A Guide To QuickBooks Online Pricing
Purchasing accounting software would be a whole lot easier if you just had a magic lamp. One rub, and voila! You’ve got the perfect software for you at the best price.
We don’t have a magic lamp for you, but if you’re wondering “how much does Quickbooks Online cost?” this post is the next best thing.
Read on for a breakdown of the four different QuickBooks Online (QBO) plans. We’ll discuss how to know which plan is right for you and what additional costs to expect so you can know exactly what you’re getting into before deciding to purchase QuickBooks Online.
Read on for more details about QB Online pricing!
Table of Contents
QuickBooks Online Pricing
How much is QuickBooks Online? It’s a more complicated question than you might think. QBO offers four subscription plans, so there is no one QuickBooks Online price. Each tier gives you access to more features and users. Payments are made monthly, and no annual contracts are required.
QuickBooks is almost always offering a discount on their website, so be sure to check for any promotions before buying.
Note: Discounts are invalid if a customer uses the free 30-day trial before purchasing (although there is a test drive of the software you can use instead). Also, if you are switching over from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, you may be eligible for even better discounts. Contact the QuickBooks Online sales team for more details.
Simple Start Plan
Simple Start is the smallest QuickBooks Plan. The QuickBooks Online Simple Plan costs $20/mo and supports one user plus two accountants.
Here are the features that come with QuickBooks Simple Start:
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Contact management
- Expense tracking
- Live bank feeds
- Reporting
- 550+ integrations
Essentials Plan
The QuickBooks Essentials Plan costs $35/mo and is a step up from the Simple Start plan. QuickBooks Online Essentials comes with three users plus two accountants and more features.
Here are the features you get with QuickBooks Online Essentials:
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Contact management
- Expense tracking
- Live bank feeds
- Reporting
- 5500+ integrations
- Accounts payable
- Time tracking
Plus Plan
The QuickBooks Plus plan costs $60/mo. QuickBooks Online Plus (not to be confused with QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus) offers five users plus two accountants and the most advanced features.
Here are the features that come with QuickBooks Plus:
- Unlimited invoices
- Unlimited estimates
- Expense tracking
- Live bank feeds
- Reporting
- 550+ integrations
- Accounts payable
- Time tracking
- Project management
- Inventory
- Class tracking
- Tax support
QuickBooks Advanced
QuickBooks has recently released a QuickBooks Advanced plan for larger businesses. QuickBooks Advanced costs $150/month. This plan offers 10+ users. Although not readily advertised, you can have up to 25 users on the QuickBooks Online Advanced plan at no additional cost until 7/31/2019.
This plan includes all of the features of QuickBooks Plus as well as:
- Â A dedicated account manager
- Priority care
- Advanced reporting from Fathom
- Custom user permissions
- 5 QuickBooks training classes form Real World Training
Which QBO Version Is Right For Me?
When deciding which version of QuickBooks Online is best for your small business, it should come down to your business’s need and budget. Here’s a breakdown of how the Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus plans compare:
 | ||||
| Simple Start | Essentials | Plus | Advanced | |
| Pricing | $20/mo | $35/mo | $60/mo | $150/mo |
| Tech Support | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Contact Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Expense Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✘ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accounts Payable | ✘ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Project Management | ✘ | ✘ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory | ✘ | ✘ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tax Support | ✘ | ✘ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Reporting | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✓ |
| Custom User Permissions | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✓ |
| Priority Care Support | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✓ |
Now that you can clearly see the difference between each QuickBooks Online plan, ask yourself these questions:
- Which features do I need to run my business?
- How many users do I need?
- How much can I afford to spend each month?
These questions should help you narrow down which QuickBooks Online plan is right for you.
Additional Fees
In addition to the monthly subscription price, there are a few other QuickBooks Online charges to be aware of. Intuit is not always the most forthcoming about these extra fees, which is why we want to highlight them now. You should know exactly how much QuickBooks Online is going to cost before you commit to a plan.
Payroll
QuickBooks Online offers two types of payroll: do it yourself payroll and full-service payroll. The self-service payroll option requires you to run payroll and file your payroll taxes on your own. With the full-service payroll option, QuickBooks does everything for you.
QuickBooks Online payroll costs between $35 – $80/mo plus $4/per employee. Intuit often runs payroll promotions for both existing QuickBooks Online users and brand new QuickBooks users. Be sure to visit their website to find a QuickBooks payroll discount.
Tax Forms
QuickBooks Online supports W-2s and 1099-MISCs. You can order tax forms directly from Intuit. The cost begins at $17.95 and varies depending on which form you need and how many. If you purchase QuickBooks Online payroll these forms may be included, depending on the payroll plan you choose.
Checks
You can purchase checks, voucher checks, business wallet checks, and more from QuickBooks. Standard checks begin at $56.99/per 50 checks. Prices vary by check type and amount.
QBO Add-Ons & Payment Gateways
In addition to the fees above, there are a few other extra costs you should consider before purchasing QuickBooks Online:
Add-Ons
Integrations are third-party add-ons that give you additional features and capabilities. For example, common software programs like Shopify, TSheets, and MailChimp are all integrations. QuickBooks Online offers 550+ integrations to choose from.
Most integrations come with their own monthly subscription fees, so be sure to account for these extra costs when calculating how big of a dent QuickBooks Online is going to leave in your wallet.
Payment Gateways
Payment gateways allow you to accept payments from your customers. Common payment processing options include PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Authorize.Net. QuickBooks Online offers around 10 payment processors or you can use QuickBooks Payments.
You can read our review of Intuit Merchant Services (QuickBooks Payments) for more information, but the basic charges are as follows:
- No charge for ACH transfers
- 2.4% + $0.25 for swiped cards
- 2.9% + $0.25 for invoices
- 3.4% + $0.25 for keyed in cards
Whether you use QuickBooks Payments or another payment gateway, be sure to take potential credit card fees into account when calculating how much you’ll be spending on software each month.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know exactly how much each QuickBooks Online plan costs you can make an informed business decision about which version is right for you. Make sure to factor in the hidden costs!
If you want to learn more, read our complete QuickBooks Online review or get started with a free trial. If you still aren’t convinced that QuickBooks Online is the best choice for your business, check out our Complete QuickBooks Products Comparison Guide or take a look at the Best QuickBooks Online Alternatives.
Get Started With QuickBooks Online
Chelsea Krause
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