How Much Does It Cost to Use QuickBooks for a Small Business? The 2026 Bill and the Cheaper Alternatives
By Ashikur Rahman16 min readQuick answer: QuickBooks Online costs $38, $85, $140 or $340 a month at list price in September 2026, for Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced. Plus rose from $115 to $140 for renewals from 1 August 2026, and it was $99 in May 2025. The "50% off for 3 months" offer only touches the base price: Intuit's own terms say it "does not apply to per-employee fees". For a 3-person firm with 2 employees on payroll, QuickBooks Plus plus payroll costs $2,448 in year two, against $648 on Zoho Books and $814 on Wave. Prices read at source on 28 September 2026.
How much does QuickBooks Online cost per month in 2026?
QuickBooks Online has four paid plans for a small business: Simple Start at $38 a month, Essentials at $85, Plus at $140 and Advanced at $340. Those are list prices. New buyers see half of each for the first three months.
Headcount mostly decides the plan. Intuit sells fixed user counts per plan and says nothing on the pricing page about buying an extra seat. A fourth person on Essentials means moving to Plus. A sixth person on Plus means moving to Advanced, at more than double the price.
| Plan | List per month | First 3 months | Users | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $38 | $19 | 1, plus 2 accountants | Invoicing, expenses, bill pay with a free ACH allotment |
| Essentials | $85 | $42.50 | 3, plus 2 accountants | More users |
| Plus | $140 | $70 | 5, plus 2 accountants | Inventory, project profitability, budgets, up to 40 classes and locations |
| Advanced | $340 | $170 | 25, plus 3 accountants | Unlimited classes and locations, Bill Pay Elite |
The QuickBooks Online pricing page shows the promo price large and the list price small. Budget from the list price. The checkout says "No annual contract" and "Cancel anytime": no lock-in, but no protection from the next rise either.
Below Simple Start sit two sole-trader tiers. QuickBooks Free is "$0 /mo" with "1 user", "No accountant access" and "Send invoices (limit 2 per month)". Lite is $20 a month with one user and no accountant access. Neither fits a business with staff.
Did QuickBooks raise its prices in 2026?
Yes. Intuit's notice of 27 June 2026 says "the monthly subscription prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced will change for renewals on or after August 1, 2026." It adds: "Pricing for QuickBooks Free, Lite, Ledger, and Simple Start remains unchanged."
The QuickBooks Online August pricing notice prints no dollar amounts. To get them, this article compared copies of Intuit's own pricing data file saved by the Internet Archive on three dates.
| Plan | May 2025 | June 2026 | August 2026 to now | Change since May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $35 | $38 | $38 | +8.6% |
| Essentials | $65 | $75 | $85 | +30.8% |
| Plus | $99 | $115 | $140 | +41.4% |
| Advanced | $235 | $275 | $340 | +44.7% |
That is two rises in about fourteen months. The August 2026 step took Plus from $115 to $140. An earlier step took it from $99 to $115; its exact date could not be confirmed, because no Intuit notice for it was read. Plus now costs $41 a month more than in May 2025.
Recent subscribers get a short delay. The notice says "The updated pricing will not take effect for you until your seventh invoice", and "Intuit will honor any promotional pricing through the duration of the applicable promotion. Once the promotion ends, the relevant price increase will go into effect". A promo delays the new price. It does not cancel it.
Advanced gained Bill Pay Elite "(a $540/year value)" in the same notice. On the other plans Bill Pay Elite is "Available for $45/mo as an add-on", and inventory for Simple Start and Essentials is "available as a $40/mo add-on".
What does the "50% off for 3 months" offer actually cover?
It covers the monthly base price of a new subscription for three months, and nothing else. Payroll per-employee fees, contractor fees, state tax filing fees and other add-ons stay at full price from day one.
Intuit's offer terms read: "The listed discount is applied to the monthly base price for new subscriptions to QuickBooks Online and/or Workforce for the first 3 months ... After the Introductory Period, you'll be charged on a monthly basis thereafter at the then-current price for the service(s) you've selected until you cancel. Discount does not apply to per-employee fees, per-contractor fees or state tax filing fees for QuickBooks Workforce, or to other add-on fees or services."
Three things follow. On Plus the offer saves $210 in total. It is for new customers only, so it never helps at renewal. And it cannot be stacked with the 30-day free trial: "Offers for the same product cannot be combined." You pick one. "Then-current price" also means month four is billed at whatever list is by then, not the price on your signup day.
Annual billing is not a toggle on the rendered pricing page. Intuit's pricing data file does define annual offers, such as Plus at $1,512 a year list. Whether a new buyer can select annual at checkout could not be verified, so the worked example uses monthly billing.
How much does QuickBooks payroll cost?
QuickBooks payroll now sells as QuickBooks Workforce, at a monthly base plus a fee per employee: $50 plus $7 on Workforce Payroll, $88 plus $13 on Workforce Premium, and $134 plus $17 on Workforce Elite. Workforce Payroll is the old Core tier renamed.
| Workforce plan | Base per month | First 3 months base | Per employee per month | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce Payroll | $50 | $25 | $7, not discounted | Full-service payroll |
| Workforce Premium | $88 | $44 | $13, not discounted | Time tracking, setup review |
| Workforce Elite | $134 | $67 | $17, not discounted | Setup done for you, IRS penalty cover up to $25,000/year |
The QuickBooks Workforce pricing page prints the promo as "$25 / mo" with "+ $7/employee/mo" underneath. That second line is what the promo skips, and it grows with every hire.
Bundles such as "Workforce Premium + Plus" at "$228 + $13/employee" are simple sums of the two list prices. There is no bundle discount beyond the same three months at half price. Elite's line reads "If you receive an IRS penalty, we'll pay all penalty fees and interest up to $25,000/year", which is about who pays a penalty, not whether one happens.
What does QuickBooks charge to take payments?
QuickBooks Payments charges 2.99% for cards and digital wallets on invoices, 1% for ACH bank payments, 2.5% in person and 3.5% for keyed-in cards. No promo touches these.
| Payment type | QuickBooks rate | Note from Intuit |
|---|---|---|
| Cards and digital wallets | 2.99% | Invoices, recurring, quick requests |
| ACH bank payments | 1% | No cap stated on the rate page |
| In-person | 2.5% | Per transaction |
| Keyed-in cards | 3.5% | Per transaction |
| Instant deposit | 1.75% extra | Waived into QuickBooks Checking |
| International card | 1% extra | From Intuit's cost calculator |
The QuickBooks Payments rate page says "Rates are accurate as of 09/18/2026" and "Process over $2,500 per month? You could qualify for up to 25% off transaction costs." For other processors, see Stripe and PayPal fees compared for small businesses. Paying contractors abroad is a separate cost, covered in how Payoneer and Wise compare on fees and the cheapest ways to move money across borders.
Can a small business still buy QuickBooks Desktop or Intuit bookkeeping?
Not Desktop, unless it buys Enterprise. Intuit's support article says "QuickBooks Desktop isn't available to new subscribers in the United States. The deadline to purchase a new subscription was September 30, 2024." Existing subscribers can keep renewing. Desktop Enterprise is still sold, "Starting at" $2,210 a year for Gold, so for a small firm Online is the realistic QuickBooks.
Intuit bookkeeping help is sold separately as Intuit Experts, formerly Live Bookkeeping. Expert Assisted is free for 30 days, then $59 a month. Full Service Bookkeeping starts at $300 a month "After initial cleanup fee", and Expert Cleanup is "As low as" $600. None of it comes with Plus; the plan includes access for your own two accountants.
What will QuickBooks cost a 3-person business in year one and year two?
For a 3-person service business with 2 employees on payroll, QuickBooks Plus with Workforce Payroll costs $2,163 in year one and $2,448 in year two on monthly billing. The whole gap is the promo, and it lands in the first three months.
The scenario: three people need logins, two are on payroll, the firm buys new on 28 September 2026 and takes the 50% offer. Payment processing, sales tax and add-ons are left out.
Year one, QuickBooks Plus plus Workforce Payroll:
- Plus: 3 promo months x $70 = $210
- Plus: 9 list months x $140 = $1,260
- Plus total: $210 + $1,260 = $1,470
- Payroll base: 3 x $25 + 9 x $50 = $75 + $450 = $525
- Per employee, never discounted: 2 x $7 x 12 = $168
- Year one: $1,470 + $525 + $168 = $2,163
Year two, same firm:
- Monthly bill: $140 + $50 + 2 x $7 = $204
- Year two: $204 x 12 = $2,448
The promo saves $210 on Plus and $75 on the payroll base, $285 in all. From month four the bill is $204 a month.
Three users also fit Essentials, if the firm does not need inventory or class tracking. Essentials plus Workforce Payroll is $1,585.50 in year one (3 x $42.50 + 9 x $85 = $892.50, plus $525 and $168) and $1,788 in year two ($149 a month, times 12). If annual billing is open to you, Intuit's data file puts Plus plus payroll at $2,220 in year two; that option could not be verified on the public page.
Transparency note: CriticNest has no affiliate or commercial relationship with Intuit (QuickBooks), FreshBooks, Xero, Wave or Zoho. Nothing here is a paid placement. Every figure was read from the vendors' own pricing pages on 28 September 2026, and older QuickBooks prices from Intuit's own pricing data as saved by the Internet Archive. No product was bought, trialled or benchmarked for this article, and if that changes, the disclosure will move to the top of this article.
What is a good alternative to QuickBooks for a small business?
For the same 3-person firm with 2 employees on payroll, Zoho Books with Zoho Payroll is cheapest at $648 a year on annual billing, then Wave at $814. Xero costs $1,236 a year at list and FreshBooks $1,352.40 to $1,404. QuickBooks Plus with payroll is $2,448.
| Setup for 3 users, 2 on payroll | Year one | Year two | Billing used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books Standard + Zoho Payroll | $648 | $648 | Annual |
| Wave Pro + Wave Payroll | $814 | $814 | Annual |
| Xero Growing + Gusto payroll | $939 by 30 Sep, else $1,236 | $1,236 | Monthly |
| FreshBooks Plus + 2 Team Members + Payroll | $1,259.52 to $1,300.80 | $1,352.40 to $1,404 | Yearly or monthly |
| QuickBooks Essentials + Workforce Payroll | $1,585.50 | $1,788 | Monthly |
| QuickBooks Plus + Workforce Payroll | $2,163 | $2,448 | Monthly |
Every row is derived from published prices on 28 September 2026, excluding payment fees, taxes and add-ons. Decide on the year-two column: it is what you pay for as long as you stay. There, QuickBooks Plus costs $1,800 a year more than Zoho Books.
Zoho Books: cheapest per organisation
Zoho Books US pricing charges per organisation: Standard is $20 a month or $15 billed annually with "3 Users". Extra users are "$3 per user/month or $2.50 per user/month, billed annually." Zoho Payroll Standard is a separate product at $29 a month plus $5 per employee, billed annually. That is $180 plus $468, or $648 a year, with no promo on either page. The free plan covers "1 User + 1 Accountant" under $50K revenue, so it does not fit three people. If you also run Zoho for sales, see how Zoho prices its CRM against the CRM Plus bundle.
Wave: flat fee per business
Wave's pricing page sells Pro at "$190 USD/year" or $19 a month, and says "The subscription fee for the Pro Plan is per business, not per owner." Wave publishes no per-user fee and no user cap. US payroll is a "$40 USD base fee" plus "$6 per active employee". Annual Pro plus payroll is $190 plus $624, or $814 a year. There is no live promo.
Xero: no per-user fee, and an offer that ends on 30 September 2026
Xero's US pricing page lists Early at $25, Growing at $55 and Established at $90 a month, with "No per-user license fees". Early allows 20 invoices and 5 bills, and the page does not say per what period. Payroll is "Xero Payroll, powered by Gusto" at "$36 a month + $6 per employee/contractor". The 90% off offer runs "until 30 September 2026 at 11:59pm UTC"; bought in time, Growing plus payroll is $939 in year one. After that date plan on list: $660 plus $576, or $1,236. Whether a new offer replaces it could not be verified.
FreshBooks: cheap plan, paid seats
FreshBooks pricing lists Plus at $43 a month, with "Team Members ($11/mo per user)" and "FreshBooks Payroll ($40/mo plus $6/mo per user)" as add-ons. Plus caps you at 50 billable clients, archived ones included. FreshBooks does not publish whether its 80% promo also discounts seats or payroll, or what "per user" means for payroll; this article assumed no discount and per employee paid. On that reading, year two is $1,404 monthly or $1,352.40 on yearly billing.
Which QuickBooks plan is best for a small business?
The best plan is the cheapest one whose user count covers everyone who needs a login. For most small service firms that is Essentials, not Plus.
- One person: Simple Start at $38. Free and Lite have no accountant access.
- Two or three people: Essentials at $85.
- Four or five people, or you carry stock: Plus at $140.
- Six to 25 people: Advanced at $340, since Intuit publishes no extra-seat option on Plus.
Do not buy Plus for features you might need later. Intuit's FAQ says "You can upgrade between QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, or Plus."
Is QuickBooks worth it for a small business?
QuickBooks is worth it when your accountant works in it or you need inventory or class tracking. For a small service firm that only invoices, pays bills and runs payroll, the same jobs cost a third or less elsewhere.
Stay if your bookkeeper would bill extra to learn another tool, if you use what Plus adds, or if you are moving off Desktop and want one vendor. Consider switching if you are on Plus only for the user count, if per-employee fees are a growing share of the bill, or if your August renewal jumped for features you do not use. Whether you also need a CRM is a separate question, covered in whether a small business actually needs a CRM.
What should you check before leaving QuickBooks?
Check what your accountant uses, what history must move, when your payroll quarter ends, what happens to open invoices, and whether the new tool's limits fit. This is general advice, not tax or legal advice; your accountant decides the timing.
- Ask your accountant first. Not every accountant works in every tool.
- Decide what history moves. Opening balances are simpler than years of transactions. Ask what the new importer brings across.
- Time payroll to a clean break. A mid-quarter move splits filings across two systems.
- Close or move open invoices. Old payment links point to the old processor.
- Read the limits. Xero Early's 20 invoices and FreshBooks Plus's client cap bite before the price does.
How this was researched
Every price here was read at source on 28 September 2026. Intuit pages read: the QuickBooks Online pricing page and the pricing data file it loads, the Workforce pricing page, the Payments rate page and cost calculator, the Free and Lite pages, the Desktop stop-sell support article, Desktop Enterprise pricing, the June 2026 price-change notice and the Intuit Experts pages. Also read: the FreshBooks, Xero US, Wave, Wave Payroll, Zoho Books US and Zoho Payroll US pricing pages.
Intuit's pages would not load as plain page requests, so every Intuit figure was read from a full browser render. The other pages were read both ways where possible, and the figures matched. All prices are in US dollars. Older QuickBooks prices were read from Intuit's own pricing data file as captured by the Internet Archive on 30 May 2025, 11 June 2026 and 11 August 2026, because the price notice gives no dollar amounts.
Not verified: the date of the earlier QuickBooks rise, annual billing at checkout, whether FreshBooks' promo covers seats or payroll, and whether Xero will replace its offer. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, this article says so and does not estimate it. No product was bought, trialled or benchmarked. The author's role is the careful reader of the fine print.
The verdict: budget QuickBooks at list, from month four
QuickBooks Online Plus is $140 a month at list in September 2026, up from $115 before 1 August and $99 in May 2025. The headline 50% offer halves the base price for three months and, in Intuit's own words, "does not apply to per-employee fees". So budget the year-two bill, not the first invoice.
For a 3-person firm with 2 employees on payroll, year two is $2,448 on QuickBooks Plus, $1,788 on Essentials, $1,236 on Xero, $1,352.40 to $1,404 on FreshBooks, $814 on Wave and $648 on Zoho Books. The rule is short. Stay on QuickBooks if your accountant works in it or you use what Plus adds. Otherwise drop to Essentials or move, and plan with list prices, because every promo on these pages ends and the "then-current price" comes next.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to use QuickBooks for a small business?
QuickBooks Online costs $38 a month for Simple Start, $85 for Essentials, $140 for Plus and $340 for Advanced at list price on 28 September 2026. New customers pay half for three months. Payroll is extra, from $50 a month plus $7 per employee. A 3-person firm with 2 employees on Plus plus payroll pays $2,448 a year after the promo.
Did QuickBooks Online raise prices in 2026?
Yes. Intuit's notice of 27 June 2026 raised Essentials, Plus and Advanced for renewals on or after 1 August 2026. Intuit's own pricing data, as saved by the Internet Archive, shows Essentials went from $75 to $85, Plus from $115 to $140 and Advanced from $275 to $340. Simple Start did not change.
Does the QuickBooks 50% off deal include payroll?
It halves the payroll base fee but not the per-employee fee. Intuit's terms say the discount "does not apply to per-employee fees, per-contractor fees or state tax filing fees for QuickBooks Workforce". On Workforce Payroll that means $25 instead of $50 for three months, while each employee stays at $7 a month.
How much is QuickBooks payroll per employee?
QuickBooks Workforce charges $7 per employee per month on Workforce Payroll, $13 on Premium and $17 on Elite, on top of base fees of $50, $88 and $134 a month. The introductory offer never discounts the per-employee fee. Workforce is Intuit's new name for QuickBooks Payroll.
What is the best QuickBooks plan for a small business?
For most small service firms, Essentials at $85 a month is the best fit because it holds 3 users. Choose Plus at $140 only if you need inventory, project profitability or class tracking, or have four or five users. A sole trader can start on Simple Start at $38 and upgrade later.
What is a cheaper alternative to QuickBooks for a small business?
For a 3-person firm with 2 employees on payroll, Zoho Books Standard with Zoho Payroll costs $648 a year on annual billing, and Wave Pro with Wave Payroll costs $814. Xero Growing with Gusto payroll is $1,236 a year at list. QuickBooks Plus with Workforce Payroll is $2,448. Payment fees and taxes are excluded.
Can I still buy QuickBooks Desktop in 2026?
Not as a new US subscriber, unless you buy Desktop Enterprise. Intuit's support article says "The deadline to purchase a new subscription was September 30, 2024." Existing Desktop subscribers can keep renewing. Desktop Enterprise starts at $2,210 a year for Gold.
Is there a free version of QuickBooks?
Yes. QuickBooks Free is $0 a month with 1 user and no accountant access, and it allows 2 invoices a month and 1 contractor. Any firm with staff or regular invoicing needs at least Simple Start at $38 a month.
What are QuickBooks Payments fees?
QuickBooks Payments charges 2.99% for cards on invoices, 1% for ACH bank payments, 2.5% in person and 3.5% for keyed-in cards, per Intuit's rate page dated 18 September 2026. Instant deposit adds 1.75% and international cards add 1%. Intuit prints no cap on the ACH fee on that page.
Is QuickBooks worth it for a small business?
It is worth it if your accountant works in QuickBooks or you use Plus features such as inventory and class tracking. For a small service firm that only invoices, pays bills and runs payroll, QuickBooks Plus plus payroll costs $2,448 a year against $648 on Zoho Books, so the extra needs a clear reason.
