QuickBooks Limitations Holding You Back?
As you add staff, companies and stock, QuickBooks limitations start to hold you back. We help you choose what comes next and make the move.
- 20+ years connecting business systems
- Works with Xero, MYOB and the systems you already use
- Fixed quote after a free chat
You've Outgrown It
QuickBooks was fine when you started. Now it holds things up: staff share logins because there aren't enough to go round, each company has its own file so group totals get built by hand, and stock, jobs and reports all need a spreadsheet on the side.
We help you work out what to do about it. Sometimes an add-on or a fix is enough; other times it's time to move to Xero or MYOB, or to add a system that runs stock and jobs alongside your accounts. Then we do the move: your history comes across, the balances match, and your other systems are connected. You get software that keeps up with the business, and numbers you can trust.
QuickBooks Problems You Know Too Well
If several of these sound familiar, it may be time for something bigger
It slows down as your data grows
Stock across more than one warehouse is hard to track properly
Better reports mean paying for extra add-ons
Dealing in other currencies takes extra checking
Job costing is too basic for project work
Invoices and forms can only be changed so far
It doesn’t connect well to the other systems you use
Data doesn’t always line up after a sync
The desktop version feels old and slow
The online version is missing features you need
Each extra user adds to the bill
No proper approval steps before bills or payments go through
The Core QuickBooks Limitations
More Than One Company
What it costs you: Slow month-end and group numbers you have to double-check
Not Enough Logins
What it costs you: Work held up, and no record of who changed what
Basic Stock Control
What it costs you: Running out, over-ordering and lots of manual fixes
Reports That Stop Short
What it costs you: Decisions made on old or incomplete numbers
Where QuickBooks Falls Short, by Type of Business
Manufacturers
- No bills of materials
- Little production tracking
- Nothing links to the factory floor
- Basic costing
An operations system that handles production, run alongside your accounting system or as a full business system
What you get: Know what each job really cost, and what is on the floor right now
Businesses With Several Locations
- A separate file for each site
- No combined view of stock
- Group totals built by hand
- Point-of-sale not linked
A system that holds every site in one place, connected to your tills
What you get: One view of stock and sales across every site
Builders and Contractors
- Basic job costing
- No project tracking
- Progress claims done by hand
- Hard to see who is working where
Construction job software connected to your accounting system
What you get: Job costs, progress claims and the accounts kept in step
Professional Services
- Timesheets not linked to billing
- Can’t see which projects make money
- Limited billing options
- Client details spread around
Practice or project software connected to your accounting system
What you get: Time goes straight to invoices, and you can see profit by project
When to Upgrade from QuickBooks
| What has changed | The sign | The cost of staying | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| More people | More staff need access than your plan allows | Shared logins and extra user costs | Compare what more users would cost on each option |
| More complexity | Several companies, sites or currencies | Group totals built by hand take longer every month | Look at systems that handle several companies |
| More systems | Other systems need to share information with your accounts | Retyping and numbers that don’t match | Pick a system that connects well, then connect it |
| Better reports | You need dashboards and the key numbers you manage by | Reports rebuilt in Excel every month | Choose a system with the reporting you need |
Your Options When You Outgrow QuickBooks
Xero or MYOB
- Known by most Australian accountants
- Good bank feeds
- Lots of add-on apps
- Australian payroll and BAS
Best for: Businesses whose main problem is the accounting itself
In short: A move most businesses can make without changing how they work
Xero or MYOB plus an operations system
- Accounts stay in Xero or MYOB
- Stock, jobs and production in a system built for them
- The two kept in step automatically
- Your accountant’s access unchanged
Best for: Businesses that have outgrown the operations side, not the ledger
In short: Each system does the job it is good at
NetSuite
- Several companies in one system
- Detailed reporting
- Lots of room to customise
- Accounts and operations together
Best for: Groups with several companies and complex operations
In short: One system for the whole group, with more set-up work
Microsoft Dynamics 365 or SAP Business One
- Strong in manufacturing
- Works with Microsoft 365 (Dynamics)
- Detailed reporting
- Handles several countries
Best for: Manufacturing and businesses trading overseas
In short: A full business system, with the most set-up work
QuickBooks Compared With Larger Systems
| What you need | QuickBooks | NetSuite | Dynamics 365 | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of users | Set by your plan | Add users as you need them | Add users as you need them | Everyone who needs access can have it |
| More than one company | Separate files, group totals by hand | Several companies in one system, totals combined automatically | Several companies sharing customers, suppliers and products | Group numbers without the spreadsheet |
| Changing it to fit you | Very limited, mostly through add-ons | Lots can be changed inside the system | Lots can be changed with Microsoft’s tools | The system fits how you work |
| Reporting | Standard reports, few options to change them | Detailed reports and dashboards built in | Works with Power BI for custom reports | Reports that show what you manage by |
| Connecting other systems | Limited, often by importing files | Strong options for connecting other systems | Strong options, including Microsoft’s automation tools | Information moves between systems without retyping |
Moving Off QuickBooks: What We Take Care Of
Moving Your History
Years of records stored in QuickBooks’ own format
We move the data, check it and match the balances
How we keep it safe: Run old and new side by side, test before switching, keep a way back
Getting Staff Comfortable
Your team knows QuickBooks and how to work around it
Training on your own data and your own processes
How we keep it safe: Roll out in steps, a go-to person in each team, help after go-live
Other Systems Linked to QuickBooks
Apps and processes that feed into QuickBooks today
We reconnect them to the new system, or replace them
How we keep it safe: List every link first, then switch them over one at a time
Workarounds Built Into Your Processes
Steps that only exist because QuickBooks couldn’t do the job
We take out the workarounds the new system no longer needs
How we keep it safe: Write down how things work now, agree how they will work next
How to Get Started
Free Initial Chat
Tell us what QuickBooks is getting in the way of.
A straight answer on whether you need to move at all, or whether an add-on or a fix will do.
Process & Systems Audit: $5,000
We look at your accounts, your other systems and how work flows between them.
A written plan: what to keep, what to change, and the order to do it in.
The Move Itself
Choosing the system, moving your data, connecting your other systems and training your team.
A fixed quote after a free initial chat, so you know the cost before you start.
Ready to Move On From QuickBooks?
Tell us what QuickBooks is getting in the way of. We'll tell you plainly whether to fix it, add to it or move, and give you a fixed quote for the work. Moving to Xero? See our QuickBooks to Xero migration service, or compare MYOB vs QuickBooks.
Free initial chat • No obligation