QuotedPartComparisons · Updated 2026-10-30
JobBOSS² vs QuickBooks: when does a shop need an ERP?
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They do different jobs, so most shops don't choose one over the other. QuickBooks is accounting: invoices, bills, payroll, taxes and, from the Plus plan up, project profitability and inventory. JobBOSS² is a job-shop ERP. It covers quotes, routings, scheduling, material requirements, job costing and shipping, and ECI says it syncs with both QuickBooks Desktop and Online. You need an ERP once the work between quote and invoice no longer fits in people's heads and spreadsheets. Below that line, QuickBooks plus a quoting tool and a schedule board is cheaper and simpler.
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What each one does
QuickBooks Online's Plus plan tracks project profitability and inventory, which covers job costing at the level of "did we make money on this job?". It doesn't route a part through work centers, schedule machines, plan material for open jobs or compare estimated with actual job costs. JobBOSS² does those, and ECI names QuickBooks as its accounting sync on its product and pricing pages.
| Job | QuickBooks Online | JobBOSS² |
|---|---|---|
| Invoices, AP/AR, payroll | Yes | Built-in, or integrates with quickbooks desktop and online for invoices, payroll and ap/ar |
| Job profitability | Project profitability on Plus and Advanced | Estimated vs actual job costs |
| Quotes | Estimates as a sales document | Rate-based estimating: pre-set burden and labor rates, quantity breaks, setup and run time, outside services and commission; quotes created from estimates in one click and converted to orders |
| Scheduling and capacity | No | Drag-and-drop scheduling; capacity-aware lead times |
| Material planning | Inventory on Plus and Advanced | Material forecast and automatic purchase orders for job requirements |
| Price | Published (table below) | No list price; pricing is tailored to the shop's scale and the functionality it needs |
Signs you've outgrown QuickBooks and spreadsheets
In a 2019 Practical Machinist thread, the owner of a 6-person shop described the point well: accounting was "done on quick books and is managed pretty well", but "where I am getting killed is cleanly keeping scheduling, quote information, PO history, setup information, material cert information, inspection report, invoice, and the list goes on." After the replies, that owner chose to try QuickBooks workarounds first. That is a reasonable first step.
- Nobody can say when a job will ship without walking the floor.
- You find out a job lost money after it's invoiced, not while it runs.
- Material is ordered job by job from memory, and rush buys are common.
- Customers or auditors ask for certs, traveler history or inspection records you have to dig for.
- Quotes for repeat parts are rebuilt from scratch because the last routing lives in someone's head.
The in-between setup, priced
Many small shops run QuickBooks, a quoting tool and a scheduling whiteboard before they buy an ERP. The cost table at the end of this page shows QuickBooks Online's list prices, which also come with an introductory 50% off for 3 months or a 30-day trial. Next to them is the yearly cost with a $199/month quoting tool added. JobBOSS² has no published price, so it isn't in the table. ECI quotes a 3–6 month implementation.
The in-between setup stops working at the same signs as above, usually scheduling first. When it does, choose an ERP that syncs with QuickBooks, so the books stay where your accountant knows them, and check that your quoting tool can hand quotes to it. QuotedPart, for example, sends quotes into JobBOSS² through ECI's API and exports CSV or Excel for anything else.
QuickBooks Online list prices by year
- • QuickBooks Online list prices read 2026-10-30, before the 50%-for-3-months intro offer
- • Quoting tool at $199/month (QuotedPart's price)
- • Taxes, payroll add-ons and apps excluded
| QuickBooks Online plan | Users included | Per month | Per year | Per year with a $199/month quoting tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | 1 | $38 | $456 | $2,844 |
| Essentials | 3 | $85 | $1,020 | $3,408 |
| Plus | 5 | $140 | $1,680 | $4,068 |
| Advanced | 25 | $340 | $4,080 | $6,468 |
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
- QuickBooks Online: List prices per month: Simple Start $38 (1 user), Essentials $85 (3 users), Plus $140 (5 users), Advanced $340 (25 users); intro offers of 50% off for 3 months or a 30-day free trial (their words: “50% off for 3 months”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- QuickBooks Online: Project profitability and inventory tracking start on Plus; Advanced adds advanced project financials (their words: “Track project profitability”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: ECI's job-shop ERP for make-to-order and custom metal manufacturers: quoting, job costing, scheduling, inventory, purchasing, shipping and quality (their words: “JOB‑SHOP ERP FOR MAKE‑TO‑ORDER & CUSTOM METAL MANUFACTURERS”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: Integrates with QuickBooks Desktop and Online for invoices, payroll and AP/AR (their words: “JobBOSS² features a seamless integration with QuickBooks (both Desktop and Online versions).”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: Rate-based estimating: pre-set burden and labor rates, quantity breaks, setup and run time, outside services and commission; quotes created from estimates in one click and converted to orders (their words: “Burden Rate, Labor Rate, Quantity Breaks, Set-up Time, Run/Cycle Time, Outside Services, Sales Commission can all be pre-set.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: Quoting with visibility into the shop's capacity for realistic lead times (their words: “Quote with visibility into your shop’s capacity, so you can have realistic lead times”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: No list price; pricing is tailored to the shop's scale and the functionality it needs (their words: “Our pricing is tailored to the specific scale of your manufacturing operations and the depth of functionality required.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: Implementation takes around 3–6 months (their words: “Our implementation takes around 3-6 months to complete.”) — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- JobBOSS²: drag-and-drop job scheduling, estimated-vs-actual job costs, automatic purchase orders for job requirement material and a material forecast utility (ECI product page and FAQ). — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Practical Machinist thread "ERP show down. Jobboss or E2. Current feelings on both?" (2019): opening post quoted as written. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- QuotedPart: Send to JobBOSS² via ECI's API; CSV and Excel export for other systems. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Yearly totals are our arithmetic from list prices: monthly × 12, before intro discounts and taxes.
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