QuickBooks is the leading small and mid-sized business accounting software by Intuit, used by over 7 million businesses worldwide for bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, expense tracking, and financial reporting. Available as a cloud-based (QuickBooks Online) and desktop (QuickBooks Desktop) product, it handles everything from accounts payable and receivable to bank reconciliation, tax preparation, and inventory management — making it the default choice for most small business owners and their accountants.
Finance & Business ServicesVerified listing
QuickBooks
The leading small business accounting software with invoicing, expense tracking, payroll, inventory, and tax preparation — used by 7 million businesses.
Best for: Small and mid-sized businesses that need full-featured double-entry accounting with payroll, inventory, and the financial reports banks and accountants require
- Free trial
- $38/month
4.2/5 ratingEditorial score 85/100Last reviewed Oct 4, 2026quickbooks.intuit.com
The editorial note
What to know about QuickBooks
Is it right for you?
Who QuickBooks suits
Choose it if
- Small and mid-sized businesses that need full-featured double-entry accounting with payroll, inventory, and the financial reports banks and accountants require
Look elsewhere if
- Freelancers and very small businesses with simple invoicing needs — Wave Accounting (free) or FreshBooks provide simpler, more affordable alternatives without QuickBooks' complexity and subscription cost
What you get
Key features
- Invoicing and estimates
- Expense tracking and receipt capture
- Bank reconciliation
- Payroll processing
- Inventory management
- Financial reporting and P&L
- Tax preparation reports
- Mileage tracking
Works with
Integrations9
What it costs
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $38/monthBilled monthly | 1 user, income & expense tracking, invoicing, automated bookkeeping, tax deduction maximizer, basic reports. 30-day free trial. |
| Essentials | $85/monthBilled monthly | 3 users, everything in Simple Start plus bill management, time tracking, bulk invoicing, and third-party data integrations. |
| Plus | $140/monthBilled monthly | 5 users, everything in Essentials plus project profitability, inventory tracking, budgeting, and class/location tracking. |
| Advanced | $340/monthBilled monthly | 25 users, everything in Plus plus custom permissions, workflow automation, premium support, advanced reporting, and Excel sync. |
Prices are recorded from the vendor's public pricing page and can change. Check before you buy.
The trade-off
Pros and cons
Pros
- Industry-standard accounting software — most CPAs and bookkeepers are familiar with QuickBooks
- Comprehensive feature set covers invoicing, expenses, payroll, inventory, and tax preparation
- Large ecosystem of integrations with 750+ third-party apps and e-commerce platforms
- QuickBooks Online enables real-time collaboration with accountants and bookkeepers remotely
- QuickBooks Payroll handles payroll taxes and filings automatically in the US
Cons
- Pricing is relatively expensive compared to alternatives like Wave (free) or FreshBooks
- Interface has grown complex over years — can be overwhelming for very small businesses
- Customer support quality is inconsistent — long wait times and variable expertise reported
- QuickBooks Desktop is being deprecated in favor of Online — forcing migrations for some users
Quick read
At a glance
- Category
- Finance & Business Services
- Pricing model
- Subscription
- Entry plan
- $38/month
- Free plan
- Not listed
- Free trial
- Available
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
- Website
- quickbooks.intuit.com
- Last reviewed
- Oct 4, 2026
Not the right fit?
Alternatives to QuickBooks
Compare all alternatives
Xero
Cloud accounting software for small businesses — a modern, user-friendly alternative to QuickBooks with strong international capabilities.
Why instead: Xero matches QuickBooks on core accounting but wins on unlimited users — every plan includes as many seats as you need, with no per-user charge.
4.4/5 ratingScore 83/100
- Free trial
- $29 / month
FreshBooks
Cloud accounting software for freelancers and small service businesses with invoicing, time tracking, expense management, and double-entry bookkeeping.
Why instead: FreshBooks strips out the complexity that freelancers never need. If invoicing and time tracking are your primary workflows, it is faster and cleaner than QuickBooks.
4.5/5 ratingScore 82/100
- Free trial
- $23/month
Wave
Free accounting, invoicing, and bookkeeping software for freelancers and small businesses, with optional payroll and advisor add-ons.
Why instead: Wave is completely free for invoicing and accounting with no artificial limits. The trade-off is fewer integrations and slower support, but for simple books it is hard to beat at the price.
4.4/5 ratingScore 78/100
- Free plan
Gusto
Payroll, benefits, and HR platform built for small businesses — the most popular payroll software for US companies with 1-200 employees.
Why instead: Gusto handles payroll far better than QuickBooks while covering basic accounting. Teams that treat payroll as the main financial task often switch and never go back.
4.5/5 ratingScore 84/100
- $40 / month + $6 / person
Head to head
QuickBooks compared
- QuickBooks vs FreshBooks: Accounting Software ComparisonBest for small and mid-sized businesses requiring comprehensive double-entry accounting, payroll, and inventory management.
- QuickBooks vs Gusto: Accounting and Payroll ComparedIndustry-standard accounting platform built for double-entry bookkeeping, invoicing, inventory, and comprehensive financial reports.
- QuickBooks vs Stripe: Which Financial Tool Do You Need?Best for comprehensive small business accounting, invoicing, and US payroll processing.
- Xero vs QuickBooks: Which Accounting Software Should You Use?
The verdict
Our take on QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online is the industry standard for a reason: it's the most feature-complete small business accounting platform available, and most accountants know it inside out. Simple Start at $38/month is expensive for basic needs, but the Plus plan's inventory and project tracking justify the cost for product-based or project-based businesses. Pricing is steep with no volume discounts — evaluate FreshBooks or Xero if the per-month cost is a concern.
Editorial review
From the journal
Editorial review of QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online is the industry standard for a reason: it's the most feature-complete small business accounting platform available, and most accountants know it inside out. Simple Start at $38/month is expensive for basic needs, but the Plus plan's inventory and project tracking justify the cost for product-based or project-based businesses. Pricing is steep with no volume discounts — evaluate FreshBooks or Xero if the per-month cost is a concern.
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