SoloDesks vs QuickBooks, for a sole trader

These two are not the same kind of tool, and the comparison is only useful once that is said out loud. QuickBooks is accounting software: bank feeds, receipt capture, Self Assessment and Making Tax Digital submissions, with invoicing attached. SoloDesks is the job side: quote at the door, turn it into an invoice without retyping, chase it when it goes quiet. If your problem is the tax return, QuickBooks is the answer and we are not. If your problem is the two hours on a Sunday turning a scribbled price into a professional quote, that is ours.

Free plan, no card needed. £12/month for unlimited when you want it.

SoloDesks vs QuickBooks, side by side

QuickBooks's plans

QuickBooks is accounting software built around bookkeeping and Self Assessment, with invoicing attached. For reference, here is what QuickBooks publishes, next to SoloDesks's flat £12/month.

All QuickBooks figures exclude VAT at 20%, so £10 is £12 paid. A 50% discount for the first six months was running when we checked, which means the price you first see is not the price you settle at. SoloDesks Pro is £12 a month. On price alone these two land in the same place, which is exactly why price is the wrong question here: they buy different things.

Questions people ask

Can SoloDesks replace QuickBooks?

Not for accounting. SoloDesks does not do bookkeeping, bank feeds, Self Assessment or Making Tax Digital submissions, and if MTD for Income Tax applies to you then you need an HMRC recognised package and we are not one. What SoloDesks replaces is the quoting and invoicing side: building an itemised quote on site, turning it into an invoice without retyping, and chasing it when it goes quiet.

Is SoloDesks cheaper than QuickBooks?

Barely, and it is the wrong reason to switch. QuickBooks Sole Trader Plus is £10 a month plus VAT, which is £12 paid; SoloDesks Pro is £12 flat. The difference is what the money buys, not how much of it there is. Pick on which job you need done.

Should I use both?

For a lot of sole traders that is the honest answer. Accounting software for the books and the tax return, SoloDesks for quoting, invoicing and chasing payment. We would rather say that than pretend one tool does both jobs well.