Last updated: July 2026 · Prices and features verified quarterly. Always confirm current details on the QuickBooks site before you subscribe.
QuickBooks Solopreneur at $20 per month is the right pick for a freelancer whose biggest worry is taxes. It sorts business from personal spending, tracks mileage by GPS, estimates your quarterly federal taxes, and maps expenses to Schedule C. It is not full accounting software, though. If you need a balance sheet, contractor 1099s, or double-entry books, step up to QuickBooks Online Simple Start at $38.
QuickBooks Solopreneur is the product Intuit built to replace QuickBooks Self-Employed. It is aimed squarely at one-person businesses that file a Schedule C. The pitch is simple: keep your taxes tidy without learning accounting. For a lot of freelancers, that is exactly the right amount of software.
But Solopreneur sits between two other QuickBooks products, and the name does not tell you where the lines fall. This guide compares Solopreneur against the older Self-Employed plan it replaced and against QuickBooks Online Simple Start, the tier most people upgrade to next. You will see a side-by-side table, an honest look at the features and the limits, the fees to expect, and a clear rule for whether Solopreneur is enough or you should pay for more.
QuickBooks Solopreneur compared at a glance
Here is how Solopreneur lines up against the plan it replaced and the plan above it. The gap that matters most is accounting depth: Solopreneur uses single-entry tracking, while Simple Start is full double-entry software.
| Product | Price | Accounting type | Standout strength | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Employed | Closed to new users | Single-entry | Basic tax tracking | Existing subscribers only |
| Solopreneur | $20/mo | Single-entry | Schedule C tax tools | Freelancers focused on taxes |
| Simple Start | $38/mo | Double-entry | Full reports & 1099s | Growing solo businesses |
How we assessed it
We looked at Solopreneur through a freelancer’s eyes, not an accountant’s. The first test was tax. A tool aimed at the self-employed lives or dies on how well it handles quarterly estimates and Schedule C. The second test was honesty about limits, because the whole point of a lean product is knowing what it leaves out.
We then weighed the real cost, the upgrade path, and how the product compares to the tier above it. A cheap plan is a false economy if you outgrow it in three months and have to rebuild your books elsewhere. Below, each product gets its own heading, its real numbers, and a plain note on who it fits.
QuickBooks Solopreneur
Best for freelancers who dread tax season. Solopreneur costs $20 per month, often with fifty percent off for the first three months and a 30-day free trial. Its whole reason to exist is tax. It connects to your bank, then automatically separates business spending from personal, so your deductions are ready when you file. Mileage logs itself through the phone’s GPS.
The tax tools are the draw. Solopreneur estimates your quarterly federal taxes as income arrives, which turns a scary unknown into a running number. It maps expenses to the right Schedule C category and flows into TurboTax at filing time, with a books-to-tax handoff through QuickBooks Live Tax. You also get branded invoices, estimates, sales tax calculation, goal tracking, and card, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and ACH payments.
What it is not is full accounting software. Solopreneur uses single-entry tracking, so there is no balance sheet, no customizable chart of accounts, and no accounts payable or receivable. It supports one user and does not track 1099 contractors. For a solo earner who just wants clean taxes, that trim feature set is a feature in itself.
See QuickBooks Solopreneur →Skip it if: you need real financial statements, pay contractors, or plan to hire. Those needs point you to Simple Start.
QuickBooks Self-Employed
The plan Solopreneur replaced. QuickBooks Self-Employed was Intuit’s original tool for freelancers, and Solopreneur is its successor. Intuit no longer sells Self-Employed to new customers. If you are shopping today, this plan is not an option, so it matters mainly for people already on it.
Solopreneur improves on Self-Employed in a few clear ways. It adds customizable estimates, which Self-Employed lacked, and a smoother books-to-tax experience rather than a plain TurboTax export. It broadens payment options to include PayPal and Venmo, sorts business and personal expenses automatically, and connects to QuickBooks Checking. In short, Solopreneur is the same idea with sharper tools.
If you are an existing Self-Employed subscriber, you can keep your current plan or move up to Solopreneur, and Intuit offers an automatic migration. Given that Solopreneur costs the same and does more, most current users have little reason to stay behind. New users can ignore Self-Employed entirely.
Move to Solopreneur →Skip it if: you are a new customer. It is closed to sign-ups, so Solopreneur is the current equivalent.
QuickBooks Online Simple Start
The upgrade when Solopreneur runs out of room. Simple Start is the entry tier of QuickBooks Online proper, and it costs $38 per month. The jump buys real accounting. Where Solopreneur tracks income and expenses, Simple Start runs full double-entry books and produces a balance sheet and cash-flow report alongside your profit and loss.
That depth unlocks the features a growing freelancer starts to need. Simple Start adds a customizable chart of accounts, bill and vendor management, 1099 contractor tracking, automated sales tax, and accountant access so a bookkeeper can log in. It is still a one-user plan, but it behaves like a business system rather than a tax helper.
The catch is that there is no direct migration path from Solopreneur to Simple Start, so moving later means some rebuilding. If you expect to need real reports or contractor payments within six to twelve months, starting on Simple Start can save you that hassle. If taxes are your only real need, the extra $18 a month is money you do not have to spend yet.
Compare Simple Start →Skip it if: your only goal is tidy taxes. Solopreneur does that for almost half the price.
Solopreneur vs Simple Start: the features that decide it
Most of the choice comes down to a short list of capabilities. Solopreneur covers the tax basics, while Simple Start adds the accounting a real business eventually needs. The table below shows where the line falls, so you can match it to your own situation.
| Feature | Solopreneur ($20) | Simple Start ($38) |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly tax estimates | Yes | Not the focus |
| Schedule C mapping | Yes | Via categories |
| Double-entry & balance sheet | No | Yes |
| Chart of accounts | Fixed categories | Customizable |
| 1099 contractor tracking | No | Yes |
| Accountant access | Limited | Yes |
Read that table as a growth line. As long as your business is just you, a handful of clients, and a Schedule C, Solopreneur covers it. The moment you add vendors to pay, contractors to file 1099s for, or an accountant who wants proper books, you have crossed into Simple Start territory. Knowing your own trajectory is the whole decision.
Price is the other half of the trade. Solopreneur is roughly half the cost of Simple Start, and for a freelancer counting every subscription, that difference adds up across a year. The question is not which product has more features, because Simple Start always will. The question is whether you will actually use the extra depth, or pay for reports you never open. Most solo earners land on the cheaper answer for good reason.
The fees and limits to know first
The $20 subscription is not your only cost, and the product’s limits are as important as its price. Understanding both before you sign up keeps the choice from souring later. Solopreneur is deliberately narrow, and that narrowness is the trade for its low price.
On payments, QuickBooks charges processing fees when clients pay you by card or bank transfer, and those rates vary by method and change over time, so check the current schedule. On limits, remember the hard edges: one user, single-entry only, no balance sheet, no accounts payable, and no contractor 1099s. There is also no direct upgrade path into QuickBooks Online, so a future move means re-entering some history. None of that is a dealbreaker for a solo freelancer, but it should shape your decision going in. Before you commit, it helps to know how much of your income belongs to taxes and how much cash to keep in reserve.
Know your tax number before you subscribe
Solopreneur estimates your quarterly taxes, but it helps to sanity-check the figure yourself and plan your cash around it. Our free calculators do that math in seconds, so you subscribe with your real numbers in hand.
Open the free calculators →Who should use QuickBooks Solopreneur?
Solopreneur fits one type of person very well. If you are a freelancer, consultant, contractor, or gig worker who files a Schedule C and wants tax season to stop being stressful, this is the tool. It hides the accounting and hands you sorted expenses, tracked mileage, and a running tax estimate. That is most of what a solo earner actually needs.
You should look past it in two situations. First, if you already run a more complex business, with vendors to pay, contractors to file for, or a need for formal financial statements, Simple Start is the honest starting point. Second, if invoicing and client work matter more to you than tax mechanics, a service-focused tool may suit you better. Our guide to the best accounting software for freelancers compares QuickBooks against Wave, Xero, Zoho Books, and FreshBooks, and our FreshBooks plans comparison is worth a look if invoicing is your priority.
When you are genuinely unsure, start with Solopreneur and watch for the signs you have outgrown it. A request from an accountant for a balance sheet, a new contractor you need to pay, or a second revenue stream you want tracked separately are all cues to move up. It is easy to justify $20 a month for peace of mind at tax time, and just as easy to upgrade once the work demands it.
Conclusion
QuickBooks Solopreneur is a focused tool that does one job well. For $20 a month, it turns the messiest part of freelancing, the taxes, into a background task. It sorts your spending, tracks your miles, estimates your quarterly bill, and lines everything up for Schedule C. As the successor to Self-Employed, it does more for the same money, so existing users have every reason to move over.
Just be clear-eyed about what it is not. Solopreneur is not full accounting software, and it will not grow with a business that adds vendors, contractors, or a need for real financial statements. When those needs arrive, QuickBooks Online Simple Start is the natural next step at $38. Match the tool to your stage, run your tax and cash-flow numbers first, and pay only for the depth you actually use. That keeps QuickBooks a help at tax time, not a subscription you resent.
Frequently asked questions
How much does QuickBooks Solopreneur cost?
It costs $20 per month, often with 50% off for the first three months and a 30-day free trial. Payment processing fees apply separately when clients pay by card or bank transfer.
Is QuickBooks Solopreneur the same as Self-Employed?
Solopreneur is the successor to QuickBooks Self-Employed and does more for the same price. Self-Employed is no longer sold to new customers.
Does QuickBooks Solopreneur do double-entry accounting?
No. It uses single-entry tracking with no balance sheet, so you need QuickBooks Online Simple Start for full double-entry books.
When should I upgrade from Solopreneur to Simple Start?
Upgrade when you need financial statements, pay contractors, or add revenue streams to track. There is no direct migration, so plan the move around a clean date.
Prices, plans, and features change often. This page is reviewed quarterly and was last verified in July 2026. Confirm current details with QuickBooks before subscribing. Freelance Treasury is not an accountant and does not provide tax or financial advice.