A QuickBooks Online alternative
The QuickBooks alternative at half the price, or less.
If you know QuickBooks Online, you already know your way around Cheery Books. Every plan costs at least 50% less than QuickBooks' list price, with online forms, bookings and automations built in.
QuickBooks prices: Intuit US list prices, checked November 3, 2026. Cheery Books is in private beta.
The short version
Same everyday accounting. A much smaller bill.
50% to 62% less, every plan
Starter is $19 against QuickBooks Simple Start at $38, and Scale is $129 against Advanced at $340. Pay yearly and Cheery Books costs even less.
Familiar from day one
The same building blocks you use in QuickBooks Online: invoices, bills, bank feeds, classes, projects, budgets and reports, mostly unlocked at the same plan levels.
Better deal for accountants
Accountants who resell Cheery Books get 30% to 40% off every client subscription, plus a free firm workspace with unlimited clients.
Price comparison
Plan for plan, side by side.
Monthly list prices in USD, matched by the number of users each plan includes.
| Plan size | Cheery Books | QuickBooks Online | You save each year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Starter · $19 | Simple Start · $38 | $228 |
| Up to 3 users | Growing · $39 | Essentials · $85 | $552 |
| Up to 5 users | Pro · $59 | Plus · $140 | $972 |
| Up to 25 users | Scale · $129 | Advanced · $340 | $2,532 |
| Pay yearly | About 2 months free | Not listed | — |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days | — |
QuickBooks Online prices are Intuit's US list prices (quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing), checked November 3, 2026, before its 3-month introductory discount. Savings compare monthly list prices over 12 months.
Feature comparison
Where each feature starts.
The first plan that includes each feature. A check means it is included on every plan.
| Feature | Cheery Books | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Get paid & manage spending | ||
| Invoices, estimates & online payments | ||
| Bank feeds & reconciliation | ||
| Bills & bill payments | Growing | Simple Start |
| Time tracking | Growing | Essentials |
| Multicurrency | Growing | Essentials |
| Purchase orders | Pro | Plus |
| Grow & plan | ||
| Inventory, projects & budgets | Pro | Plus |
| Classes & locations | Pro | Plus |
| Online forms, bookings & selling pages | Website lead form on Essentials | |
| Email marketing | Pro (2,500 emails/mo) | — |
| AI assistant | Every plan, 30–1,000 credits/mo | AI chat (beta) |
| Automation & control | ||
| Workflow automation & bill approval | Scale | Advanced |
| Batch transactions | Scale | Advanced |
| Revenue recognition & fixed assets | Scale | Advanced |
| People & payroll | ||
| Free accountant seats | 2 (3 on Scale) | 2 (3 on Advanced) |
| Payroll | Pay-run calculations, no tax filing | Add-on, from $88/mo with Simple Start + $6.50/employee |
“—” means we could not find it on QuickBooks' public pricing pages. QuickBooks feature levels from quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing and Intuit help articles, checked November 3, 2026.
For accountants & CPAs
A partner program that pays you more.
| Cheery Books | QuickBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Firm workspace | Firm Starter: free, unlimited clients | Accountant Suite Core: free |
| Practice management tier | Firm Pro: $79/mo | Accelerate: free until Jan 2027, then $149/mo |
| Discount on client subscriptions | 30%, 35% or 40% by client count | 30% ProAdvisor pricing on existing subscriptions; new ProPartner program from Jan 2027 |
In fairness
Where QuickBooks is ahead.
We would rather you choose with all the facts.
- Full-service payroll — QuickBooks sells payroll that files taxes and pays employees; Cheery Books only calculates and records pay runs.
- A bigger ecosystem — QuickBooks has years of third-party apps, mature mobile apps and a large community of ProAdvisors.
- Bill pay on the first plan — QuickBooks Simple Start includes bills; Cheery Books adds bills on Growing.
- Open sign-up — Cheery Books is in private beta, so new companies join by invitation for now.
How to switch
Moving in, in four steps.
1
Request an invite
Cheery Books is in private beta. Request an invite, or explore the live demo company first.
2
Import from QuickBooks
The import wizard reads QuickBooks exports: chart of accounts, customers, vendors, products and services, with every row checked before it lands.
3
Connect your bank
Link bank and card accounts so new transactions flow into your feed and match what you already recorded.
4
Invite your accountant
Every plan includes free accountant seats. If your accountant is a Cheery Books partner, they may already run your books.
Questions
QuickBooks alternative, answered.
Is Cheery Books cheaper than QuickBooks Online?
Yes. At Intuit's US list prices checked in November 2026, every Cheery Books plan costs at least 50% less than the matching QuickBooks Online plan: $19 vs $38, $39 vs $85, $59 vs $140 and $129 vs $340 a month.
Can I move my data from QuickBooks?
Yes. The import wizard reads the QuickBooks Online Export data workbook and list exports, and QuickBooks Desktop IIF and list files: chart of accounts, customers, vendors, products and services.
Will it feel familiar?
Yes. Invoices, expenses, bank feeds, the chart of accounts and the standard reports work the way QuickBooks Online users expect, and our developer API follows QuickBooks Online v3 request and response shapes.
Does Cheery Books do payroll?
Cheery Books calculates and records pay runs, paychecks and payroll liabilities for your books. It does not file payroll taxes or pay employees, so pair it with a payroll provider if you need that.
Is Cheery Books affiliated with Intuit?
No. Cheery Books is an independent product. QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online are trademarks of Intuit Inc.
QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Cheery Books is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Intuit. Competitor prices are US list prices from their official pricing pages, checked November 3, 2026, before limited-time promotions; they can change at any time.
Keep the books. Lose the big bill.
Explore the live demo company, or request an invite to bring your own numbers.