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Intuit QuickBooks Accounting Software Review

One of America’s biggest accounting software companies, Intuit has been going strong since 1983, changing with the market to provide businesses and owners with accounting solutions to help keep the gears turning. One of these solutions is its cloud-based software – QuickBooks – which was developed in 2000 and has become a mainstay within the accounting software market. Offering multiple plans and features, what should you be considering when looking at Intuit QuickBooks accounting software? Find out with this Canstar Blue review.

Intuit QuickBooks Accounting Software

Intuit QuickBooks offers QuickBooks Online as its flagship product, in addition to its Timesheets app. QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based accounting software suite targeted towards small businesses, and comes with a 30 day free trial, 24/7 support, and automatic backups (so there’s no risk of losing your business’s data), although each include a different range of features and prices, allowing you to find the best fit for your needs.

QuickBooks Dashboard

QuickBooks Online features and plans

QuickBooks Online features a number of accounting tools within its program, from invoicing to payroll, GST and BAS document prep, cash flow management through to reporting and insights. What features you’ll have access to will depend on which plan you sign up to, with the larger plans coming with more features. QuickBooks Online is split into three plans – Simple Start, Essentials and Plus, with the costs and features listed below.

QuickBooks Online Simple Start

Priced at $25 per month, the QuickBooks Online Simple Start plan allows you to:

  • Track income and expenses
  • Send unlimited invoices and quotes
  • Snap and store receipts
  • Track kilometres
  • Connect your bank accounts
  • Track GST and e-lodge BAS
  • Review insights and reports
  • Manage cash flow

QuickBooks Online Essentials

Priced at $40 per month, the QuickBooks Essentials plan allows you to do everything in the Simple Start plan, as well as:

  • Manage suppliers and bills
  • Deal with multi-currency transactions
  • Set-up recurring transactions
  • Manage up to three users

QuickBooks Online Plus

Priced at $55 per month, the QuickBooks Plus plan allows you to do everything in the Essentials plan, as well as:

  • Track inventory
  • Track projects and location
  • Manage budgets
  • Manage up to five users

QuickBooks Online is also accessible on any device, including phone, tablets and computers, and as it’s a cloud-based program, you don’t need to have installed anything on your device of choice, just remember your login details! QuickBooks Online can also integrate with other apps such as PayPal, Shopify and Square to help your business keep the money flowing to where it needs to be.

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Simple Start

Online accounting software for small businesses with up to 4 employees

  • Track GST & E-Lodge BAS
  • Send quotes & invoices
  • Track income & expenses
  • 30-day free trial available
  • 50% off for first 3 months. New customers only. T&Cs Apply.
from $12.50/month
min. cost $25.00 $12.50 over 1 month
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Essentials

Accounting Software for Small Businesses to manage suppliers and multiple users

  • Track GST & E-Lodge BAS
  • Send quotes & invoices
  • Track income & expenses
  • Manage suppliers & bills
  • Manager users (up to 3)
  • 30-day free trial available
  • 50% off for first 3 months. New customers only. T&Cs Apply.
from $20.00/month
min. cost $40.00 $20.00 over 1 month
Go to site
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Plus

Accounting Software with project and inventory tracking for Small Businesses

  • Track GST & E-Lodge BAS
  • Send quotes & invoices
  • Track income & expenses
  • Manage suppliers & bills
  • Manager users (up to 5)
  • Track inventory, projects & budgets
  • 30-day free trial available
  • 50% off for first 3 months. New customers only. T&Cs Apply.
from $27.50/month
min. cost $55.00 $27.50 over 1 month
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QuickBooks Timesheets

QuickBooks Timesheets app

Formerly known as TSheets, the QuickBooks Timesheets focusses on project management and tracking, as well as helping to cover other areas such as shift scheduling and submitting timesheets. There are two plans available, including the Premium plan, which includes:

  • One admin user
  • Time-tracking
  • Payroll and invoicing
  • Job and shift scheduling
  • Real-time reports
  • Time-off management
  • Photo attachments
  • Time clock kiosk with photo capture

The Premium plan costs $8 per month, while the Elite costs $10 per month, and comes with additional features, such as:

  • Track project progress
  • Project estimates vs. actuals
  • Project activity feed
  • Timesheet signatures
  • Geofencing technology.

Both plans also incur a $25 per month base fee, but also come with customer support, set-up assistance and a standalone app to help you keep your jobs in the one spot.

Does QuickBooks have a free trial?

Currently QuickBooks offers a 30-day free trial on most of its products and plans, including its Timesheets app.

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Should I use Intuit QuickBooks accounting software?

QuickBooks is one of the more competitively-priced accounting software programs available, and offers a number of plans and options for both small to medium business owners and operators to dive deeper into. With customer support on all plans, and the ability to cancel anytime on most subscriptions, QuickBooks may be worth looking into for many, but you’ll have to be careful, as you can only upgrade plans, and not downgrade, so you’ll have to look closely at what features your business really needs.

At the end of the day though, each business has different needs and goals, with management also having to balance running a business and running the numbers. While accounting software can help take the stress out of invoicing and timesheets, it’s worth looking into what’s available before signing on the dotted line for a plan, as you don’t want to be paying for something that will send you into the red, or isn’t worth the money it’s printed on. To help you find the best fit, check out our ratings on accounting software programs to see what else is out there.

About the author of this page

Dean Heckscher Canstar Blue

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Site Editor, Dean Heckscher. He’s our resident expert on all things automotive, health & fitness, streaming and more. Dean is also one of Canstar Blue’s customer research report producers, helping to turn complicated subjects into easily-digestible information for our readers. He’s passionate about helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services.