QuickBooks Online alternatives
At a one-person business, QuickBooks Online costs $38 a month. 1 accounting tool costs less, from $27 (Xero). The closest match, Xero, covers 97% of what QuickBooks Online does. Each one shows how much of it it covers, capability by capability, next to the price.
What QuickBooks Online does
Core: Bank & card feeds, Double-entry ledger & statements, Invoices & online payment, Simple bookkeeping & tax.
Important: Bills & accounts payable, Receipt capture & OCR, AI transaction coding, Sales tax & VAT, Payroll with tax filing, Inventory tracking, Projects & tracking categories, Accountant access & services, App marketplace & API, Mobile apps, Users, roles & approvals, Card payment acceptance, Expense reimbursement (partly), Multiple legal entities (partly).
Also has: Owner income tax (partly), Multi-currency, Sales channel & payout sync, Accruals & startup metrics (partly), Business bank account, Company cards (partly), Accounting software sync (partly), Credit cards & financing, Banking API (partly), AI finance features.
Alternatives to QuickBooks Online at a one-person business, best match first
- Xero: $27/mo Early caps invoices at 20/mo, bills at 5/mo (Early). It covers 97% of QuickBooks Online; missing or partial: Business bank account. Free plan: none. Last price hike: Oct 2026.
- FreshBooks: $43/mo Intro promos up to 80% off ignored (Plus). It covers 76% of QuickBooks Online; missing or partial: AI transaction coding (partly), Sales tax & VAT (partly), Inventory tracking (partly), Projects & tracking categories (partly), Owner income tax. Free plan: none. Last price hike: Mar 2026.
Prices at every size
- QuickBooks Online: a one-person business $38/mo, a 3-user small business with bills $85/mo (Intro promos 50-90% off for 3 months)
- Xero: a one-person business $27/mo, a 3-user small business with bills $59/mo (Early caps invoices at 20/mo, bills at 5/mo)
- FreshBooks: a one-person business $43/mo, a 3-user small business with bills $92/mo (Intro promos up to 80% off ignored)
Prices are the software subscription in USD per month on monthly billing (annual-only plans divided by 12) at the regular list price, ignoring introductory discounts, for two fixed bookkeeping scenarios. Payment-processing, bank and bill-pay fees, payroll and done-for-you bookkeeping or tax services are left out.
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Everything about QuickBooks Online's own prices and price hikes: QuickBooks Online.