QuickBooks Premier Review

Pros

• Advanced features
• Robust accounting reports
• Excellent tax support
• Numerous integrations
• Double-entry accounting

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Limited payment gateway integrations
• PC-only

What Is QuickBooks Premier?

QuickBooks Premier is accounting software that’s loaded with advanced features and best suited for small- to medium-sized businesses that aren’t quite ready to upgrade to QuickBooks Enterprise. QuickBooks Premier supports more users than QuickBooks Pro and offers six specialized industry editions, in addition to the Standard Edition.

While the industry editions can add a lot of value to companies in need of specialized features, if you’re just using the Standard Edition, the software is a bit overpriced. The software also comes with a steep learning curve and limited customer support.

QuickBooks Premier Pricing

Following the launch of QuickBooks Premier 2022, Intuit announced an updated pricing model. Under this new pricing structure, users pay an annual subscription fee. One-time licenses are no longer available. There is some good news, though, as this new structure includes updates, security patches, automated data backup and recovery, and free customer support.

QuickBooks Premier has two pricing plans. The difference between the two is that one includes QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll. Intuit offers a 60-day guarantee on its plans, allowing you to receive a full refund if you’re not fully satisfied. For new users, a discount may be available, so make sure to check out Intuit’s website for potential discounts.

QuickBooks Premier Plus

QuickBooks Premier Plus can be purchased for $549.99/year and includes the following features:

• Income tracking
• Expense tracking
• Contact management
• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Accounts payable
• Budgeting
• 130+ reports
• 200+ integrations
• Inventory management
• Sales tax and tax form capabilities
• Sales orders
• Optional industry editions

QuickBooks Premier Plus + Payroll

QuickBooks Premier Plus + Payroll is priced at $1,049.99/year and includes everything from QuickBooks Premier Plus, as well as:

• QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll

Extra QuickBooks Premier Costs & Fees

There are several additional costs to be aware of before purchasing QuickBooks Premier. If you need payroll, you can sign up for the QuickBooks Premier + Payroll plan. QuickBooks Payroll is also available as a separate add-on, priced at $500/year + $2/month per employee. You can also sign up for the monthly payroll plan for $50/month + $2/month per employee.

All QuickBooks Premier subscriptions include one user. A total of five users can be added to your subscription for an additional fee. Additional users will add $300/year per user to your annual subscription fee.

QuickBooks Premier is locally-installed software, but if you need more mobility, you can sign up for Right Networks hosting. Right Networks cloud hosting starts at $59.99/month per user.

Is QuickBooks Premier Easy To Use?

QuickBooks Premier has a notoriously steep learning curve, and the setup process is much more involved than some of its cloud-based competitors. Users with no previous accounting experience may have a difficult time, but if you put in the time and effort to learn, QuickBooks Premier becomes easy and rewarding to use.

QuickBooks Premier Features

The incredibly-developed QuickBooks Premier holds its own against its competitors, boasting a ton of in-depth features. While it’s impossible to cover them all in this post, here are some of the most notable QuickBooks Premier features:

QuickBooks Premier Customer Service

With your annual subscription, you’ll receive unlimited customer support at no additional charge. This includes live chat support and a call-back option to help reduce long phone wait times. Support reps are generally kind and helpful, but there is an inconsistent level of QuickBooks knowledge from person to person.

There is a lack of email support, which could prove to be a problem for some users. However, there are other resources available, including a help center, the QuickBooks Community, an in-software Smart Help feature, and a resource center.

QuickBooks Premier Integrations

QuickBooks Premier has over 240 integrations available for users; however, there are very few payment gateways. For a larger payment gateway selection, consider checking out QuickBooks Online instead. QuickBooks Desktop Premier has an API for developers.

QuickBooks Premier Reviews

For the most part, users seem happy with QuickBooks Premier, although there are a few recurring complaints.

Intuit, as a company, receives an A+ rating on BBB. QuickBooks Premier specifically receives 8.3/10 stars on TrustRadius (based on 300+ ratings), and 4.5/5 stars on Software Advice (based on 80+ratings). The majority of users seem satisfied with the software and find that it simplifies their bookkeeping processes.

Negative QuickBooks Premier Reviews & Complaints

• Steep learning curve and navigational difficulties
• Slow load times when launching the software
• Occasional glitches and errors
• Expensive pricing

Positive QuickBooks Premier Reviews & Testimonials

• Well-organized, intuitive UI
• Strong feature set
• Easy to use once you learn the software
• Easy for accountants to teach to new clients
• Industry-specific features and reporting

Is QuickBooks Premier Secure?

Because QuickBooks Premier is locally-installed software, data security is primarily up to you (unless you are using QuickBooks hosting). QuickBooks offers online resources for learning how to protect your computer and provides a list of antivirus and firewall software compatible with QuickBooks Premier.

Read our How To Keep Your Locally-Installed Accounting Software Secure post to learn about protecting your data.

The Final Verdict: Is QuickBooks Premier Worth it?

Strong double-entry accounting, easy bank reconciliation, journal entries, a strong chart of accounts, and more make QuickBooks Premier a great choice for accountants and other business owners who value traditional, locally-installed accounting. The software also offers invoicing, time tracking, project management, expense tracking, and just about any other feature you could wish for.

However, the annual subscription pricing can be a bit expensive for smaller businesses. Add in payroll and additional users, and the fees rack up quickly. Most users will find that QuickBooks Desktop Pro fits their needs at a more affordable price, particularly if they plan to just use the standard version of the software. However, businesses that require more users or want industry-specific features and reporting may find QuickBooks Premier to be worth the additional expense.

Still on the fence? If you need extra help deciding on the perfect QuickBooks product for your business, check out our Complete QuickBooks Product Comparison Guide to find the product that’s right for you. Good luck!

QuickBooks Premier FAQs

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Try A Top Pick For Payroll

ADP Payroll	Get A Quote Read our Review

We like ADP Payroll for its advanced employee management, strong payroll features, and great customer support. Get three months free when you sign up through our links! Get Started.

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