Hubdoc vs QuickBooks Online (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, QuickBooks Online grades higher than Hubdoc: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hubdoc grades higher on value for money. QuickBooks Online grades higher on features. They get the same grade on 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.
Hubdoc
Captures bills and receipts and sends the data to accounting software
QuickBooks Online
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced
Which one is for you
Pick Hubdoc if
- Fits if you already use Xero or QuickBooks Online and drown in paper bills
- Works for bookkeepers who want supplier documents collected automatically
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need a ledger, because it captures documents and doesn't keep books
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as it's a 30-day trial and then $12 a month
- Watch out: the pricing page lists one monthly plan and no annual option
- Watch out: the site sits under the Xero name now, so how it's bundled may change
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
| 2.2GPAHubdocFair | 2.4GPAQuickBooks OnlineFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$12 a month for the one plan, inside the category's cheaper quarter (up to $15), though it only does the capture step. | 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 30-day free trial with no credit card, then $12 a month. 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 | DCaptures documents and extracts data, with supplier rules and sync. It's not a ledger and needs an accounting platform to post to. | 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. You link it to your accounting software and set up supplier rules first. | 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, iPhone and Android, syncing to Xero, QuickBooks Online and Bill.com, with Box for backup. No desktop app. | 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 | capturing bills and receipts for your accounting software | 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: Hubdoc and QuickBooks Online. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hubdoc starts at $12 a month and scores 2.0 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 $26 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 18 score higher than Hubdoc for less, and 5 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
- Hubdoc also covers documents.
- QuickBooks Online also covers invoicing, reports and payroll.
At a glance
| Hubdoc | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 USD per month after the free trial | $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 | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | 30-day free trial on paid plans, taken instead of the 3-month discount |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hubdoc Inc. | Intuit Inc. |
| Price read from | hubdoc.com | quickbooks.intuit.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hubdoc
- It captures and extracts documents; it is not a ledger and needs an accounting platform to post to.
- The pricing page lists a single $12 USD monthly plan and gives no annual option.
- The site now sits under the Xero name, so how it is bundled with Xero may change.
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
Hubdoc
- Document capture
- Import bills and receipts by photographing them in the mobile app, forwarding emails, uploading from a desktop or scanning.
- Data extraction
- Reads key information from bills, statements, invoices and receipts so it does not need to be typed in.
- Supplier rules
- Rules automate how receipts, bills and statements from a given supplier are coded when they are sent on.
- Accounting sync
- Sends documents and their data to Xero, QuickBooks Online and Bill.com.
- Collaboration and backup
- Several collaborators can work in one account, documents can be downloaded, and files can be synced to Box.
- Mobile apps
- Apps for smartphones and tablets on Apple and Android devices.
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
Hubdoc
Hubdoc$12
per month after the 30-day trial
One plan with unlimited usage, multiple collaborators, tech support, downloads, backup and Box sync.
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
Hubdoc
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hubdoc or QuickBooks Online?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hubdoc is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against $38 a month for QuickBooks Online. Hubdoc starts at $12 USD per month after the free trial, and QuickBooks Online starts at $38 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Hubdoc or QuickBooks Online?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only QuickBooks Online has a free plan. Hubdoc does not, though it has a free trial.
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.