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QuickBooks advertises $30/month. Here's what you'll actually pay.
Updated 24 March 2026
Most businesses pay 3–5× the advertised price once you add payroll, payment processing, receipt capture, and extra users. Calculate your real cost below.
Your QuickBooks Setup
1 user, income & expenses, invoicing
How many invoices you send per month
Average value per invoice
% of payments from international clients (3.5% fee)
Simple Start plan includes 1 user. Extra users cost $10/mo each.
QuickBooks advertises $35/mo
Your real cost: $330/mo
That's 9.4× the advertised price - $3,960/year
Plan Cost
$35/mo
Simple Start (monthly)
Payment Processing Fees
$295/mo
20 invoices x avg $500 @ 2.9%+$0.25
Payroll Add-on
Not added
Add payroll to see cost
Other Add-ons
$0/mo
Receipt capture, time tracking, extra users
Total Annual Cost
$3,960
Everything included
Cost Per Transaction
$16.5
Per invoice sent (20/mo)
Effective Rate vs Advertised
943% of advertised price
You pay 9.4× what QuickBooks advertises. The advertised “$35/mo” only covers the base plan.
Annual Cost Comparison
Switching to Wave could save you $420/year on software costs.
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