QuickBooks Online
The small-business accounting default in the United States.
- Finance
- Productivity
- from $38/mo
QuickBooks Online is Intuit's cloud accounting product for small and mid-sized businesses, covering bookkeeping, invoicing, expenses, bank reconciliation, payroll add-ons and financial reporting. Its practical advantage is that almost every US accountant already knows it, which removes friction at exactly the moment accounting software usually creates it.
QuickBooks Online: the short answer
Every line below is drawn from facts verified on 9 August 2026.
- What it is
- The small-business accounting default in the United States
- Best for
- US small businesses working with an external accountant
- Starts at
- From $38/month (Simple Start)
- Free option
- No free plan, 30 days, or 90% off for 3 months instead of the trial trial
- Biggest strength
- Near-universal familiarity among US accountants and bookkeepers
- Biggest drawback
- User caps drive upgrades independently of accounting need
- Closest alternative
- Xero - Stronger outside the US, with unlimited users on every plan
- True annual cost
- from $456 a year at the cheapest paid tier
QuickBooks Online at a glance
| Best for | US small businesses working with an external accountant, Companies needing payroll and accounting from one vendor, Businesses that want extensive bank feed coverage |
|---|---|
| Category | Finance, Productivity |
| Starting price | From $38/month (Simple Start) |
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 30 days, or 90% off for 3 months instead of the trial |
| Pricing model | subscription |
| Company | Intuit Inc. |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California, United States |
| Founders | Scott Cook, Tom Proulx |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Public API | Yes |
| Browser extension | No |
| Mobile apps | iOS + Android |
| Self-hosting | No |
| Affiliate programme | Affiliate and ProAdvisor programmes advertised; rates vary |
| Data source | Vendor pricing page and public records |
| Last checked | August 2026 |
QuickBooks Online pricing
Prices below were read from the vendor's own pricing page on 9 August 2026. Pricing model: subscription. Free trial: 30 days, or 90% off for 3 months instead of the trial.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $38 | per month | One user plus accountant access. Invoicing, expenses, basic reports |
| Essentials | $85 | per month | Three users, bill management and time tracking |
| Plus | $140 | per month | Five users, inventory, project profitability |
| Advanced | $340 | per month | 25 users, workflow automation, dedicated support |
What QuickBooks Online actually costs over a year
A monthly price is not the same thing as a monthly contract. These are the plans above multiplied out to twelve months, per seat or unit where the plan is charged that way.
| Plan | Monthly | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $38 | $456 |
| Essentials | $85 | $1020 |
| Plus | $140 | $1680 |
| Advanced | $340 | $4080 |
Which QuickBooks Online plan should you buy?
| Your situation | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You are a sole trader working with an accountant | Simple Start | $38 a month for one user plus accountant access. The accountant compatibility is the point. |
| You need bill management and three users | Essentials | $85 a month. |
| You hold inventory or track project profitability | Plus | $140 a month with five users. Inventory is usually the deciding feature. |
| You need workflow automation and 25 users | Advanced | $340 a month, and a large step most small businesses never need. |
| You are offered 90% off for three months | Budget the renewal, not the promotion | The discount replaces the trial rather than adding to it, and renewal pricing is steep by comparison. |
| You are outside the United States | Check local alternatives first | Xero and local products often fit non-US tax and payroll better. |
Verdict by who you are
US small business with an external accountantYes
Almost every US accountant works in QuickBooks, and that compatibility saves real money in bookkeeping fees.
Business needing accounting and payroll from one vendorYes
One vendor and one support relationship, which matters more than feature parity for most owners.
Business outside the USCompare first
Capable, but Xero's international coverage and unlimited users often suit better.
Freelancer who only invoicesNo
$38 a month is a lot for invoicing. Wave is free and FreshBooks is nicer at it.
Should you buy QuickBooks Online?
Buy QuickBooks Online if…
- US small businesses working with an external accountant
- Companies needing payroll and accounting from one vendor
- Businesses that want extensive bank feed coverage
Do not buy QuickBooks Online if…
- Businesses outside the US, where local rivals often fit better
- Very small operations that only need invoicing
- Anyone sensitive to steep renewal pricing after promotions
Key features
- Double-entry bookkeeping with automated bank feeds
- Invoicing with online payment acceptance
- Expense capture including receipt scanning
- Sales tax calculation and filing support
- Payroll as an integrated add-on
- Inventory tracking on Plus and above
- Project profitability and job costing
- Accountant access built into every plan
Integrations
- QuickBooks Payments and Payroll
- Shopify, Square and PayPal
- Bill.com and Expensify
- Salesforce and HubSpot
- QuickBooks Online API
- Hundreds of apps in the Intuit marketplace
QuickBooks Online screenshots
Captured by us in August 2026 at 1440px, unedited. Interfaces change, so these show the product as it looked on the date we verified this profile. Vendors localise pricing by visitor region, so a pricing screenshot may display a different currency to the USD figures recorded above.
Our assessment
QuickBooks Online wins on ecosystem rather than product. The software is competent rather than delightful, but every US accountant can open your file, every bank connects, and every adjacent tool integrates. That matters more than interface quality when your books need to be audited or handed over. The costs to watch are the user caps, which force upgrades for reasons unrelated to accounting complexity, and the aggressive introductory discounting: 90% off for three months makes the renewal price feel like a rise when it is simply the actual price.
What works in QuickBooks Online
- Near-universal familiarity among US accountants and bookkeepers
- Extensive bank feed coverage and reliable reconciliation
- Payroll, payments and accounting from a single vendor
- Very large integration ecosystem
What doesn't
- User caps drive upgrades independently of accounting need
- Renewal pricing is far above the heavily discounted entry offer
- Weaker fit outside the United States
- Advanced is expensive for what is largely automation and support
EveryAny Decision Score
Scored by dimension rather than averaged into one number, because the trade-offs are the useful part. 3 of these 8 dimensions are calculated from verified facts by published formula; the rest are editorial judgement, labelled as such. How each score is calculated.
- Cost position0/10
derivedentry tier at $38 a month against a category median of $23 across 5 comparable tools
- Portability5/10
derivedpublic API
- Subscription flexibility6/10
derivedfree trial, subscription, monthly billing
- Feature depth8/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- Ease of learning7/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- Collaboration6/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- AI capability6/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- Professional adoption10/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
What leaving QuickBooks Online would cost
moderate lock-in
Calculated as 10 minus a portability score of 5, built from four signals (self-hosting, a public API, open-source licensing and a documented export path) . QuickBooks Online scores on: public API. Formula.
QuickBooks Online competitors and alternatives
| Alternative | Why you might pick it instead |
|---|---|
| Xero | Stronger outside the US, with unlimited users on every plan. |
| FreshBooks | Simpler and cheaper if invoicing is most of what you need. |
| Wave | Free accounting for very small businesses, with paid payments and payroll. |
Watch the discount, not the price
At the time we checked, Intuit was advertising 90% off for three months, which puts Simple Start at $3.80 and Advanced at $34. Those are not prices, they are an acquisition offer. Budget the full figures, because month four arrives quickly and the step from $3.80 to $38 feels like a price rise even though nothing changed.
You generally choose between the discount and the 30-day free trial rather than getting both.
User counts are the real tier driver
Simple Start is one user plus your accountant. Essentials is three, Plus is five, Advanced is twenty-five. Businesses routinely upgrade because a second bookkeeper needs access, not because they need inventory or project costing. Count the people who will log in before comparing features.
Where it fits and where it does not
Inside the US, the accountant network effect is decisive: handing over a QuickBooks file is frictionless in a way that no competitor matches. Outside the US, that advantage largely inverts, and Xero, FreeAgent or local incumbents usually handle tax rules and bank feeds better.
Costs that sit outside the subscription
Payroll and merchant payments are separate line items, and both are priced per employee or per transaction. A business using QuickBooks for accounting, payroll and card payments should model all three together, because the accounting subscription is frequently the smallest of them.
QuickBooks Online questions, answered
- Is QuickBooks Online worth it?
- QuickBooks Online wins on ecosystem rather than product.
- How much does QuickBooks Online cost?
- From $38/month (Simple Start). The cheapest paid tier we recorded works out at $38 a month, or $456 over a year. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
- Does QuickBooks Online have a free plan or free trial?
- QuickBooks Online has no free plan. A free trial is available: 30 days, or 90% off for 3 months instead of the trial.
- What is the best QuickBooks Online alternative?
- It depends on the job. Xero: Stronger outside the US, with unlimited users on every plan. FreshBooks: Simpler and cheaper if invoicing is most of what you need. Wave: Free accounting for very small businesses, with paid payments and payroll.
- Can I self-host QuickBooks Online?
- No. QuickBooks Online is a hosted service only, so your data lives on the vendor's infrastructure.
Provenance and freshness
When each fact was last checked
- Pricing ·
- Plans ·
- Free trial
- Features
- Platforms
- Integrations
- Affiliate programme
- Company details
What has changed
-
August 2026
- Pricing verified, noting the promotion replaces rather than extends the trial
- Added plan picker and verdicts
Sources & verification
Facts on this page were read from the sources below on the dates shown. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, we record it as not disclosed rather than estimating it.
- QuickBooks Online pricing - checked 9 August 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we will re-check it. Corrections are logged on the page.
