As a growing company using QuickBooks, you might be finding that it is showing its limitations, and you’re looking for a new solution.
QuickBooks by Intuit offers users a good starter accounting package at a good price. However, it is designed to handle basic accounting only. To manage business processes outside of financials requires an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, which can handle accounting and financial management needs along with other business requirements, such as manufacturing, distribution, and much more.
In the chart below, we compare Acumatica to QuickBooks Enterprise, Intuit’s top-of-the-line QuickBooks product. QuickBooks Enterprise can be installed locally (on premises) or hosted on the internet (“in the cloud”). Keep in mind that Acumatica and QuickBooks are designed for two different purposes, so it is difficult to provide a true, side-by-side comparison. Our intent here, however, is to show some of the advantages of moving from QuickBooks to an ERP system, as well as the advantages of choosing Acumatica.
Significant Differentiators
True cloud: Acumatica works on premises or in the cloud without additional equipment or software. QuickBooks Enterprise can be accessed over the internet, but even Intuit acknowledges that QuickBooks has not been optimized to be a true cloud product.
Full function ERP: Acumatica offers your organization a complete ERP and CRM solution. While QuickBooks Enterprise contains some of these elements, it is ultimately an accounting solution and not a full function ERP solution.
Full relational database export: QuickBooks uses a proprietary database and does not provide a true export function, requiring a third-party utility to access the underlying database. Most of the next level financial management solutions for small- to mid-sized businesses use more robust databases, such as Microsoft SQL Server, SAP HANA, or Oracle. However, these other solutions also expect the client to eventually move to some kind of ERP solution. QuickBooks is designed strictly for accounting.
Flexible licensing options: Every company is different, and some prefer a depreciable capital expense versus an ongoing operating expense. Both products are available through subscription licensing, but Acumatica also offers perpetual licensing.
Scale as you grow: Acumatica allows you to scale as your company grows and can accommodate multiple companies and multiple currencies. QuickBooks Enterprise limits you to a maximum of 30 users and handles multiple currencies but not multiple companies.
TCO: Because both products serve different purposes, it would be difficult to say which one has the best total cost of ownership. We recommend, however, that you apply due diligence when selecting a replacement product for QuickBooks to ensure you get a product that can continue to grow with your company for several years.
About QuickBooks
QuickBooks by Intuit is one of the most widely used small business accounting packages available and is a great choice for business accounting.
However, as PC Magazine stated in their review of QuickBooks Enterprise (http://www.pcmag.com/review/344316/quickbooks-enterprise-solutions):
“A proprietary database, a fairly low max-user limit, and a reliance on its user community for help documentation keep QuickBooks Enterprise slightly behind Acumatica ($1,000.00)…Be sure accounting is all you want. If you think ERP might someday be in your company’s future, you’ll want a platform that can grow into such a system without requiring a forklift migration, and Intuit didn’t build QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions with that growth path in mind.”
Acumatica was designed from the start to be accessible both through the cloud and on premises using current technology. We offer access to your data anytime, flexible licensing options, and no cost for adding users, lowering your company’s TCO.
We believe Acumatica provides the next level of software for companies who are finding that QuickBooks is straining to keep pace with their business. And while we recognize that there are other capable ERP products from which you can choose, we believe Acumatica stands far above the rest as the best, most cost-effective ERP solution you can find.
