Deltek
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy only if you're a mid-size or larger GovCon, A&E, or consulting firm needing ERP-grade project accounting.
New check
Comparison
Deltek vs QuickBooks
Deltek and QuickBooks both land on Depends.
QuickBooks
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you run a US small business that wants accountant-standard, bank-fed books and can absorb recurring price hikes.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Government contractors (GovCon) | US small businesses wanting accountant-compatible books |
| Who it's not for | Small teams wanting simple time or contact tracking | Solo freelancers who just need invoicing |
| Privacy | Published CVEs exist for legacy Deltek products; vendor maintains an active public security program.⁹ | No confirmed Intuit-side breach in sources; legacy CVEs, a third-party plugin XSS, and user-reported account takeovers exist. |
| Support quality | Mixed signals; no reliable evidence | No clear evidence either way |
| Public sentiment | G2 reviews praise project-accounting depth and GovCon fit, while Reddit threads slam complexity, cost, and support.¹ | Users are split: many depend on it daily, while detractors focus on price hikes, forced migration, and hacked accounts. |
| Biggest gotcha | Quote-based pricing; one user reports ~$8k per seat. Negotiate hard.⁴ | Annual price increases documented; one thread title calls pricing 'insane' |
Pick Deltek when
- Government contractors (GovCon)
- Architecture and engineering firms
- Consulting firms needing project accounting
- Mid-size and large project-based companies
When Deltek is not a fit
- Small teams wanting simple time or contact tracking
- Startups without a dedicated systems admin
- Buyers needing transparent, self-serve pricing
- Anyone needing a lightweight CRM or spreadsheet replacement
Pick QuickBooks when
- US small businesses wanting accountant-compatible books
- Teams wanting bank-fed, tax-ready reporting
- Owners wanting invoicing, payments, and lending in one place
- Firms with a bookkeeper already fluent in QuickBooks
When QuickBooks is not a fit
- Solo freelancers who just need invoicing
- Large enterprises with multi-entity consolidation needs
- Price-sensitive owners tired of annual hikes
- Desktop loyalists resisting forced cloud migration
Sources
review
- Deltek Review 2026: Is It Worth It or Too Complex?milientsoftware.comreview
- Deltek Sucks!!! - r/deltekreddit.comreview
review
- Deltek Costpoint Pricing 2026: From $75/Usererpresearch.comofficial
official
- Deltek Customer Storiesdeltek.comofficial
- CVE-2018-18251 Detail - NVDnvd.nist.govsecurity
- Deltek Maconomy 2.2.5 LFIbeaglesecurity.comsecurity
- Deltek vs. everybody : r/Architectsreddit.comreview
- Unit4 vs Deltek Costpoint (2026)rfp.wikireview
- QuickBooks Official Pricingquickbooks.intuit.comofficial
- Intuit Security Centersecurity.intuit.comofficial
- QuickBooks Online Advanced Cloud Securityquickbooks.intuit.comofficial
- Gartner: Intuit QuickBooks Reviewsgartner.comreview