QuickBooks Solopreneur is tax software with a handful of accounting features designed for freelancers, independent contractors, and other self-employed individuals.
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Editor & Senior Staff Writer
Last updated onUpdated
REVIEWED BY
Lead Staff Writer
| Total Rating | 3.5 |
|---|---|
| Pricing4.4 | |
| Ease Of Use3.4 | |
| Features1.7 | |
| Customer Service4.9 | |
| User Reviews4.2 | |
Accounting Method
Cash Basis OnlyPricing Range
$20/monthBusiness Size
Freelancers or independent contractorsTable of Contents
QuickBooks Solopreneur (formerly QuickBooks Self-Employed) was designed to make the lives of freelancers easier. Instead of being accounting software like other QuickBooks products, QuickBooks Soloprenuer is tax software (with a few accounting features thrown in). The software boasts a user-friendly interface and features including a strong tax support, expense tracking, deductions, invoicing, a few reports, and the ability to separate personal expenses from business expenses.
QuickBooks Solopreneur isn’t the right option for everyone. It’s designed for one-person businesses only — other businesses will find what they need with QuickBooks Online. However, Solopreneur is a solid (and affordable) freelancing tool for freelancers. Continue reading to see if you’re one of them.
| Pricing4.4 |
|---|
| Software Plans 4.6 |
| Pricing Transparency 4.2 |
| Pricing Customization 3.8 |
Following its rebranding, QuickBooks Solopreneur has just a single pricing plan. While there aren’t many plans, the plan it does have is loaded with good freelance tools and is competitively priced, leading to our rating of 4.4/5 for pricing.
A 30-day free trial is available. QuickBooks also frequently runs promotions to lower the cost of the software (such as 50% off for the first three months).
QuickBooks Solopreneur costs $20/month (or $120/year for the first year) and includes:
| QuickBooks Solopreneur Extra Costs | Price |
|---|---|
| Tax Filing | Starts at $169 |
| Payment Processing | 1% - 3.5% per transaction |
There are a few add-ons for Solopreneur. Expert tax support is included, and you don’t pay until you file. Pricing for tax filing starts at $169.
If you’d like to accept payments from your customers, QuickBooks has built-in payment processing. Rates are 1% for ACH payments, 2.5% for card reader payments, 2.99% for invoice payments, and 3.5% for keyed-in cards.
| Ease Of Use3.4 |
|---|
| Initial Setup 2.4 |
| Software Reliability 5.0 |
| Everyday Use 5.0 |
| Integrations 0.7 |
QuickBooks Solopreneur is cloud-based software that is easy to navigate, and the new UI makes the software even more of a joy to use.
There’s no confusing accounting jargon or unnecessary features crowding your dashboard, and setting up your account takes very little time. There’s also built-in support if you need extra help setting up and navigating the software.
We did deduct some points because QuickBooks Solopreneur is lacking somewhat compared to other accounting software. There are no integrations available, no bookkeeping support, and no way to import customers. QuickBooks Solopreneur also only supports importing past accounting data from your previous QuickBooks Self-Employed account.
However, keep in mind that Solopreneur is designed for one-person businesses and is more tax software than accounting software. We took all of this into consideration when giving Solopreneur a score of 3.4/4 for ease of use.
QuickBooks Solopreneur is tax software with a few light bookkeeping tools added to the mix.
| QuickBooks Solopreneur Features | Availability |
|---|---|
| Budgeting | |
| Tax Support | |
| Invoicing | |
| Estimates | |
| Client Portal | |
| Contact Management | |
| Expense Tracking | |
| Bank Reconciliation | |
| Chart Of Accounts | |
| Accounts Payable | |
| Inventory | |
| Time Tracking | |
| Project Management | |
| Number Of Reports | 5 |
| Unknown |
For the average freelancer, QB Solopreneur offers a good, basic feature set, but for business owners wanting full accounting capabilities, Solopreneur might not cut it. In this category, QuickBooks Solopreneur only scored 1.7/5.
Here’s an overview of the features you can expect with QuickBooks Solopreneur.
| Customer Service4.9 |
|---|
| Personal Support 4.8 |
| Self-Service 5.0 |
QuickBooks is generally notorious for poor customer support. However, Solopreneur is trying to break the mold and offer good, quick support options.
| QuickBooks Solopreneur Customer Service | Availability |
|---|---|
| Phone Support | |
| Email Support | |
| Support Tickets | |
| Live Chat | |
| Dedicated Support Representative | |
| Knowledge Base or Help Center | |
| Videos & Tutorials | |
| Company Blog | |
| Social Media |
There is a built-in live chat feature that is incredibly helpful, as well as phone support. The help center is also well-organized and makes it easy to find the answers you’re looking for. Video tutorials are also available. QuickBooks also maintains a company blog, as well as social media profiles on Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Overall, Solopreneur gets it right in terms of customer support, earning it a 4.9/5 rating.
| User Reviews4.2 |
|---|
| User Feedback 5.0 |
| Review Site Aggregate 3.9 |
Reviews for QuickBooks products are always a mixed bag, but the overall consensus is generally pretty positive. QuickBooks Solopreneur is no exception.
While there are some negative reviews online, QuickBooks Solopreneur receives overall favorable reviews, boasting 3.9/5 stars on Software Advice (based on 99+ reviews) and 9.2/10 stars on TrustRadius (based on 50+ ratings).
Based on this information, we rated QuickBooks Solopreneur 4.2/5 for user reviews.
Here’s what users didn’t like about QuickBooks Solopreneur:
As mentioned, the majority of Solopreneur reviews are positive. Here’s what users like most about the software:
QuickBooks Solopreneur has a number of safety features in place to keep your data secure. Notable security features include:
| QuickBooks Solopreneur | QuickBooks Online | QuickBooks Desktop Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $20/month | $35-$235/month | Contact Intuit for pricing |
| Business Size | Freelancers | Small To Medium | Small To Medium |
| Number Of Users | 1 | 1 to 25 | 1 to 3 |
| Accounting Method | Cash-Basis | Accrual & Cash-Basis | Accrual & Cash-Basis |
| Quality Of Features | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Quality Of Support | Good | Fair | Fair |
QuickBooks Solopreneur has two top competitors, both within the same Intuit family of software products. Users looking for a more robust, full-featured accounting software may find what they’re looking for with QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop Pro. Take a quick glance at our comparisons between these three options, then keep reading to see a breakdown of how QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online stack up against QuickBooks Solopreneur.
QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based software that’s best suited for small to medium businesses. QuickBooks Online supports up to 25 users, boasts advanced features, and has hundreds of integrations. With more features, QBO isn’t quite as easy to learn as QuickBooks Solopreneur. Still, the software is extremely user-friendly and most users only encounter a few navigational difficulties.
As you would expect, QuickBooks Online has a larger monthly subscription fee. However, if you want full accounting software as you grow your business, you’ll find that QBO is well worth the extra expense.
If you prefer locally installed software, Intuit has you covered with QuickBooks Desktop Pro. For years, QuickBooks Desktop has been the gold standard for small business accounting software, and it’s easy to see why. Advanced features, solid reporting, and excellent tax support make this software stand out from the pack.
However, Desktop’s annual pricing (and added fees for additional users) make it too expensive for freelancers or very small businesses. Furthermore, QB is discontinuing sales of new Desktop products after September 31, 2024 (with the exception of the more robust Enterprise product).
Easily compare all versions of QuickBooks by checking out “The Complete QuickBooks Versions Comparison Guide.“
| QuickBooks Solopreneur Review Summary | |
|---|---|
| Accounting Method | Cash Basis Only |
| Pricing Range | $20/month |
| Pricing Range | $20/month |
| Choose If You Need |
|
QuickBooks Solopreneur is ideal for freelancers and independent contractors in need of federal tax support. The software offers great tax tools and is incredibly easy to use.
However, businesses looking for full accounting software may be disappointed, as QuickBooks Solopreneur lacks many of the features you’d find with other software. You won’t find inventory management, project management, time tracking, or third-party integrations here.
Ultimately, if you are looking for federal tax support, QuickBooks Solopreneur is a good option, leading to our overall rating of 3.5/5. You can take the software for a spin with a 30-day free trial to see if it’s going to work for your business. If you want a more robust accounting solution, make sure to check out our picks for best small business accounting software for options that may be a better fit.
We spend hours researching and evaluating each accounting software system we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate our ratings.
When rating accounting and invoicing software, we use a 47-point rubric that looks at pricing, ease of use, features, customer service, and user reviews. We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating.
Each section is further broken down into granular, weighted subsections, in which we examine specific attributes like relative cost, number of subscription tiers, data import, invoicing tools, quotes and estimates, client portal availability, bookkeeping support options, and the usability of the software interface. We also ensure that the software offers most standard accounting features and reports, awarding higher rankings to those that provide advanced services, like tax filing.
Read more about how we rate accounting software.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
QuickBooks Solopreneur |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see QuickBooks Solopreneur for yourself.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
QuickBooks Solopreneur |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see QuickBooks Solopreneur for yourself.
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
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