# DIY QuickBooks vs Lopifi: doing your own books, or not

> QuickBooks Online costs $38 to $340 a month and supports accrual. What doing your own books costs a founder, and when to hand them to Lopifi instead.

Source: https://lopifi.com/compare/diy-quickbooks
Part of: Lopifi — US GAAP books on autopilot, reviewed by a CPA (https://lopifi.com)

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Most founders start by doing the books themselves in QuickBooks Online. It is cheap and it works, until the hours or the stakes grow. Here is the honest trade.

**The short answer.** Doing 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

| Question | DIY QuickBooks | Lopifi |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You. QuickBooks Online is the software; the bookkeeping is yours to do. ([QuickBooks pricing](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/), checked 2026-10-17) | 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](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/), checked 2026-10-17) | 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](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/product-preferences/choose-cash-accrual-accounting-methods-reports/L64yocn6B_US_en_US), checked 2026-10-17) | 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](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/), checked 2026-10-17) | $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. Source: [QuickBooks pricing](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/), checked 2026-10-17.
- QuickBooks Online supports cash and accrual as a company default and per report; changing your tax accounting method needs IRS approval. Source: [QuickBooks help: cash or accrual](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/product-preferences/choose-cash-accrual-accounting-methods-reports/L64yocn6B_US_en_US), checked 2026-10-17.

## 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.