Bookkeep vs QuickBooks Online (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, QuickBooks Online grades higher than Bookkeep: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
QuickBooks Online grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bookkeep
Sales and payout accounting automation for ecommerce and retail
QuickBooks Online
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced
Which one is for you
Pick Bookkeep if
- Fits if you run a shop on Shopify or Square and keep books in QuickBooks or Xero
- Works for businesses with several legal entities that want each posted
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have several entities, since each needs its own subscription
- Watch out: sales tax filing is $75 a filing and payout splitting $3.99 a transfer
- Watch out: history from before sign-up is $0.35 an entry and can't be posted in the trial
- Tight on Lite: $200k revenue and 1 channel, and plans move up on their own
- Skip it if you're outside the US or Canada, because other countries are told to ask for rates
Pick QuickBooks Online if
- Fits if your accountant wants to work in the same books as you
- Works for US businesses that expect to add payroll, inventory or project tracking later
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a small team or need inventory and budgets: $85 a month for 3 users, $140 for Plus with 5
- Watch out: the advertised prices are half off for 3 months only, then $38, $85, $140 or $340 a month
- Tight if you're on the free plan: 2 invoices a month, 1 bank, and no accountant access or mobile app
- Pricey if you need payroll, at $50 a month plus $7 an employee on top
- Skip it if you're outside the US, as these are US plans and prices and other countries have their own sites
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABookkeepFair | 2.4GPAQuickBooks OnlineFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$19 a month per entity for Lite, up to $200k revenue and 1 channel. That's in the cheaper half of the category, but the plans climb to $1,199. | CSimple Start is $38 a month for 1 user, above the dearer quarter of accounting tools at $31.10 but short of the dearest tenth at $49. Three users is $85, and inventory and budgets need Plus at $140. The 50% off lasts only 3 months. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial of any plan with no card. There is no free plan. | CThere's a free plan, but it's 2 invoices a month, 3 reports and 1 bank account, with no accountant access or mobile app. You'll hit that fast. Paid plans have a 30-day trial instead of the discount. |
| Features | CSummarised journal entries, many channels, sales tax filing and payout splitting. It does one job fully, a smaller job than accounting, and posts into your accounting system. | BBank feeds that learn your categories, invoices and payments, bill pay by ACH, reports, budgets, project profit, inventory, classes, AI that reconciles and flags oddities, and payroll as an add-on. That's the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you connect channels and map categories. | CNo store rating on record. Its bank feeds learn how you categorize and copy you, but there are accounts to connect and reports to learn before it runs itself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Shopify, Amazon and Square. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with PayPal, Square, Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Gusto and QuickBooks Time. No desktop app is listed, and the free plan gets no mobile app or third-party apps. |
| Best for | online sellers with several channels and entities | US businesses that share the books with an accountant |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bookkeep and QuickBooks Online. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bookkeep starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. QuickBooks Online starts at $38 a month and scores 2.7.
QuickBooks Online scores higher, and starts $19 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 16 score higher than Bookkeep for less, and 6 score higher than QuickBooks Online for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bookkeep also covers workflow automation, online store and amazon selling.
- QuickBooks Online also covers invoicing, expense tracking and payroll.
At a glance
| Bookkeep | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month per entity, billed monthly | $38 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | 1 user, income and expense tracking, 2 invoices a month, 3 reports and 1 connected bank. No accountant access, mobile app or third-party apps. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of any plan, no credit card required | 30-day free trial on paid plans, taken instead of the 3-month discount |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Bookkeep | Intuit Inc. |
| Price read from | bookkeep.com | quickbooks.intuit.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bookkeep
- Each legal entity needs its own subscription, and plans change automatically with connected channels and revenue.
- Add-ons cost extra: sales tax filing is $75 per filing, payout splitting $3.99 per transfer and advanced reporting $99 a month.
- Historical journal entries before sign-up are billed at $0.35 each and cannot be posted during the trial.
- Prices are in US or Canadian dollars only; other countries are asked to inquire for rates.
QuickBooks Online
- The advertised prices are a 50% discount for the first 3 months; the plan then renews at $38, $85, $140 or $340 a month.
- Each plan caps users: 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus and 25 on Advanced.
- Payroll costs extra: Workforce Payroll alone is $50 a month plus $7 per employee, and Premium is $88 plus $13 per employee.
- These are US prices and plans; Intuit runs separate country sites for Canada, the UK, Australia, India and others.
Key features
Bookkeep
- Summarized journal entries
- Posts gross sales, discounts, refunds and sales tax from each channel to the accounting system, with mapping to classes, tracking categories or tags.
- Many sales channels
- Connects to Amazon, Clover, Shopify, Square, Stripe, Toast, Walmart, eBay, Mindbody, PayPal and others; channels allowed rise by plan.
- Accounting systems
- Posts to QuickBooks Online, Xero and Zoho Books from Lite; NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Intuit Enterprise Suite from Growth.
- Sales tax filing
- A managed filing service for Shopify, Toast and Square POS merchants in the US, billed per filing and requiring enrollment.
- Payout splitting
- Transfers deposit funds across bank accounts by store, franchise or fulfillment location for a flat fee per transfer; needs Pro or higher.
- Inventory module
- A separate Bookkeep Inventory product covers purchase orders and receiving; its price is listed separately.
QuickBooks Online
- Bank feeds and automatic categorizing
- Connect bank and card accounts and QuickBooks learns how you categorize transactions, then matches and records new ones the same way.
- Invoices and online payments
- Send invoices and estimates, take card and bank payments through QuickBooks Payments, and get status updates and reminders.
- Bills and accounts payable
- Organize and pay bills by ACH from paid plans. Standard ACH payments beyond the monthly allotment cost $0.50 each.
- Reports, budgets and projects
- Profit and loss and sales reports on every paid plan. Budgets, project profitability, inventory and class tracking start on Plus.
- Intuit Intelligence
- AI tools that categorize expenses, reconcile books and flag anomalies, with more of them unlocked on Plus and Advanced.
- Payroll through QuickBooks Workforce
- A separate subscription that runs full-service payroll, files payroll taxes and e-files 1099s, added from the same checkout.
Plans
Bookkeep
Lite$19
per month per entity, billed monthly
Up to $200k annual revenue and 1 sales channel; category-level mapping, email support, monthly billing only.
Starter$49
per month per entity, billed monthly
Sub-category mapping for 1 sales channel, segmentation by channel or location, live chat support.
Growth$99
per month per entity, billed monthly
Adds NetSuite, Sage Intacct and Intuit Enterprise Suite posting and a dedicated onboarding session.
Pro$199
per month per entity, billed monthly
Up to $5M annual revenue and 5 channels; managed sales tax filing, managed COGS and payout splitting.
Advanced$499
per month per entity, billed monthly
Adds fulfillment-based revenue recognition for Shopify, a dedicated account manager and priority support.
Unlimited$1,199
per month per entity, billed monthly
Unlimited sales channels, buy-online-pick-up-in-store entries and unlimited payout splitting transfers.
QuickBooks Online
Free$0
1 user, 2 invoices a month, profit and loss, balance sheet and account quick report, and 1 connected bank account.
Simple Start$38
per month for 1 user, billed monthly
Advertised at $19 a month for the first 3 months. Automated bookkeeping, invoicing with online payments, bill pay and access for 2 accountants.
Essentials$85
per month for up to 3 users, billed monthly
Advertised at $42.50 a month for the first 3 months. Adds enhanced reports, employee time on invoices and web lead forms.
Plus$140
per month for up to 5 users, billed monthly
Advertised at $70 a month for the first 3 months. Adds budgets, project profitability, inventory and up to 40 classes and locations.
Advanced$340
per month for up to 25 users, billed monthly
Advertised at $170 a month for the first 3 months. Adds custom roles, workflow automation, Excel sync, batch invoices and priority support.
Ways to pay less
Bookkeep
- Annual discount
Two months free on annual plans
Bookkeep's pricing page says annual billing gives two months free, about a 17% discount; Lite is monthly only.
QuickBooks Online
- Other savings
50% off the first 3 months
New customers on a monthly plan pay half the base price for the first 3 months, then the regular price. It does not apply to per-employee fees.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bookkeep or QuickBooks Online?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bookkeep is cheaper to start with: $19 a month, against $38 a month for QuickBooks Online. Bookkeep starts at $19 per month per entity, billed monthly, and QuickBooks Online starts at $38 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Bookkeep or QuickBooks Online?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only QuickBooks Online has a free plan. Bookkeep does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Bookkeep and QuickBooks Online run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only QuickBooks Online lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.