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Most buyers should pick Aplos.
Choose Aplos if your accounting needs center on fund balances, grant budgets and nonprofit reporting: Lite starts at $79/month for two users, with a listed three-month promotion. Choose QuickBooks Online if price or team access matters more—especially if your 501(c)(3) qualifies for TechSoup’s Plus option, listed with an $80 annual administrative fee for five users. QuickBooks Plus also includes class and location tracking and budget tracking. Its public homepage does not detail a nonprofit-specific accounting feature set.
01Side by side
| Aplos | QuickBooks Online for Nonprofits | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Lite $79/month; $39.50 for three months with code | Free plan; TechSoup Plus listed at $6.67/month equivalent |
| Free plan | No free plan; 15-day trial | Free plan; 1 user, 2 invoices monthly |
| Best for | Nonprofits needing fund accounting and grant-level budgets | Eligible 501(c)(3)s prioritizing lower-cost access |
| Core strength | Tracks restricted and unrestricted balances by fund | Plus includes class, location, and budget tracking |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Imports bank transactions and supports reconciliation | Free plan excludes third-party integrations |
| Team/seat costs | Lite/Core: 2 users each, $79/$129 monthly | Eligible TechSoup Plus: 5 users, $80 annual fee |
| Support | Not published | Not published |
Aplos Choose Aplos if
- Choose Aplos if fund-level accounting is central to your reporting.
- Choose Aplos if you need budgeting by fund or grant.
- Choose Aplos if bank reconciliation and nonprofit reporting belong together.
QuickBooks Online for Nonprofits Choose QuickBooks Online for Nonprofits if
- Choose QuickBooks Online for Nonprofits if your 501(c)(3) qualifies for TechSoup.
- Choose QuickBooks Online for Nonprofits if a free plan fits your invoicing needs.
- Choose QuickBooks Online for Nonprofits if you need Plus class and location tracking.
02Pricing compared
Aplos Lite is $79/month for two users; the pricing page lists a 50% promotion at $39.50/month for three months with code YEAREND26. Core is $129/month, or $64.50 during the same promotion. Advanced is $229/month for three users. Aplos lists a 15-day trial and no annual rate.
QuickBooks Online has a free plan, but it is limited to one user and two invoices per month. Its paid plans range from Simple Start at $38/month to Advanced at $340/month. Plus is $140/month and includes up to five users, class and location tracking, and budget tracking. Eligible 501(c)(3)s can get QuickBooks Online Plus through TechSoup with an $80 annual administrative fee and five users; payroll is excluded. Direct-plan annual prices are not published. The pricing page lists a 30-day trial.
03Features and depth
Aplos is the more clearly nonprofit-specific option in the published product information. It tracks restricted and unrestricted fund balances, connects transactions to funds, and offers reports that can be emailed or exported. Core adds basic budgeting and accounts payable and receivable; Advanced adds budgeting by fund or grant, plus dimensional budgeting and reporting. Aplos also lists bank reconciliation and compliance workflows, including Form 990 mapping.
QuickBooks Online’s nonprofit depth depends on the plan and route. The direct Plus plan lists class and location tracking and budget tracking. TechSoup offers Plus and Advanced subscriptions for eligible 501(c)(3)s, with five and 25 users respectively, but payroll is not included. Intuit’s public homepage features a nonprofit customer, but it does not describe a nonprofit-specific accounting feature set. If fund balances and grant budgets are central to your reporting, Aplos lays out those tools more explicitly. QuickBooks may fit if its listed tracking features meet your needs.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The published information does not establish which product is easier to learn, so we would not treat either as the clear usability winner. Plan limits do affect the setup decision: Aplos Lite and Core include two users, while Advanced includes three. QuickBooks ranges from one user on Simple Start to up to 25 on Advanced; its free plan has no accountant access, while paid plans list access for two or three accountants.
For a small nonprofit comparing entry plans, check how many staff need access and whether you need accountant access before switching. Aplos also offers bookkeeping services, but the published pricing information does not give their price.
Questions people ask
What is the best alternative to QuickBooks for small businesses?
It depends on what the business needs. Aplos is described as accounting software for nonprofits and faith-based organizations, with fund accounting and grant budgeting—not as a general small-business accounting product. For a nonprofit choosing between these options, compare Aplos’s fund tools with QuickBooks Online’s plan features and price.
Do I still need an accountant if I use QuickBooks?
The published information does not say that QuickBooks replaces an accountant. Its paid plans list access for two accountants, or three on Advanced; the free plan has no accountant access. Aplos also offers bookkeeping services, but pricing for those services is not published on the vendor's site.
Is it better to have QuickBooks Desktop or Online?
The published pricing and feature information covers QuickBooks Online, not QuickBooks Desktop, so it is not enough to compare the two or recommend one. For an Online plan, check user limits, accountant access, and whether you need Plus’s listed class, location, and budget tracking.
Is QuickBooks Online good for nonprofits?
It can be an option: QuickBooks Online Plus lists class and location tracking and budget tracking, and eligible 501(c)(3)s can access Plus or Advanced through TechSoup with an annual administrative fee. But Intuit’s public homepage does not detail a nonprofit-specific accounting feature set. Aplos lists fund accounting and grant budgeting directly.