QuickBooks Desktop Pro vs Premier vs Enterprise for Manufacturers and Distributors

Side by side

Can you still buy QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier?

Not as a new customer in the US. After September 30, 2024, Intuit stopped selling new subscriptions of Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus and Desktop Enhanced Payroll. Existing subscribers can keep renewing, and Intuit says they still get security updates, product updates and support.

Enterprise is where Intuit's stop-sell article contradicts itself. Updated October 16, 2026, it now opens by saying QuickBooks Desktop isn't available to new US subscribers. It also says Intuit stopped selling Desktop software online. Yet the same article says Enterprise isn't affected, and that new and existing customers can still buy or renew it by phone or online. Intuit's pricing and buy pages still sell Enterprise. If you plan to buy it new, we suggest confirming with Intuit's sales team.

The stop-sell applies to the US only. Intuit also no longer offers lifetime or perpetual licenses of Pro, Premier or Mac, and it says Pro or Premier software offered for sale online isn't authorized. For how long each version is supported, see QuickBooks Desktop support end dates.

How many users and list entries does each allow?

Intuit's user license article says Pro lets 3 people work in a company file at once and Premier lets 5. Enterprise allows up to 30, and Diamond up to 40. Pro and Premier also share a ceiling of 14,500 names and 14,500 items. Enterprise lists hold over 100,000 entries.

• Names: Pro and Premier cap customers, vendors, employees and other names at 14,500 combined, with no single list above 10,500. Intuit says Enterprise 17.0 and later can hold up to 1 million names and 1 million items, though performance may slow near those sizes.
• Chart of accounts: 10,000 accounts in Pro and Premier, 100,000 in Enterprise.
• Components in one assembly: 100 in Premier, 500 in Enterprise.
• Price levels: 100 in Pro and Premier, 750 in Enterprise.
• Custom fields: 5 on items and 15 on names in Pro and Premier, against 15 and 30 in Enterprise.
• Each user needs a license, and every copy must be the same version year. Enterprise licenses come in single users from 1 to 10, then 20 or 30, with up to 40 on Diamond.

Intuit's pages don't all agree on these numbers. Its Pro and Premier comparison page says both are limited to 5 users and a 14,999 list limit. Its help articles say 3 users for Pro and a 14,500-name limit, which is what the table uses. Its user license article caps Enterprise at 30 users, while its pricing page allows up to 40 on Diamond. To see how close you are, press F2 and read the List Information section.

Which editions have sales orders and assemblies?

Premier and Enterprise. Intuit's help says sales orders are only in Premier and Enterprise, and inventory assemblies are in Premier, Enterprise and Accountant. Pro has neither. If you take orders before you ship them, or build products from components, Pro lacks the features you would rely on.

In both Premier and Enterprise, Build Assemblies records the build and updates the stock of the components it uses. If parts are short, you can mark the build pending and finish it later, and Show Shortage lists what to reorder. Enterprise allows 500 components per assembly against Premier's 100. See How to Set Up a Bill of Materials and Build Assemblies.

Customer pricing differs too. Pro's price levels change all prices by a fixed percentage. Per item price levels, which set a price for each item, need Premier or Enterprise.

Which editions have Advanced Inventory and Advanced Pricing?

Only Enterprise. Intuit's pricing page lists both for Platinum and Diamond and not for Gold, though two help articles word this differently (see below). Pro and Premier have neither, so multiple warehouses, bins, FIFO costing and automatic price rules all mean moving to Enterprise.

• Advanced Inventory tracks stock by site, with reorder points for each site and transfers between them. With it, you can switch from average cost to FIFO from a date you choose.
• The fine print on Intuit's industry editions page says mobile barcode scanning and cycle counts are only in the Advanced Inventory module. It lists sales order fulfillment and landed cost for Platinum and Diamond only.
• Advanced Pricing builds price rules from customer, item, class and sales rep conditions, and adds quantity discounts. Turning it on converts your price levels into price rules.

Intuit's Advanced Pricing article names only the Platinum subscription, while its pricing page lists Advanced Pricing for Diamond as well. Its article on turning on Advanced Inventory says Enterprise users can purchase or subscribe to it, without naming a level. For what each Enterprise level includes, see QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise editions: Silver vs Gold vs Platinum vs Diamond.

What are the industry editions?

They are versions of Premier and Enterprise with extra reports and menus for one type of business. Intuit lists General Business, Contractor, Manufacturing & Wholesale, Nonprofit, Professional Services, Retail and Accountant. Pro has no industry editions.

Intuit's reports article gives Sales by Rep Detail, Sales by Product and Open Sales Order by Customer as examples of Manufacturing and Wholesale edition reports. You switch editions from the Help menu, under Manage My License, and a file made in one edition opens in any other without changing the data.

What happens to your file when you move up?

Pro and Premier files open in each other without changing the data. Moving to Enterprise is one-way: Enterprise updates the file, and Pro or Premier can't open it afterward. Your lists carry over, and the 14,500-name limit no longer applies.

Intuit says Pro Plus and Premier Plus subscribers who move to Enterprise are eligible for a prorated refund for the months left. For the install, file update and user setup, see How to Upgrade From QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier to Enterprise. For current prices by level and user count, see QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise pricing explained.

Who should choose which

• Stay on Pro Plus if you already subscribe, have 3 or fewer users, and don't need sales orders, assemblies or per item pricing.
• Stay on Premier Plus if you already subscribe, have 5 or fewer users and fewer than 14,500 names, and your sales orders and assemblies work as they are.
• Move to Enterprise Gold if you need more than 5 users, more list room, or the one Desktop product Intuit's buy page still sells.
• Move to Enterprise Platinum if you need inventory by warehouse or bin, FIFO costing, price rules or purchase order approvals, which Intuit's pricing page puts in Platinum and Diamond.
• Choose Diamond if you need more than 30 users or Assisted Payroll.

What Logistify does and doesn't do

Logistify doesn't sell QuickBooks licenses or change your edition. It is a managed service for companies on QuickBooks Desktop, not a connector or plugin. The Sales Order Service enters customer orders that arrive by email, PDF or paper into QuickBooks Desktop as sales orders, with a person reviewing exceptions. The Accounts Receivable Service matches payments in your bank file to the open invoices they pay and records them. The Procurement Service follows up with suppliers on open purchase orders.

Sales orders exist only in Premier and Enterprise. Logistify doesn't set price levels or price rules, or choose inventory sites, bins or lot numbers on sales orders. It doesn't pick, pack, ship or receive, approve or pay bills, or build reports.