Pricing snapshot
QuickBooks plans & pricing
Compare the core plans, included features, and starting price before you choose a plan.
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $35 / month |
|
| Essentials Most popular | $65 / month |
|
| Plus | $99 / month |
|
How much does QuickBooks cost?
QuickBooks Online opens at $35/month for Simple Start and climbs to Essentials at $65/month and Plus at $99/month. The jumps are real money, and each tier mainly buys you more users and more capability, bill management and time tracking at Essentials, project and inventory tracking at Plus.
The number on the page is rarely what you pay at first, though. Intuit runs aggressive introductory promotions almost continuously, often cutting the price steeply for the first few months. That’s a genuine saving, but it makes the real long-term cost easy to underestimate, budget for the standard rate, not the teaser. And watch the add-ons: payroll and payment processing are billed on top of your plan and can quietly become a large slice of the bill.
Is there a free plan or trial?
There’s no free tier. QuickBooks offers a 30-day free trial, which is plenty of time to set up your books and decide if the depth suits you. There’s one quirk worth knowing: with Intuit you generally have to choose between the free trial and the introductory discount, you can’t stack both. If you already know you’re buying, the discount usually saves more than the trial month; if you’re unsure, take the trial.
Either way, this isn’t a free-forever product. If no-cost accounting is the goal, Wave is the tool to look at instead.
Is QuickBooks worth the price?
For the right business, absolutely. QuickBooks is the deepest mainstream accounting platform for small businesses, proper double-entry books, rich reporting, and a feature set your accountant almost certainly already knows. If your finances have real complexity, or you want your bookkeeper working in software they trust, the price buys capability that lighter tools simply don’t have.
For many freelancers, though, it’s more than the job requires. If you mostly send invoices and log expenses, you’ll pay for accounting depth you never open and navigate menus built for bigger operations. At that point FreshBooks is friendlier and cheaper, and Wave is free. QuickBooks earns its price when you genuinely need the accounting power, not before.
Pricing note: pricing changes often, confirm current pricing on QuickBooks’s site.
For the full hands-on picture, see our full QuickBooks review.
Pricing FAQ
How much does QuickBooks cost?
QuickBooks Online starts at $35/month for Simple Start, with Essentials at $65/month and Plus at $99/month. Intuit runs heavy introductory discounts, so the first few months are often far cheaper than the standard rate.
Does QuickBooks have a free plan?
No. QuickBooks offers a 30-day free trial but no permanently free tier. Note that taking the trial usually means forgoing the introductory discount, so weigh which saves you more.
Are there extra costs on top of the QuickBooks plan?
Yes, payroll and payment processing are add-ons billed separately, and they can add a meaningful amount to your monthly total. Factor those in if you need them rather than judging by the base plan price alone.
Is QuickBooks worth it for freelancers?
If you need real double-entry accounting and your accountant uses QuickBooks, it's worth it. For simple invoicing and expense tracking, a lighter tool like FreshBooks or free Wave usually delivers enough for less.