Is QuickBooks Pro Still Available and What is a Good Alternative?

QuickBooks Desktop Pro is the entry-level version of QuickBooks Desktop designed to help small businesses create and send invoices to clients, make payments and deposits, and run payroll either with Enhanced or Assisted Payroll. If you have basic accounting needs and you have a built-in accountant, then you might want to consider purchasing QuickBooks Desktop Pro.

Is QuickBooks Pro Still Available?

QuickBooks Desktop Pro is no longer available from resellers or Intuit, so you should consider alternatives. Pro has been phased out in late 2022, and your only option is to upgrade to Premier or Enterprise.

What is a good alternative to QuickBooks Desktop Pro?

If you wish to stay in the QuickBooks Desktop ecosystem, you should consider moving to QuickBooks Enterprise. Enterprise offers many of the important features missing in QuickBooks Pro, including the ability to track inventory across multiple locations, track fixed assets, choose from industry-specific editions, set up customizing pricing rules, and run payroll at a more affordable fee. 

Why should I upgrade to Enterprise?

You should consider moving to Enterprise if you require advanced inventory features like multi-location tracking and using barcodes to track inventory. If your customer base is growing and you need to set up custom pricing for selected customers, then you can benefit from QuickBooks Enterprise’s Advanced Pricing module. 

Another reason to upgrade to Enterprise is when you operate in one of the five industry-specific editions (manufacturing and wholesale, retail, contractor, nonprofit, and professional services). These industry-specific editions offer unique reporting options and workflows tailored to your industry. 

Other benefits of Enterprise include the ability to set complex pricing rules with Advanced Pricing, calculate inventory value using the First-in, First-out (FIFO) method, track inventory by bin and location and using bar codes, manage and track fixed assets, and access to Priority Circle membership, which includes $3,000 worth of online QuickBooks training materials to help you and your team get up to speed with QuickBooks Enterprise. 

Discover why QuickBooks Enterprise is the best inventory management software.

Is QuickBooks Enterprise Better than Pro for Payroll?

If you have been using Enhanced Payroll or Assisted Payroll with your QuickBooks Desktop Pro account, they are bundled with Enterprise to save you money. 

For instance, if you manage fewer than 50 employees (and you remit tax payments by yourself), you will need to add Enhanced Payroll to your QuickBooks Pro account, which normally costs $109 per month and $2 per employee per paycheck. QuickBooks Enterprise Gold already includes Enhanced Payroll for free plus only $1 per payroll for up to three companies. 

Meanwhile, if you want QuickBooks to handle your tax filing, you need Assisted Payroll, which now costs $50 per month plus $2 per employee monthly. Instead of buying Assisted Payroll separately, you should consider purchasing QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond, which already includes free Assisted Payroll plus only $1 per employee per paycheck.

Learn the difference between Enhanced and Assisted Payroll.

Bottom Line

QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a good accounting software, and it’s still available from Intuit if you want to continue using it. However,  if you want enhanced accounting features, like advanced inventory and bundled payroll to save you money, you should upgrade to QuickBooks Enterprise.