Guide
Accounting software price increases by year
Documented list-price changes since 2016, grouped by year, with the ten largest increases.
StackWatch has documented 42 plan-level list-price changes across 5 vendors, from 2016 to 2026: 41 increases and 1 decrease. Each one has a date, a before-and-after price and a source. The counts are a floor, not a complete record, because vendors rarely publish old prices and a figure that could not be confirmed is left out. The full list, newest first, is on the timeline.
Jump to: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · before 2021.
Increases by year
| Year | Plan-level increases | Vendors | Range of increases | Median | Largest in dollars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | QuickBooks Online, SmartVault, Xero | +7.3% to +24% | +13% | QuickBooks Online Advanced +$65 a month |
| 2025 | 6 | QuickBooks Online, Xero | +8.6% to +17% | +16% | QuickBooks Online Advanced +$40 a month |
| 2024 | 8 | QuickBooks Online, Xero | +2.6% to +25% | +14% | QuickBooks Online Advanced +$35 a month |
| 2023 | 5 | QuickBooks Online, TaxDome, Xero | +5.9% to +33% | +14% | TaxDome Pro +$200 per seat a year |
| 2022 | 7 | QuickBooks Online, Xero | +6.3% to +20% | +8.8% | QuickBooks Online Advanced +$20 a month |
| 2021 | 6 | QuickBooks Online, Xero | +3.3% to +25% | +17% | QuickBooks Online Advanced +$30 a month |
| 2018 | 0 (+1 decrease) | Xero | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 1 | Gusto | +34% | +34% | Gusto Single plan (before named tiers) +$10 a month |
A plan-level increase is one plan’s price change, so one vendor announcement that changes three plans counts as three. Tax-software prices are not included because publishers define packages differently.
Which vendors raised prices, and in which years
| Vendor | Years with a documented increase | Count | First | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | 6 | 2021 | 2026 |
| Xero (US) | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | 6 | 2021 | 2026 |
| Gusto | 2016 | 1 | 2016 | 2016 |
| SmartVault | 2026 | 1 | 2026 | 2026 |
| TaxDome | 2023 | 1 | 2023 | 2023 |
QuickBooks Online has a documented list-price increase in each of the 6 years from 2021 to 2026.
The ten largest documented increases, by percentage
11 rows are shown because 2 tie for tenth place.
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2016 | Gusto | Single plan (before named tiers) base fee per month | $29 | $39 | +$10 (+34%) | VentureBeat trade press |
| Aug 1, 2023 | QuickBooks Online | Self-Employed per month per subscription (single-user plan) | $15 | $20 | +$5 (+33%) | Porte Brown review site |
| Feb 13, 2023 | TaxDome | Pro per user per year, 1-year plan | $600 | $800 | +$200 (+33%) | TaxDome vendor |
| Jul 15, 2021 | QuickBooks Online | Essentials per month per company | $40 | $50† | +$10 (+25%) | Accounting Today trade press |
| Aug 1, 2024 | QuickBooks Online | Self-Employed per month per subscription (single-user plan) | $20 | $25 | +$5 (+25%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Mar 4, 2024 | Xero | Cashbook per month per organization | $8 | $10 | +$2 (+25%) | Xero partner-update page vendor |
| Aug 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Aug 5, 2026 | QuickBooks Online | Advanced per month per company | $275 | $340 | +$65 (+24%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| May 24, 2021 as reported | Xero | Early per month per organization | $9‡ | $11§ | +$2 (+22%) | Reynolds CPA Firm review site |
| Aug 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Aug 5, 2026 | QuickBooks Online | Plus per month per company | $115 | $140 | +$25 (+22%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Jul 15, 2021 | QuickBooks Online | Advanced per month per company | $150 | $180† | +$30 (+20%) | Accounting Today trade press |
| Jul 1, 2022 | QuickBooks Online | Simple Start per month per company | $25‡ | $30† | +$5 (+20%) | The Progressive Accountant trade press |
2026
StackWatch documents 8 plan-level increases in 2026, from QuickBooks Online, SmartVault and Xero, ranging from +7.3% to +24% (median +13%).
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 first seen by StackWatch; the vendor states no effective date | SmartVault | Business Pro per user per month, monthly billing; 3-user minimum | $75 | $85 | +$10 (+13%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Oct 2, 2026 first seen by StackWatch; the vendor states no effective date | SmartVault | Business Pro per user per month, billed annually; 3-user minimum | $55 | $65 | +$10 (+18%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Oct 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Oct 3, 2026 | Xero | Growing per month per organization | $55 | $59 | +$4 (+7.3%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Oct 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Oct 3, 2026 | Xero | Established per month per organization | $90 | $97 | +$7 (+7.8%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Oct 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Oct 3, 2026 | Xero | Early per month per organization | $25 | $27 | +$2 (+8.0%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Aug 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Aug 5, 2026 | QuickBooks Online | Plus per month per company | $115 | $140 | +$25 (+22%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Aug 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Aug 5, 2026 | QuickBooks Online | Essentials per month per company | $75 | $85 | +$10 (+13%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Aug 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Aug 5, 2026 | QuickBooks Online | Advanced per month per company | $275 | $340 | +$65 (+24%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
2025
StackWatch documents 6 plan-level increases in 2025, from QuickBooks Online and Xero, ranging from +8.6% to +17% (median +16%).
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2025 | Xero | Growing per month per organization | $47‡ | $55 | +$8 (+17%) | Xero partner email template vendor |
| Oct 1, 2025 | Xero | Established per month per organization | $80‡ | $90 | +$10 (+13%) | Xero partner email template vendor |
| Jul 1, 2025 | QuickBooks Online | Simple Start per month per company | $35 | $38 | +$3 (+8.6%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Jul 1, 2025 | QuickBooks Online | Plus per month per company | $99 | $115 | +$16 (+16%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Jul 1, 2025 | QuickBooks Online | Essentials per month per company | $65 | $75 | +$10 (+15%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Jul 1, 2025 | QuickBooks Online | Advanced per month per company | $235 | $275 | +$40 (+17%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
2024
StackWatch documents 8 plan-level increases in 2024, from QuickBooks Online and Xero, ranging from +2.6% to +25% (median +14%).
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2024 | Xero | Growing per month per organization | $42 | $47 | +$5 (+12%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Oct 27, 2024 | Xero | Established per month per organization | $78 | $80 | +$2 (+2.6%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Aug 1, 2024 | QuickBooks Online | Simple Start per month per company | $30 | $35 | +$5 (+17%) | CDS CPA review site |
| Aug 1, 2024 | QuickBooks Online | Self-Employed per month per subscription (single-user plan) | $20 | $25 | +$5 (+25%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Aug 1, 2024 | QuickBooks Online | Plus per month per company | $90 | $99 | +$9 (+10%) | CDS CPA review site |
| Aug 1, 2024 | QuickBooks Online | Essentials per month per company | $60 | $65 | +$5 (+8.3%) | CDS CPA review site |
| Aug 1, 2024 | QuickBooks Online | Advanced per month per company | $200 | $235 | +$35 (+18%) | CDS CPA review site |
| Mar 4, 2024 | Xero | Cashbook per month per organization | $8 | $10 | +$2 (+25%) | Xero partner-update page vendor |
2023
StackWatch documents 5 plan-level increases in 2023, from QuickBooks Online, TaxDome and Xero, ranging from +5.9% to +33% (median +14%).
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2023 | QuickBooks Online | Self-Employed per month per subscription (single-user plan) | $15 | $20 | +$5 (+33%) | Porte Brown review site |
| Aug 1, 2023 | QuickBooks Online | Plus per month per company | $85 | $90 | +$5 (+5.9%) | Porte Brown review site |
| Aug 1, 2023 | QuickBooks Online | Essentials per month per company | $55 | $60 | +$5 (+9.1%) | Porte Brown review site |
| Mar 14, 2023 | Xero | Cashbook per month per organization | $7‡ | $8 | +$1 (+14%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Feb 13, 2023 | TaxDome | Pro per user per year, 1-year plan | $600 | $800 | +$200 (+33%) | TaxDome vendor |
2022
StackWatch documents 7 plan-level increases in 2022, from QuickBooks Online and Xero, ranging from +6.3% to +20% (median +8.8%).
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 14, 2022 | Xero | Growing per month per organization | $34‡ | $37 | +$3 (+8.8%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Nov 14, 2022 | Xero | Established per month per organization | $65‡ | $70 | +$5 (+7.7%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Nov 14, 2022 | Xero | Early per month per organization | $12‡ | $13 | +$1 (+8.3%) | Insightful Accountant trade press |
| Jul 18, 2022 | QuickBooks Online | Plus per month per company | $80‡ | $85 | +$5 (+6.3%) | The Progressive Accountant trade press |
| Jul 18, 2022 | QuickBooks Online | Advanced per month per company | $180 | $200 | +$20 (+11%) | The Progressive Accountant trade press |
| Jul 1, 2022 | QuickBooks Online | Simple Start per month per company | $25‡ | $30† | +$5 (+20%) | The Progressive Accountant trade press |
| Jul 1, 2022 | QuickBooks Online | Essentials per month per company | $50‡ | $55† | +$5 (+10%) | The Progressive Accountant trade press |
2021
StackWatch documents 6 plan-level increases in 2021, from QuickBooks Online and Xero, ranging from +3.3% to +25% (median +17%).
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2021 | QuickBooks Online | Plus per month per company | $70 | $80† | +$10 (+14%) | Accounting Today trade press |
| Jul 15, 2021 | QuickBooks Online | Essentials per month per company | $40 | $50† | +$10 (+25%) | Accounting Today trade press |
| Jul 15, 2021 | QuickBooks Online | Advanced per month per company | $150 | $180† | +$30 (+20%) | Accounting Today trade press |
| May 24, 2021 as reported | Xero | Growing per month per organization | $30‡ | $32§ | +$2 (+6.7%) | Reynolds CPA Firm review site |
| May 24, 2021 as reported | Xero | Established per month per organization | $60‡ | $62§ | +$2 (+3.3%) | Reynolds CPA Firm review site |
| May 24, 2021 as reported | Xero | Early per month per organization | $9‡ | $11§ | +$2 (+22%) | Reynolds CPA Firm review site |
Before 2021
Earlier documented changes are sparse, which says more about how little old pricing is published than about how often prices moved.
| Date | Vendor | Plan | Before | After | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2018 | Xero | Established (then called Premium) per month per organization | $70 | $60 | −$10 (−14%) | Enterprise Times trade press |
| Oct 1, 2016 | Gusto | Single plan (before named tiers) base fee per month | $29 | $39 | +$10 (+34%) | VentureBeat trade press |
Marks: † the source confirms the price and date but not the billing basis; § the cited page does not name a country or currency; ‡ The “before” figure is worked out, not stated: where the source states only the new price, the “before” figure is the previous verified price of the same plan and billing basis (less than 18 months earlier); where the source states the size of the increase (for example “increase by $1 per month to $13”) but not the old price, the “before” figure is the new price minus that increase, and an earlier step may exist that our records do not show. The method page explains the marks.
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Get free price alertsCommon questions
How often does QuickBooks Online raise its prices?
StackWatch documents a QuickBooks Online list-price increase in each year from 2021 to 2026: July 2021, July 2022, August 2023, August 2024, July 2025 and August 2026.
How many software price increases did StackWatch document in 2026?
StackWatch documents 8 plan-level list-price increases in 2026: QuickBooks Online (effective August 1), Xero (effective October 1) and SmartVault (first seen on its page October 2; SmartVault states no effective date).
Is this a complete list of price increases?
No. It is a floor. Vendors rarely publish old prices, and any figure that could not be confirmed against its source is left out.
What counts as one increase?
One plan’s price change on one date. A vendor announcement that changes three plans counts as three plan-level increases.