Evaluating replacement for Quickbooks accounting software

[Phil Gust]

Intuit has stopped supporting the desktop version of their Quickbooks accounting software and it is no longer available to new users. Instead, they are forcing users to switch to the online version of the product. At the same time, Intuit has significantly increased the price. Rather than purchasing the desktop version and using it for several years before upgrading, users now must pay a significantly higher annual subscription fee for the online version, which stops working when the subscription expires.

This is important because the ICG Treasurer uses QB desktop to keep the books for the ICG, and several chapters including SIW also use the product. The GEL committee had been offering to pay for QB licenses for participating GEL chapters and SIGs, but with the drastic price increase, that is no longer feasible.

I am actively working with Jeanine Swick, Elaine Sims, and Bruce MacDermott to look at several promising alternatives that might meet the needs of the ICG and its chapters and SIGs. Only one of them is free, so I am looking at that one first.

One immediate issue is how to transfer data from QB to these other products. Another is how easy it would be in the future to export data from them. From a brief first look, it seems like exporting data from QB desktop to other products is complex. (Even migrating from QB desktop to QB online is a pain.)  I am currently exploring this using SiW's data because it is a good example and I can work with Bruce to compare results.

Another option is to defer transferring past data into the other product and simply switch over at the start of the new year, once the books from the previous year are closed. While not ideal, it would allow extra time to slowly migrate past years of QB records to the new product since Intuit will not deactivate installed non-subscription versions of QB desktop immediately. New GEL chapters would simply start using the new recommended product.

I will update you about the situation when I have more information to share.

[Anne Davenport]

Thanks for the update.  Subscription models are turning up everywhere.  I hope that ICG's financials are simple enough that the free option is viable.

Anne D.