# QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online by Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) is accounting software rated 4.0/5 on G2 (3,825 reviews) and 4.3/5 on Capterra (7,200+ reviews). Profile: pricing, revenue, leadership.

**Category:** Cloud accounting / small business finance  
**Vendor:** Intuit Inc.  
**Founded:** 1983  
**HQ:** Mountain View, California, US  
**Website:** https://quickbooks.intuit.com  


## About

QuickBooks Online is the cloud-based accounting platform from Intuit Inc., designed for small and mid-size businesses. It handles invoicing, expense tracking, payroll (add-on), tax preparation, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting from a browser or mobile app. Intuit was founded in 1983 by Scott Cook and Tom Proulx in Mountain View, California, originally building the desktop QuickBooks product before launching the cloud version in 2004. Intuit trades on NASDAQ under the ticker INTU and reported approximately $17.4 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025, serving over 7 million QuickBooks subscribers globally. The broader Intuit portfolio includes TurboTax, Mint, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp, making QuickBooks one revenue segment inside a large financial software platform company.

## Ratings

| Source | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| G2 | 4.0/5 | 3,825 |
| Capterra | 4.3/5 | 7,200 |
| Gartner Peer Insights | 4.1/5 | 98 |
| TrustRadius | 7.9/10 | 1,640 |

## Funding

Public since 1993; raised ~$30M in pre-IPO venture capital

| Round | Amount | Date | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | $4M | 1989 | Sierra Ventures |
| Series B | $26M | 1992 | Various institutional investors |
| IPO | ~$30M raised (NASDAQ: INTU) | Mar 1993 | Public offering |

## Viability

Extremely low risk. Intuit is a large-cap S&P 500 company (NASDAQ: INTU) with approximately $17.4 billion in FY2025 revenue and over 7 million QuickBooks subscribers. The product has been the dominant small-business accounting tool in the US for over 30 years and is deeply embedded in accountant workflows through the QuickBooks ProAdvisor program. The main commercial watch-item is not viability but annual price increases: Intuit has raised QuickBooks Online prices multiple times since 2020, and the total cost of ownership climbs quickly when you add payroll, payments, and time-tracking add-ons.

## Pricing

QuickBooks Online's headline prices look manageable until you add what most small businesses actually need. Simple Start at $38/mo covers one user and basic income/expense tracking, but excludes bill management and inventory. Plus at $90/mo adds up to 5 users and inventory tracking. Advanced at $235/mo adds workflow automation, a dedicated account team, and up to 25 users. Payroll is a separate subscription starting around $50/mo plus $6 per employee. Payments processing fees (2.9% + 25c for card-not-present) apply on top. Run the full-stack number before comparing to Xero or FreshBooks.

| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $38/mo | Solo operators: income, expenses, invoicing, one user, basic reports |
| Essentials | $65/mo | Up to 3 users; adds bill management and time tracking |
| Plus | $90/mo | Up to 5 users; adds inventory tracking and project profitability |
| Advanced | $235/mo | Up to 25 users; adds batch invoicing, workflow automation, dedicated support, and custom reporting |

## What reviewers say

_3,825 G2 reviews at 4.0/5 and 7,200+ Capterra reviews at 4.3/5, plus TrustRadius community discussion threads_

**Praised:**
- Bank-feed automation and reconciliation are consistently cited as genuinely time-saving: most reviewers say connecting accounts and auto-matching transactions works reliably enough to cut weekly bookkeeping time in half
- The QuickBooks ProAdvisor ecosystem means there is almost always a local accountant or bookkeeper who knows the product deeply, which matters when something breaks or taxes loom
- Invoicing is polished and easy to customize; reviewers at small service businesses say getting paid faster was an immediate outcome of switching to QuickBooks payments integration

**Complaints:**
- Pricing is the loudest complaint across both platforms: annual price increases since 2020 have made QuickBooks Online feel expensive for what smaller plans actually include, and add-ons (payroll, payments, time tracking) escalate the bill fast
- Customer support gets poor marks in a significant share of reviews: long hold times, inconsistent answers, and difficulty reaching a knowledgeable agent are recurring themes, especially after Intuit reduced live support access on lower tiers
- The inventory management in Simple Start and Plus is considered rudimentary; product-based businesses often end up adding a third-party inventory app or upgrading to Advanced, which roughly triples the monthly cost

## Compliance

- **SOC 2:** Yes (SOC 2 Type II, Intuit platform-wide)
- **GDPR:** Yes
- **HIPAA:** No (QuickBooks Online is not HIPAA-certified)
- **SSO:** Yes (Google SSO on all plans; SAML on Advanced)

## Integrations

- Shopify
- PayPal
- Stripe
- Square
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Bill.com
- Gusto
- Expensify
- Zapier

## FAQs

### Is QuickBooks Online good for small businesses?

Yes, for most US-based small service businesses it is the default choice, partly because so many accountants and bookkeepers already know the product. The QuickBooks ProAdvisor network means finding local help is easy. If your business is inventory-heavy or you need more than 5 user seats without paying for Advanced, alternatives like Xero are worth comparing on price.

### How much does QuickBooks Online cost per month?

Plans run from $38/mo (Simple Start, 1 user) to $235/mo (Advanced, up to 25 users). Payroll, payment processing, and time tracking are separate add-ons. Intuit frequently offers 50% off for the first three months; the actual ongoing price after the promotional period is what you should budget.

### What is the difference between QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop?

QuickBooks Online is a cloud subscription accessed through a browser or mobile app, updated automatically by Intuit. QuickBooks Desktop is installed locally and sold as a one-time or annual license; it has more advanced inventory and job-costing features but requires manual updates and is being wound down for new sales in the US. Intuit is actively migrating Desktop customers to Online.

### Does QuickBooks Online integrate with payroll?

Yes, through Intuit's own QuickBooks Payroll add-on (Core, Premium, or Elite tiers) or through third-party payroll providers like Gusto and ADP, which connect via native integrations. Payroll is not included in any QuickBooks Online base plan; it is a separate monthly subscription.

### Is QuickBooks Online SOC 2 compliant?

Yes. Intuit holds a SOC 2 Type II certification covering the platform, including QuickBooks Online. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Single sign-on via Google is available on all plans; SAML-based SSO for enterprise identity providers is available on the Advanced plan.


## Sources

- [G2: QuickBooks Online reviews](https://www.g2.com/products/quickbooks-online/reviews): rating 4.0/5, 3,825 reviews
- [Capterra: QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/29928/QuickBooks-Online/): rating 4.3/5, 7,200+ reviews, sub-scores, pricing
- [TrustRadius: QuickBooks Online](https://www.trustradius.com/products/quickbooks-online/reviews): score 7.9/10, 1,640+ reviews
- [Intuit Investor Relations: FY2025 results](https://investors.intuit.com/): FY2025 revenue ~$17.4B, QuickBooks Online subscriber count
- [Wikipedia: QuickBooks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickBooks): founding history, product lines, Desktop vs Online
- [Crunchbase: Intuit](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/intuit): founding, IPO, revenue, employee count
- [LinkedIn: Intuit company page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuit/): industry, employee count, HQ, specialties
- [QuickBooks Online pricing page](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/): current plan prices: Simple Start $38, Essentials $65, Plus $90, Advanced $235