Quicken vs. QuickBooks: 2026 Comparison
QuickBooks Online is accounting software for small businesses. Quicken is for managing your personal finances.
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Updated · 3 min read
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Comparing Quicken and QuickBooks is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Both are financial management tools. They even share a few features and functions.
But the two software programs have different uses. Whether you use Quicken or QuickBooks Online depends on what type of finances you need to manage.
QuickBooks Online is a full-fledged small-business accounting software product. It offers advanced financial reporting and hundreds of app integrations. Quicken is for managing personal or family finances. (Though it does have a few business tools available.)
When to use QuickBooks:
- You want accounting software dedicated to managing just your small business.
- Your business needs advanced financial reporting on sales, inventory and profitability.
- You need to integrate with other business software products.
When to use Quicken:
- You want software to manage your personal finances or your family’s finances.
- You own a very small invoice-based business (e.g., as a freelancer or contractor) and want one tool to track personal and business finances.
- You own a rental property and want to manage leases and collect rent online.
QuickBooks pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Tailored to small-business bookkeeping needs.
Is an industry standard among accountants.
Has a robust feature set with detailed reporting and transaction tracking.
Cons
Frequently increases pricing and tends to upsell.
Quicken pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Helps manage personal finances.
Monthly subscription prices are low.
Has budgeting tools.
Cons
Is not a true small-business accounting product.
QuickBooks vs. Quicken: Head-to-head comparison
| QuickBooks Online | Quicken | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing |
|
|
| Reporting | Audit log, balance sheet, profit and loss, sales, accounts receivable, sales tax, general ledger, cash flow, payroll, etc. | Cash flow, spending by category, investing, taxes, net worth, balance sheet, profit and loss, accounts payable and receivable and Schedule E and C. |
| Invoicing | Unlimited. | Unlimited in Business and Personal plan. |
| Expense tracking | Included. | Included. |
| Integrations | More than 750 apps including QuickBooks Time, QuickBooks Payroll and Gusto. | Limited, but bank connections are available. |
| Mobile app | Yes, for Android and iOS. | Yes, for Android and iOS. |
| Free trial | Yes. Choose between a 30-day free trial or 50% off for the first three months. | No, but it does have a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Support | Simple Start, Essentials and Plus plans: Support via phone and online chat Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. Advanced plan: 24/7 customer support. | Support via phone Monday-Friday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT. Support via chat available from 5 a.m to 5 p.m PT, seven days a week. |
Where QuickBooks stands out
Scalability
QuickBooks Online makes it easy to upgrade plans as your business grows. For example, you could upgrade from Essentials to Plus to access inventory tracking and project profitability tools. QuickBooks also has add-ons and app integrations for payroll and point-of-sale systems.
By contrast, Quicken offers two plan options for small-business owners. And there's no large selection of apps or add-ons. When you outgrow Quicken Business and Personal, you need to switch services (likely to QuickBooks).
Accounting tools
QuickBooks Online goes beyond basic accounting features. It also offers inventory management, sales tax reporting and job-cost calculations. You can manage payments to 1099 contractors too. And you can easily share your books with an accountant.
Quicken Business and Personal plans’ features and reports are much more limited.
Business software integrations
QuickBooks integrates with more than 750 apps. This lets you connect with payroll software, POS systems and e-commerce platforms.
For example, let's say you have a Squarespace website. You can use Squarespace Connector to automatically share sales data and stock levels with QuickBooks. While some apps are free, others have a monthly fee.
Quicken Business and Personal lets you accept payments via PayPal. But its integrations are limited.
Where Quicken stands out
Tools for tracking rental income
Quicken's Classic Business and Personal plan lets you store rental property documents and track rental property income. You can also accept online rent payments (via PayPal), track rental payments and keep tabs on security deposits. The Quicken Business and Personal plan still allows you to track income and accept invoice payments online via Stripe. But it isn't as industry-specific.
You can use QuickBooks Online to manage rental properties. But it doesn’t have the same industry-specific tools. For instance, you won't find a dedicated Rent Center page.
Managing personal finances
Few accounting software programs help you manage personal budgets, investments and business income. Quicken is, first and foremost, a personal finance tool. Its Business and Personal plan gives you one view of all your finances. You’ll just need to tag business-related accounts and expenses. That way, you can track profits and loss, tax deductions and cash flow projections.
QuickBooks is not set up to manage personal accounts, budgets and investments.
Cost
Quicken's Business and Personal plan is half as much as QuickBooks Online’s entry-level plan. The more affordable price tag is a draw for freelancers and those with side gigs. The same goes for those who mainly just want to manage personal finances. You can still generate estimates, send invoices, accept payments and track profits and losses.
Quicken won’t grow with your business, though. You’ll need to switch to a full-fledged accounting software to gain deeper insights.
Quicken and QuickBooks alternatives
If you’re looking for an alternative to Quicken, explore our list of the best budgeting apps. It includes picks like PocketGuard and You Need a Budget (YNAB). NerdWallet also has a free app that lets you keep tabs on your credit score. You can also use it to understand your cash flow and see your net worth.
Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, should consider QuickBooks Online alternatives. The options below address small-business accounting needs as opposed to personal budgeting ones.
Starting at $23/monthAdditional pricing tiers (per month): $43, $70, custom. | Starting at $25/monthAdditional pricing tiers (per month): $55, $90. |
Promotion 70% offfor 4 months. | Promotion 90% offfor 6 months. |
FreshBooks: Best for freelancers. FreshBooks has time tracking tools and a client portal in all of its plans. Plus, its plans are less expensive than QuickBooks Online’s options. However, lower-tier ones limit the number of billable clients you can invoice. For more details, read our full FreshBooks review.
Xero: Best for user interface and in-depth accounting tools. Xero is the closest alternative to QuickBooks Online in terms of functionality. However, it may come with less of a learning curve, thanks to its simple layout and user interface. For more details, read our full Xero review.
Wave: Best for free accounting tools. Wave offers both free and paid accounting software plans to very small businesses. It's best for those that transact mostly via invoice. All plan tiers include unlimited invoicing, estimates and bookkeeping records. For more details, read our full Wave review.
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