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QuickBooks Online’s U.S. pricing page shows five choices: Free at $0 per month, plus Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced. The paid plans currently display a temporary 50% price for the first three months alongside their regular monthly prices. The ongoing list prices are $38, $85, $140 and $340, respectively; the promotional prices are $19, $42.50, $70 and $170. Treat the lower figures as an introductory offer, not permanent rates, and confirm the amount shown at checkout or in your billing account.
The best plan is the lowest tier that supports everyone who must work in the books and every workflow you actually use. User capacity, bill and time tracking, inventory, project profitability, permissions and reporting are the decision points that matter more than simply moving to a higher tier.
QuickBooks Online prices at a glance
The following figures are the prices displayed on the official U.S. pricing page accessed October 13, 2026. The promotional column is the advertised 50% offer for three months; the list column is the regular monthly price shown by QuickBooks.
| Plan | List price per month | Promotional price per month | Included users | Accountant access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 user | No accountant access |
| Simple Start | $38 | $19 for three months | 1 user | Up to 2 accountants |
| Essentials | $85 | $42.50 for three months | 3 users | Up to 2 accountants |
| Plus | $140 | $70 for three months | 5 users | Up to 2 accountants |
| Advanced | $340 | $170 for three months | 25 users | Up to 3 accountants |
Check the live QuickBooks Online pricing page before subscribing. Price cards, eligibility rules and promotions can change, and payment features can have transaction limits or fees.
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Why the displayed price may not be your long-term price
The 50% offer is temporary
The reduced prices are shown for three months. Unless your subscription has a different written offer, the regular list price is the figure to use when estimating the ongoing budget. A three-month promotion does not turn the discounted amount into a permanent plan price.
Renewal changes announced for 2026
Intuit announced that Essentials, Plus and Advanced subscription prices change for renewals on or after August 1, 2026. Free, Lite, Ledger and Simple Start remain unchanged under that announcement. Recent subscribers keep their initial price for six months, with updated pricing applying from the seventh invoice. The exact date depends on the individual subscription: “The exact date of price change depends on the details of the individual subscription.” Promotional pricing is honored through the applicable promotion period.
That means a new subscriber can encounter two separate timing issues: the three-month introductory offer and a later renewal adjustment. Your checkout screen and account billing details are the authority for the amount and effective date. See Intuit’s August pricing-change and product-update notice for the published terms.
What the Free plan includes
Free is a constrained option rather than a normal paid tier with the price removed. The pricing page lists one user, no accountant access, a connection to one bank and up to two invoices per month. Eligible users of QuickBooks Payments may have an exception to the invoice limit. Free also provides three reports.
- Best fit: a very small operation that needs occasional invoicing and a basic view of its connected bank activity.
- Main limits: one bank connection, two invoices per month in the standard case, three reports and no accountant access.
- Upgrade trigger: needing regular invoicing, an accountant login, more reporting or paid-tier bookkeeping and payment workflows.
Because the invoice allowance and payment exception have eligibility conditions, verify the terms attached to your account instead of assuming every Free user receives unlimited invoicing.
What Simple Start includes
Simple Start is the entry paid plan for a business with one primary QuickBooks user. It allows access for two accountants, so an owner can work with an external bookkeeper without adding another everyday user seat. The plan adds the core paid-tier accounting tools that Free intentionally limits.
- General business reports for routine financial monitoring.
- Automated bookkeeping features to reduce manual categorization work.
- Invoicing and payments, subject to the applicable terms, fees and transaction limits.
- Bill-pay features, also subject to product terms and transaction limits.
When Simple Start is enough
Choose Simple Start when one person does the day-to-day bookkeeping, invoices are straightforward, and you do not need built-in inventory, project-profitability analysis or multiple internal users. It is also the logical first paid tier when Free’s invoice allowance or reporting is too restrictive.
When to skip it
Simple Start becomes a poor fit as soon as a second or third employee needs regular access, bills and employee time must be managed inside the accounting system, or the business needs inventory and project-level profitability. Those are workflow requirements, not cosmetic feature upgrades.
What Essentials includes
Essentials raises capacity to three users and keeps access for two accountants. It is the tier for a small team that has more than one person entering or reviewing transactions and needs stronger bill and time workflows.
- Enhanced reporting compared with Simple Start.
- Employee time that can be added to invoices.
- Bill management for tracking and paying business obligations.
- Multiple-currency support.
- Recurring transactions.
- Billable-time reporting.
Who should choose Essentials
Essentials fits a business where an owner, bookkeeper and another staff member all need access, or where the accounting process includes supplier bills and billable employee hours. Multiple currencies and recurring transactions can remove manual work for businesses with those specific needs.
What Essentials does not solve
Essentials is not the tier to choose for built-in inventory management, budgeting or project-profitability tracking; those capabilities are listed with Plus. It also provides fewer users and fewer accountant seats than Advanced, so a growing finance team should check the 25-user requirement before committing.
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Plus supports five users and two accountants. It includes the Essentials feature set and adds the planning and operational controls most often associated with a growing product, service or project business.
- Budgeting: create and monitor budgets rather than relying only on historical reports.
- Project profitability: evaluate income and costs by project.
- Inventory management: track inventory within QuickBooks Online.
- Classes and locations: use up to 40 classes and locations on the current pricing page to organize activity by department, site or business line.
Which businesses need Plus
Examine Plus when inventory is a core workflow, when managers need to compare project income with project costs, or when budgeting and class/location reporting are essential. If none of those apply and five users are not required, Essentials may provide the necessary capacity at a lower list price.
What Advanced includes
Advanced is designed for organizations that outgrow five users or need more controlled, automated and detailed accounting operations. It supports 25 users and access for three accountants.
- Configurable user permissions for more granular control over what each person can see or change.
- Automated workflows for routing and standardizing repeatable processes.
- Excel data sync for working with spreadsheet-based processes alongside the accounting file.
- Batch transactions to process groups of entries more efficiently.
- Advanced reporting and construction or project financial tools.
- Priority support and training.
Advanced industry features need a location check
Some construction and other industry-specific functions have geographic limits. Confirm that the feature is available in your U.S. business location and in your subscription edition before basing a purchase decision on it.
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Advanced makes sense when 6–25 people need access, permissions must be tailored by role, batch processing or workflow automation will save substantial staff time, or leadership needs deeper reporting and project-finance controls. Do not select it solely because it is the highest tier; its value comes from those specific operating requirements.
Best Value
Feature differences that should drive your decision
| Decision question | Plan to examine first | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Do you need only occasional invoices and basic reporting? | Free | It is $0 but limits invoices, reports, bank connections and accountant access. |
| Is one person doing the books, with an accountant reviewing them? | Simple Start | One user plus access for two accountants and core paid accounting tools. |
| Do up to three people need access, or do you manage bills and employee time? | Essentials | Adds users, enhanced reporting, bill management and billable-time workflows. |
| Do you need inventory, budgets or project profitability? | Plus | Adds those capabilities and supports five users. |
| Do more than five people need access, or do you need permissions, automation and advanced reporting? | Advanced | Supports 25 users and adds control, workflow, batch and reporting features. |
How to choose the lowest suitable tier
- Count actual users. List employees who need their own login, not people who merely receive reports. Compare that number with one, three, five or 25 included users.
- Separate accountant access from employee seats. Simple Start, Essentials and Plus list access for two accountants; Advanced lists three. Confirm how your accountant invitations are treated in the current subscription.
- Map your transactions. Identify whether you need recurring transactions, supplier-bill management, employee time on invoices, multiple currencies or payment processing. Terms, eligibility and transaction limits can apply.
- Test the Plus requirements. If inventory, budgeting, project profitability or classes and locations are necessary, start your comparison at Plus rather than trying to retrofit those workflows into a lower tier.
- Test the Advanced requirements. Count users above five and document the need for configurable permissions, automated workflows, Excel sync, batch transactions, priority support, training or advanced project reporting.
- Calculate the post-promotion budget. Use the list price for the recurring estimate, then record the promotional end date and any renewal notice that applies to your subscription.
- Verify checkout and renewal terms. Before paying, compare the displayed amount, billing frequency, promotion duration and effective renewal date with your plan decision.
Payments, limits and other qualifications
Payment processing is not automatically unlimited or free
QuickBooks’ pricing information notes that standard ACH transaction fees can apply above monthly allotments. Bill-pay and payment functions can also carry eligibility requirements, terms or transaction limits. Treat “invoicing and payments” as an available workflow, not a promise that every transaction has no fee.
Beta and limited-capacity features
Some Intuit Intelligence capabilities are labeled beta or limited capacity. Intuit says beta availability and capacity can change, so do not treat a beta feature as a guaranteed, permanently included capability. The product-update notice identifies the relevant availability caveats.
Cloud access and device requirements
QuickBooks Online is browser-based. QuickBooks states: “There is no need to download QuickBooks Online because it is connected to the cloud, which means you can access online accounting from any device with an internet connection.” The mobile app is separate software access, not a physical accessory. You need an internet-connected device and should account for the app or browser access method your staff will use.
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Where to confirm feature details
The live pricing page is the best place to verify current U.S. prices, user counts, promotional language and payment terms. The subscription-level comparison provides additional descriptions of plan capabilities. Check both pages and your account’s checkout or billing screen because plan labels, feature availability and promotional eligibility can change.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
