Dynamics 365 Business Central vs. QuickBooks Online

Written by

David Budiac

Last updated on

September 15th, 2023

QuickBooks Online

Dynamics 365 Business Central

QuickBooks Online is the most popular financial software on the market. This cloud-based accounting solution enables tracking of sales and expenses, generating estimates, customer management, and seamless collaboration with external accountants.

Best For:

QuickBooks Online is a good fit for a range of businesses, from small companies (10-50 employees) to larger organizations (500-5,000 employees). Popular sectors include accounting, information technology, and professional services industries.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides finance, human resources, operations, marketing, sales, and more functionalities. It is a part of Microsoft’s suite of enterprise applications and integrates seamlessly with services like Office 365, Power BI, and Azure.

Best For:

Dynamics 365 Business Central is best suited for small companies with 10-50 employees and midsize businesses with 50-200. This cloud-based solution fits the manufacturing, retail, healthcare, financial services, nonprofit, and professional services industries.

7.8

Our Rating

based on our expert editorial analysis

4.3

USER RATING

based on 80 user reviews

Our Verdict:

Many users are upset by Intuit’s forced move to subscription pricing. That said, we liked its custom invoicing and reporting capabilities. QuickBooks is the most widely used financial software, allowing unlimited invoicing even at basic subscription levels while offering bank reconciliation and scalability.

We dislike QuickBooks Online’s limit of 25 concurrent users, its absence of advanced inventory features, and the requirement for some accounting knowledge to use it effectively.

Pros:

Customizable invoicing
Extensive pre-built and custom reports
Automatic exchange rates
Over 750 eCommerce, PoS, payroll integrations
Affordable for NPOs

Cons:

Comparatively expensive
Few industry-specific features
Limited users per plan
Requires accounting expertise

8.3

Our Rating

based on our expert editorial analysis

8.5

USER RATING

based on 11 user reviews

Our Verdict:

We like Business Central for its user-friendly interface, product integrations, and accounting module. The platform includes audit trails, multi-currency, and multi-language support. It also automates recurring tasks like invoicing and reporting.

However, it’s probably not the best fit if your business does complex manufacturing. We suggest a dedicated manufacturing ERP system for tasks like machine monitoring and shop floor control. Finally, Microsoft doesn’t offer a free version of Dynamics 365.

Pros:

Combined ERP and CRM
Similar interface to MS Word and Outlook
Integrations with Microsoft applications
Creates quotes, orders, and invoices in Outlook
Offers same capabilities on iOS, Android, and Windows devices

Cons:

Not ideal for complex manufacturing needs
May require extensive training
No free version
Clunky third-party integrations
Tedious setup

Price Range
$ $ $ $ $
$ $ $ $ $
Starting Price $35/month
Client OS Web

Price Range
$ $ $ $ $
$ $ $ $ $
Starting Price $70/user/month
Client OS Web

Our editorial staff has reviewed and tested Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and QuickBooks Online. We’ve demoed these two solutions, and now we’re sharing our hands-on experience to guide you in your software search.

QuickBooks Online Overview

When it comes to features, QuickBooks Online is known for its intuitive user interface, built-in payment gateway, and over 750 integrations with third-party apps. It offers seamless collaboration with external accountants, and its scalability makes it a popular choice among businesses of various sizes. However, it might require some accounting knowledge to use effectively.

QuickBooks Online offers customizable invoicing, extensive pre-built and custom reports, and automatic exchange rates. However, it’s comparatively more expensive and lacks industry-specific features like manufacturing support.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Overview

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers a similar interface to MS Word and Outlook, creating quotes, orders, and invoices in Outlook. However, it’s not ideal for complex manufacturing needs, and its third-party integrations can be clunky.

Business Central stands out with its combined ERP and CRM capabilities. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft applications and supports multi-currency and multi-language operations. The platform also automates recurring tasks like invoicing and reporting, but it may require extensive training to fully leverage its features.

Target Market Comparison

While both products cater to a broad range of businesses, there are slight differences in their target markets. QuickBooks Online is the most popular accounting software in the market. It’s designed for small to larger organizations, ranging from 10 to 5,000 employees. It’s favored in the accounting, information technology, and professional services industries.

In contrast, Business Central is a cloud-based ERP designed to streamline operations, from sales to financials. It’s best suited for smaller companies and midsize businesses, ranging from 10 to 200 employees. Industries that find this platform most beneficial include manufacturing, retail, healthcare, financial services, nonprofits, and professional services.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs QuickBooks Online: Which is Better for Most Businesses?

For most businesses, we recommend QuickBooks Online due to its widespread use, over 750 third-party integrations, and custom invoicing capabilities. It’s also more scalable, making it a better fit for growing businesses. However, if your business heavily relies on Microsoft applications, Dynamics 365 might be a more seamless fit.

To learn more about ERP solutions, check out our round-up of the best ERP software on the market.

QuickBooks Online

★★★★★

(80)

Price Range

$ $ $ $ $

Starting Price

$35/month

Client OS

Web

Deployment

Cloud Hosted