Hurdlr vs QuickBooks Online (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hurdlr grades higher than QuickBooks Online: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hurdlr grades higher on value for money and the free plan. QuickBooks Online grades higher on features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hurdlr
Mileage, expense and tax tracking app for freelancers
QuickBooks Online
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced
Which one is for you
Pick Hurdlr if
- Fits if you are a US freelancer or gig worker who needs mileage and expenses logged
- Works for people who want a free tracker before they decide on Premium
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want automatic mileage and finance tracking for free, because both are Premium
- Not for you if you are outside the US, as annual tax filing is a US feature
- Watch out: the help-centre price articles are dated 2023 and 2024 and the main site has no pricing page, so check prices in the app
- Watch out: subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms
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
| 2.8GPAHurdlrGood | 2.4GPAQuickBooks OnlineFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | APremium is $100 a year, about $8.34 a month, under 60% of the $14 where the cheaper quarter of accounting tools starts. Pro is $200 a year. | 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 | BThe free version has semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense entry, real-time tax estimates and report exports, with no trial needed. Automatic tracking is Premium. | 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 | CMileage, expenses, tax estimates, invoicing, reports and US tax filing. The filing is a US feature, and it is a freelancer tool, not full accounting. | 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 connect bank accounts and set up rules before it runs on its own. | 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, iOS and Android, with 5 integrations on record. No desktop program. | 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 | a freelancer tracking mileage and expenses in a phone app | 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: Hurdlr and QuickBooks Online. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hurdlr starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year 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 $29.67 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Hurdlr 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
- QuickBooks Online also covers payroll.
At a glance
| Hurdlr | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly) | $38 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Unlimited semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual income and expense tracking, real-time tax estimates and report exports. | 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 | None listed | 30-day free trial on paid plans, taken instead of the 3-month discount |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hurdlr, Inc. | Intuit Inc. |
| Price read from | university.hurdlr.com | quickbooks.intuit.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hurdlr
- Pro is priced at $200 a year; the help page read shows no monthly Pro price.
- Annual tax filing is a US feature and is not included on enterprise accounts.
- Subscriptions bought directly from Hurdlr are non-refundable under its terms; app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's refund rules.
- The help-center pricing articles read are dated 2023 and 2024, and the main site has no pricing page, so recheck prices in the app.
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
Hurdlr
- Mileage tracking
- Free accounts get semi-automatic tracking; automatic trip detection comes with Premium.
- Income and expense tracking
- Links to bank and credit card accounts and to Square, Stripe, Shopify, PayPal and Uber, with rules for categorizing expenses.
- Tax estimates
- Real-time federal, state and self-employment tax estimates with payment reminders; Premium adds detailed calculations and payment tracking.
- Invoicing
- Branded invoices with credit card payment collection, on the Pro plan.
- Accounting and reports
- Pro adds double-entry accounting, a chart of accounts, journal entries and statements such as the income statement and balance sheet.
- Annual tax filing
- Pro includes annual tax filing for US users, covering federal plus one state, unless the account is provided through an employer or tax professional.
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
Hurdlr
Free$0
Semi-automatic mileage tracking, manual finance tracking, tax estimates and exports.
Premium$8.34
per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly)
Adds automatic mileage and finance tracking, custom expense and mileage rules, detailed tax estimates, tax payment tracking and work hours.
Pro$200
per year
Premium plus invoicing, general ledger, journal entries, accountant invites and annual tax filing (federal plus one state) for US non-enterprise users.
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
Hurdlr
- Annual discount
Annual Premium plan
Premium is $100 a year, against $9.99 a month on the month-to-month plan.
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, Hurdlr or QuickBooks Online?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hurdlr is cheaper to start with: $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against $38 a month for QuickBooks Online. Hurdlr starts at $8.34 per month, billed annually ($100 a year; $9.99 billed monthly), and QuickBooks Online starts at $38 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Hurdlr or QuickBooks Online?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Hurdlr and QuickBooks Online have a free plan.
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.