Pricing
Accounting software pricing in 2026: what 14 tools cost
US list prices for accounting, practice-management, payroll and tax tools, read from each vendor’s own pricing page.
This is a side-by-side view of what 14 tools used by accounting firms and their clients cost today, read from each vendor’s own pricing page. Each row links to a page with every plan, what it covers and what to check before quoting a price, and to the vendor’s documented price history.
Lowest and highest listed prices
| Vendor | Listed prices | Priced | Read on | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online Accounting software | $38 to $340 a month | Per company, per month | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| Xero (US) Accounting software | $27 to $97 a month | Per organization, per month | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| Karbon Practice management | $59 to $99 a month | Per user, per month | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| TaxDome Practice management | $800 to $1,200 a year | Per seat, per year (1-year commitment) | Oct 8, 2026 | History |
| Dext Documents and client collection | $25.21 to $31.50 a month | Per account, per month | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| SmartVault Documents and client collection | $65 to $110 a month | Per user, per month | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| BILL Bills and payments | $49 to $89 a month (plus a $0 plan) | Per user, per month (the $0 plan is per account) | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| Fathom Reporting | $59 to $805 a month | Per month, by number of companies | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| Gusto Payroll | $35 to $180 a month | Base fee plus per person, per month | Oct 8, 2026 | History |
| OnPay Payroll | $49 a month | Base fee plus per worker, per month | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| Lacerte Tax preparation | $813 a year | Per year, per return on top | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| ProSeries Tax preparation | $539 to $5,602 a year | Per year (tax-year licence) | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| Drake Tax Tax preparation | $299.99 to $3,145 a year | Per year (tax-year licence) | Oct 11, 2026 | History |
| CCH Axcess Tax preparation | $2,814 to $5,264 a year | Per year (package) | Oct 8, 2026 | — |
Ranges show the lowest and highest published price among the plans listed on each vendor’s page, so they are not like-for-like across vendors: each plan covers different things, and tax software is sold per tax year. Drake Tax and CCH Axcess pages show several price points per product, and the figures here are the lowest and highest of them. Prices exclude tax, promotions and add-ons. Plans with no public price are left out of the ranges.
Price increases in the last 12 months
| 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 (US) | Early per month per organization | $25 | $27 | +$2 (+8.0%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
| Oct 1, 2026 effective date per vendor; first seen Oct 3, 2026 | Xero (US) | 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 (US) | Growing per month per organization | $55 | $59 | +$4 (+7.3%) | 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 |
| 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 | Plus per month per company | $115 | $140 | +$25 (+22%) | StackWatch daily read first-party |
The full list is on the timeline of documented price increases.
Compare tools side by side
- QuickBooks Online vs Xero pricing (US, 2026)
- Karbon vs TaxDome pricing (2026)
- Gusto vs OnPay pricing (2026)
- Professional tax software pricing compared (2026)
Tools and calculators
- Price-increase cost calculator: what each increase costs a firm of your size
- Price history for every vendor
- Download the price data (CSV and JSON)
- Guides for accounting firms
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Get free price alertsCommon questions
How much does accounting software cost?
It depends on the kind of tool. As read on October 11, 2026: QuickBooks Online $38 to $340 a month per company; Xero $27 to $97 a month per organization; Karbon practice management $59 to $99 a month per user; Gusto payroll $35 to $180 a month (a base fee plus a per-person fee). Professional tax software is sold per tax year and ranges much more widely, so use the vendor pages.
Are these list prices or what customers actually pay?
List prices. Vendors often show a promotional price beside the list price, and StackWatch records the list price and treats a promotion as a promotion. Taxes, optional add-ons and per-transaction fees are excluded.
How often is this page updated?
StackWatch reads each vendor’s pricing page every day and rebuilds these pages when a price changes. The “Read on” column shows the date of the latest read for each vendor.