# Alternatives to QuickBooks

The small-business accounting default (US).

QuickBooks ranks #5 of 10 in Accounting software, with an Alt Score of 78. It is proprietary, sold by subscription from $38/month and available on Web, iOS and Android. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/quickbooks/
Category: Accounting software

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Small and mid-sized business owners, freelancers, and bookkeepers/accountants who need to manage day-to-day finances without an in-house accounting department.
- **What you get**: Double-entry bookkeeping with a chart of accounts and bank-feed reconciliation, customizable invoicing and payment collection, expense and receipt tracking, and financial reports like profit-and-loss and balance sheets. Add-on modules cover payroll, time tracking, and inventory management. QuickBooks Online runs as a cloud subscription with mobile apps; QuickBooks Desktop is a locally installed alternative.
- **How it works**: You connect bank and credit card accounts to automatically import and categorize transactions, then create invoices, bills, and expenses tied to customers or vendors. The system reconciles accounts and generates reports in real time, and can be shared with an accountant or bookkeeper for review.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Subscription (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: $38/month (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Odoo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/odoo.md) | 100 | LGPL-3.0 | Web, iOS, Android |
| 2 | [ERPNext](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/erpnext.md) | 86 | GPL-3.0 | Web |
| 3 | [FreeAgent](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/freeagent.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 4 | [FreshBooks](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/freshbooks.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [Sage](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/sage.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 6 | [Xero](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/xero.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 7 | [Zoho Books](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/zoho-books.md) | 78 | ? | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | [Invoice Ninja](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/invoice-ninja.md) | 73 | Elastic-2.0 | Web, iOS, Android, Windows |
| 9 | [Wave](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/wave.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Accounting software checklist | QuickBooks | Odoo | ERPNext | FreeAgent | FreshBooks | Sage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription | OSS + paid hosting | OSS + paid hosting | Subscription | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starts at | $38/month | €11.90/user/month | $5/month | £5/month | $23/month | £14.99/month |
| License | Proprietary | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Invoicing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bank feeds | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Expense tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-currency | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Tax reports (VAT) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payroll available | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Inventory | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Accountant access | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for QuickBooks. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.intuit.com/legal/terms/en-us/quickbooks/online/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “licensed, not sold”
- **Starts at**: $38/month — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/other-questions/price-increase-2025/00/1546802> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “QBO Simple Start is increasing to $38 from $35 per month”
- **Pricing model**: Subscription — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-subscriptions/understand-subscription-rates-charges/L35oYqzmR_US_en_US> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “charged on a monthly basis at the then-current price”
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android — <https://apps.apple.com/us/app/intuit-quickbooks-for-business/id584606479> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The QuickBooks mobile app syncs with your QuickBooks Online account so your financial data is always up-to-date”
- **Status**: active — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payments/invoicing/templates/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “35+ Free Invoice Templates to Download [2026]”
- **Invoicing**: Yes — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/invoicing/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Online Invoicing Software for Small Businesses”
- **Bank feeds**: Yes — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/global/bank-feeds/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Connect your bank to QuickBooks Online and set up bank feeds to save time and reduce errors”
- **Expense tracking**: Yes — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/track-expenses/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Connect QuickBooks to your bank accounts, credit cards, PayPal, Square, and more, and we'll import and categorize your expenses for you.”
- **Multi-currency**: Partial — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/multicurrency/set-use-multicurrency/L3AqaWJ9i_US_en_US> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Multi-currency is only available in QuickBooks Online Essentials and QuickBooks Online Plus.”
- **Tax reports (VAT)**: Yes — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/uk/vat-software/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “QuickBooks is recognised by HMRC and designed in line with MTD requirements”
- **Payroll available**: Partial — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/bundle/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Add Payroll - Payroll Services Pricing”
- **Inventory**: Partial — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/inventory-management/set-track-inventory-quickbooks-online/L22FZLBGN_US_en_US> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The inventory tracking feature is only available in QuickBooks Online (QBO) Plus and Advanced versions.”
- **Self-hostable**: No — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/cloud-accounting/> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “QuickBooks Online cloud-based accounting software allows you to run your small business from anywhere”
- **Accountant access**: Yes — <https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/account-management/invite-an-accountant/00/451990> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Your accountant will receive an email invitation to access your QuickBooks Online company.”
- **API**: Yes — <https://developer.intuit.com/app/developer/qbo/docs/learn/explore-the-quickbooks-online-api> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The QuickBooks Online Accounting API utilizes the REST architecture and GraphQL so you can seamlessly integrate your app with QuickBooks Online and the Intuit Financial Ecosystem.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/