QuickBooks Online Plus Pricing 2026: QuickBooks Plus Price, QBO Plus Cost per Month and Year
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In short
QuickBooks Online Plus costs $140 a month at list price in the US, which is $1,680 a year. New customers can take 50% off for the first three months ($70 a month) or a 30-day trial, not both, so year one costs $1,470 with the discount. Plus includes 5 users and 2 accountant seats, inventory tracking, budgets, project profitability, and class and location tracking up to 40 values. The list price was $115 until the August 2026 increase. Prices were read from quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing on September 22, 2026.
The honest read
Most QuickBooks Plus pricing pages you will find are wrong in one of two directions. Some still print $115, the list price before Intuit's August 2026 increase. Others say Plus "jumped 41% from $99", which is true only for long-standing subscribers who were still on a legacy $99 rate; against the previous list price the rise was 21.7%. A few comparison articles still carry $85 for Plus, several increases out of date. Intuit's own pricing page now shows $140, and that is the number a business signing up today will pay from month four. This page gives the real monthly and yearly cost, what Plus adds over Essentials, and the honest cases where you do not need it.
Published prices
QuickBooks Online pricing 2026, every plan
US list prices from quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing, read on September 22, 2026. Prices are per company per month before sales tax. The discount column is the 50% off for three months that Intuit offers new customers as an alternative to the 30-day trial.
| Plan | List price a month | First 3 months with discount | Year one with discount | Every year after | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Free | $0 | n/a | $0 | $0 | 1, no accountant access |
| Simple Start | $38 | $19 | $399 | $456 | 1 plus 2 accountants |
| Essentials | $85 | $42.50 | $892.50 | $1,020 | 3 plus 2 accountants |
| Plus | $140 | $70 | $1,470 | $1,680 | 5 plus 2 accountants |
| Advanced | $340 | $170 | $3,570 | $4,080 | 25 plus 3 accountants |
Year one with the discount is three discounted months plus nine at list. If you take the 30-day trial instead, the first twelve months of Plus cost $1,540 (one month at no charge, then eleven at $140). Payroll is a separate QuickBooks subscription and is not included in any of these figures.
Published prices
What QuickBooks Plus adds over Essentials, and what it still leaves out
From the plan cards and the feature comparison grid on Intuit's pricing page. The price gap between the two tiers is $55 a month, or $660 a year.
| Feature | Essentials ($85) | Plus ($140) | Advanced ($340) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Users | 3 | 5 | 25 |
| Accountant seats | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Inventory tracking, purchase orders, sales orders | No | Yes | Yes |
| Budgets | No | Yes | Yes |
| Project profitability tracking | No | Basic | Enhanced |
| Class and location tracking | No | Up to 40 | Unlimited |
| Connected sales channels | 3 | All | All |
| Custom roles and permissions, workflow automation, batch invoices | No | No | Yes |
The $55 a month gap between Essentials and Plus buys four things: two more users, inventory, budgets and projects, and classes. If you need none of them, Essentials does the same core bookkeeping.
Published prices
QuickBooks Plus price history: why articles disagree
Three different "previous prices" circulate, and each produces a different percentage. All three are real; they apply to different subscribers.
| Starting point | Plus price before | Plus price now | Increase | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous list price | $115 | $140 | +21.7% | Most subscribers renewing on or after August 1, 2026, and anyone who priced Plus in early 2026 |
| Legacy rate | $99 | $140 | +41.4% | Long-standing subscribers who were still billed an older rate; this is where the "41%" headline comes from |
| Promotional rate | $70 | $140 | Doubles at month four | New customers who take 50% off for three months |
Intuit told accountants that new clients receive a six-month price protection period, with the new rate applying from the seventh invoice. That protected customers who signed up at the old displayed prices during the changeover. Anyone signing up now sees $140 on the pricing page.
How much QuickBooks Online Plus really costs in a year
The monthly sticker is $140, so a full year at list price is $1,680. The first year is lower because Intuit gives new customers a choice between 50% off for three months and a 30-day trial. The discount is worth more on Plus: three months at $70 saves $210, where the trial saves one month, $140. So the realistic year-one figure is $1,470, and from month thirteen onward you pay $1,680 a year.
Two costs sit outside that number. Payroll is a separate subscription that Intuit sells on top of any plan, so a business running W-2 payroll should add it before comparing with anything else. And QuickBooks Payments charges its own processing on invoices your customers pay by card or bank transfer. Neither changes with the plan tier, which is why this page leaves them out of the ladder.
If you need more than five people inside the books, there is no seat add-on on Plus. The next step is Advanced at $340, so a sixth user costs $200 a month. That cliff is the single most expensive surprise on the QuickBooks ladder, and it is worth counting heads before you pick a tier.
What you get on Plus that Essentials does not have
Plus is the first tier with inventory tracking, purchase orders and sales orders, budgets, and project profitability. It is also the first tier with class and location tracking, capped at 40 values, which is how most businesses split revenue and costs by product line, store or sales channel. Intuit's plan grid lists connected sales channels as 3 on Essentials and all channels on Plus.
That makes Plus a fairly clear call in three situations. You hold stock and need QuickBooks to value it. You bill projects and want to know whether each one made money. Or you sell through more than three connected channels at once. If none of those describes you, Essentials at $85 covers the same core books, invoicing, bill pay and reporting, and the $55 a month difference is money you do not need to spend.
Is QuickBooks Plus worth it for online sellers and creators?
This is where we see people overbuy most often. A seller on Shopify, Etsy and Amazon, or a creator paid by YouTube, Patreon and brand deals, usually upgrades to Plus for one reason: they want to see revenue per platform, and class tracking is the tool QuickBooks offers for it. That works, but it means tagging every deposit by hand or through a connector, and a deposit is already net of fees, so the class shows what landed, not what the platform took.
If revenue per platform is the actual question, Earnly answers it directly for less. It reads each platform's payouts and shows gross, fees and take-home per source on one board, with a payout calendar and a labeled next-month forecast, from $12 a month billed yearly. QuickBooks Essentials at $85 plus Earnly Solo comes to $97 a month against $140 for Plus, and you get the fee breakdown class tracking cannot give you. We are not a ledger and will not file your taxes, so you still keep books; the point is only that you may not need the more expensive books.
The honest exceptions: if you hold inventory, or sell through more than three connected channels, Plus earns its price on its own and you should buy it. Our guides to connecting Shopify to QuickBooks and Amazon accounting software cover how those connectors post sales.
QuickBooks Plus against Zoho Books, Xero and FreshBooks at the same level
At a matching feature level, Plus is the most expensive option in its class. Zoho Books Professional is $50 a month with the same 5 users, inventory tracking and project profitability, a gap of $1,080 a year; we price that head to head in Zoho Books vs QuickBooks Plus. Xero Established is $90 a month today, rising to $97 on October 1, 2026, and includes unlimited users, which matters for any team past five. FreshBooks Premium is $70 a month but is a single-user plan with extra team members at $11 each.
QuickBooks earns part of its premium back. It has native US payroll, free first-party connectors for Shopify, Amazon and eBay, and nearly every US accountant already works in it, which shortens handoffs at tax time. If none of that matters to you, our QuickBooks alternatives page lays out the cheaper routes, and Wave pricing covers the lowest-cost option for a solo service business.
How to pay less for QuickBooks Plus
1. Take the three-month discount, not the trial. On Plus it saves $210 against $140 for the trial month. You can explore the product in the discounted months just as well.
2. Check whether Essentials is enough first. You can upgrade from Essentials to Plus at any time without losing data, and Intuit lets you move between Simple Start, Essentials and Plus. Starting lower and upgrading when you actually need inventory or projects costs nothing extra. Our QuickBooks Essentials pricing guide covers that tier in full.
3. Ask your accountant about wholesale billing. Firms in Intuit's accountant program can bill QuickBooks subscriptions to clients through the firm, often below the retail list price. It is worth one email before you sign up yourself.
4. Do not upgrade for reporting you can get elsewhere. If the only thing pushing you to Plus is wanting income split by platform, a dedicated multi-platform income tracker does that job for a fraction of the $55 difference.
Side by side
Where the boards differ
| What you get | Earnly | QuickBooks Online Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid price | From $12 a month, billed yearly | $140 a month, $70 for the first three months |
| Double-entry books, bank reconciliation, invoicing | No | Yes |
| Gross, fees and take-home per platform payout | Yes | No |
| Revenue split by platform | Automatic, per payout | Class tracking, up to 40 values |
| Payout calendar across creator and seller platforms | Yes | No |
| Inventory tracking | No | Yes |
| Users included | Unlimited on every plan | 5, then Advanced at $340 |
| Native US payroll | No | Separate add-on subscription |
Comparison reflects published pricing and feature descriptions at the time of our last check; both products change. Pick the tool that fits how you earn. See what the board looks like on the income tracker homepage, or start with the revenue dashboard.
Questions people actually ask
How much is QuickBooks Online Plus per month?
QuickBooks Online Plus is $140 a month at list price, which is $1,680 a year. New customers can take 50% off for the first three months, $70 a month, or a 30-day trial instead. With the discount, the first year costs $1,470. Payroll and payment processing are billed separately on top of the plan price.
How much did QuickBooks Plus go up in 2026?
Plus rose from a $115 list price to $140 for subscriptions renewing on or after August 1, 2026, an increase of 21.7%. The widely quoted "41%" compares $140 with an older $99 rate that some long-standing subscribers were still paying. Simple Start stayed at $38, Essentials went to $85 and Advanced to $340.
What is the difference between QuickBooks Essentials and Plus?
Plus adds inventory tracking, purchase and sales orders, budgets, project profitability, and class and location tracking up to 40 values, and raises users from 3 to 5. Intuit's grid also lists all sales channels as connectable on Plus against 3 on Essentials. Essentials is $85 a month and Plus is $140, a $55 difference.
Is QuickBooks Plus worth the money?
It is worth it if you track inventory, need profit by project, or sell through more than three connected channels. It is usually not worth it if you only want to see revenue split by platform, because Essentials at $85 plus a dedicated income tracker covers that for less, and shows platform fees that class tracking cannot see.
How many users does QuickBooks Online Plus allow?
Plus includes 5 users plus 2 accountant seats. There is no per-seat add-on, so a sixth user means moving to Advanced at $340 a month, which includes 25 users and 3 accountant seats. Essentials includes 3 users and Simple Start 1, each with 2 accountant seats.
Does QuickBooks Plus include payroll?
No. Payroll is a separate QuickBooks subscription added on top of any plan, including Plus. Budget for it separately if you run W-2 employees. Contractor payments and 1099 filing are also sold as payroll products rather than being included in the accounting plan.
Is there a cheaper alternative to QuickBooks Plus?
Yes. Zoho Books Professional includes the same 5 users, inventory tracking and project profitability for $50 a month. Xero Established is $90 today, $97 from October 1, 2026, with unlimited users. QuickBooks keeps the edge on native payroll, free marketplace connectors and accountant familiarity.
Can I switch from QuickBooks Plus to Essentials?
Yes. Intuit says you can switch QuickBooks Online plans or cancel at any time. Before you downgrade, remember that inventory, budgets, projects and class tracking are Plus features, so a file that relies on them loses those tools on Essentials. Export the reports you need first, then switch.