Review · Plans and prices checked in 11 markets, 18–19 October 2026
QuickBooks Online Review 2026: Plans, Prices by Country, Pros & Cons
Disclosure: We don’t have an affiliate relationship with QuickBooks, so the QuickBooks links in this review go straight to Intuit’s site. Other products mentioned may have partner links. Learn more.
Our take
QuickBooks Online makes the most sense for US small businesses that want one system to grow into. It has a free plan to start on, inventory and project profitability on Plus, and payroll, bill pay and 1099 e-filing from the same company. The catch is price: US plans run $38 to $340 a month, and each plan has a hard user cap (1, 3, 5 or 25). Outside the US the plans are cheaper, but payroll and some local features vary by country.
How this review works: every price, limit and feature comes from Intuit’s official pricing pages for each country, read on 18–19 October 2026. We haven’t run a hands-on test, so there’s no star rating here. See how QuickBooks ranks in our small business accounting software comparison for your country.
QuickBooks Online at a glance
| Best for | US small businesses that want accounting, payroll and bill pay from one vendor, with room to grow |
|---|---|
| Price (US) | Free $0 · Simple Start $38 · Essentials $85 · Plus $140 · Advanced $340 a month |
| Users | 1 / 3 / 5 / 25 users by plan, plus accountant access |
| Free plan | Yes, in the US only: 1 user, 2 invoices a month, 1 bank connection, no credit card |
| Trial / offers | US: 50% off for 3 months or a 30-day free trial. Most other markets: 90% off for 6 months, or a 30-day trial |
| Local editions | US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, Hong Kong, Malaysia, UAE, plus global plans in USD |
| Not sold in | India and France (Intuit says QuickBooks Online is no longer available there) |
QuickBooks pricing in 11 markets
Intuit prices each country separately, and plan line-ups aren’t identical: the UK has a Sole Trader plan, Canada has Lite, and the free plan exists only in the US. Regular monthly prices:
| Market | Plans and regular monthly prices | Offer when checked |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Free $0 · Simple Start $38 · Essentials $85 · Plus $140 · Advanced $340 | 50% off for 3 months, or 30-day trial |
| United Kingdom | Sole Trader Plus £10 · Simple Start £16 · Essentials £38 · Plus £56 · Advanced £123 | 90% off for 6 months, or 30-day trial |
| Canada | Lite C$20 · Essentials C$70 · Plus C$110 · Advanced C$220 | 90% off QuickBooks + Payroll for 6 months, or 30-day trial |
| Australia | Simple Start A$33 · Essentials A$60 · Plus A$84 · Advanced A$125 | 70% off for 6 months, or 30-day trial |
| Ireland | Simple Start €21 · Essentials €31 · Plus €45 · Advanced €75 | 90% off for 6 months, 50% off for 12, or 30-day trial |
| Singapore | Simple Start S$31 · Essentials S$57 · Plus S$78.99 · Advanced S$124 | 90% off for 6 months, 50% off for 12, or 30-day trial |
| South Africa | Simple Start R322 · Essentials R508 · Plus R708 · Advanced R1,144 | 90% off for 6 months, 50% off for 12, or 30-day trial |
| Hong Kong | Simple Start HK$205 · Essentials HK$304 · Plus HK$416 · Advanced HK$885 | 90% off for 6 months, 50% off for 12, or 30-day trial |
| Malaysia | Simple Start RM91.99 · Essentials RM132.99 · Plus RM174 · Advanced RM368.99 | 90% off for 6 months, 50% off for 12, or 30-day trial |
| UAE (billed in USD) | Simple Start $22.05 · Essentials $32.55 · Plus $48.30 · Advanced $93.45 | 90% off for 6 months |
| Other countries (global, USD) | Simple Start $21 · Essentials $31 · Plus $46 · Advanced $89 | 90% off for 6 months, 50% off for 12, or 30-day trial |
The global plans are billed in US dollars. The page shows a local-currency conversion for convenience, but local tax filing isn’t built in. If your country has no local edition, compare the global plans with tools that do have one in our comparison table.
US plans, tier by tier
- Free ($0): 1 user with no accountant access. Track income and expenses, send 2 invoices a month, run a profit and loss report, connect 1 bank, and get chat support. Intuit notes the mobile app and third-party integrations aren’t available on Free. More in our free software guide.
- Simple Start ($38): 1 user plus 2 accountants. Adds general reports, automated bookkeeping, invoicing and bill pay with free ACH, plus Intuit’s AI tools for categorising expenses. Phone support is included from this plan up.
- Essentials ($85): 3 users. Adds enhanced reports, employee time on invoices, and KPI dashboards that pull in third-party data.
- Plus ($140): 5 users. Adds budgets, project profitability, inventory tracking, and up to 40 classes and locations.
- Advanced ($340): 25 users plus 3 accountants. Adds custom user permissions, workflow automation, Excel sync, batch invoices, priority support, and Bill Pay Elite with free 1099 e-filing.
Self-employed people in the US get a separate product, QuickBooks Solopreneur, which is built around income tracking and estimated taxes rather than full bookkeeping. We compare it with FreshBooks in FreshBooks vs QuickBooks.
Outside the US
The UK edition is the most tailored. Sole Trader Plus (£10) covers MTD for Income Tax and CIS for self-employed people, and Simple Start (£16) adds VAT and MTD VAT returns. If MTD is why you’re shopping, our UK MTD guide compares it with Xero, Sage and FreeAgent.
In Australia every plan tracks GST and lodges BAS, with a GST pre-lodgement check, and Plus adds projects, inventory and budgets. A$33 for Simple Start makes it cheaper at entry level than Xero’s A$37 Ignite. The Australia guide covers the trade-offs.
Canada swaps Simple Start for Lite (C$20, 1 user, no accountant access), so you need Essentials to bring your accountant in. The other local editions (Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, Hong Kong, Malaysia, UAE) share the same four tiers and user caps.
Payroll and extra costs
- US payroll is a bundle: Intuit now sells it as QuickBooks Workforce, paired with an accounting plan. Workforce Payroll + Simple Start starts at $88 a month plus a per-employee fee, and the Essentials and Plus bundles cost more. In two checks on 19 October the per-employee fees shown were different ($6.50 or $7 on the entry bundle), so confirm the price at checkout.
- Discount fine print: the US intro discount covers the monthly base price only. It doesn’t apply to per-employee fees, state tax filing fees or other add-ons, and it can’t be combined with the free trial.
- After the offer: you’re charged monthly at the then-current price until you cancel. Intuit says you can switch plans or cancel at any time.
- User caps: going past 3 users means Plus, and past 5 means Advanced. That’s a $55 or $200 jump a month in the US.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free plan in the US with no credit card
- Inventory, budgets and project profitability on Plus
- Payroll, bill pay and 1099 e-filing from the same vendor (US)
- Local editions in 10 markets, plus global USD plans
- Phone support included on paid US plans
Cons
- Expensive in the US: $140 for inventory, $340 for Advanced
- Hard user caps (1 / 3 / 5 / 25)
- Free plan is very limited (2 invoices a month, no app)
- Payroll costs extra, with per-employee fees
- Not available in India or France
Who should use QuickBooks (and who shouldn’t)
Good fit: US businesses that want payroll, bill pay and accounting in one place; product businesses that need inventory without a separate app; and anyone whose accountant already works in QuickBooks. In Australia and Canada, QuickBooks also undercuts Xero at entry level.
Probably not: teams with more than a handful of people who all need access (Xero has no per-user fees), freelancers who mostly send invoices (see our freelancer guide), and businesses in India or France.
See QuickBooks pricing on Intuit’s site (opens in a new tab)
QuickBooks alternatives
- Xero: no per-user fees, and payroll included in Australian plans. See our Xero review and Xero vs QuickBooks.
- Zoho Books: a free plan in many countries and lower prices; see our Zoho Books review and Zoho Books vs QuickBooks.
- FreshBooks: invoicing-first for service businesses; see our FreshBooks review and FreshBooks vs QuickBooks.
- The full list, sorted by reason for switching: best QuickBooks alternatives.
FAQ
How much does QuickBooks Online cost in 2026?
In the US, QuickBooks Online costs $38 (Simple Start), $85 (Essentials), $140 (Plus) or $340 (Advanced) a month, and there’s a $0 Free plan. In the UK, plans run from £10 to £123, and in Australia from A$33 to A$125. Countries without a local edition use global plans from $21 to $89 a month, billed in USD.
Is there a free version of QuickBooks Online?
In the US only. QuickBooks Free costs $0 with no credit card, but it’s limited to 1 user, 2 invoices a month and 1 bank connection, with no mobile app or integrations. Other countries offer a 30-day free trial instead.
How many users does QuickBooks Online include?
Simple Start includes 1 user, Essentials 3, Plus 5 and Advanced 25. Each plan also gives access to accountants (2 on most US plans, 3 on Advanced).
Does QuickBooks Online include payroll?
No, payroll costs extra. In the US it’s sold as QuickBooks Workforce bundles, starting at $88 a month with Simple Start plus a per-employee fee. Canada’s offer when we checked covered QuickBooks + Payroll together.
