"Timeline to Discontinue the QuickBooks Desktop REST API

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UPDATED: February 3, 2015
Updated: October 6, 2014
Published: September 8, 2014

We want to share with you, our developer community, an important update about how Intuit will be prioritizing developer and platform resources in the coming years, with specific implications for the QuickBooks Desktop REST API.

The emergence of the cloud means that now, more than ever, we are serving customers on two distinct platforms – a desktop product and an online offering.

We’ve recently reached an inflection point where we now have more new users choosing QuickBooks Online than QuickBooks Desktop. Our customers are choosing QuickBooks Online because it helps them streamline operations, makes it possible to unlock a wealth of data-driven insights, and makes it easier than ever to reach new customers and partners around the world.

As a result of this market shift, we are re-focusing `our energy and resources on the QuickBooks Online APIs. In November 2013, we announced that we would no longer be onboarding new developers to the QuickBooks Desktop REST API. Today, we want to share with you the next steps and the plans to eventually discontinue service to the QuickBooks Desktop REST API – both v2 and v3. Here’s what this means for developers:

• Beginning March 1, 2015, only existing app customers will be able to connect to QuickBooks Desktop through the QuickBooks Desktop REST API. 
• Around September 2015, we will stop promoting QuickBooks Desktop REST API-based applications. This includes apps.com and in-product discovery in QuickBooks for Windows.
• Beginning March 1, 2016, we will be discontinuing service of the QuickBooks Desktop REST API, both v2 and v3, and the Sync Manager service. 
• Through March 1, 2016, we will continue to fix critical bugs with the QuickBooks Desktop REST API service as well as provide Sync Manager support.

We understand that this transition may not be easy for some developers.  We believe that the QuickBooks Online ecosystem offers developers and customers many benefits of a full SaaS solution. We encourage developers to transition, when you are ready, to QuickBooks Online.

To help make this transition as painless as possible, we recommend the following:

1. If you have not already done so, build an integration with QuickBooks Online and publish it on apps.com.
2. Encourage your existing desktop customers to migrate to QuickBooks Online. Your customers can call the QuickBooks migration hotline at 1-800-488-7330 to discuss their migration options with an expert. Once migrated to QuickBooks Online, they can reconnect your application with their data.
3. For developers who want to continue building a QuickBooks Desktop integration, we ask that you use the QuickBooks Desktop SDK and the QuickBooks Web Connector.

If you have specific questions, please don’t hesitate to open a support ticket with us or contact your partner manager directly.

FAQ:

Why are you making this change now?

We are in the midst of a platform shift from desktop to QuickBooks Online. In fact, we’ve reached an inflection point where more new users are choosing QuickBooks Online than QuickBooks Desktop. As a result, we are re-focusing our energy and resources. This includes the decision to prioritize our developer resources on the QuickBooks Online APIs. The updated API eliminates connection fees, simplifies third-party collaboration, and offers developers the opportunity to build applications that integrate across U.S. and global markets.

What will happen on March 1, 2015?

Beginning March 1, 2015, only existing app customers will be able to connect to QuickBooks Desktop through the QuickBooks Desktop REST API. 

There is no specific action happening on March 1, 2015. We will continue to fix critical bugs with the QuickBooks Desktop REST API service, as well as provide Sync Manager support, until March 1, 2016.

What will happen after March 1, 2016?

Beginning March 1, 2016, we will discontinue service of the QuickBooks Desktop REST API and the Sync Manager service. 

If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to build an integration with QuickBooks Online and publish it on apps.com.

If you want to maintain a QuickBooks Desktop integration, you will need to build a new integration using the QuickBooks Desktop SDK and the Intuit Web Connector.


FAQ ADDITIONS, 10/6/2014

Will Sync Manager be replaced by another applications? 

No. There are no plans to replace the Sync Manager.

Can we provide the customer-facing communications to developers beforehand?

Yes, we will keep developers informed on sync manager communications. Because the impact will vary from app to app, it’s important that app developers build their own customer-facing communications as well.

How does this affect the connection charges?

There is no impact to the connection charges.

What is the future of QuickBooks Desktop versus QuickBooks Online?

Intuit remains committed to both products, recognizing that new customers prefer QuickBooks Online. At its annual Investor Day on Sept. 30, 2014, Intuit reaffirmed its “strategic decisions to invest in the acceleration to cloud-based subscriptions and to improve the company’s future desktop offerings to encourage migration to online services.”