QuickBooks for Mac
QuickBooks Desktop is powerful on-premises accounting software that can be installed on computers. It bundles tools for simplifying accounting for businesses by organizing data in a way that can easily be processed and analyzed. QuickBooks Desktop even offers industry-specific solutions and advanced reporting and security features depending upon the versions that clients are using. Intuit has developed QuickBooks for Mac as well as products for the PC to cater to the needs of the users of two of the most widely used operating systems. While QuickBooks for Mac shares many features with its PC counterparts, they aren’t identical.
What You Can Do on QuickBooks Desktop?
QuickBooks Desktop is much more than a simple accounting software for organizing business finances. It simplifies bookkeeping by automating many of the regular tasks like tracking cashflow and entering transactions detailing income and expenses. It also provides advanced methods to generate reports and invoices, track time, mileage, and purchase orders and reconcile bank and credit card accounts. It is features like these that make QuickBooks Desktop an ideal software for small and medium-sized business owners.
QuickBooks for Mac vs QuickBooks Desktop for PC
QuickBooks offers two versions for desktop users namely QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Desktop Premier. QuickBooks Desktop for Mac is comparable to QuickBooks Desktop Pro but is optimized for the Mac platform. It can be integrated with software like Apple Numbers v3.5 as well as Microsoft Excel 2016 or later versions along with Mac Office 365. Additionally, it seamlessly integrates with Apple Mail and iCloud for collaborating with other MacBooks which cannot be done using the PC products.
Other differences are centered around user interfaces, presentations, and navigation structure. The layouts and widgets on QuickBooks for Mac are customized for simplifying operations on the Mac. Users on the Mojave Operating System can use the Dark Mode on QuickBooks for Mac 2020.
Drawbacks of QuickBooks for Mac
QuickBooks for Mac is still available in only one version. This is in stark contrast with the Windows product as well as QuickBooks Online which have at least 3 versions each to cater to the requirements of businesses of different sizes.
The second drawback of QuickBooks Desktop for Mac is the fact that it cannot be accessed from mobiles and tablets in its native form. This means users can only access the software from their Macs, something that is not ideal for accountants who may have to operate on the move.
The third major drawback of using QuickBooks for Mac is the versioning issue. Apple releases a new version of its OS almost every year. Similarly, Intuit also upgrades QuickBooks every year with new features. While the latest version of the Mac OS is available for download at no additional cost, the same is not true for QuickBooks Desktop for Mac. Needless to say, there are high chances of compatibility issues that could take time to resolve apart from the unavailability of the latest features.
Why Hosted QuickBooks is the Ideal Solution for Mac Users?
Hosted QuickBooks gives Mac users unparalleled flexibility. It combines the mobility of QuickBooks Online with the capabilities of QuickBooks Desktop. Using hosted QuickBooks empowers companies with the option of using the more powerful versions like QuickBooks Enterprise and QuickBooks Desktop Premier. This will not only give access to the QuickBooks suite to more than 3 users that are allowed on QuickBooks Desktop for Mac but also give provides more features. QuickBooks Enterprise, for example, can track inventory much more easily with its Advanced Inventory portal. Likewise, QuickBooks Desktop Premier has more powerful reporting tools that can help businesses operate with more detailed data.
Do You Use QuickBooks on Mac? Go for Cloud Hosting
Mac users prefer to use systems made by Apple Inc. for many reasons, ranging from their robustness to their aesthetic appeal. The biggest strength of the Mac, its Operating System macOS, also turns out to be its greatest pitfall when it comes to using third-party software. While QuickBooks for Mac is a powerful software that can more than fulfilling the accounting needs of small and medium businesses, it is limited by the lack of integration options due to the nature of the operating system. Moreover, users are stuck with the single option available for the Mac and will have to continue using it until they upgrade.
Hosted QuickBooks is a better choice for Mac users. They get far greater flexibility in adapting to the changing business scenario with the ‘pay-as-you-go’ model of hosted versions. Many more compatible third-party apps can be installed and integrated with their preferred QuickBooks version on the same desktop. Versioning issues will be better handled with hosted services offering support for older QuickBooks versions as well. Most importantly, hosted QuickBooks works just like the physical desktop on all devices including Macs, phones, and tablets.
To know more about hosted QuickBooks, feel free to contact our Apps4Rent experts now!
