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What is QuickBooks?

QuickBooks hosting, often regarded as QuickBooks Cloud or Hosted QuickBooks is a platform aimed at harmonizing the accounting process by advancing towards improved remote operations. It is comfortably among the most reliable and hence most sort after accounting software for business. QuickBooks will save you money, effort, and time owing to the advanced features that enable it to keep track of all company finances. 

How does QuickBooks cloud hosting work?

Below is a step by step guide on how QuickBooks works:

  • The user subscribes to QuickBooks through one of the hosting service providers that support QuickBooks.
  • The QuickBooks user is granted access to the server with specific configurations:
  • The proper security protocols are enabled to secure the platform
  • Connectivity is established between the user and the server via Remote Desktop Protocol
  • The server is configured to allow access to the account from any device (iOS, Windows, macOS, Android, etc.)
  • The user can use a web browser or RDP shortcut to access and work on QuickBooks. 
  • Any changes made on QuickBooks are automatically saved and are applied to all authorized users.

QuickBooks Desktop vs. QuickBooks Cloud vs. Hosted QuickBooks

QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online are both excellent accounting software but they differ in three fields: data accessibility, features, and pricing. QuickBooks Desktop currently tramples QuickBooks Cloud in terms of features. However, QuickBooks Online has grown tremendously in recent years to reach 2.2 million users with significant advancements in its features and performance for its users.

When making the decision between QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks online, you have to consider a couple of features and how they would influence your business. The table below is a comparison between the features on either platform;

FeaturesQuickBooks DesktopQuickBooks OnlineHosted QuickBooks
Internet Connection Required
Local Backups
Specific to Operating System
Remote Access
Mobile App
Synchronization with 3rd Party Plugins(with additional charges)
Automatic Encrypted Backups(with additional charges)
Automated Bank Transactions Download
Automated Mail Scheduling and mailing of receipts, sales, and invoices
Maximum user access3025Depends on the version (unlimited cloud users)
Support OptionsLimitedLimitedUnlimited depending on the service provider
Additional application hosting
QuickBooks Desktop features
Professional Invoices
Sales and Expenses Tracking
1-click reports retrieval
Accounts Payable
Automated Scheduling and Emailing of Reports

It is essential to consider your clients’ needs before choosing the right option for your business. Particularly, QuickBooks Online can be the better option for you if you are in need of remote access and your clients do not have many complexities. On the other hand, QuickBooks Desktop Hosting provides you with the chance to choose from various versions including Premier, Pro, Accountant, and Enterprise plans that are designed to serve needs at different enterprises and at various scales of growth.

Online hosting for QuickBooks

In view of the huge and growing dependency on cloud management systems in the business world, Intuit created a cloud-based version of its QuickBooks platform. QuickBooks Online hosting helps businesses closely manage their financial affairs. 

While it generally serves the same purpose as its desktop version, QuickBooks Online significantly differs from its counterpart in terms of feature set and user interface. That is quite a difference; however, QuickBooks Online has quickly become the ideal solution for all service-based businesses that do not necessitate invoices or inventory tracking in their transactions. 

Intuit has pulled a lot of resources to move their clients to QuickBooks Online with the platform gaining traction among small business owners for feasibility and flexibility. While QuickBooks Online offers a lot of benefits, it is still essential to go over all your options before settling down for a hosting option.

Why is cloud hosting better?

Cloud hosting allows firms to access technical facilities without having to invest large amounts in setting up IT infrastructure. The cloud acts as a host for all your tools, data, and applications and lets you place them over to the internet with a consolidated platform that can be accessed from any location at any time. On a separate post, I’ve detailed the benefits of WordPress cloud hosting.

Cloud hosting is especially useful in financial management, where accountants and businessmen get to access and offer financial services without having to set up, configure, or manage advanced servers. Below are a few other reasons why you should consider cloud hosting:

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Improved Performance

Due to its highly scalable nature, cloud hosting allows you to access solid performance even with multiple users connected simultaneously. During peak hours, the program’s infrastructure is easily scaled to meet the requirements of your site without having to change any configurations. 

High level of data integrity

With cloud hosting, you do not have to worry about data loss anymore; cloud platforms often provide the option to backup all your data as well as any virtual infrastructure. If either somehow fails, another will be made available to save you from a crisis. 

Efficient multi-user access

With QuickBooks cloud hosting, you have the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the multi-user function of the platform. With multi-user access, accounting practitioners, CPAs, as well as the end-user, are able to work seamlessly from different locations. 

Cost friendly

Cloud hosting infrastructure is always cost-friendly. You won’t have to invest large sums into your IT resources. In cloud hosting, all you will need to worry about is a fixed monthly hosting fee and the future of your business.

About QuickBooks Enterprise and QuickBooks pro and QuickBooks POS

You may be considering settling down on QuickBooks after researching the best accounting software for your business. You may, however, be trying to better understand which between QuickBooks Pro, enterprise, and SOS you should choose. You’re in luck; I will take you through the three and the differences in their functionality and by the end, you will probably be in a better position to choose the right platform for your business.

Generally, the only major differences in these platforms are cost and functionality, and they are pretty important to consider before making your final choice.

If your business is young and you have a strict budget to adhere to, you will want to consider cost before anything else. QuickBooks Pro comes at a one-time cost of $399.99 while QuickBooks Enterprise offers annual subscriptions at $1,577 making it the most expensive product on QuickBooks’ suite. 

As compared to the latter, QuickBooks POS has more flexible pricing with three pricing options set apart by feature sets. QuickBooks POS is designed to serve the traditional brick-and-mortar retailer. It is a great fit for small franchises that need to automate their payments and ledger. QuickBooks POS only disadvantage is that you have to pay for a license every time you want to access the services on a new device.

With QuickBooks POS you will get the prices and features listed below.

Basic license – $1,200

The feature set for this option is limited to basic reporting as well as inventory and customer tracking. It is only suited for startups and small businesses that only need to automate some of their daily operations.

Pro license – $1,700

This option adds loyalty and rewards tools, advanced reporting along with layaway and gift cards on top of the basic option. The Pro license also allows integration with QuickBooks products to enable employee and payroll tracking. It’s the perfect fit for growing businesses looking to take their businesses to the next level by streamlining and optimizing their financial processes.

Multi-store License – $1,900

The Multi-store license integrates management capabilities to tie together functions involving sales, inventory as well as customers. This option is perfect for enterprises in need of seamless back-end management and individual location support.

QuickBooks cloud hosting cost

Evaluating parameters for the best QuickBooks cloud hosting

You will be able to access QuickBooks cloud hosting through almost any leading cloud service provider. However, in view of the eccentricities of financial applications, it is essential to consider getting the services of providers with expertise in the field. 

The creators and designers of QuickBooks, Intuit, recommend selecting an authorized hosting provider since their authorized commercial partners are screened often to make sure user data is kept safe. Below are some of the important aspects of a QuickBooks cloud hosting provider to consider before subscribing to one:

Intuit authorization

As discussed above, it is essential to look for a provider that has Intuit authorization if you want to make sure your user data is kept safe.

Scalability

Before settling on a cloud hosting provider, it is essential to ask yourself if their plans and features allow your firm to grow. Otherwise, you will have to shift to a more feature-packed hosting option when upgrading your business. 

Plans and Prices

Your budget will be one of the most important guides when selecting the right cloud hosting option. It is important to choose the cloud hosting option that does not put too much pressure on your pocket but still delivers satisfactory value for your business. 

Security features and practices

For professional webmasters, security is key in running a successful business. If you do not understand the technical language used to define how secure a hosting provider is, sign up for one of the most popular options as they always have advanced security protocols.

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Support

Support is essential to all webmasters, even those with decades of experience in the field. Every once in a while, you will need to get an error resolved on the program. You do not want a support team that keeps you waiting for a long time without responses. To better understand the quality of support a hosting option offers, customer reviews and testimonials on legitimate sites can be a great starting point.

Backup and recovery options

We all know how important backups and recovery options are in the tech world. Without proper backup and recovery options, all your data could be permanently lost in case the server came down. We all know how devastating it could be to lose all your data and configurations and hence how important it is to take a keen look at the backup and restore options offered by a cloud hosting provider before investing in them.

Uptime guarantee

The uptime guarantee is the provider’s pledge on how often your site will be available to your users. The industry standard for uptime is 99.9%. It is essential to select a cloud hosting provider that meets or surpasses the industry standard.

Data storage policies

Watch out for hosting providers that share your data with third parties unless you choose to allow it. Most high rated cloud hosting providers will have quality data storage policies that ensure your data stays safe from hackers and other cybercriminals. 

Best Cloud Hosting for QuickBooks

Ace Cloud Hosting for Quickbooks

Ace Cloud Hosting is a managed cloud hosting provider for startups, small businesses, and enterprises. This award-winning cloud hosting provider is renowned for its efficiency in hosting accounting (such as QuickBooks), Construction (such as Sage 300 CRE), and tax applications among many more business software.

With its headquarters in Florida, U.S, Ace Cloud Hosting boasts over 20,000 users in more than 40 countries around the globe from the finance, accounting, construction, and legal industry. Ace Cloud Hosting is also top among authorized QuickBooks hosting providers. To top it all off, ACE guarantees a 99.999% uptime and a 100-day backup plan to prevent data loss. 

Pricing

Ace offers four pricing tiers starting from the Basic, Standard, and Premier to Business to cater to the needs of differently sized businesses. Cloud hosting begins at $44 per month per user.

Customer Support

The Ace customer support team is above all friendly and almost always on point. Their always-on support protocol ensures that their skilled experts are always available to answer your questions year-round. You can reach their customer support by live chat, phone call, or email for immediate assistance or consultation. 

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Right Networks Hosting for Quickbooks

With upwards of 150,000 users, Right Networks is among the leading QuickBooks cloud hosting providers. The Right Networks platform is extremely scalable, with three standard plans. What’s more, Right Networks guarantees a 99.9999% uptime and utilizes a variety of security protocols to ensure the safety of data. They also have a 90-day data retention period after which they store the data on multiple servers across the globe and use redundant power systems for all servers. 

Right Networks is currently among the Elite QuickBooks solution providers with all Intuit’s cloud hosting services available on their catalog. 

Pricing

Right Networks has monthly pricing for its cloud hosting services set out in three different tiers:

  • QuickBooks Desktop Cloud at $57/user/month
  • QuickBooks Business Cloud at $66.99/user/month
  • QuickBooks Application Cloud at $66.99/user/month

Right Networks handles all data migrations for free and offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Support

Right Networks’ support page provides a large and searchable knowledgebase and easy access to a collection of self-help options including Application Help, Getting Started, Connecting, and Printing and Scanning. Additionally, their toll-free phone number is open throughout the year 24/7. 

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Cloudnine for Quickbooks

Cloudninerealtime was acquired by AbacusNext in 2017. Since then, it has grown vastly to a more scalable application suited for businesses of any size. Cloudnine guarantees a 99% monthly uptime but boasts a benchmark of 99.999% uptime. The software also offers great disaster recovery options with data centers in San Diego, CA, and Austin, TX. They also have a 30-day rolling backups protocol with archived backups being made available via Cloudnine as well.

To offer extended scalability to all their customers, Cloudnine features pricing tiers that are completely customized for each user. Interested parties can also view a quote from the official website. Cloudnine also offers a free trial on their main website. What’s more, they are Intuit Authorized and hence perfect to host your QuickBooks applications.

Pricing

While their monthly charges are not provided on their official website, they do charge a $50 setup fee per user. 

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InSynQ Hoasting for Quickbooks

As its name suggests, InSynQ aims at synchronizing all the aspects of the financial field to ease and optimize the growth process. InSynQ is rated among the top virtual desktop hosting providers in the world. That is partly due to their unmetered data transfer protocol which allows you to transfer your details from a different host for free.

In its strategic effort to advance cloud computing and DaaS to the next level, Summit Hosting completed its acquisition of InSynQ on December 12, 2019. The integration of InSynQ’s business assets to Summit means improved security protocols, stability, and flexibility for all inSynQ’s customers.

With Summit Hosting’s superior dedicated servers, users can now manage different financial resources as well as integrate and install their own applications. They can also remotely collaborate with employees and access their files and applications from anywhere around the globe.

Support

With U.S based specialists answering calls and replying to live chats round the clock, InSynQ boasts one of the best customer support teams. 

Pricing

InSynQ allows you to purchase a QuickBooks license directly on its website. With QuickBooks Pro hosting and software license, they charge $69 per user/month. On QuickBooks Premier, they charge $72 for hosting and license while they require only two dollars more for the QuickBooks Enterprise. They also have a QuickBooks Enterprise + Advanced Inventory plan which goes for a whopping $173.

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Swizznet

In the aim to eliminate the IT headache that most firms have been dealing with, Swizznet Hosted Accounting Solutions sets out to offer a secure platform to provide day-to-day solutions for all small to medium-sized enterprises. As a result, businesses can now take advantage of the amazing scalability that comes with cloud hosting in their business and accounting applications.

Swizznet also offers an impressive data loss prevention system that ensures none of your data is lost even after your computer or server fails. What’s more, their setup process is pretty straightforward and you will not need any pre-training to get the software up and running. Swizznet guarantees a 99.95% uptime which is above the industry standard but a little short of some cloud hosting providers on this list.

Customer Support

Swizznet refers to its customer service team as obsessive and they are nothing short of the truth. Their U.S based technical support is also very responsive even during the weekends and nights.

Pricing

Swizznet charges $54.99 per month per user. Every additional user will cost you an extra $54.99/ month.

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Gotomyerp

Founded in 2005, Gotomyerp is comfortably among the industry leaders in managed cloud hosting for QuickBooks, SAP, Sage, and related 3rd party add-ons. Security is a top priority at Gotomyerp, with dedicated private networks designed to stop any data or passwords from being shared.

Endorsed by Intuit, Gotomyerp provides QuickBooks cloud hosting at its highest quality. With its affordable pricing, Gotomyerp allows small business owners to experience and make the most out of cloud accounting functionality without having to invest in expensive IT infrastructure.

This hosting provider also features excellent security features to help you keep your remote connection safe. What’s more, maintenance, backups, and upgrades are all done automatically to keep your QuickBooks running smoothly.

Plans and Pricing

Gotomyerp features support for QuickBooks with their entry-level plan set at $65 per month for each user and remote computer. Each additional remote computer and user will cost you an extra $65.

Customer Support

Though not as efficient as the Ace support team, Gotomyerp also boasts one of the most reliable 24/7 365 days support via live chats, e-mail, video conferencing, and phone calls. That means none of your problems will go longer than they should before they get fixed.

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Apps4rent

Founded in 2004, Apps4Rent offers a fully managed cloud hosting service of various kinds in the accounting and finance industry. While it is not currently among the authorized QuickBooks hosting providers, it does offer excellent services at an affordable price. That makes it perfect for startups and small businesses who only need to automate part of their daily schedule to optimize their earnings. 

Apps4rent offers great scalability with the ability to transfer mailboxes from and to any platform. Data security is also a top concern with data centers in the U.S boasting excellent recovery capabilities. What’s more, they guarantee a 99.9% uptime and zero data loss. 

Support

Topping all the above features off with 24/7 end-user real support via chat, phone or email makes App4Rent a valuable option for QuickBooks Hosting.

Pricing

Starting at $22.46 per user per month, you can access Apps4Rent cloud hosting services. That is significantly lower than all the options on our review today. It is well worth taking a look at.

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