QuickBooks Online Pricing
- Finance pricing
- $38/mo at the smallest
- Free plan
QuickBooks Online pricing starts at $38 a month, which is $456 over twelve months. There is a free plan, and a trial on the paid tiers: 30 days, or 50% off for 3 months instead of the trial.
Opens the vendor's own pricing page. Figures here were read from it on 27 September 2026.
QuickBooks Online pricing at a glance
| Entry price | Free plan for 1 user and 2 invoices a month; Simple Start from $38/month |
|---|---|
| Smallest invoice | $38 a month, or $456 a year |
| How that is reached | Simple Start at $38 a month |
| Seat minimum | None on the entry plan |
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days, or 50% off for 3 months instead of the trial |
| How it charges | freemium |
| Prices read from | The vendor's own pricing page |
| Last checked | 27 September 2026 |
Every QuickBooks Online plan and what it costs
Read from the vendor's own pricing page on 27 September 2026. Charged as freemium. Free trial: 30 days, or 50% off for 3 months instead of the trial.
| Plan | Price | Billing | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | per month | 1 user, no accountant access - Two invoices a month, one connected bank account, income and expense tracking and the top three reports. No credit card required |
| Simple Start | $38 | per month | 1 user plus access for 2 accountants - Invoicing, expenses, basic reports and free ACH bill payments |
| Essentials | $85 | per month | 3 users - Bill management and time tracking. Access for 2 accountants |
| Plus | $140 | per month | 5 users - Inventory and project profitability. Access for 2 accountants |
| Advanced | $340 | per month | 25 users - Workflow automation and dedicated support. Access for 3 accountants |
| Workforce Payroll with Simple Start Add-on | $88 | per month | Plus $7 per employee a month, and replaces the $38 Simple Start subscription rather than adding to it. Payroll is also sold on its own, from $50 a month plus $7 per employee on Workforce Payroll |
What QuickBooks Online costs beyond the advertised price
Each of these is a figure you can check on the vendor's own page. The arithmetic is shown so you can redo it rather than take our word for it.
- Charged on top of a plan$1,056 a year
Workforce Payroll with Simple Start is charged on top of a plan rather than instead of one: $88 a month, which is $1,056 a year on top of whichever tier you hold.
Working$88 a month x 12 = $1,056 a year, added to a tier price rather than replacing it.
Computed from the plan table on QuickBooks Online pricing , read 27 September 2026
What QuickBooks Online actually costs over a year
A monthly price is not the same thing as a monthly contract. These are the plans above resolved both ways, per seat or unit where the plan is charged that way. Where a vendor quotes only a yearly figure it is divided by twelve rather than left out, and the Quoted column says which figure the vendor actually publishes.
| Plan | Quoted | Monthly | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Start1 user plus access for 2 accountants | per month | $38 | $456 |
| Essentials3 users | per month | $85 | $1,020 |
| Plus5 users | per month | $140 | $1,680 |
| Advanced25 users | per month | $340 | $4,080 |
| Workforce Payroll with Simple Start add-on | per month | $88 | $1,056 |
QuickBooks Online pricing over time
Read from 34 archived captures of the vendor's pricing page , spanning September 2014 to September 2026. Every figure below links to the capture it came from, so you can check it against the page as it stood on the day.
- Essentials changed 7 times between 18 September 2014 and 1 September 2026, from $18 to $85, up 372.2% overall.
- Plus changed 7 times between 18 September 2014 and 1 September 2026, from $23 to $140, up 508.7% overall.
- Simple Start changed 6 times between 18 September 2014 and 1 September 2026, from $10 to $38, up 280% overall.
- Advanced changed 3 times between 4 January 2019 and 1 September 2026, from $150 to $340, up 126.7% overall.
Essentials
| Published price | Charged | Seen from | Last seen | Capture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $18 | Not stated | 18 September 2014 | Single capture | Archive |
| $26 | Not stated | 2 January 2016 | Single capture | Archive |
| $35 | Not stated | 4 January 2019 | Single capture | Archive |
| $40 | Not stated | 1 April 2020 | 3 August 2021 | Archive |
| $55 | Not stated | 1 November 2022 | Single capture | Archive |
| $60 | Not stated | 1 March 2024 | Single capture | Archive |
| $65 | Not stated | 11 June 2025 | Single capture | Archive |
| $85 | Not stated | 1 September 2026 | Single capture | Archive |
- ↑ $18 to $26, between 18 September 2014 and 2 January 2016 (+44.4%). before / after
- ↑ $26 to $35, between 2 January 2016 and 4 January 2019 (+34.6%). before / after
- ↑ $35 to $40, between 4 January 2019 and 1 April 2020 (+14.3%). before / after
- ↑ $40 to $55, between 3 August 2021 and 1 November 2022 (+37.5%). before / after
- ↑ $55 to $60, between 1 November 2022 and 1 March 2024 (+9.1%). before / after
- ↑ $60 to $65, between 1 March 2024 and 11 June 2025 (+8.3%). before / after
- ↑ $65 to $85, between 11 June 2025 and 1 September 2026 (+30.8%). before / after
Plus
| Published price | Charged | Seen from | Last seen | Capture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $23 | Not stated | 18 September 2014 | Single capture | Archive |
| $39 | Not stated | 2 January 2016 | Single capture | Archive |
| $60 | Not stated | 4 January 2019 | Single capture | Archive |
| $70 | Not stated | 1 April 2020 | 3 August 2021 | Archive |
| $85 | Not stated | 1 November 2022 | Single capture | Archive |
| $90 | Not stated | 1 March 2024 | Single capture | Archive |
| $99 | Not stated | 11 June 2025 | Single capture | Archive |
| $140 | Not stated | 1 September 2026 | Single capture | Archive |
- ↑ $23 to $39, between 18 September 2014 and 2 January 2016 (+69.6%). before / after
- ↑ $39 to $60, between 2 January 2016 and 4 January 2019 (+53.8%). before / after
- ↑ $60 to $70, between 4 January 2019 and 1 April 2020 (+16.7%). before / after
- ↑ $70 to $85, between 3 August 2021 and 1 November 2022 (+21.4%). before / after
- ↑ $85 to $90, between 1 November 2022 and 1 March 2024 (+5.9%). before / after
- ↑ $90 to $99, between 1 March 2024 and 11 June 2025 (+10%). before / after
- ↑ $99 to $140, between 11 June 2025 and 1 September 2026 (+41.4%). before / after
Simple Start
| Published price | Charged | Seen from | Last seen | Capture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | Not stated | 18 September 2014 | Single capture | Archive |
| $12 | Not stated | 2 January 2016 | Single capture | Archive |
| $20 | Not stated | 4 January 2019 | Single capture | Archive |
| $25 | Not stated | 1 April 2020 | 3 August 2021 | Archive |
| $30 | Not stated | 1 November 2022 | 1 March 2024 | Archive |
| $35 | Not stated | 11 June 2025 | Single capture | Archive |
| $38 | Not stated | 1 September 2026 | Single capture | Archive |
- ↑ $10 to $12, between 18 September 2014 and 2 January 2016 (+20%). before / after
- ↑ $12 to $20, between 2 January 2016 and 4 January 2019 (+66.7%). before / after
- ↑ $20 to $25, between 4 January 2019 and 1 April 2020 (+25%). before / after
- ↑ $25 to $30, between 3 August 2021 and 1 November 2022 (+20%). before / after
- ↑ $30 to $35, between 1 March 2024 and 11 June 2025 (+16.7%). before / after
- ↑ $35 to $38, between 11 June 2025 and 1 September 2026 (+8.6%). before / after
Advanced
| Published price | Charged | Seen from | Last seen | Capture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $150 | Not stated | 4 January 2019 | 3 August 2021 | Archive |
| $200 | Not stated | 1 November 2022 | 1 March 2024 | Archive |
| $235 | Not stated | 11 June 2025 | Single capture | Archive |
| $340 | Not stated | 1 September 2026 | Single capture | Archive |
Compiled 18 September 2026 from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Plan names were matched against the archived page text and the first currency-anchored figure within 160 characters was recorded, rejecting any figure with a competing plan name standing between it and the name it was matched to. The currency and the unit were read from each capture rather than assumed: captures served in a currency other than $, and captures where no plan name sat beside a figure, are listed as unread rather than dropped. Archived pages show the price as served to the archive's crawler, which may differ by region from the price you are shown.
Which QuickBooks Online plan should you buy?
| Your situation | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You are a sole trader working with an accountant | Simple Start | $38 a month for one user plus accountant access. The accountant compatibility is the point. |
| You need bill management and three users | Essentials | $85 a month. |
| You hold inventory or track project profitability | Plus | $140 a month with five users. Inventory is usually the deciding feature. |
| You need workflow automation and 25 users | Advanced | $340 a month, and a large step most small businesses never need. |
| You are offered 50% off for three months | Budget the renewal, not the promotion | The discount replaces the trial rather than adding to it, and renewal pricing is steep by comparison. |
| You are outside the United States | Check local alternatives first | Xero and local products often fit non-US tax and payroll better. |
Watch the discount, not the price
When we checked on 27 September 2026, Intuit was advertising 50% off for three months, which puts Simple Start at $19 and Advanced at $170. Those are not prices, they are an acquisition offer. Budget the full figures, because month four arrives quickly and the step from $19 to $38 feels like a price rise even though nothing changed.
You generally choose between the discount and the 30-day free trial rather than getting both.
User counts are the real tier driver
Simple Start is one user plus your accountant. Essentials is three, Plus is five, Advanced is twenty-five. Businesses routinely upgrade because a second bookkeeper needs access, not because they need inventory or project costing. Count the people who will log in before comparing features.
Where it fits and where it does not
Inside the US, the accountant network effect is decisive: handing over a QuickBooks file is frictionless in a way that no competitor matches. Outside the US, that advantage largely inverts, and Xero, FreeAgent or local incumbents usually handle tax rules and bank feeds better.
Costs that sit outside the subscription
Payroll and merchant payments are separate line items, and both are priced per employee or per transaction. A business using QuickBooks for accounting, payroll and card payments should model all three together, because the accounting subscription is frequently the smallest of them.
QuickBooks Online questions, answered
- Does QuickBooks Online have a free plan or free trial?
- QuickBooks Online has a free plan. A free trial is available: 30 days, or 50% off for 3 months instead of the trial.
- Can I self-host QuickBooks Online?
- No. QuickBooks Online is a hosted service only, so your data lives on the vendor's infrastructure.
Opens the vendor's own pricing page. Figures here were read from it on 27 September 2026.
What this profile is based on
Nobody here has used QuickBooks Online. This profile is desk research: prices read from the pages cited below, on the dates shown , from 2 primary sources , with 2 captures taken by us . How we research a profile.
Desk research from Intuit's own pricing and payroll pricing pages, read on 19 August 2026 through a United States egress. Nobody here has kept books in QuickBooks. The claim that most US accountants work in it is widely repeated and is not something this site has measured, so it is stated as a reason to ask your own accountant rather than as a figure.
Where QuickBooks Online appears on this site
- Another profile Akaunting picks it for work in what your us accountant uses
- Another profile FreshBooks names it as a competitor
- Another profile Wave names it as a competitor
- Another profile Xero names it as a competitor
- Another profile Zoho Books names it as a competitor
Counts pages on this site that name the product by choice - price guides, pricing question pages, deal records and other profiles. Category and directory indexes list everything automatically and are not counted.
Provenance and freshness
Individually sourced claims
-
There is a free plan for one user, two invoices a month and one connected bank account, with no accountant access
QuickBooks Online pricing ↗ · checked
-
Simple Start is $38 a month, Essentials $85, Plus $140 and Advanced $340, covering 1, 3, 5 and 25 users
QuickBooks Online pricing ↗ · checked
-
Payroll is sold with accounting, from Workforce Payroll with Simple Start at $88 a month plus $7 per employee, and on its own from $50 a month plus $7 per employee
QuickBooks Payroll pricing ↗ · checked
What has changed
-
September 2026
- Re-read the pricing page from a US address and corrected the paid plans to what it shows: Essentials $85, Plus $140 and Advanced $340 a month. The 19 August entry below had lowered them to $75, $115 and $275, figures the page does not show today; the plan picker kept the higher ones throughout, so the record contradicted itself until now
- The promotion is now 50% off for three months in place of the 30-day trial, not 90%
- Recorded accountant access as the page states it: 2 accountants on Simple Start, Essentials and Plus, 3 on Advanced
- Payroll is also sold on its own now, from $50 a month plus $7 per employee, per the payroll pricing page; the $88 plus $7 Simple Start bundle is unchanged
- The Free plan is named on the page as QuickBooks Free; its limits were not re-read and stand as recorded
-
August 2026
- Corrected three list prices that had fallen since we recorded them - Essentials $85 to $75, Plus $140 to $115 and Advanced $340 to $275
- Added the free plan, which is new since this profile was written, and switched pricingModel to freemium
- Recorded that payroll is sold only bundled with accounting, from $88 a month plus $7 an employee
- Re-verified the 90%-off-for-three-months promotion, still running with no published end date
-
August 2026
- Re-verified the 90%-off promotion, still running with Simple Start at $38 against $3.80 a month. Intuit publishes no end date on the pricing page or in its structured offers feed, so the re-check date moved to 31 October rather than the claim being given a vendor deadline it does not have.
-
August 2026
- Pricing verified, noting the promotion replaces rather than extends the trial
- Added plan picker and verdicts
Sources & verification
Facts on this page were read from the sources below on the dates shown. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, we record it as not disclosed rather than estimating it.
- QuickBooks Online pricing - checked 27 September 2026
- QuickBooks Payroll pricing - checked 27 September 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email contact@everyany.one and we will re-check it. Corrections are logged on the page.