QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books
QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books are both accounting & finance tools aimed at small businesses. Zoho Books costs less, from $20/mo versus $38/mo for QuickBooks Online. Both have a free plan.
Small-business accounting standard in the US
Affordable accounting with a free tier
| Pricing | Freemium · $38 | Freemium · $20 |
| Starting price | $38/mo | $20/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses | Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2001 | IN · 2011 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose QuickBooks Online if
US small and mid-size businesses that work with an accountant.
- Most accountants in the US know it
- Huge integration ecosystem
- Comprehensive feature set
Look elsewhere if: Businesses outside the US/UK or with local e-invoicing rules (Xero, Paraşüt).
Choose Zoho Books if
SMBs seeking value and multi-country compliance.
- Excellent value
- Free plan for small businesses
- Strong compliance coverage
Look elsewhere if: US businesses tied to QuickBooks-savvy accountants.
QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books pricing
QuickBooks Online
- Free$01 user
- Simple Start$38/mo1 user; promo 50% off for 3 months
- Essentials$85/mo3 users
- Plus$140/mo5 users
- Advanced$340/mo25 users
Zoho Books
- Free$0Revenue under $50K/yr, 1 user + accountant, 1,000 invoices/yr
- Standard$20/org/mo$15/mo billed annually; 3 users
- Professional$50/org/mo$40/mo billed annually; 5 users, inventory, projects
- Premium$70/org/mo$60/mo billed annually; 10 users, custom modules
- Elite$150/org/mo$120/mo billed annually; full inventory management
QuickBooks Online · Key features
- Invoicing, estimates and online payments
- Bank feeds with rules and AI categorization
- Bills, expenses and receipt capture
- Sales tax tracking and reports
- Inventory and project profitability (Plus)
- Payroll add-on and accountant collaboration
Cons
- Repeated price increases
- User limits per tier
- Support quality is inconsistent
Zoho Books · Key features
- Invoicing, quotes and recurring billing
- Bank feeds and reconciliation
- Inventory and projects
- Multi-country tax compliance
- Client portal and workflows
- Zoho suite integration
Cons
- UI can feel busy
- Best inside Zoho ecosystem
- Support variable
QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books: FAQ
Which is cheaper, QuickBooks Online or Zoho Books?
Zoho Books starts at $20/mo and QuickBooks Online at $38/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books have a free plan?
Yes, both QuickBooks Online and Zoho Books have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.