QuickBooks Online pricing starts at Simple Start $38/mo ($19/mo for the first 3 months). Every figure on this page was checked against QuickBooks Online’s own pricing page on 2026-09-10, and the date is on the page so you can judge how stale it is. Below: what each plan costs, what the step up actually buys you, and what the headline price leaves out.
There is a free plan: 2 invoices/mo, 1 bank connection. Read the allowance rather than the label — what runs out first is usually what forces the upgrade.
QuickBooks Online pricing at a glance
| Plan | Price | Per year | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | — | ★ Track income and expenses · 2 invoices a month · profit & loss report · connect 1 bank · chat support |
| Simple Start | $38/mo ($19/mo for 3 months) | $228 | 1 user plus 2 accountants · Intuit Intelligence · expense categorisation · guided setup |
| Essentials | $75/mo ($37.50/mo for 3 months) | $450 | 3 users plus 2 accountants · enhanced reports · employee time on invoices · scheduling |
| Plus | $115/mo ($57.50/mo for 3 months) | $690 | Automated insights and project profitability |
| Advanced | $275/mo ($137.50/mo for 3 months) | $1,650 | Highest limits, workflow automation and dedicated support |
What each upgrade actually costs
Tier lists tend to hide the only number that matters when you are choosing: the difference between the plan you are on and the next one up, over a year.
Simple Start → Essentials costs $18.5 more a month, or $222 a year. What you get for it: 3 users plus 2 accountants · enhanced reports · employee time on invoices · scheduling
Essentials → Plus costs $20 more a month, or $240 a year. What you get for it: Automated insights and project profitability
Plus → Advanced costs $80 more a month, or $960 a year. What you get for it: Highest limits, workflow automation and dedicated support
What the headline price leaves out
Pricier than rivals, with per-user limits and a 15-20% price increase in 2025. The limit that usually forces an upgrade: Per-user limits beyond plan caps; prices rose 15-20% in 2025.
Recent pricing changes
QuickBooks has added a free tier and is discounting heavily. As verified on 2026-09-11, the lineup is Free, Simple Start at $38 a month, Essentials at $75, Plus at $115 and Advanced at $275, with a 50%-off-for-three-months offer running on every paid plan. The free plan is genuinely limited — two invoices a month and one bank connection — so treat it as a trial that does not expire rather than a workable tier. The headline discount halves the first quarter and then stops, which is worth modelling before you compare it against Xero.
Which plan is right for you
The paid tiers are worth it for US SMBs wanting the most capable accounting platform; Businesses that value accountant compatibility. For those uses the plan pays for itself in time saved rather than features unlocked.
It is a poor fit for freelancers wanting simple invoicing (use freshbooks); and for budget users (use wave or xero). Paying for a tier whose headline feature you will not use is the most common way software budgets leak.
Is QuickBooks Online worth the money?
Our reviewers rated QuickBooks Online 4.5/5. The most comprehensive small-business accounting platform with unmatched accountant familiarity. The full assessment — what it does well, where it falls down and who should avoid it — is in our QuickBooks Online review.
If the price is the sticking point, the closest alternatives we have reviewed are Xero, FreshBooks, Wave. Every one of them carries the same dated pricing check as this page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does QuickBooks Online cost?
The entry paid plan is Simple Start $38/mo ($19/mo for the first 3 months). The full range runs from $0 on Free to $275/mo ($137.50/mo for 3 months) on Advanced. Figures were checked against QuickBooks Online’s own pricing page on 2026-09-10.
Does QuickBooks Online have a free plan?
Yes — (2 invoices/mo, 1 bank connection).
Has QuickBooks Online changed its pricing recently?
QuickBooks has added a free tier and is discounting heavily. As verified on 2026-09-11, the lineup is Free, Simple Start at $38 a month, Essentials at $75, Plus at $115 and Advanced at $275, with a 50%-off-for-three-months offer running on every paid plan. The free plan is genuinely limited — two invoices a month and one bank connection — so treat it as a trial that does not expire rather than a workable tier. The headline discount halves the first quarter and then stops, which is worth modelling before you compare it against Xero.
What does the headline QuickBooks Online price not include?
Pricier than rivals, with per-user limits and a 15-20% price increase in 2025. Budget from what the plan meters, not from the figure on the card.
How we check pricing
We read the vendor’s own pricing page rather than repeating a third-party summary, record the date, and re-check on a schedule — which is how we catch a tier being renamed or retired. The figures behind this page are published as a machine-readable catalog so that AI assistants quoting them can quote something current.
Head-to-head: FreshBooks vs QuickBooks · QuickBooks vs Xero
More on software pricing
QuickBooks Online Pricing (2026): Plans and Real Costs. DigiJaws, 2026. https://digijaws.com/reviews/quickbooks-pricing/