
Since 1998 Quickbooks has helped millions of self-employed freelancers and small business owners run and grow their businesses. Whether it’s income and expenses, payroll, bookkeeping, or accounting, Quickbooks has your business covered at a very reasonable monthly cost.
In fact, Intuit states that an amazing 98% of their customers say that Quickbooks help them run their business more easily and efficiently. Plus, under section 179 it’s tax-deductible, making it a great investment for your small business!
QB isn’t cheap but does offer a lot of features for the price and there are coupons available to lower the cost. So, how much does Quickbooks cost now? You’ll have to click around on quickbooks.intuit.com to find pricing, so we’re here to help you see cost info in one place. Here is the pricing for Quickbooks online products and Desktop software: (*Updated for 2022)
QuickBooks Cost: Online | Self-Employed | Payroll | Desktop | Worth It?
Quickbooks Pricing for 2022:

Quickbooks Online is a monthly subscription, while Desktop is an annual subscription paid every 12 months. New customers enjoy a 50% discount on the first three months for QB Online or 10% off the first year of Desktop products!
Here is the regular monthly pricing for QB Online, Self-Employed, Payroll, and plus the annual cost for Desktop software:
1. QuickBooks Online 2022 Cost:
QuickBooks Online (QBO) is billed as a monthly subscription and you can get the best price with their 50% off 3 months online promotion. Here is the regular price of QBO plans after the initial promotion ends.
- SimpleStart: $25/mo.
- Essentials: $50/mo.
- Plus: $80/mo. (most popular)
- Advanced: $180/mo.
All online plans also have the option of a one-time “Live Bookkeeping Setup” session for $50 in which a live bookkeeper walks you through a custom setup of QuickBooks.
QuickBooks Non-Profit Pricing? While QB used to have special pricing for nonprofits, that is no longer the case. QuickBooks Online products and Desktop software are the same for both non-profit and for-profit businesses and there is no difference in price or features.
2. Self-Employed 2022 (Freelancer) Cost:
QuickBooks Self-Employed is the #1 name in accounting software for freelancers and the self-employed. You can get the best price with this month’s 50% off 3 months promotion. Here’s how much QB Self-Employed costs after the promotion ends:
- Self-Employed: $15/mo.
- Self Employed Tax Bundle: $25/mo. (Includes TurboTax Self-Employed)
- Self Employed Live Tax Bundle: $35/mo. (Includes TurboTax Self-Employed Live)
Tip: Do you also use TurboTax Self-Employed? If so, use this coupon for up to $20 off the Self-Employed Edition. You can also save on H&R Block and TaxAct!
3. QuickBooks Payroll 2022 Cost:
QuickBooks is the #1 payroll provider for small businesses, and they claim that customers save an average of $84 every time they run payroll. Get the best price when you use their 50% off 3 Months offer. Here’s how much QB Payroll Online costs after the promotion ends:
- Payroll Core: $45/mo. (*Plus $4/employee per month)
- Payroll Premium: $75/mo. (*Plus $8/employee per month)
- Payroll Elite: $125/mo. (*Plus $10/employee per month)
You can also add QuickBooks Online Accountant to any Payroll plan for an extra $25-80 per month, depending on the plan. Learn more
Tip: Do you think you might need a different version of QuickBooks in the future? Don’t overpay for features you don’t need now, as you can upgrade your plan at any time!
4. QuickBooks Desktop 2022 Pricing:
While QuickBooks Online products are billed monthly, their Desktop software is billed annually. Currently, the best price for Desktop comes from their 10% off Pro, Premier, and Mac promotions. Here’s how much QB Desktop costs after the promotion ends:
- Desktop Pro Plus: $349.99/year (+ $250/yr per added user)
- Desktop Mac Plus: $349.99/year (+ $250/yr per added user)
- Desktop Pro Plus + Payroll: $849.99/year (+ $200/yr per added user)
- Desktop Premier Plus: $549/year (+ $250/yr per added user)
- Desktop Premier Plus + Payroll: $1049/year (+ $250/yr per added user)
- Enterprise 22.0: $1275 (*1 user; additional users cost more)
Tip: The best price for QB Online and Desktop software is usually during tax season when you can find online coupons for up to $100 off!
*Related: How Much Does TurboTax Cost?
Is QuickBooks Worth It!?
QuickBooks Online can save self-employed, freelancers, and small business owners a lot of time and money each month. Plus, it’s incredibly good at helping you run and grow your business so that you can use your time more efficiently.
“QuickBooks is still the best accounting application for small businesses thanks to its depth, flexibility, and extensibility. However, it’s also expensive…” – pcmag.com
So, is QuickBooks worth the relatively high cost? It’s hard to quantify exactly what QuickBooks is worth, so consider the following equation:

The relative value of QuickBooks is equal to the perceived benefits divided by the cost. QuickBooks saves your business time, money, and stress for as little as $15 per month making it a potentially tremendous value.
For example, Quickbooks Payroll seems expensive but they say that you’ll save an average of $84 every time you do payroll with their software. Plus, all Quickbooks subscriptions include features like receipt capture, support by chat or phone, and QB app integration so you get a lot of value for your investment.
Of course, everyone’s self-employment or business situation is different, so you’ll have to read more about the features of QB Online, Self-Employed, Payroll, and Desktop to decide if it’s worth the cost to you.
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