Crunch vs QuickBooks Online (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Crunch if

• Fits if you run a UK limited company and want an accountant plus software in one bill
• Makes sense if you're a UK sole trader who wants Self Assessment and MTD handled

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see a price before talking to anyone: it's quote only
• Watch out: employee payroll is £20 plus VAT a month for up to 5 employees, and company formation is £100
• Watch out: Self Assessment is described as worth £240 plus VAT where it isn't already in your plan
• Not for you if you're outside the UK

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

Crunch

• Prices come from an instant quote based on turnover, transactions and extras, so no plan prices are listed here.
• Employee payroll is listed at £20 plus VAT a month for up to 5 employees; company formation is £100.
• Self Assessment filing is described as worth £240 plus VAT where it is not already part of a plan.
• A software-only option exists, but its price is also given through the quote process.

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.

Crunch

Accountant-led service

Crunch pairs its software with accountants who handle year-end accounts, tax returns and Self Assessment filing.

Invoices and expenses

The software pages cover sending invoices, tracking expenses and a payments feature called CrunchPay.

Bank connection and reconciliation

Connect a business bank account and reconcile its transactions against invoices and expenses in the software.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax

MTD ITSA software is advertised at no additional cost to accountancy clients, per the comparison pages.

Director and employee payroll

Director payroll is included for up to 2 directors; employee payroll is an add-on handled by Crunch.

Tax optimization review

The Premium plan description lists a tax optimization review, and the site advertises average tax savings for clients.

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.

Crunch

Pricing could not be confirmed. See crunch.co.uk.

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.

Crunch

No public discounts listed.

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.