Great Plains vs QuickBooks Online
Updated 16 October 2026
QuickBooks Online may be ideal for simpler organizations with limited reporting, inventory, and entity complexity. The critical question is whether your business still needs the GP features that QBO lacks.
Where QuickBooks Online fits
QBO suits single-entity companies with straightforward accounting, smaller finance teams, and a preference for cloud accessibility and easy administration. If GP's depth went mostly unused, QBO removes cost and overhead you no longer need.
How they compare
| Dimension | Great Plains | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | On-premise roots | Cloud-native |
| Entities | Multi-entity | Suits a single entity |
| Reporting | Deep, complex | Standard financials |
| Administration | Heavier | Light, easy to staff |
| Cost | Higher TCO | Lower |
When QBO is the wrong answer
If you need true multi-entity consolidation, dimensional reporting, or heavier inventory and operations, QBO will feel thin. That's the signal to look at QuickBooks Enterprise, Sage Intacct, or NetSuite instead.
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Get a migration consultationQuestions we get asked
Is QuickBooks Online a downgrade from Great Plains?
Only if you need the depth GP provided. For single-entity businesses with standard accounting, QBO isn't a downgrade. It removes complexity and cost you no longer benefit from.
Can QuickBooks Online handle multiple entities?
Not in the way GP or a mid-market ERP does. For real multi-entity consolidation, look at Sage Intacct or NetSuite. QBO fits a single entity.
What do I lose moving from GP to QBO?
Primarily multi-entity depth, advanced reporting, and heavier operational modules, features many GP users weren't actively using.
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Free Consult →Side by side
| Dynamics GP | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Entities | One company per database, consolidated outside the system | One company per subscription, consolidated outside it |
| Users | Licensed per seat, on your own server or hosted | Included up to the plan limit, browser only |
| Reporting | Management Reporter, built by someone who knows it | Built-in reports plus a spreadsheet export |
| Inventory | Full, including assemblies and landed cost | Basic, no assemblies |
| Who it fits | A business that needs what GP does and cannot leave | A business that outgrew the maintenance, not the functionality |
| What breaks in the move | The chart of accounts, always | Historical detail beyond the years you convert |
The row that decides it is usually the entity count. Everything else can be worked around; consolidation cannot.