QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is Intuit’s cloud accounting platform for small businesses and accounting professionals. It runs in a web browser and provides companion mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.

The product records income and expenses, imports bank transactions, supports invoicing and payments, and produces financial reports. Higher plans add inventory, project profitability, budgeting, custom workflows, forecasting and expanded user access.

QuickBooks Online connects with more than 800 business applications through its integration ecosystem. Intuit also provides an Accounting API for developers building connected applications and workflows.

Core accounting tools include income and expense tracking, bank and credit card feeds, transaction categorization, account reconciliation, invoice creation, payment collection and standard financial reports.

Essentials adds bill management and employee time tracking. Plus adds inventory tracking, purchase orders, budgets, project profitability, recurring transactions, and class and location tracking.

Advanced adds custom reporting, workflow automation, custom permissions, cash flow and profit forecasting, batch invoicing, backup and restore, enhanced dashboards, and up to 25 users.

Recent product updates also introduced Intuit Intelligence features. Availability depends on the subscription plan and rollout schedule. These features include conversational insights, automated invoice drafting, anomaly detection and forecasting tools.

QuickBooks Online uses monthly subscriptions. The official United States pricing page lists Simple Start at $38 per month, Essentials at $85, Plus at $140, and Advanced at $340 before promotional discounts.

Simple Start supports one user, Essentials supports three, Plus supports five, and Advanced supports 25. Accountant access is provided separately within the listed plan limits.

Intuit currently advertises a 30-day trial for new subscribers. Payroll, payments, bill pay and expert services are optional products or add-ons and may create additional charges.

Pros

• Broad accounting coverage for small and growing businesses.
• Cloud access supports collaboration across computers and mobile devices.
• More than 800 listed business app integrations.
• Multiple plans provide a path from basic bookkeeping to advanced reporting.
• Strong ecosystem for accountants, payments, payroll and connected services.

Cons

• Subscription costs increase substantially on higher plans.
• Payroll, payments and other services are generally priced separately.
• Some advanced capabilities are limited to Plus or Advanced.
• Independent reviews identify inconsistent support as a recurring concern.
• Performance can depend on browser quality, device resources, connection speed and data volume.

Xero is a comparable cloud accounting platform with strong collaboration and international accounting support. Zoho Books is an alternative for businesses seeking accounting alongside the wider Zoho application suite.

FreshBooks focuses more heavily on invoicing, time tracking and client-facing workflows. Wave targets smaller businesses and freelancers seeking simpler bookkeeping and invoicing tools.

Sage Accounting and Sage 50 are additional alternatives for businesses that prefer Sage’s accounting ecosystem or desktop-oriented workflows.

Is QuickBooks Online desktop software?

No. QuickBooks Online is accessed through a web browser, with mobile apps available for Android and iOS.

Does QuickBooks Online offer a free trial?

Yes. Intuit advertises a 30-day free trial for new QuickBooks Online subscribers. Optional services may not be included.

Does QuickBooks Online have an API?

Yes. Intuit provides the QuickBooks Online Accounting API, along with developer tools, OAuth 2.0 authentication, API explorers and sandbox environments.

How many integrations does QuickBooks Online support?

Intuit’s current integrations page lists more than 800 connected business applications. Examples include Shopify, PayPal, Square, Etsy, Amazon, Gusto and QuickBooks Time.

Does QuickBooks Online support inventory?

Inventory tracking is listed among the Plus features. The Plus plan also includes purchase orders, vendor management and inventory-related reporting.

Can an accountant access a QuickBooks Online account?

Yes. Account owners can invite an accountant or bookkeeper to collaborate, with accountant access included separately from ordinary user limits.