QuickBooks Online
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced
QuickBooks Online report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for US businesses that share the books with an accountant
QuickBooks Online does the whole accounting job, from bank feeds and bills to budgets and inventory, and your accountant can work in the same books. But it's one of the dearer ways to start in this category: Simple Start is $38 a month for one user once the 3-month half-price offer ends, and three users means $85.
Who QuickBooks Online is for
- Great if your accountant wants to work in the same books as you
- Handy when you expect to add payroll, inventory or project tracking later
- Good for sole traders who send only a couple of invoices a month, on the free plan
Who QuickBooks Online is not for
- Pricey if you're a small team, at $85 a month for 3 users
- Tight if you're on the free plan and send more than 2 invoices a month
- Skip it if you need payroll on a budget, as it's $50 a month plus $7 an employee on top
Why QuickBooks Online gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneySimple 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.
- CFree plan and trialThere'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.
- BFeaturesBank 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.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Its bank feeds learn how you categorize and copy you, which helps, but there are accounts to connect and reports to learn before it runs itself.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Intuit's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make QuickBooks Online? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/quickbooks#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/quickbooks.svg" alt="QuickBooks Online: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where QuickBooks Online stands among accounting and invoicing tools
QuickBooks Online's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 4 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 13 of 17) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $38 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 14 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 18 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. QuickBooks Online’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 17, level with 10
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 17, level with 9
- BFeaturesAbove 13 of 17, level with 4
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 17, level with 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 17, level with 11
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 18 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep QuickBooks Online, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace QuickBooks Online you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools grade higher. It costs $456 a year.
What you could make
- Invoicing, expense tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, PayPal, Square and Shopify among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. QuickBooks Online’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is QuickBooks Online?
QuickBooks Online is Intuit's cloud accounting service for small and mid-size businesses. It connects bank accounts, categorizes transactions, sends invoices, pays bills and runs financial reports, with Intuit Intelligence AI tools added on the paid plans. Payroll is sold separately as QuickBooks Workforce and can be added to any plan.
QuickBooks Online has a free plan. Paid plans start at $38 per month, billed monthly. See every plan
Good for
- US small businesses that want their accountant working in the same books
- Businesses that expect to add payroll, inventory or project tracking later
- Sole traders who only need to track income and send a few invoices
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
QuickBooks Online pricing
- Starts at
- $38 per month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- 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 on paid plans, taken instead of the 3-month discount
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 user, 2 invoices a month, profit and loss, balance sheet and account quick report, and 1 connected bank account. |
| Simple Start | $38per 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 | $85per 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 | $140per 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 | $340per 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. |
Read from quickbooks.intuit.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with QuickBooks Online before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savings50% 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.
Stated on quickbooks.intuit.com
Works with
QuickBooks Online alternatives
- QuickBooks Online vs Xero
Free trial · from $27/mo
- QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks
Free trial · from $23/mo
- QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books
Free plan · from $15/mo
- QuickBooks Online vs Wave
Free plan · from $19/mo
Common questions
Is QuickBooks Online free?
QuickBooks Online has a free plan. 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. Paid plans start at $38 per month, billed monthly.
How much does QuickBooks Online cost?
QuickBooks Online lists 5 plans. Free: $0. Simple Start: $38 per month for 1 user, billed monthly. Essentials: $85 per month for up to 3 users, billed monthly. Plus: $140 per month for up to 5 users, billed monthly. Advanced: $340 per month for up to 25 users, billed monthly. Prices were read from quickbooks.intuit.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does QuickBooks Online work on?
QuickBooks Online is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does QuickBooks Online offer any discounts?
QuickBooks Online publicly lists the following: 50% off the first 3 months.
Does QuickBooks Online have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. QuickBooks Online is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does QuickBooks Online have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. QuickBooks Online is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is QuickBooks Online open source?
QuickBooks Online is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does QuickBooks Online integrate with?
QuickBooks Online's listing names PayPal, Square, Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Gusto and QuickBooks Time. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does QuickBooks Online have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial on paid plans, taken instead of the 3-month discount.
Who makes QuickBooks Online?
QuickBooks Online is made by Intuit Inc.
What are the alternatives to QuickBooks Online?
The closest alternatives to QuickBooks Online in our directory are Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books and Wave. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with QuickBooks Online.
How does QuickBooks Online compare with other accounting and invoicing tools?
QuickBooks Online's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 4 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 5. It stands best on features (B, above 13 of 17) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 0).
Is QuickBooks Online good value for money?
ToolGPA grades QuickBooks Online C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $38 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 14 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of QuickBooks Online?
To replace QuickBooks Online you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools grade higher. It costs $456 a year. What you could not make: Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It plugs into other products, PayPal, Square and Shopify among them. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.