Central ERP and QuickBooks
Outgrown QuickBooks? Add operations and keep QuickBooks for your books
Outgrown QuickBooks? Most SMEs do not need to replace it. QuickBooks Online is popular accounting software with UK businesses and their accountants. When stock, orders and jobs outgrow spreadsheets, Central ERP runs your operations and connects to QuickBooks through its API, so your accounts stay exactly where they are.
Outgrown QuickBooks? Central ERP and QuickBooks work better together
QuickBooks stays in finance
Your finance team and accountant keep using QuickBooks for bookkeeping, VAT and financial reporting, with no disruption.
Central ERP covers operations
Customers, inventory, purchasing, distribution, field service and HR run in one connected system.
Linked through the API
Financial data flows from Central ERP to QuickBooks automatically, so nobody rekeys orders, invoices or purchases.
Central ERP vs QuickBooks: pricing
Published list prices as shown by each provider, checked October 2026.
Central ERP
- Free
- £0
- Standard
- £40 per user per month, minimum 5 users
- Complete
- £80 per user per month, minimum 10 users
- Custom
- Priced to your requirements
Custom workflows and UK support from the team that builds it. See full pricing
QuickBooks Online
- Simple Start
- £14 per month, 1 user
- Essentials
- £28 per month, 3 users
- Plus
- £50 per month, 5 users
- Advanced
- £82 per month, 25 users
Per business per month, excluding VAT. Introductory discounts are often offered for the first months.
QuickBooks is priced as an accounts package, so many businesses keep it for their books and add Central ERP for stock, orders, jobs and people, with the two connected.
Source: QuickBooks Online pricing, checked October 2026.
What each system is designed to do
| Central ERP | QuickBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Runs the whole business: customers, stock, operations, people and reporting | Accounting: bookkeeping, VAT, invoicing and financial reporting |
| Customer management | Customer Record Management linked to orders, jobs and history | Customer records mainly for invoicing and payments |
| Inventory and orders | Multi location stock, purchasing and distribution built in | Inventory tracking on higher plans, with wider operations often handled by add on apps |
| Field service and projects | Callout, install and project management included | Project tracking on higher plans, with scheduling and field work usually in separate apps |
| Custom procedures | Custom task types with condition based automation | Generally focused on accounting processes |
| Accounting | Integrates with QuickBooks so your books stay where they are | Core strength and the system of record for your accounts |
| Support | UK implementation and ongoing support from an established IT partner | Support typically through Intuit and your accountant |
QuickBooks is a trademark of its respective owner. This comparison reflects our general understanding and published information as at October 2026, and is intended as a guide only. Please check current details with each provider.
Which setup is right for you?
Central ERP is likely the right fit if
- You use QuickBooks but manage stock, jobs or customers on spreadsheets
- You rely on several add on apps that do not share the same data
- You need sector specific procedures and approvals built in
- You want one UK partner to implement and support the system
QuickBooks on its own may be enough if
- Your requirements are mainly bookkeeping, VAT and invoicing
- Your operations are simple enough to manage without extra software
- Your QuickBooks plan already covers your stock and project needs
Not sure which is right for you?
Talk it through with our UK team. We will give you a straight answer.
Frequently asked questions
Does Central ERP replace QuickBooks?
No, it does not need to. Central ERP integrates with QuickBooks through its API, so you keep QuickBooks for your books while Central ERP runs customers, stock, orders, jobs and people. Your accountant carries on working as normal, and financial data flows across automatically without anyone entering it twice.
When does a QuickBooks user need ERP?
A QuickBooks user needs ERP when the rest of the business has outgrown spreadsheets and add on apps. Typical signs are rekeying orders, stock levels that never match, jobs tracked by hand and slow reporting. Adding ERP alongside QuickBooks connects your operations to your accounts and removes that manual effort.
How does Central ERP integrate with QuickBooks?
Central ERP connects to QuickBooks through the QuickBooks API. Sales, purchases and other financial transactions created in Central ERP pass across to QuickBooks automatically. This keeps your operational records and your accounts aligned, saves time on data entry and reduces the risk of errors from copying figures between systems.
Can my accountant keep using QuickBooks?
Yes. Because Central ERP integrates with QuickBooks, Xero and Sage, your accountant can keep working in the accounting package they already know. Central ERP handles the operational side of the business, and the financial data they need arrives in QuickBooks automatically, so nothing changes in how they support you.
Should I move to QuickBooks Advanced or add an ERP?
It depends on where the pressure is. If the strain is in your accounts, such as more users or more detailed financial reporting, a higher QuickBooks plan may help. If the strain is in operations, such as stock, orders, jobs and customers, an ERP system tackles it directly. Central ERP is built for that side.
Is QuickBooks an ERP system?
No. QuickBooks Online is accounting software for bookkeeping, VAT, invoicing and financial reporting. An ERP system runs the wider business from one database, including customers, inventory, purchasing, distribution, field service and people. Many SMEs keep QuickBooks for their accounts and use an ERP system such as Central ERP for day to day operations.