QuickBooks Online Pricing: Plans & Cost Calculator 2026
Solopreneurs can start at $20/mo, while growing businesses choose from 4 paid plans up to $275/mo to get multi-user access and inventory tracking.
QuickBooks Online plans and pricing
QuickBooks Free
FreeBest for: Very early stage / basic tracking
- ✓Track income
- ✓Track expenses
- ✓Zero financial commitment
Solopreneur
$20/moBest for: Perfect for freelancers and independent contractors managing basic income and expenses
- ✓Track mileage
- ✓Capture receipts
- ✓Separate business & personal expenses
- ✓Single user access
Simple Start
$38/moBest for: Build financial foundation
- ✓Automated bookkeeping
- ✓Accept payments
- ✓Track sales tax
- ✓Mobile access
- ✓Bank feeds
Essentials
$75/moBest for: Save time, focus on growth
- ✓Everything in Simple Start
- ✓Up to 3 users
- ✓Bill pay
- ✓Time tracking
- ✓Manage bills & expenses
QuickBooks Online pricing: the quick answer
QuickBooks Online runs from a free tier up to $275 a month as of July 7, 2026, across six plans. Paid plans are Solopreneur at $20/mo, Simple Start at $38/mo, Essentials at $75/mo, Plus at $115/mo, and Advanced at $275/mo. Each tier bundles a user cap rather than charging per seat: Simple Start is one user, Essentials three, Plus five, Advanced up to twenty-five. New customers can take 50% off for three months instead of a trial. Payroll is a separate add-on on every plan, so budget for it.
- QuickBooks FreeFree
- Solopreneur$20/mo
- Simple Start$38/mo
- Essentials$75/mo
- Plus$115/mo
- Advanced$275/mo
At $20/mo to start, QuickBooks Online sits right at the $20/mo median across 13 accounting tools we track.
QuickBooks Online cost calculator
What QuickBooks Online really costs
QuickBooks does not sell seats individually, so the real cost jumps come from the tier ladder itself and the products Intuit bills separately.
Pricing Expert Take
Independent analysis · QuickBooks Online
Value Analysis
QuickBooks Online is the market default, and it prices like one. The ladder runs Free, Solopreneur at $20/mo, Simple Start at $38/mo, Essentials at $75/mo, Plus at $115/mo, and Advanced at $275/mo. The entry tiers sit near the category median, but the useful features and multi-user access live higher up, so a growing business tends to land on Essentials or Plus fast. It is a deep, capable platform with a huge app ecosystem; you are paying for that reach, not for being cheap.
Hidden Costs
- User caps are bundled per tier (1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus, 25 on Advanced), so adding one user past a cap forces a full-tier upgrade, not a seat fee.
- Payroll is a separate Intuit product on every plan, as are QuickBooks Time and full-service bookkeeping.
- The 50% off promo lasts only three months, then the plan renews at list price.
Red Flags
Users regularly report that renewal prices climb faster than their business does, and some flagged slower performance after recent AI feature rollouts.
"Fed up with QBO price increases - need a new option"
"Where the cost of your subscription grows faster than your revenue!"
Based on analysis of recent Reddit and G2 discussions.
Green Wins
- The largest third-party app ecosystem in small-business accounting.
- A wide network of certified ProAdvisors for hands-on help.
- Direct bank feeds from thousands of financial institutions.
Verdict
Freelancers can start on Solopreneur at $20/mo, but any small business with a team will likely need Essentials or Plus, where the price climbs well past the median. If you want the same capability with a gentler pricing ladder and fewer renewal surprises, Xero is the alternative most people weigh against it.
QuickBooks Online price history
Cheaper Accounting tools
Frequently asked questions
How does QuickBooks Online pricing compare?
See how QuickBooks Online's 6 pricing plans stack up against similar Accounting tools.
Research Reports
Sources & Data Trail · QuickBooks Online
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-07-02)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified user reviews · 4.4/5 · 385 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified user reviews · 4.3/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews