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Accounting software review

QuickBooks Online

Intuit's cloud accounting. The Essentials plan, $85 a month month to month for 3 users plus 2 accountants, has bank feeds, reconciliation and supplier bills; results by class or location start on Plus ($140).

By IntuitParent company: Intuit Inc.

RTC SCORE

8.4

#2 of 9 with enough data

Intuit also offers: Payroll and Scheduling and time clock

Our verdict

A complete set of books with 3 users, documented Toast and Square connections and its own payroll, at a higher monthly price than most rivals. Multi-location restaurants need Plus for results by location.

What we like

  • Essentials includes 3 users plus 2 free accountant seats, with bank feeds, reconciliation, supplier bills and free ACH bill payments.
  • Documented POS connections: Toast's Sync posts a daily sales entry by category, and Intuit's free Square Connector imports sales, tips, taxes and fees.
  • Month to month with no early termination fee, a 30-day free trial and live chat or callback support six days a week.
  • Its own payroll and paid bookkeeping service are available inside the same account.

What to watch

  • At $85 a month, Essentials costs more than most rivals' plans with supplier bills, and results by class or location need Plus at $140.
  • No extra users can be bought: a fourth person means moving up to Plus.
  • No documented connection for Clover, Shift4 POS, SpotOn or Heartland Genius.
  • After you cancel, your data stays read-only for one year only.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score8.4out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness100%

We could verify 100% of the scoring data

Strongest points
12-month cost (reference restaurant), POS data that reaches the books, Bank feeds
Weakest point
12-month cost (reference restaurant)

Score by criterion

  • 12-month cost (reference restaurant)Weight 20%StrongestWeakest6.6 out of 10

    $1,020 over 12 months

  • POS data that reaches the booksWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Bank feedsWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • POS systems that connectWeight 7%4.3 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Bank reconciliationWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Supplier billsWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Live support channelsWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Access for your accountantWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Payroll into the booksWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Early termination feeWeight 5%10.0 out of 10
  • Results by location or classWeight 4%2.5 out of 10
  • Live support hours a weekWeight 4%4.1 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Customer invoicesWeight 2%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
Monthly price$85/moSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Essentials, month to month. New customers can get 50% off the base price for the first 3 months ($42.50); after that the regular price applies.
Monthly price if paid yearlyN/ASource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)The US pricing page sells QuickBooks Online month to month only; it shows no yearly price.
Users included3 usersSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Essentials includes 3 users plus 2 accountant seats. Simple Start has 1 user, Plus 5 and Advanced 25.
Each extra userN/ASource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Intuit does not sell extra users on a plan; for more people you move up a plan (Plus: 5 users, Advanced: 25).
Published pricingPublishedSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)
Free planYesSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)QuickBooks Free is for one person and has no mobile app or third-party integrations, so it does not cover the reference restaurant.
Other feesPayroll (QuickBooks Workforce) is sold apart: $50 a month plus $7 per employee as an add-on. Full-service bookkeeping by Intuit Experts starts at $300 a month after a cleanup fee. Essentials connects up to 3 sales channels; Plus and Advanced connect all.Source: Intuit (opens in a new tab)
Books and reconciliation
Data pointValue
Bank feedsAutomatic feeds from your bankSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Automated bank feeds are checked on every paid plan in the comparison table.
Bank reconciliationYesSource: Intuit (QuickBooks Help) (opens in a new tab)The help article (updated 5-aug-2026) applies to Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced. The AI-powered reconciliation in the pricing table is only on Plus and Advanced.
Supplier bills (accounts payable)IncludedSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Pay bills, with free ACH bill payments, is checked on every paid plan.
Customer invoices (accounts receivable)IncludedSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)
Results by location or classOnly on a pricier planSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Not on Essentials. Plus ($140) tracks up to 40 classes and locations combined; Advanced ($340) has no limit.
Access for your accountantOwn login at no extra costSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Essentials includes 2 accountant seats apart from its 3 users (Advanced: 3).
Bookkeeping service from the vendorSold apartSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)A dedicated QuickBooks-certified bookkeeper categorizes and reconciles each month. Intuit also sells Expert Assisted coaching and a one-time cleanup.
POS and payroll connections
Data pointValue
Connects with these POS systemsToast, Square, LightspeedSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Toast: xtraCHEF Sync, from Toast, in Toast's partner directory (needs an xtraCHEF premium subscription). Square: Square Connector by QuickBooks, built by Intuit and free, in the QuickBooks App Store. Lightspeed: Lightspeed Accounting in the QuickBooks App Store. No Clover, Shift4 POS, SpotOn or Heartland Genius listing; Clover only through a third company.
POS data that reaches the booksDaily sales split by category, tax, tips and paymentSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Toast's Sync posts a daily sales journal entry by category, with every tender type and Toast's processing fees. Square Connector imports each sale, refund, fee, tax and tip and links them to the payout.
How payroll reaches the booksIts own payroll and outside providersSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Intuit's own payroll is QuickBooks Workforce. Outside payroll providers such as Gusto are listed in the QuickBooks App Store.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termMonth to monthSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Month to month on the US pricing page.
Automatic renewalMonth to monthSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)Renews each month, with no renewal term.
Notice to avoid renewal0 daysSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)No advance notice; a cancellation takes effect at the end of the month already paid.
Early termination feeNoneSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)
Early termination clauseNo early termination fee. Month to month; cancelling takes effect at the end of the current month, with no refund or credit for the part of the month already paid.Source: Intuit (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesIntuit may change recurring subscription prices with notice; the change starts at the next subscription period, and you can unsubscribe before it takes effect (QuickBooks Online US Terms of Service).Source: Intuit (opens in a new tab)
Your records when you leaveRead-only access after you cancelSource: Intuit (QuickBooks Help) (opens in a new tab)
Support
Data pointValue
Live supportPhone and chatSource: Intuit (QuickBooks Help) (opens in a new tab)Chat or a callback from a product expert, started inside QuickBooks. The pricing page says phone support is included with a paid subscription.
Live support hours a week69Source: Intuit (QuickBooks Help) (opens in a new tab)Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific and Saturday 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Advanced has longer hours, including Sunday.
Language
Data pointValue
Software in SpanishNoSource: Intuit (QuickBooks Help) (opens in a new tab)The US edition's screens are in English; Spanish is only offered in the international editions.
Invoices in SpanishYesSource: Intuit (QuickBooks Help) (opens in a new tab)You set Spanish per customer and QuickBooks translates the invoice; your own text (email body, products and services) is not translated.
Support in SpanishNoSource: Intuit (QuickBooks Help) (opens in a new tab)Intuit's US support page and pricing page publish no Spanish line or Spanish service.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: Intuit (opens in a new tab)The /es/ address redirects to the global site, and the US site's country menu offers Mexico, not a Spanish US site.

More about QuickBooks Online

How we score