Is it possible that the desktop version of QuickBooks will be discontinued in the United States?

I’ll share with you what I’m seeing and hearing on this question so you can come to your own conclusions…

QUICKBOOKS DESKTOP DISCONTINUED IN THE UK

Our first reference point in this conversation will be the fact that Intuit has pulled the plug on QuickBooks desktop in the UK

Businesses have until June 2023 to find another solution, as all QuickBooks desktop services will end at that time.

This is a significant bummer for them.

QUICKBOOKS PRODUCTS COMPLETELY PULLED OUT OF INDIA

Following the UK announcement, Intuit decided to pull their entire QuickBooks lineup out of India.

This is effective as of April 2023.

I am uncertain if the desktop product was ever offered here, but this is a big announcement to completely pull their product line out of the country.

TRYING TO FIND THE DESKTOP PRODUCT ON THE WEB SITE? GOOD LUCK!

Take a quick visit to the QuickBooks.com web site if you like and try to find any reference to the desktop product.

I’ll wait.

If you have the patience to hit the Page Down key 12 times and get to the very bottom left corner of the page, congratulations.

You will find a single reference and link to the desktop version.

Now that you’ve found it, here is the surprise that awaits you…

QUICKBOOKS PRO PLUS AND QUICKBOOKS MAC – NOWHERE TO BE FOUND

Keep in mind that QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Enterprise are subscription based products now (Pro and Premier effective with 2022 edition). If you don’t pay, it doesn’t play.

You have to pay for the subscription annually. And because of that change, the products are now referred to as Pro Plus and Premier Plus.

Once you click the QuickBooks Desktop link, here is what you will see:

I sure don’t see any references to Pro Plus or Mac anywhere on this page, or anywhere on the site.

I’ve been told that a business is able to call the QuickBooks sales department directly and ask them for Pro Plus or Mac.

Haven’t tried it myself to see if that actually works (see next note as well).

But let’s be honest – how many businesses are going to bother with that?

They are going to see the $799/year and the $42.50/month figures from the display above, and the wheels will start to turn.

CALLERS ARE BEING TOLD QUICKBOOKS DESKTOP IS BEING DISCONTINUED

During recent calls with clients and prospects over the last few months, I’ve heard a constant theme from them…

If they have talked to the sales department at Intuit for any reason, they are being told that the desktop product is being discontinued, and Online is the way to go.

My current count of hearing about this is up to eight. Said another way, 8 of them have heard this message directly from the Intuit staff.

Are they being told this by mistake? I’d like to think that one or two times might be a mistake. 8 times? Doesn’t really seem like a mistake to me.

PRICES GOING UP! UP! UP!

Here are some fun facts to consider when it comes to the entire QuickBooks desktop question…(all prices shown are list)

• Premier Plus 2022 – a 1 user version was $549. For Premier Plus 2023 – a 1 user version is $799 – a 45% increase
• Premier Plus 2022 – a 3 user version was $1,149. For Premier Plus 2023 – a 3 user version is $1,399 –a 21% increase
• Premier Plus 2022 – a 5 user version was $1,749. For Premier Plus 2023, a 5 user version is $1,999 – a 14% increase

Do you see what I see here?

Could it be the theory that the prices will continue to rise in such a way that it won’t be cost-effective to stay in the QuickBooks desktop platform any longer?

Just sayin’…

THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS NOW TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO QBO

Since I regularly work with a lot of QuickBooks add-on platforms, I often speak to their development teams to learn more about their products and future directions.

Nuggets of news from those conversations?

Many of these add-on developers are choosing to only work with the QBO product line going forward.

For example – let’s review three of the platforms I work with:

• KatanaMRP – a platform for manufacturers to gain visibility and control over in-house and outsourced production. Only works with QBO.
• StockTrim – smart inventory forecasting. Only works with QBO.
• OrderEase – a complete B2B wholesale ordering solution for wholesalers, retailers, and buying groups. Only works with QBO.

Common themes I’m hearing from them?

• WAY easier to connect their product to the QBO platform, as it is using modern technology to do so
• FAR less expensive to use the QBO integration toolkit than the desktop toolkit
• Several of them have told me that Intuit isn’t even supporting the desktop software development kit any longer

What might this mean to your business? A lot of the useful new products coming to market to extend the reach of QuickBooks are only going to work with QBO.

Kinda like leaving your QuickBooks desktop on an island…

AN INCREASE OF “IN-PRODUCT” MESSAGING POINTING TO QBO MIGRATION

My friends over at Intuitive Accountant published this article that discusses the appearance of QBO in-product messaging that is starting to appear within QuickBooks desktop.

To me, this is just another “signal” in the overall push to get businesses out of QuickBooks desktop and into QBO.

A THOUGHTFUL APPROACH TO MIGRATION PLANNING

For those of us in the QuickBooks ProAdvisor consulting channel, Intuit insists that the desktop version isn’t going anywhere.

I offer you this background so your business can come to their own conclusions about the direction of the accounting software they use every day.

For my clients, I’m advising them to get into a conversation about the conversion from QuickBooks desktop to QuickBooks Online a lot sooner than they may want to.

Forward thinking businesses will want to evaluate the process, the pros/cons of desktop vs. online (or even moving out of QuickBooks entirely), with the goal of doing all of it on their timeline, not that of Intuit.

BOOK A CONSULTATION TO REVIEW THE SPECIFICS OF YOUR SITUATION!

Obviously, there is a lot to take in here.

If you want some field-tested experience and insights (25+ years) in the world of QuickBooks in your corner, feel free to set up a consultation for a look at your specific situation.