We may earn commissions from some providers for qualifying actions through our links. This page is currently ordered by editorial scores. Our published policy permits limited earnings-based reordering once real conversion data is available. How we make money.
QuickBooks Online review: Simple Start at $38 after the discount, one user
Updated Oct 15, 2026 · scored under rubric v1
QuickBooks Online suits businesses that want every bookkeeping basic, receipt capture and mileage included on the entry plan and work alone. The catch is the price: $38 a month for one user once the discount ends, and $85 for three.
QuickBooks Online Simple Start costs $38 a month, billed monthly, after an optional 50% discount for the first 3 months ($19). It includes invoicing, bank and card connections, receipt capture on your phone, reconciliation, profit and loss and balance sheet reports, estimates, mileage tracking and 1099s, for 1 billable user and 2 accounting firms. Time tracking starts at Essentials ($85), job costing at Plus ($140).
What it does well
- Simple Start covers invoicing, bank feeds, receipt capture, reconciliation and reports
- Estimates, mileage tracking and 1099 preparation on the entry plan
- Cancel any time, then read-only access and export for a year
- A 30-day free trial as an alternative to the discount
Where it falls short
- $38 a month for Simple Start once the 3-month discount ends
- 1 billable user on Simple Start; 3 users means Essentials at $85
- Time tracking starts at Essentials; job costing and progress invoicing at Plus
- No annual price published; 1099 e-filing carries an unstated fee
What QuickBooks Online costs
| Plan | Regular price | First 3 months | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | - | 1, no accountant access |
| Simple Start | $38 a month | $19 a month | 1 billable user + 2 accounting firms |
| Essentials | $85 a month | $42.50 a month | 3 + 2 accountants |
| Plus | $140 a month | $70 a month | 5 + 2 accountants |
| Advanced | $340 a month | $170 a month | 25 + 3 accountants |
Prices from its pricing page and the Simple Start page, read Sep 25, 2026. Only monthly prices are published. The discount is 50% off for 3 months for new customers on a monthly plan. After that you pay "the then-current price" until you cancel. You can take a 30-day free trial instead, but not both. Standard ACH bill payments over your plan's allotment cost $0.50 each.
Over time
Total = monthly price × 12 × years, or yearly price × years, or a one-time price once. Only current plan prices; fees are listed separately. Taxes, add-ons and promotional prices are not included.
Current prices
| Plan | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Free 1 user, no accountant access; send 2 invoices per month (unlimited if you enable QuickBooks Payments); connect 1 bank; profit and loss, balance sheet and account quick report only. Shown on the served pricing HTML and /online/; not in the pricing page as rendered in a browser at 2026-09-25T22:07:22Z (see note). | $0 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Simple Start 1 billable user and 2 accounting firms. Monthly billing only is published (no annual price). No annual contract, cancel anytime. | $38 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Essentials 3 users, 2 accountants. | $85 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Plus 5 users, 2 accountants. | $140 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Advanced 25 users, 3 accountants. | $340 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
Fees and other costs
| Cost | Kind | Amount | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Pay standard ACH over allotment Per standard ACH bill payment over the plan's monthly allotment. | Fee | $0.50 one-time | Sep 25, 2026 |
What you get on Simple Start
The Simple Start page says you can "invoice customers, connect bank and credit card accounts, track sales tax, and run basic financial statements". It also lists:
- receipt capture: "snap photos of receipts and we'll match them to expenses"
- estimates that convert to invoices
- mileage tracking with your phone's GPS
- online invoice payments, which need a separate QuickBooks Payments account with its own approval and fees
- 1099 contractor management, "prepare and file 1099s right from QuickBooks"
A help article lists Simple Start for reconciliation (the AI-powered version is Plus and Advanced). The reports article marks profit and loss and the balance sheet for Simple Start.
Catches and fine print
- Unlimited invoices is our reading. No page says "unlimited invoices" for Simple Start in so many words. The only cap Intuit publishes is the Free plan's 2 invoices a month (unlimited if you enable QuickBooks Payments). We read Simple Start as uncapped.
- The Free plan. QuickBooks Free appears on the QuickBooks Online page and in the pricing page's code, but not on the pricing page as a browser showed it on Sep 25, 2026. It has 1 user, 2 invoices a month and 1 bank connection.
- One user. Simple Start allows 1 billable user. A second person means Essentials at $85 a month.
- Time and projects. Entering time and adding it to invoices starts at Essentials. Job costing and progress invoicing are on Plus and Advanced. A help article on progress invoices lists Simple Start in its filter but states no plan; we use the invoicing page.
- 1099 e-filing. The disclaimers say e-filing 1099s carries additional fees. No amount is stated.
- Payroll. Payroll is sold separately as QuickBooks Workforce.
- Leaving. The pricing FAQ says you can cancel at any time, with no annual contract. After cancelling you keep read-only access for one year and can export to Excel or QuickBooks Desktop.
Support
QuickBooks' support channels and hours for Simple Start are not among the facts we recorded, so we can't state them here.
Who it suits
QuickBooks Online suits a one-person business that wants every bookkeeping basic plus receipts, estimates, mileage and 1099s on one plan, and is willing to pay $38 a month for it. It also suits businesses that expect to grow into job costing or payroll with the same company.
Look elsewhere if two or more people need to log in on a budget, or you bill by the hour on the entry plan. It appears in our accounting software ranking, our list for freelancers and our list for construction and trades. Scoring is on the methodology page.
Alternatives in Accounting software
| Alternative | Score | Best for | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZipBooks | 8.7/10Very goodOur score | Freelancers who bill tracked time by project on a $15 plan, with a free plan for invoicing No affiliate relationship | Visit ZipBooksOn zipbooks.com |
| Zoho Books | 8.7/10Very goodOur score | Small businesses that want three users and receipt scanning on a $15 plan No affiliate relationship | Visit Zoho BooksOn zoho.com |
| Wave | 8.2/10Very goodOur score | Sole traders who want free invoicing and reports with nothing to pay No affiliate relationship | Visit WaveOn waveapps.com |