QuickBooks Online Subscription Levels 2025

If you are a small business owner, it will come back to the decision between cloud-based and locally-installed software to determine which software is right for you. Deciding which type of software works best for your business model can make your QuickBooks choice a whole lot easier. If you want cloud-based software, there’s QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Solopreneur.

Basic Start generates balance sheets, cash flow statements, and profit and loss (P&L) statements. The general ledger, quarterly Profit and Loss summaries, and Profit and Loss by month and customer are a few of the additional twenty-plus built-in standard reports that are accessible. The inability to manage and pay expenses is the primary distinction between Simple Start and Essentials. This is annoying because bills still need to be paid even by freelancers or solopreneurs.

The most fundamental difference between the two lies in where your data lives. QuickBooks Desktop is software you download and install directly onto your computer. This means your financial information is stored locally on your hard drive. You access it through a web browser, and your data is stored securely on Intuit’s servers. This distinction has significant implications for accessibility, collaboration, and data backup. As of October 2024, QuickBooks Desktop Mac, Pro, and Premier are no longer available to new customers—the only remaining desktop program is the expensive Enterprise edition.

Drew currently works as the Financial Controller for Black & White Zebra, leading the finance department for the company. He received his undergraduate degree at the Ivey Business School in Canada and MBA from Oxford University. If you purchase the Plus version you are not able to downgrade to a lower version. If you own a construction company or a company requiring you to do job costing – you may start out with QuickBooks Online Essentials but you probably need QuickBooks Online Plus. If you want to sell inventory – you should purchase QuickBooks Online Plus. Here are some tips and info to help you and Sam choose the right version of QuickBooks Online for your company.

QuickBooks Online Features

Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice. Terms and conditions, features, support, pricing, and service options subject to change without notice. QuickBooks’ pricing structure is subject to change, but specific historical data on the frequency of changes is not provided. Customers should check the QuickBooks website regularly for the latest information.

For businesses requiring more robust features, including inventory management and project profitability tracking, QuickBooks Online Plus offers a comprehensive solution. Larger businesses with complex needs should explore QuickBooks Online Advanced for increased user access, custom reporting, and other advanced functionalities. You can compare QuickBooks Online plans to see a full breakdown of features. In my opinion, QuickBooks is a valuable option for small to medium-sized businesses looking for reliable accounting software.

Solutions

For this reason, the vast majority of small businesses will be better off buying QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Online is relatively easy to use, but there will still be a learning curve for some users, especially since the platform has plenty of features to master. Fortunately, the interface is easy to navigate and has an organized dashboard where you can find the features you need easily. You can learn QuickBooks even without an accounting background, but it becomes much easier to use if you have some knowledge of basic accounting concepts.

I can also create project estimates and include inventories, sales taxes, and labor in those estimates. Although QuickBooks Online is a great cloud-based accounting platform, it isn’t the only one. QuickBooks Solopreneur’s features are designed specifically for freelancers to address needs such as estimating quarterly taxes, filing Schedule Cs, quickbooks online comparison chart and tracking deductions. QuickBooks Advanced also eliminates the limitation on the number of locations, classes, and charts of accounts, and hence it is perfect for businesses with expanding team members. It also includes an expense management and batch invoicing feature that is perfect for those who handle a huge volume of expenses and invoices on a frequent basis. Receipt capture and the ability to automatically generate bills from captured receipts were also part of our A/P evaluation.

Advanced Plan Features: Deep Dive

QuickBooks Online (QBO) offers a 30-day free trial, allowing businesses to explore its features without spending a dime. This trial period is the perfect opportunity to take QBO for a test drive and see how it handles your specific accounting needs. You get access to the full functionality of the software, from tracking income and expenses to creating invoices and generating financial reports.

• Different plans offer varying levels of automation and support, with pricing based on a monthly fee plus a per-employee cost.
• However, it is important to note that no pro-rated refunds are offered upon cancellation.
• If you want cloud-based software, there’s QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Solopreneur.
• FreshBooks excels in invoicing and time tracking, making it a popular choice for freelancers and service-based businesses.
• If you prefer more personalized guidance, you can work with a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.

QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus: Best For Medium Businesses

If you’re already familiar with business financials (including if you’re an accountant), QuickBooks Desktop plans give you heftier fiscal reports and more complex accounting features. Past desktop users could choose between a one-time-purchase QuickBooks Desktop software (good for three years) or an annually renewing subscription. But as of 2022, QuickBooks Desktop’s single-purchase option has been discontinued. Now, all QuickBooks Desktop plans renew on an annual basis—you do not have the option to pay just once for three years of use. QuickBooks Online plans also allow for up to 25 users, which is more than most desktop plans allow. If you’re a freelancer or running a very small business, the Simple Start plan is a great starting point.

QuickBooks Plus is designed for businesses selling products and thus tracking inventory. QuickBooks is a well-established accounting software that is widely used by businesses from a variety of industries. With five plans, each at different price points, users can choose the plan that best meets their business needs without paying for additional features that they don’t want. As a business grows, users can easily upgrade to a more advanced plan with additional features seamlessly.

Advanced suits growing businesses, incorporating all previous features plus enhancements for scalability. It’s ideal for high-volume management with advanced analytics and premium support. JR Suralta is a registered financial advisor with over 15 years of experience in the financial industry, including almost a decade as a bank manager. He is also a certified bookkeeper with expertise in Quickbooks Online and Xero.

The Plus plan scored only 3.8 out of 5 in our Value metric, which compares the software’s cost with its rubric score before considering pricing. I believe the lower-priced Simple Start and Essentials tiers offer a better value for small businesses that don’t need the advanced features of Plus. QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting platform while QuickBooks is a desktop program that provides additional inventory management features. The QuickBooks Online plan that’s best for you largely depends on the number of users who will be using the program, the size of your business and your particular needs.

On the other hand, QuickBooks Enterprise is designed for larger businesses that want access to more users and more features without fully upgrading to ERP software. However, QuickBooks Pro’s features do come at a price, as this software has a steep learning curve. If you’re new to accounting software, it’s important that you have the time to commit to learning the software. If not, QuickBooks Online is much more user-friendly, even for accounting newbies. QuickBooks Online is easier to use than the desktop versions, but QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, and Enterprise have stronger features and accounting. This QuickBooks comparison explains the differences between each version.

Need expert help selecting the right tool?

The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation. All feedback, positive or negative, helps us to improve the way we help small businesses. While the numerous options seem intimidating at first, each version of QuickBooks is designed to reach a certain business size and type. On the other hand, if you’re an accountant or someone with a great deal of accounting experience, you may like QuickBooks desktop options that use traditional accounting practices. If you read the overview of each QuickBooks product, you may already have an idea of which version of QuickBooks is best for your small business.

• Larger teams (over 10 members) should consider the Advanced plan for more capacity and advanced reporting.
• The features listed below have been recently added within the last three months of this publication.
• Businesses with multiple entities, advanced reporting needs, or a larger team should consider upgrading to Advanced, even at a higher monthly cost.
• Although QuickBooks Online is a great cloud-based accounting platform, it isn’t the only one.
• QuickBooks Online Advanced includes continuous cloud backups and data restoration for better data protection.

Each QuickBooks product varies in pricing, features, usability, and target audience. But you can always upgrade to a higher version if you purchase QBO Essentials or Simple Start. The important thing is to get started so that you can set up your company and start tracking your business finances in QuickBooks Online. If you have a professional services business and you need to track billable hours you should purchase QuickBooks Online Plus.

Available for Android and iOS devices, it contains many features in the browser-based desktop interface, making it one of our best mobile accounting apps. It also allows me to create and send invoices on the go, receive payments from customers, assign expenses to customers or projects, and view financial reports. Simple Start is best for small businesses needing basic accounting tools like invoicing, sales tax automation, bill management, and 1099 contractor tracking.