The industry standard for small business accounting — powerful, accountant-friendly, but no free tier. Here's what it really costs and the free alternatives.
By Bookkeeping Reviews · Published 2026-08-24 · Last updated October 19, 2026 · 9 min read
QuickBooks Online is the industry standard for small business accounting — the most widely used, most feature-complete option, but it has no free tier. Pricing in 2026 runs roughly $30/month (Simple Start), $60-90 for higher plans depending on features. It's powerful: bank feeds, invoicing, inventory, payroll and project tracking. If you need the standard that accountants expect, QuickBooks is the safe pick — but you pay for it. For zero cost, Wave handles invoicing and bookkeeping free, and FreshBooks/Xero are strong rivals.
QuickBooks Online is Intuit's cloud accounting product — the default choice for millions of small businesses. It covers invoicing, expense tracking, bank feeds, inventory, payroll, project profitability and tax-ready reports, with a huge ecosystem of integrations and accountants who already know it.
Simple Start: ~$30/month — income & expenses, invoicing, tax deductions
Essentials: ~$60-65/month — adds bill management and time tracking for up to 3 users
Plus: ~$90/month — adds inventory and project profitability (up to 5 users)
Advanced: ~$200+/month — business analytics, dedicated account team
Prices vary by region and promotions — confirm on quickbooks.intuit.com before subscribing.
No. QuickBooks Online has no free tier — only a free trial (typically 30 days), after which you pay from ~$30/month. This is the main reason free tools like Wave are so popular.
Every figure in this review is one of three things: something we checked ourselves, something the vendor publishes, or a figure reported by a named third party. This log separates the three and dates the check, so you can judge how fresh the evidence is before you spend money.
| Check | Result on October 19, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Pricing page (quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing) | No response from our network on 19 October 2026 — the request timed out twice, so the plan prices could not be re-confirmed. |
| Price figures in this review | Taken from Intuit pricing pages checked earlier in 2026 and from third-party pricing trackers. Treat them as indicative. |
| Free-tier claim | Consistent across sources: no free plan; the shortest commitment is a discounted trial period. |
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Simple Start | ~$30/month — income, expenses, invoices, tax deductions |
| Essentials | ~$60–65/month — bills, time tracking, up to 3 users |
| Plus | ~$90/month — inventory, project profitability, up to 5 users |
| Advanced | ~$200+/month — analytics, dedicated account team |
| Free plan | None |
What we did not test: We tested the vendor's public pages, not the product inside a paid account. Every number below is dated, and anything we could not confirm on 19 October 2026 is labelled as an estimate.
Best for: completely free bookkeeping (our review)
Best for: clean cloud rival (our review)
Best for: invoicing + time tracking (our review)
Best for: free open-source desktop
Best for: free tier + growth path
Independent reviews of AI tools: real pricing & free alternatives.
🎮 Gaming Gear ReviewsEsports hardware decoded: mice, keyboards, headsets & budget picks.
📄 PDF Merge OnlineCombine multiple PDF files into one — free, no upload.
📷 ID Photo StudioPassport & visa photos with AI background changer — free, private.
🧮 HK Salary Tax CalculatorEstimate Hong Kong salaries tax for 2026/27 in seconds — see what you owe before you file your tax return.
🎁 HK Benefits Quick CheckGovernment benefits & tax eligibility checker — OAA, CSSA & more.
📅 HK Calendar 香港月曆Public holidays, lunar dates & solar terms for 2020-2036 — bilingual, free, no sign-up.
★ Our own product 🏠 Home Expense BookkeepingFamily bookkeeping: income, spending, net worth and monthly bills. Data stays on your device. HK$98 one-time.