Professional services
  • Accounting

You can choose from Silver, Gold, Platinum or Diamond versions depending on the size of your company.

Here are a few features that differentiate the Enterprise plan tiers.

QuickBooks Enterprise Annual Subscription Pricing

The following pricing is standard for the first year’s subscription of Enterprise. Pricing may be adjusted for special limited-time promotional offers (e.g., QuickBooks ran a 40%-off special in Jan. 2022).  

After 12 months, your credit or debit card account on file will automatically be charged on a monthly or annual basis at the then-current fee for the QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise product and plan you’ve selected until you cancel.

QuickBooks Pro vs. Premier vs. Accountant

One thing is clear: Intuit offers business owners a variety of accounting software options. Apart from QuickBooks Pro, Premier and Enterprise, there is QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Plus.

QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Plus

This edition includes all the features of Pro and Premier plus additional ones for larger businesses with sizable customer bases. The software is designed for professionals who provide accounting or bookkeeping services to multiple clients in one place.

Some of the major features include:

• Batch enter transactions
• Batch reclassify and delete transactions
• Toggle to any QuickBooks version
• Client collaborator and data review
• Batch merge vendors
• Inventory report filters
• Fixed asset manager
• Quick transfer of credits across customers
• Receive and send accountants copy

QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Plus comes in two membership tiers: ProAdvisor Premier Bundle, which costs $499 a year, and ProAdvisor Enterprise Bundle, which goes for $849 a year.

The ProAdvisor Premier membership allows access to QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Plus. The ProAdvisor Enterprise Bundle option includes the QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Plus, QuickBooks Enterprise Accountant, QuickBooks Mac Plus Desktop and QuickBooks Point of Sale Desktop.

Choosing the Best QuickBooks Version for Your Business

For basic accounting tasks, QuickBooks Pro works and can save you money. This is a solid option for businesses that earn less than $1 million a year and have fewer than 20 employees.

If you need extra features for growth, you might consider QuickBooks Premier. It gives you the flexibility you need to take your business to the next level. 

Or, depending on your business’s needs, QuickBooks Enterprise or Accountant may be a better fit.