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

Pick Exact Online if

• Fits if you run a small Dutch company and want VAT returns and bank links in one place
• Makes sense if your accountant already works in Exact

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are one person: €49 a month for 1 user and 25 sales invoices
• Tight if you need unlimited bank links or debtor follow-up, which start on the €99 plan
• Watch out: documents past the 3 included each month cost €0.39 to €0.50 each
• Watch out: the pricing page is Dutch, quoted in euros, and doesn't say whether VAT is included
• Skip it if you want a free plan, because there is only a trial

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

Exact Online

• Prices were read from the Dutch pricing page in euros; the page does not say whether VAT is included.
• Essentials allows one user and one administration and cannot be extended.
• Processing beyond the 3 included documents a month is charged: €0.39 each inside a bundle, €0.50 outside it.

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.

Exact Online

Bookkeeping and VAT

Purchase and sales ledgers with automatic matching of invoices to bank statements, and digital VAT and ICP returns.

Bank connections

One bank link on Essentials, five on Plus and unlimited on Professional and Premium.

Automatic invoice processing

Incoming and outgoing invoices, PDFs, scans and receipts can be read automatically; the first 3 documents a month are included.

AI agents for debtors and anomalies

A debtor agent follows up unpaid invoices from Plus, and anomaly detection starts at Professional.

Accountant collaboration

Users share tasks, documents and roles in one administration, and an accountant can work in the same books.

Mobile app

A free mobile app for smartphone and tablet is available for iOS and Android.

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.

Exact Online

• Essentials€49

  per month: 1 user, 1 administration, 25 sales invoices

  Purchase and sales invoices, 1 bank link, VAT and ICP returns. Users and administrations cannot be added.

• Plus€99

  per month: 2 users, 2 administrations, 100 sales invoices

  Adds 5 bank links, debtor follow-up agent, fixed assets and invoice approval. Extra user €23, extra administration €20 a month.

• Professional€159

  per month: 2 users, 2 administrations, unlimited invoices

  Unlimited bank links; adds current-account postings, recurring invoice templates, anomaly flags. Extra user €23, administration €21.

• Premium€299

  per month: 2 users, 2 administrations, unlimited invoices

  Adds multi-company support, period and year-end close and Power BI. Extra user €49, extra administration €38 a month.

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.

Exact Online

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.