QuickBooks Online 2025 Pricing: What’s New and How It Affects Your Business

Can’t really put a price on accurate automation, can you? It’s either that – or manual recordkeeping. And let’s be honest: never again.

Despite rising costs across the board, there’s still real value in getting things done right – and on time – every time. That’s why QuickBooks Online remains a trusted tool for small and midsize businesses.

This year, QuickBooks introduced new pricing changes across its online plans. Alarmed? Don’t be. We’re here to help you weigh the cost-to-value proposition.

In this blog, we’ll break down what’s changed, how it affects your business, and how to make smart decisions moving forward.

QuickBooks Pricing: Plans Breakdown

Before diving into the price increase, here’s a closer look at what each QuickBooks Online tier offers, so you can be sure you’re on the plan that fits both your current operations and future growth.

Simple Start

The QuickBooks starter pack for freelancers and sole proprietors who need to track income and expenses, send invoices, and manage sales tax. With Simple Start, you can also run basic financial reports, sync bank transactions, and track mileage for tax deductions.

Best for: Freelancers, gig workers, and sole proprietors needing essential accounting tools.

Essentials

Includes everything in Simple Start, plus bill management, time tracking, multi-currency support, and access for up to 3 users.

Best for: Small businesses that need to manage bills, track employee time, and operate across multiple currencies.

Plus

Builds on Essentials with added features like inventory tracking, project profitability, budgeting tools, and support for up to 5 users.

Best for: Growing businesses that need inventory and project management capabilities.

Advanced

The most feature-rich plan, Advanced includes everything in Plus, along with advanced reporting, workflow automation, batch invoicing, custom user permissions, and access for up to 25 users.

Best for: Larger businesses that require comprehensive financial oversight, deeper customization, and more robust support.

QuickBooks Pricing Changes in 2025

Whether you’re on Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, or Advanced, pricing updates could impact your budget and how you use the software. Here’s a quick price increase breakdown, with increases effective as of July, 1.

Effective Jul

There are some exceptions, though:

• Promotional Pricing: If you’re currently on a promotional discount, your price remains unchanged until the promotion ends. After that, the new rates will apply.
• Recent Sign-ups: New subscribers will retain their current price for six months before the increase takes effect.

Consider the Value: What the Price Increase Means for Your Bottom Line

QuickBooks remains one of the most widely used accounting platforms for a reason – its features are robust, its automation is reliable, and it helps businesses stay financially organized. But in 2025, you’re just paying a bit more for that convenience. For small businesses with tight margins, every dollar counts. That’s why now is the time to put your plan under the microscope to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. 

Financial Impact: Do the Numbers Still Make Sense?

• On average, monthly prices have increased by 10–17%, which could translate to an extra $36 to $480+ per year, depending on your plan.
• Ask yourself whether the features you’re using justify the spend? Try this quick ROI check… If time tracking saves you 5 hours per month, and your time is worth $50/hour, that’s $250/month in value – easily covering the $75 Essentials plan. But if features like inventory, project tracking, or automation tools go unused, you might be overpaying, and a smaller plan that costs less, could do the job just as well.

Functional Fit: Is Your Plan Still Working for You?

• Are you regularly using at least 80% of the features in your current plan?
• Are you paying for unused user seats, multi-currency support, or budgeting tools you don’t actually need?
• Are there manual processes in your workflow that could be automated with a higher-tier plan to save you time to invest in growing your revenue?
• Are your current reports giving you clear financial insights, or do you need more customized insights?

Adjusting Strategy: Stay Smart, Not Stuck

• Downgrade if you’re not using the premium features. This could mean switching from Plus to Essentials if you don’t need inventory tracking, for example.
• Upgrade if your business is scaling and you’re bogged down with manual processing. Or, you’re hitting limitations in reporting, user access, or workflow automation.
• Switch to annual billing if it offers savings and helps smooth out your monthly cash flow.
• Test before you commit. Free trials can help you explore which features are truly useful to your business. 
• Consult an expert. An experienced QuickBooks CPA can help you choose the right plan and tailor your setup to ensure everything from expense categories to revenue tracking is done right. This will help you avoid costly errors down the line.

Need help navigating the changes? Our CPAs are QuickBooks pros. We’ll help you pick the right plan, tailor the setup to your business, and build custom integrations if needed. So your system runs exactly how it should, right from day one. Contact us today!

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This blog does not provide legal, accounting, tax, or other professional advice. We base articles on current or proposed tax rules at the time of writing and do not update older posts for tax rule changes. We expressly disclaim all liability regarding actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this blog as well as the use or interpretation of this information. Information provided on this website is not all-inclusive and such information should not be relied upon as being all-inclusive.