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Can’t seem to choose between Intuit’s Quickbooks Online and Hosted Quickbooks? While both of these products offer tons of business accounting features, there are some notable differences between the two that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Whether you’re looking to take the plunge into Quickbooks or simply upgrade your current version, you should familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of both Quickbooks Online and Hosted Quickbooks. Only then can you make the smartest decision possible regarding which one is right for your business.

Hosted Quickbooks

The Intuit Hosting Program allows licensed third-party companies to host their clients’ Quickbooks software. The software is installed and hosted on a server maintained by the company, and the client uses a virtual desktop application, such as Windows Remote Desktop Connection, to log in and access their software.

Because clients’ Quickbooks applications are hosted by licensed third-party companies, there are several unique advantages to choosing Hosted Quickbooks versus Quickbooks Online. See the list below for some of the top benefits of Hosted Quickbooks:

• Higher level of customer and technical support (especially beneficial for first-time Quickbooks users).
• Uses the high-tech computing power of professional servers rather than relying on your desktop PC or laptop.
• Data is protected through digital encryption.
• Can access Quickbooks through any computer with a remote desktop application and active internet connection.
• Backups are no longer necessary since Hosted Quickbooks doubles as a remote backup service.
• Access your Quickbooks account anytime, anywhere.

Quickbooks Online

Quickbooks Online differs from the Hosted Quickbooks in a few different ways, primarily being the fact that there’s no third-party company there to answer your questions and offer technical/help support. If you run into an error or problem with Quickbooks Online, you’ll either have to solve it yourself or contact the official Quickbooks support team.

There are some advantages of using Quickbooks Online, some of which includes:

• Ability to access your Quickbooks account anytime, anywhere.
• Inexpensive (starts at just $12.95/month for Quickbooks Online Simple Start).
• Automatic company file backups.
• Expense tracking.
• Sales and income tracking.
• Create and send invoices with the click of a button.

The truth is that you really can’t go wrong with Quickbooks Online OR Hosted Quickbooks. They are two incredibly powerful and equally versatile tools for your business accounting needs. With that said, many users prefer Hosted Quickbooks because of its additional tech and customer support. If you happen to run into any problems (which is bound to happen at some point), you can rest assured knowing that help is just a click away.