Essentials
Three users plus free accountant access. 30 day free trial, no contract.
R508/mo
per month
- Everything in Simple Start
- Bill management and payment scheduling
- Multiple currencies
- Time entry against customers
- Accounting AI cleanup tools
QuickBooks Online Essentials vs QuickBooks Online Plus
Verified ratings, feature-by-feature comparison and rand pricing — everything a South African business needs to pick between these two.
QuickBooks Online Essentials
Three users, supplier bills and multiple currencies for growing teams
3,9(187)
We may earn a commission when you buy via this link — at no extra cost to you. It never affects our ratings. How we make money
Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension — QuickBooks Online Essentials against QuickBooks Online Plus, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
0 – 5
QuickBooks Online Essentials vs QuickBooks Online Plus, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0,3
QuickBooks Online Plus leads on overall
Verified reviews
430
187 for QuickBooks Online Essentials, 243 for QuickBooks Online Plus
QuickBooks Online Essentials
3,9
187 verified reviews
QuickBooks Online Plus
4,2
243 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- QuickBooks Online Essentials
- QuickBooks Online Plus
Overall
3,9
4,2
Ease of use
3,8
4,1
Value for money
3,9
4,1
Customer service
3,9
4,2
Functionality
3,9
4,1
Share of verified reviews
Who South African reviewers actually write about.
- QuickBooks Online Essentials (187)
- QuickBooks Online Plus (243)
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
QuickBooks Online Essentials
R508/mo
QuickBooks Online Plus
R708/mo
QuickBooks Online Essentials is the cheaper way in. Lower isn't automatically better — weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| QuickBooks Online Essentials | QuickBooks Online Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3,9 | 4,2 |
| Reviews | 187 | 243 |
| Ease of use | 3,8 | 4,1 |
| Value for money | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Customer service | 3,9 | 4,2 |
| Functionality | 3,9 | 4,1 |
| Starting price | R508/mo | R708/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | QuickBooks Online Essentials | QuickBooks Online Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Everything in Simple Start | ||
| Bill capture and management | ||
| Payment scheduling | ||
| Multiple currencies with gain and loss tracking | ||
| Time entry | ||
| Three user seats | ||
| Free accountant access | ||
| Recurring invoices | ||
| VAT tracking at 15% | ||
| Everything in Essentials | ||
| Inventory tracking | ||
| Purchase orders and sales orders | ||
| Project profitability | ||
| Class and location tracking | ||
| Budgets | ||
| Five user seats | ||
| Customer AI lead insights |
Pricing
Both price lists, in rand
Every plan from both vendors, priced as South African teams actually pay.
QuickBooks Online Essentials plans
Try it free
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Intuit for the figure you'll actually pay.
QuickBooks Online Plus plans
Plus
Five users plus free accountant access. 30 day free trial, no contract.
R708/mo
per month
- Everything in Essentials
- Inventory tracking with purchase orders
- Project profitability
- Class and location tracking up to 40
- Budgets
Straight from the vendor
Get current pricing
These are list prices in rand and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Intuit for the figure you'll actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
The upgrade question inside the QuickBooks lineup. Essentials at R508 covers bills, three users and multiple currencies, which is enough for pure service businesses. Plus at R708 adds inventory, project profitability and class tracking, and that R200 gap is the cheapest meaningful upgrade in the range. If you hold stock or quote jobs, skip straight to Plus; if you sell time and pay suppliers, Essentials is all you need.