Purchase orders play a crucial role in keeping business operations organized and costs under control. From managing supplier relationships to ensuring accurate billing and inventory levels, a well-designed PO system can save time, reduce errors, and provide the visibility every growing business needs.
QuickBooks offers simple, straightforward purchase order functionality that works well for smaller companies managing basic procurement needs. But as purchasing processes become more complex, with multiple vendors, approval steps, and inventory integration, many businesses find QuickBooks’ tools too limited to keep up.
That’s where aACE comes in. Designed as part of a fully integrated ERP platform, aACE’s purchasing tools go beyond simple order creation — connecting POs with inventory, receiving, accounts payable, and project management for complete operational transparency.
But don’t just take our word for it. We asked independent software reviewers at MihaelCacic.com to compare aACE and QuickBooks head-to-head. In this excerpt from aACE vs. QuickBooks: A Comparative Report, the MihaelCacic.com team takes a close look at the differences between aACE and QuickBooks’ respective purchase order management functionality. Here’s what they found:
At a Glance: Both platforms offer comprehensive purchase order management, the difference is that QuickBooks focuses specifically on financial workflow while aACE allows broader operational integration with inventory and production.
QuickBooks’ purchase orders work directly with the inventory management system described in section 3.4, Basic Inventory Tracking.
You can manually add inventory items to a purchase order, or set up automatic purchase order generation once the stock runs out. QuickBooks will then generate a purchase order, and you’ll be able to send it to your supplier.
A key differentiator is that aACE treats vendors as companies within the unified contact management system, maintaining consistent information across customers and suppliers without separate databases (a major advantage over QuickBooks, where many businesses struggle with maintaining separate vendor and customer records for the same entity).
Three-way matching with immediate inventory updates ensures accuracy even with partial deliveries, automatically handling complex scenarios like returns and allowances. It works across three documents: the purchase order, receiving inventory, and the vendor invoice. aACE issues a Purchase Order, the user records the Goods Receipt when inventory arrives, and the vendor invoice is entered as a Purchase in the system.
Another key strength is demand-driven purchasing.
Purchase orders automatically generate from sales orders that require inventory or production jobs that need materials, ensuring purchasing decisions reflect actual demand rather than estimates. Note that auto-generated POs are left in Pending status until they’re processed by an employee to prevent the system from sending out orders by itself.
In addition, aACE streamlines complex purchasing scenarios such as drop shipments and special orders. Drop shipments allow vendors to send products directly to customers without passing through your warehouse, while special orders ensure items are routed through your facilities for inspection or repackaging before delivery. By automating these processes, aACE reduces manual data entry and keeps fulfillment accurate and efficient.
Purchase Order Management Assessment: Both platforms provide comprehensive purchase order management with three-way matching and financial controls. QuickBooks offers strong approval workflows for financial management. aACE provides superior operational integration, automatically generating purchase orders from actual demand while updating all connected systems in real-time.
Still on the fence about whether QuickBooks or aACE is right for your business? Download aACE vs QuickBooks: A Comparative Report today to learn more about how the two solutions match up.
