Compare

Custom ERP or QuickBooks?

QuickBooks Online is good, low-cost accounting software for a small team. It is charged per company every month, each plan caps its users, and inventory, approvals and manufacturing sit in higher plans or in Intuit's US-only ERP. It has not been available in India since July 2023. A custom ERP runs the whole business, has no user fees, and is yours once paid.

Ask which fits you See it side by side

A custom ERP: from $3,000
Fee per user: none
The code: yours, once paid

Facts about QuickBooks checked on 3 November 2026, on QuickBooks's own website

QuickBooks fits if

You need accounts, invoicing and VAT for one company with a few users, and want to start today for a small monthly fee.

A custom ERP fits if

You run several companies or branches, hold stock or make things, need approvals, or work in India, and want a system built around you that you own.

How you pay for each

QuickBooks: You rent it, every month
To start: From $23 a month on Intuit's global plans, $38 in the US
Every month: The plan's fee, for each company, for as long as you use it
As you grow: A higher plan for more users, stock or approvals; a new subscription for each company
Making it fit your work: Custom fields, workflows on Advanced, and apps from other makers
If you stop paying: Read-only access for one year, then you must subscribe again to see your data

Custom ERP by Helmsman: You own it
To start: One agreed build price, from $3,000
Every month: Nothing; support, if you want it, at 15 to 20% of the build a year
As you grow: No user fees; new parts priced when you need them
Making it fit your work: That is the build itself
If you stop paying: The code and your data stay yours

Side by side

What matters QuickBooks Custom ERP by Helmsman

How it is delivered

Your business studied first With conditions: You set it up yourself, or with your accountant Strong: We map how work and money move, and agree it in writing before any screen

Who you work with With conditions: Intuit's support, plus your accountant or app makers Strong: One small senior team, first meeting to after go-live

Your old data moved and checked With conditions: Done by you or your accountant Strong: Stock and balances checked line by line before go-live

Going live Strong: Sign up and start today With conditions: First part in 6 to 10 weeks, the rest in dated stages

The software

Who owns it Not available: A monthly subscription Strong: You own the code once paid

Available in India Not available: Not since 1 July 2023 Strong: Built and supported from Ahmedabad

Users With conditions: 1, 3, 5 or 25, depending on the plan Strong: As many as you need, at no fee

Several companies With conditions: A separate subscription for each; consolidation is in Intuit's US-only ERP Strong: One system for all your companies

Stock With conditions: Plus and Advanced only, at FIFO or average cost Strong: Built around how you hold and move stock

Manufacturing and bills of materials With conditions: Not in QuickBooks Online; in QuickBooks Desktop, and one level deep in Intuit Enterprise Suite (US) Strong: Built around your production routes

Approvals With conditions: Advanced plan only Strong: Built to your rules

Accounts and invoicing Strong: Its strength Strong: Built into your system

Lowest cost to start Strong: $23 a month With conditions: From $3,000

Why choose Helmsman over QuickBooks

The code is yours: Source code, database and documents, once paid. No licence that ends.
No fee per user: Add people, branches and companies without a bill that grows with them.
Built around how you work: Your rules and approvals, in the system, not in workarounds.
A fixed price, in writing: From $3,000 for a single module, agreed before work starts.
Live in weeks, paid in parts: The first part live in 6 to 10 weeks; bigger systems paid one part at a time.
One senior team: The people who study your business build it and support it.

Moving from QuickBooks?

Master data, opening balances, stock and open bills are moved from QuickBooks and checked line by line before go-live, and both systems run side by side until the numbers agree.

Data migration and legacy modernisation

Is QuickBooks still available in India?

No. Intuit's own India page says new sign-ups ended in July 2022 and there has been no access to QuickBooks in India since 1 July 2023.

Indian businesses that used it now choose between Tally and other accounting products, ready-made ERPs such as Odoo, or a custom ERP.

Source: QuickBooks in India, QuickBooks global prices

Is QuickBooks an ERP?

No. QuickBooks Online is accounting software. Intuit sells its ERP separately, as Intuit Enterprise Suite, which it describes as available in the US.

Intuit's own list of signs you have outgrown QuickBooks includes a month-end stretched by manual consolidation, manual entries between companies, and approvals that cannot span your companies.

Source: Intuit Enterprise Suite, Intuit Enterprise Suite in the US, When to move from QuickBooks (Intuit)

What does QuickBooks cost?

Every plan is charged per company, per month. The plan decides how many people can use it and what it can do.

Simple Start, 1 user: $23 global · $38 US
Essentials, 3 users: $34 global · $85 US
Plus, 5 users, with stock: $53 global · $140 US
Advanced, 25 users, with approvals: $98 global · $340 US
Each further company: Its own subscription

Intuit's list prices a month, before tax, checked on 3 November 2026. Global prices are the plans Intuit sells in the UAE and in many countries without a QuickBooks site of their own, billed in US dollars. Introductory discounts are left out.

Source: QuickBooks global prices, QuickBooks UAE prices, QuickBooks US prices

How many users can QuickBooks Online have?

1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus and 25 on Advanced. Over the limit, Intuit asks you to upgrade or remove users. Simple Start, Essentials and Plus also cap the chart of accounts at 250 accounts.

Source: Usage limits in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks for stock and manufacturing: what it can and can't do

Stock, purchase orders and sales orders come with Plus and Advanced, costed by FIFO or moving average, a choice that cannot be changed later.

Manufacturing orders and bills of materials are not in QuickBooks Online. Intuit offers them in Intuit Enterprise Suite, in the US, where bills of materials with sub-assemblies are not supported; QuickBooks Desktop also has bills of materials.

Source: Inventory costing, Manufacturing orders and assemblies, QuickBooks US prices

Can QuickBooks run several companies or branches?

Each company needs its own paid subscription, and its data stays separate. Plus allows 40 classes and locations combined; Advanced has no limit. Consolidation and entries between companies are in Intuit Enterprise Suite.

Source: Adding another company, Usage limits in QuickBooks Online, Intuit Enterprise Suite

Did QuickBooks raise its prices?

Yes, in the US. Intuit says Essentials, Plus and Advanced prices change for renewals on or after 1 August 2026, to fund its QuickBooks platform. Simple Start stayed the same.

Source: QuickBooks price changes

What happens to your data if you stop paying for QuickBooks?

You keep read-only access for one year. After that, Intuit says you must subscribe again to see your data, so export your reports and lists before you cancel.

Source: Cancelling QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks or a custom ERP: which fits?

Choose QuickBooks when you need accounts, invoicing and VAT for one company with a few users, outside India.

Choose a custom ERP when you run several companies or branches, hold stock or make things, need approvals, or work in India, and want one system you own instead of a plan you keep upgrading.

Custom ERP or QuickBooks: questions, answered.

What is the best QuickBooks alternative in India?

For accounts and GST, Tally is a common choice. If you also need stock across branches, production or approvals, compare a ready-made ERP such as Odoo with a custom ERP built around your work; a custom module starts at $3,000.

Is QuickBooks enough for a growing business?

For accounts with a few users, yes. Intuit itself lists signs you have outgrown it, such as manual consolidation, manual entries between companies and approvals that cannot span your companies.

Does QuickBooks work in the UAE?

Yes. QuickBooks has a UAE site, tracks VAT and VAT returns, and bills its plans in US dollars.

Can a custom ERP work alongside QuickBooks?

Yes. The ERP can run stock, production and branches and send invoices to your accounts software, the way we connect an ERP to Tally for a manufacturer.

Why choose a custom ERP over QuickBooks?

When you have outgrown accounting software: several companies, real stock, production or approvals. We study how you work, build it in dated stages, and the code is yours once paid, with no fee per user.

Sources

Every fact about QuickBooks on this page comes from QuickBooks's own website, checked on 3 November 2026. Prices change; the links below show today's.

Also compare: Custom ERP vs Tally Custom ERP vs Zoho Custom ERP vs Odoo Custom ERP vs SAP Business One Custom ERP vs NetSuite · Custom or ready-made software: how to decide · Your ERP, your code · Pricing