QuickBooks Desktop for Contractors: Which Edition?

Contractors and trades businesses have particular accounting needs: tracking materials, managing bills from suppliers, invoicing customers and seeing profitability at a glance. QuickBooks Desktop 2024 is a long-established choice for this kind of work. This page helps you match an edition to your business. It is a general guide, not industry-specific tax or legal advice.

What contractors typically need from accounting software

• Invoicing customers and tracking what is owed
• Entering and paying supplier and subcontractor bills
• Reconciling bank and card accounts
• Tracking materials and stock
• Clear reports so you know where money is going
• Controlled access when an office manager or bookkeeper joins the books

Pro Plus covers the first, second, third and fifth with more than 100 built-in reports. Enterprise adds advanced inventory and advanced reporting and roles for the fourth and sixth.

Edition options and prices

Small crews: Pro Plus

If you run a small outfit with an owner, a bookkeeper and perhaps an office manager, Pro Plus gives you the tools without paying for features you will not use. The 3-user edition is $299 for a year, and the 5-user edition at $399 gives you room for another seat or two.

Growing crews: Enterprise

As a contracting business grows, more people touch the books and inventory gets more complicated. Enterprise adds advanced inventory and advanced reporting and roles, and our 5-user edition starts at $1,499 for a year. It scales up to 40 users through custom volume pricing built around your seat count. See our Enterprise for multiple users page for details.

Mac-based offices

If your office runs on macOS, the Mac edition covers 3 users at $299 for a year. Read our Mac vs Windows guide for the trade-offs.

Why contractors choose Desktop

Many owners like that Desktop is installed on their own computer, with their data on their own hardware, and that the 2024 license is a yearly license with no monthly fees. That makes the cost predictable. For a comparison with the cloud alternative, see Desktop vs Online.

Buying with low risk

Digilico delivers a genuine 2024 license with the official Intuit download in about 5 minutes. You install and activate it, and only then pay, after our team confirms it is working. If you need a refund, you can request one within 30 days of payment.

Moving your existing books

If you already use an older desktop version, QuickBooks Desktop 2024 opens and upgrades your company file. Back up first. Our team can help you plan the move.

Next steps

Compare all prices on the price page, or contact us with your team size and we will suggest an edition.

Setting up for a trades business

A few habits make any accounting file work better for a contractor. Keep job names consistent so reports stay readable. Enter supplier bills as they arrive instead of in batches. Reconcile your bank accounts regularly. Back up the company file on a schedule, ideally to more than one location. And if more than one person works in the file, agree who does what. Enterprise roles make that last step enforceable, while on Pro Plus it relies on process.

Support when you need it

You are busy on site, and software problems cost time. Our team offers priority human support for installation and activation, Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm (PST), by phone or email. If you hit an error, send the exact message or a screenshot and we will work through it with you.

Before you decide

Count the people who will touch the books: the owner, a bookkeeper, an office manager and anyone entering bills. Match that number to an edition, then ask whether you need Enterprise's advanced inventory or roles. If not, Pro Plus is the economical choice. If you are unsure, send our team a short description of your business and we will recommend an edition before you buy.