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.
Small and mid-sized business owners, freelancers, and bookkeepers/accountants who need to manage day-to-day finances without an in-house accounting department.
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.
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.
Why people leave QuickBooks
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Accounting software checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Accounting software checklist | QuickBooks | Odoo | ERPNext | FreeAgent | FreshBooks | Sage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Invoicing | ||||||
| Bank feeds | ||||||
| Expense tracking | ||||||
| Multi-currency | ||||||
| Tax reports (VAT) | ||||||
| Payroll available | ||||||
| Inventory | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Accountant access | ||||||
| API |
Every fact and feature listed for QuickBooks is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Proprietary verified 2026-07-11
licensed, not sold
https://www.intuit.com/legal/terms/en-us/quickbooks/online/ -
Starts at $38/month verified 2026-07-11
QBO Simple Start is increasing to $38 from $35 per month
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/other-questions/price-increase-2025/00/1546802 -
Pricing model Subscription verified 2026-07-11
charged on a monthly basis at the then-current price
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/intuit-subscriptions/understand-subscription-rates-charges/L35oYqzmR_US_en_US -
Platforms Web, iOS, Android verified 2026-07-11
The QuickBooks mobile app syncs with your QuickBooks Online account so your financial data is always up-to-date
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/intuit-quickbooks-for-business/id584606479 -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
35+ Free Invoice Templates to Download [2026]
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payments/invoicing/templates/ -
Invoicing Yes verified 2026-07-11
Online Invoicing Software for Small Businesses
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/invoicing/ -
Bank feeds Yes verified 2026-07-11
Connect your bank to QuickBooks Online and set up bank feeds to save time and reduce errors
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/global/bank-feeds/ -
Expense tracking Yes verified 2026-07-11
Connect QuickBooks to your bank accounts, credit cards, PayPal, Square, and more, and we'll import and categorize your expenses for you.
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/track-expenses/ -
Multi-currency Partial verified 2026-07-11
Multi-currency is only available in QuickBooks Online Essentials and QuickBooks Online Plus.
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/multicurrency/set-use-multicurrency/L3AqaWJ9i_US_en_US -
Tax reports (VAT) Yes verified 2026-07-11
QuickBooks is recognised by HMRC and designed in line with MTD requirements
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/uk/vat-software/ -
Payroll available Partial verified 2026-07-11
Add Payroll - Payroll Services Pricing
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/bundle/ -
Inventory Partial verified 2026-07-11
The inventory tracking feature is only available in QuickBooks Online (QBO) Plus and Advanced versions.
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/inventory-management/set-track-inventory-quickbooks-online/L22FZLBGN_US_en_US -
Self-hostable No verified 2026-07-11
QuickBooks Online cloud-based accounting software allows you to run your small business from anywhere
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/cloud-accounting/ -
Accountant access Yes verified 2026-07-11
Your accountant will receive an email invitation to access your QuickBooks Online company.
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/account-management/invite-an-accountant/00/451990 -
API Yes verified 2026-07-11
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.
https://developer.intuit.com/app/developer/qbo/docs/learn/explore-the-quickbooks-online-api
FAQ
Yes. Zoho Books and Wave have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Odoo, ERPNext and Invoice Ninja — every license claim links its source.