QuickBooks Pricing Guide (2026)
A breakdown of regular monthly subscription rates and user limits across all five QuickBooks Online plans.
Understanding QuickBooks pricing across QuickBooks plans helps you budget accurately before you subscribe. The software uses five subscription tiers ranging from $0 to $340 per month at regular list prices.
This week's episodes of The Accounting Podcast mention QuickBooks repeatedly. Selecting a subscription level requires evaluating regular list prices alongside initial promotional offers, because promotional rates end after 3 months.
Higher tiers increase standard user limits, expand accountant access, and add reporting depth. You can confirm current numbers directly on the QuickBooks pricing page before committing your organization to a plan.
QuickBooks Pricing and Plan Tiers
QuickBooks Online offers five subscription tiers with regular prices ranging from $0 to $340 per month. These tiers are Free, Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. Higher tiers raise the user limit and reporting depth, and each plan adds specific features such as inventory management, automation workflows, or enhanced reporting.
On paid plans, promotional pricing provides 50% off for 3 months. After that 3-month promotional window concludes, billing continues at the regular monthly list price.
- Free: $0 per month for 1 user. Includes tracking income and expenses, sending 2 invoices per month, and chat support. Does not include a mobile app, third-party integrations, or accountant access.
- Simple Start: $38 per month regular list price, discounted to $19 per month for 3 months during promotions. Includes 1 user plus 2 accountants, real-time profit and loss reports, automated bookkeeping, and invoice and bill pay.
- Essentials: $85 per month regular list price, discounted to $42.50 per month for 3 months during promotions. Includes 3 users plus 2 accountants, enhanced reports, employee time tracking on invoices, and website lead collection.
- Plus: $140 per month regular list price, discounted to $70 per month for 3 months during promotions. Includes 5 users plus 2 accountants, comprehensive reports, budget planning, project profitability tracking, and inventory management.
- Advanced: $340 per month regular list price, discounted to $170 per month for 3 months during promotions. Includes 25 users plus 3 accountants, automation workflows, data synchronization with Excel, construction financials, and all-in-one tier tools.
User Limits and Feature Differences by Tier
User capacity and reporting capabilities create the primary boundaries between QuickBooks Online tiers. The Free plan provides single-user access with no accountant seats, no mobile application, and no third-party integrations, while capping invoicing at 2 invoices per month. Simple Start lists invoice and bill pay, automated bookkeeping, and real-time profit and loss reports, and includes 2 accountant seats.
Teams requiring more than 1 internal seat must select Essentials, Plus, or Advanced. Essentials supports 3 users, adds employee time entry directly to invoices, collects website leads, and provides enhanced reports. If your operations require inventory tracking, project profitability analysis, or budget planning, Plus is the lowest tier that contains those tools, supporting up to 5 users alongside 2 accountant seats.
Advanced functions as the highest tier, supporting up to 25 users and 3 accountant seats. It adds automation workflows, construction financials, and data synchronization with Excel. Review the exact feature specifications on the QuickBooks pricing page to match your team size to the appropriate tier.
Promotional Discounts on QuickBooks Pricing
Promotional pricing reduces the monthly subscription rate by 50% for the first 3 months across all paid plans. Because regular monthly pricing takes effect in month four, first-year QuickBooks Online cost calculations require accounting for both rates. A 30-day free trial is also offered on the platform, and you can confirm how promotional rates or trials apply on the QuickBooks pricing page.
Calculating the full twelve-month expense demonstrates the cash outlay for each tier under the 50% discount structure:
- Simple Start costs $399 in year one with the promotional rate (3 months at $19 plus 9 months at $38), compared to $456 at the regular rate of 12 months at $38.
- Essentials costs $892.50 in year one with the promotional rate (3 months at $42.50 plus 9 months at $85), compared to $1,020 at the regular rate of 12 months at $85.
- Plus costs $1,470 in year one with the promotional rate (3 months at $70 plus 9 months at $140), compared to $1,680 at the regular rate of 12 months at $140.
- Advanced costs $3,570 in year one with the promotional rate (3 months at $170 plus 9 months at $340), compared to $4,080 at the regular rate of 12 months at $340.
Accountant Access and Seat Allotments
Collaborating with an external accountant requires a paid QuickBooks Online subscription tier. The Free plan excludes accountant access, meaning external advisors cannot log in through dedicated accountant credentials. If your firm or external bookkeeper needs access to review financial records, you must select Simple Start or a higher tier.
On Simple Start, Essentials, and Plus, the software includes 2 accountant access seats. These seats operate independently of regular user seats, allowing your tax preparer or bookkeeper to review your books without consuming an employee seat. Advanced increases this allowance to 3 accountant seats.
Confirm with your accounting professional which plan features they require to complete your monthly reconciliations. If they need construction financials or deep Excel data synchronization, your business must subscribe to Advanced.
Frequently Asked Questions
- QuickBooks Online regular list prices range from $0 to $340 per month. The Free tier costs $0, Simple Start costs $38 per month, Essentials costs $85 per month, Plus costs $140 per month, and Advanced costs $340 per month. Promotional offers provide 50% off for the first 3 months on paid plans. You can confirm current rates on the QuickBooks pricing page.
- Yes, QuickBooks offers a Free plan at $0 per month for 1 user. The Free tier includes tracking income and expenses, sending 2 invoices per month, and chat support. It does not include mobile app access, third-party integrations, or accountant access seats.
- QuickBooks offers a 30-day free trial on its platform. You can confirm how the free trial applies relative to promotional pricing on the QuickBooks pricing page.
- User allowances vary by tier. Free includes 1 user with no accountant seats. Simple Start includes 1 user plus 2 accountants. Essentials includes 3 users plus 2 accountants. Plus includes 5 users plus 2 accountants. Advanced includes 25 users plus 3 accountants.
- No, the promotional rate lasts for 3 months on paid plans. The promotion discounts regular rates by 50%, after which monthly billing shifts to the regular list price. You can verify promotional duration and pricing terms on the QuickBooks pricing page.
- Inventory management is listed on the Plus plan, which costs $140 per month regular or $70 per month on promotion. Confirm which other tiers include it on the QuickBooks pricing page.
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