Compare QuickBooks Online's Solopreneur, Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced plans, current prices, and what each tier actually includes.
QuickBooks Online is Intuit's cloud-based accounting product, accessible from any web browser or the QuickBooks mobile app rather than installed locally on a single machine. Intuit first introduced a cloud version of QuickBooks in 2001, though the early product was limited compared to the desktop software; a substantial rebuild in 2013 turned QuickBooks Online into the fully featured, actively developed product it is today, and it is now Intuit's primary focus for accounting software development.
Unlike QuickBooks Desktop, which is licensed annually per installation, QuickBooks Online is a straightforward monthly SaaS subscription with automatic updates, anywhere access, and tiers that scale by feature set and number of users rather than by installed workstation.
QuickBooks Online covers core small business accounting needs including invoicing, expense and bill tracking, bank feed reconciliation, sales tax automation, and 1099 contractor tracking, available even at the entry-level Simple Start tier. Higher tiers add time tracking (Essentials), inventory management, project profitability tracking, purchase orders, budgeting, and class or location tracking (Plus), and more advanced custom reporting, higher user limits, and stronger internal controls (Advanced).
Because it runs in the cloud, QuickBooks Online integrates natively with Intuit's broader ecosystem, including QuickBooks Payments, QuickBooks Payroll, and a large marketplace of third-party app integrations, and it supports real-time collaboration between business owners, employees, and outside accountants or bookkeepers without needing to share a local company file.
QuickBooks Online is priced across five tiers: Solopreneur at 20 US dollars per month for freelancers, Simple Start at 38 US dollars per month for single-user small businesses, Essentials at 75 US dollars per month supporting up to three users with time tracking, Plus at 115 US dollars per month supporting up to five users with inventory and project tracking, and Advanced at 275 US dollars per month for larger businesses needing more users, higher transaction volumes, and advanced reporting.
QuickBooks Online has historically raised prices roughly once a year, typically in the summer, with recent annual increases ranging from about 12 to 17 percent since 2023, and new subscribers commonly receive a discounted introductory rate for the first several months before the standard monthly price takes effect.
QuickBooks Online starts at 20 US dollars per month for the Solopreneur tier, with core plans running 38 US dollars per month for Simple Start, 75 US dollars for Essentials, 115 US dollars for Plus, and 275 US dollars per month for Advanced.
Simple Start covers single-user core accounting; Essentials adds time tracking and up to three users; Plus adds inventory, project tracking, and up to five users; Advanced adds higher user limits, advanced reporting, and stronger controls for larger businesses.
Intuit first launched a cloud version of QuickBooks in 2001, though the product was substantially rebuilt in 2013, which is generally considered the turning point for QuickBooks Online's modern functionality.
Yes, QuickBooks Online has typically raised prices about once a year, usually in the summer, with recent annual increases in the range of 12 to 17 percent since 2023.
Intuit typically offers new subscribers either a free trial period or a discounted introductory rate for the first several months before standard pricing applies; specific current offers should be confirmed on the QuickBooks Online pricing page.
User limits vary by tier: Simple Start supports one user, Essentials supports up to three, Plus supports up to five, and Advanced supports a higher number of users suited to larger businesses.
No. QuickBooks Online is a separate cloud-based, browser-accessible subscription product with its own pricing tiers, distinct from the locally installed QuickBooks Desktop product line.