Intuit owns Quickbooks and they are really putting the screws to their desktop software users. They want their desktop software gone, but they won’t simply kill it. Instead, they are charging more and more for it, each year. I’d say it’s similar to them raising the temperature of a hot tub until you get out, instead of just draining the water. Here’s more info on Quickbooks Desktop price hikes:
A Little History
I think it was in 2023 when Quickbooks Desktop software moved to the subscription-model. That’s where users are roped into paying each year for the software. Earlier editions of Quickbooks were sold under a one-time fee, unless you also required payroll services. If you are somehow still using a old-model (pre-2023) of Quickbooks software, avoid upgrades and stick with it for as long as you can!
Before 2023, a basic Quickbooks software package might’ve cost you $250. In 2023, it jumped to $549. 2024 was around $649, 2025 inflated to $999. And this year, I am hearing that individual Quickbooks Desktop software starts at $1149.
And the 2026 price is for the Quickbooks Desktop 2024 software. They stopped development on it 2 years ago. No improvements or upgrades, the software will also receive no future changes.
Marketing Strategy
Intuit really wants their customers to switch to Quickbooks Online. And there are some benefits to that.
- There’s no bulky software to download, install, update and maintain.
- It works immediately through most major browsers.
- Your data is automagically backed up in the cloud.
- You may move from one computer to another and still access your Quickbooks with ease.
But QBO customer adoption has been less than stellar. The initial pricing was (is) steep, and some people reported to me that they were uncomfortable with the redesign. Others complained that functionality was missing or broken, and that they had to return to the desktop product. I am not a Quickbooks user, so I can only share some hearsay on this.
But Intuit’s marketing strategy doesn’t focus on user comfort. They want your data in their hands, and they want to decrease their developer workload. That means no new editions of all these various spaghetti-code versions of desktop software, reduced support and bug fixes for the software and increasing pressure for you to switch and upload your finances to their website.
But they don’t want (too much) bad PR over this. They don’t want it to look like they stole your data or coerced you into complying with the new model. By tightening the pricing screws each year, they still have the appearance of giving you a choice, even though it’s clear: They want you as a QBO customer or they want you gone. It’s similar to Shentel charging for their formerly-free email service. Some may see it as a Hobson’s Choice.
Your Options
I don’t know that any of these are going to be a perfect fit, but consider:
- You can pay the shylock’s fee of $1149+ and stick with your desktop software. But please anticipate another hefty hike next year. Expect Intuit to repeat this annually until they devise an artificial reason why they are “forced” to retire their desktop software. If they ever fully nix Quickbooks Desktop, their stated reasons may make as much sense as when they told us Turbotax will no longer run on Windows 10.
- You can switch to Quickbooks Online. But many have concerns about what exactly Intuit is doing with your financial data. Certainly they are protecting it well! But they are probably also training their AI on it. And using it for various marketing purposes. In a word: Ew.
- You can explore purchasing a new license for your Quickbooks desktop software elsewhere (Amazon or other online vendors), but that is increasingly risky. You might save money that way, but you might also live to regret it, if the license stops working suddenly due to piracy!
- You can explore Quicken Classic software (also made by Intuit), to see if your finances are simple and personal enough to work there. This may require you calling in to Intuit and talking with a support rep, because not all finances can be managed in Quicken.
- You might switch to another financial software. But here, I have no amazing recommendations. I can mention other names, like Sage, Xero, Wave, Freshbook… but most of them are also moving to the cloud. Desktop accounting software is being left behind.
- You can learn to use Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc, and make your own spreadsheets for financial ledgers.
- You may return to good ol’ paper and pencil…