The short answerDoing your own books in QuickBooks Online is the cheapest option and a fine one while the books are small and nobody else relies on them. Lopifi keeps the same file and does the work: accrual, closed continuously, CPA reviewed, for $200 a month.
Side by side
DIY QuickBooks’s column says only what the cited source said on the date shown. Prices and plans change; follow the link before you decide.
| Question | DIY QuickBooks | Lopifi |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You. QuickBooks Online is the software; the bookkeeping is yours to do. QuickBooks pricing | AI agents categorize, reconcile and close as transactions happen. Anything that needs judgment waits for your sign-off. |
| Ledger | Your own QuickBooks Online file. QuickBooks pricing | Your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file, synced both ways. Set up for you if you have none. |
| Basis | Cash or accrual, as a setting. Accrual entries are still yours to book. QuickBooks help: cash or accrual | Accrual, US GAAP, with a lead schedule behind every balance and a monthly close you sign. |
| Price | $38–$340/mo for the software, plus your time. QuickBooks pricing | $200 a month, flat. Planned price; not open yet. |
The cost is the hours and the catch-up
The subscription is the small number. The large one is the founder's time each month, and the catch-up bill when a year of books has to be rebuilt before a round or an audit.
Lopifi does not ask you to leave QuickBooks Online. It takes over the work inside the file, closes it on US GAAP and has a CPA review it, which is the point at which DIY usually stops being worth it.
When DIY QuickBooks is the better choice
- You have a handful of transactions a month and enjoy reconciling them.
- Nobody outside the company relies on your statements yet.
- Cash is tight enough that the subscription is all you can spend.
When Lopifi is the better choice
- Your hours are worth more on the product than on reconciliations.
- An investor, lender or auditor is about to ask for accrual statements on US GAAP.
- You want to keep QuickBooks and stop being the bookkeeper. Lopifi works in the same file.
What we checked about DIY QuickBooks
QuickBooks Online lists Simple Start at $38 a month, Essentials at $85, Plus at $140 and Advanced at $340, with introductory discounts.
QuickBooks pricingChecked
QuickBooks Online supports cash and accrual as a company default and per report; changing your tax accounting method needs IRS approval.
Common questions
Can QuickBooks Online do accrual accounting?
Yes. QuickBooks Online supports accrual reporting as a company setting and per report. Accrual books still need someone to book the accruals, deferrals and schedules; the setting changes the report, not the work.
Can a founder do their own books in QuickBooks?
Often, for a while. With few transactions and a founder who reconciles every month, it works. It tends to break at the first investor request for GAAP statements, the first audit, or the month nobody had time to close.
Do I have to stop paying for QuickBooks to use Lopifi?
No. Lopifi works inside your QuickBooks Online or Xero file and syncs both ways. You keep the subscription; we keep the books.
Keep reading
- Founder guideBank reconciliation step by step
- Founder guideChart of accounts for startups: a starting template
- Founder guideWhy startups should close their books every month
- ComparisonBench alternative: Bench vs Lopifi
- ComparisonPilot vs Lopifi: startup bookkeeping compared
- ComparisonDigits vs Lopifi: AI ledger or kept books
Every statement about DIY QuickBooks links to where it was published; if one is out of date, write to hello@lopifi.com and we will correct it.