QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books: Full Comparison (2026)
Quick Answer
Zoho Books is the best QBO alternative on value. Free for businesses under $50K revenue, and the paid plans ($15-$120/mo) include features QBO charges premium prices for. QBO wins on ecosystem and accountant familiarity. Zoho Books wins on price-to-feature ratio.
QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books at a Glance
| Dimension | QuickBooks Online | Zoho Books | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease Of Use | 7.5/10 | 7.0/10 | QuickBooks Online |
| Features | 8.5/10 | 8.0/10 | QuickBooks Online |
| Overall | 7.5/10 | 7.8/10 | Zoho Books |
| Pricing | 6.5/10 | 9.0/10 | Zoho Books |
Pricing Comparison
| Plan | QuickBooks Online | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Start / Free | $30/monthly | $Custom/monthly |
| Essentials / Standard | $60/monthly | $15/monthly |
| Plus / Professional | $90/monthly | $40/monthly |
| Advanced / Premium | $200/monthly | $60/monthly |
| Elite | $120/monthly |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | QuickBooks Online | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt scanning | Yes | Yes |
| Audit trail | Yes | Yes |
| Tax preparation | Yes | Yes |
| Accountant access | Yes | Yes |
| Bank reconciliation | Yes | Yes |
| Bill pay | Yes | Yes |
| Double-entry accounting | Yes | Yes |
| Expense tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Invoicing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-currency | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-entity | Yes | Yes |
| Role-based permissions | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Bank feeds | Yes | Yes |
| Payroll integration | Yes | Yes |
| Budgeting | Yes | Yes |
| Custom reports | Yes | Yes |
| Financial reports (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow) | Yes | Yes |
| Project profitability | Yes | Yes |
Ease Of Use: QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books
QBO's UI is more polished. Zoho Books is functional but the interface can feel busy. QBO also has more training resources and community support.
Features: QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books
Both are comprehensive. QBO has slightly better inventory and US tax features. Zoho Books has better workflow automation, more included users, and stronger multi-currency at lower tiers.
Overall: QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books
Zoho Books offers 90% of QBO's features at 50% of the price. The main reasons to choose QBO over Zoho are accountant preference and the Intuit ecosystem.
Pricing: QuickBooks Online vs Zoho Books
Zoho Books Free tier (under $50K revenue) vs QBO's minimum $30/mo. Even the paid tiers are cheaper: Zoho Standard $15/mo vs QBO Simple Start $30/mo, and Zoho includes 3 users vs QBO's 1 user.
Our Recommendation
Zoho Books for budget-conscious businesses that want maximum features per dollar, especially if you're already in the Zoho ecosystem. QuickBooks for businesses that need the deepest US accounting ecosystem and an accountant who knows QBO.