QuickBooks Online Plus cost $70 a month in 2020. In August 2026 it is $140. That is not inflation. Here is what is going on.
The reasons
- Market power: most accountants learned on QuickBooks, so most small businesses are told to use it. Switching costs are high, so prices can be.
- Desktop sunset: Intuit stopped selling QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier and is retiring support year by year, pushing a captive audience to subscriptions.
- Add-on stacking: the sticker price excludes payroll, time tracking, extra seats, Live Bookkeeping and payments fees. A five-person service business on Plus with payroll pays over $250 a month.
- AI as justification: the 2025 and 2026 increases were attributed to AI features, most of which are gated to the Advanced tier.
What it actually costs per year
Simple Start $456. Essentials $1,020. Plus $1,680. Advanced $4,080. Add payroll from $600 a year plus per employee. Add a bookkeeper, because none of those tiers categorize transactions for you.
What to do
- If you mostly need categorized books and reports: ProfitBooks, $20 a month, plus credits. The AI does the categorizing.
- If you need payroll and inventory in one place: stay, but drop to the lowest tier that works and cancel add-ons you do not use.
- If you need invoicing above all: Wave or FreshBooks.
- Full list with prices: QuickBooks alternatives.