QuickBooks Online Review: A Global Player With a Traditional Touch

If there’s one accounting brand almost every business owner has heard of, it’s QuickBooks. In the UK, QuickBooks Online (QBO) is a major alternative to Xero — and for some businesses, it’s the better choice.

What QBO does well

QuickBooks stands out for a few reasons:

• It offers a traditional, full bank reconciliation. This means you can tick off transactions line by line, just like in old-school accounting systems, and lock them down without rewriting history.

• You can use that same reconciliation process for other balance sheet accounts too — like loans or credit cards.

• Its reporting is strong and customisable, which is a big plus for business owners who like to dive into the detail.

• Its VAT tools are solid, helping avoid errors and making MTD submissions straightforward.

Things to be aware of

• The interface is a little less slick than Xero’s, so some business owners find it less intuitive at first.

• The UK ecosystem of apps and add-ons is smaller than Xero’s, though that gap is narrowing.

Who QBO is best for

QBO is a great fit if you value control, audit trail, and detailed reporting. It’s especially attractive to businesses that want robust reconciliations and confidence that historic reports won’t change if something is amended.

As a QuickBooks Partner, I can help you set it up to suit your business — whether you want the basics done, or detailed reports you can rely on month after month.