The default for small-business books, and the one nearly every field platform connects to first. That matters if you want your numbers where your bookkeeper already works. Job costing, though, sits on a higher plan than most people expect when they sign up.
QuickBooks Online is the default set of books in the trades, the system of record for money that field platforms build their accounting connection to first. It fits a service operator who wants the books their field platform already syncs to and their bookkeeper already knows. The depth costs extra, though: job costing and deeper month-end reporting sit on the higher plans, and custom apps now meet usage charges, so a business that needs trade-grade accounting from day one should compare other options.
Joe Guevara · Rehash Digital · Updated September 2026
Ecosystem
Everything connects to the books, and the reviews tell you how well.
The link that matters is the one from your field tool, and its rating here is a fairer guide than the field tool's own page. This is the best-of-breed side of accounting: the books do one job and hundreds of specialist tools feed them, each with a star rating and a review count, and each paying the vendor a monthly fee to stay listed. The house-built connectors lean to online sales; a service business lives on the third-party side, which the vendor doesn't guarantee.
AI tools get a door; job-level records sit behind partner status.
Putting records into the books is free; pulling them out is metered, and project and custom-field records need a paid partner tier. There's a first-party AI connectors shelf, AI tools that act inside the books with permissions you set, the MCP idea in plain form, a standard door instead of custom work. Every app is enrolled at a free tier with a monthly cap on pulling records out that blocks when hit, so a report-heavy sync can stall until someone pays.
The report you need sets your tier; job costing sits high.
Project profit shows up mid-way, true job costing only at the top, and the lower plans cap how many apps you can connect. Your bookkeeper gets in free on every paid plan, and the price steps up on reporting depth rather than headcount. The top plan is the all-in-one turn, books plus bill pay, inventory, and industry job costing in one place, steadier but a big jump for a crew that only wanted its margin by job.
Read 2026-09-01 from QuickBooks Online's own marketplace, developer, and pricing pages, and the comparison vendors' pages the same day.
Direct Integrations
Map your existing connections so you can spot gaps before adding or changing tools.
Integrations
Construction Management
CRM & Sales
Field Service Management
Financing
Inventory & Parts
Marketing & SEO
Payments
Payroll & HR
Quoting & Estimating
Review & Reputation Management
Scheduling
Time Tracking
Workforce Management
Integration Library
Save the records and fields you rely on so migration and automation planning starts with the right data.
Need more details?
Rehash Navigator helps you map requirements, validate fit, and prepare integration or AI workflows, or you can book a free consultation to explore paid support.
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QuickBooks Online Pricing Review
Pricing & Access Options
QuickBooks Online pricing at your team size, with the modules, add-ons and payment processing the vendor bills on top. Easily compare platform & tech stack pricing in Navigator.
Rehash Navigator
Compare this pricing against your whole stack
Navigator prices every platform at your team size on the same monthly basis, adds the modules you would actually buy, and estimates payment processing at your volume and card-to-ACH mix, so the difference between vendors is a number, not a guess.
Users are bundled per tier (1 · 1 · 3 · 5 · 25); there is no per-user add-on, so a larger team moves up a tier and tiers drop out of the range as the team grows.
Online invoice, card & wallets (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Amex, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo): 2.99% · Card reader / Tap to Pay on iPhone: 2.5% · Keyed-in cards: 3.5% · ACH bank payments: 1% · Instant deposit: 1.75% · Buy now, pay later (Affirm): 2.99% · Payment dispute protection: starting at .99% (covers up to $25,000 per year, $10,000 per dispute on card payments)
Spotted a change on QuickBooks Online's pricing page? . Corrections need a source link and are checked before anything on this page changes.
Add to your estimate
Modules, add-ons and services. Only options with supported pricing and quantities can be selected for the estimate.
Nothing added yet: the range above is plans only
Intuit ExpertsAssisted · Bookkeeping · TaxRate not establishedExpert Assisted coaching, Full Service Bookkeeping, a one-time Cleanup and Business Tax are sold on their own pages; no price is displayed.No supported monthly amount.price not publishedany planrequires a plan
Usage, fees & commitments
Separate usage, benefit and recurring or one-time charges. These charges are outside the monthly estimate.
No monthly fees or minimums; pay as you go. Over $2,500/mo processed may qualify for up to 25% off standard rates.
Fees & commitments
Billing terms
monthlymonthly, no commitment
Implementation
none published
promo
The page shows "50% off for 3 months*" against every paid tier; the struck list price is the basis here, the promo is not.
billing
No annual contract; cancel anytime. Payroll and Time are separate subscriptions with their own base fee plus a per-employee or per-user rate.
billing
Intuit's payroll and accounting bundle cards ($88 + $7/employee for Workforce Payroll with Simple Start, $135 + $7 with Essentials, $228 + $13 for Workforce Premium with Plus) each equal the plan price plus the payroll price, so adding payroll to the estimate reproduces the vendor's bundle price.
billing
The plans page footnote "$0.50/standard ACH transaction over monthly allotments" does not appear on the Payments rates page, which lists ACH bank payments at 1% per transaction with no allotment; the rates page is the basis for the processing figure.
Access & caveats
The lowest plan or add-on that carries each capability, and the vendor's own requirements, verbatim and kinded so Navigator and Compare can filter them.
What unlocks connectivity
Integrations
from Simple StartMobile app access and third-party integrations not currently available with QuickBooks Free.
Advanced app integrations
from EssentialsEssentials and Plus: 2 · Advanced: Unlimited
Workflow automation
from AdvancedWorkflow automation: Advanced only
API / MCP
Not statedNot stated on the pricing page; the Intuit developer platform is documented separately
Requirements & caveats
seats
Users are bundled per tier (1 · 1 · 3 · 5 · 25) with separate accountant seats; there is no per-user add-on, so a larger team moves up a tier.
excluded
QuickBooks Free excludes the mobile app and third-party integrations.
integrations
QuickBooks Time requires an active QuickBooks Online account; payroll is also sold bundled with a QuickBooks plan at a bundle price.
region
US pricing; QuickBooks Payments rates shown are the US card-present and online rates as of April 30, 2026.
Systems Journey
Choose Your Next Step
Expertise, tools, and processes to help your business choose, connect, and improve its software and AI systems.
Software Assessment
Map The Connection Before You Commit
Define the workflows, records, and connection requirements QuickBooks Online must support. Then compare built-in capability, connected software, and custom work against one decision record.
The simpler, cheaper set of books for a small business, if you don't need the reporting depth. What you lose is the default connection: fewer field platforms build to FreshBooks first, so check yours before you switch.
Consider If
You want standard books and invoicing, and the reports on QuickBooks' higher plans aren't ones you'd run.
Broader Business Scope
Xero
Stronger where the business gets complicated: multi-currency, deeper customization, and ERP-grade integrations. It gives AI tools their own way in, where QuickBooks charges for what an app pulls, and the trade is fewer field platforms syncing to it first.
Consider If
Your books have outgrown standard small-business accounting, or you plan to build on the books directly rather than sync to them.
Test the workflows and records that matter most to you before you commit. A polished demo isn't evidence that the day-to-day will hold up; the guide shows what to check.
Connect
Look at the ready-made connections first, then confirm which records move, in which direction, and who owns the setup. Keep those decisions attached to the workflow they support.
Build
When no ready-made connection closes the workflow, weigh a custom integration or an AI system against the cost of another platform. Start from practical use cases, not a generic AI layer.
Support
Use the vendor's own help resources for product questions, and bring in specialist support when configuration, migration, data mapping, or connection ownership needs hands-on help.
What QuickBooks Online data can other systems use?
It depends how you connect. The Integration Library lists the customer, work, financial, and team records documented so far, with the access paths for each. Check the ones your workflow needs before you build anything on them.
Can QuickBooks Online connect to accounting and automation tools?
It documents both direct connections and connector-based ones. What to confirm: which plan includes the connection you want, which records it moves, which direction they move, and what happens when a sync fails.
Does QuickBooks Online have an API for custom work?
Check the current developer program for what it covers: how you authenticate, which records you can reach, any rate limits, whether partner approval is needed, and who maintains the integration once it's live.
Can QuickBooks Online data support AI work?
That comes down to whether the records you need are reachable, current, and clean enough to act on. Match the workflow you have in mind against the documented records and access paths before you scope it.
Which QuickBooks Online plan do I need for integrations and automation?
It varies by connection. Start with Access and Pricing, then confirm the current integration, automation, reporting, user, and add-on terms with the vendor before you commit.
Pricing and packaging can change. Confirm current terms with the vendor before buying.
