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Software · head to head

BlackLine vs QuickBooks

BlackLine logo

BlackLine

Software

Finance & accounting automation

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuickBooks logo

QuickBooks

Software

Smart, simple online accounting software for small business

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BlackLine listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document; QuickBooks chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • They diverge on capability: BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BlackLine and QuickBooks actually diverge.

Attributes where BlackLine and QuickBooks differ
AttributeBlackLineQuickBooks
Starting price$29/month$30/month
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20011983

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BlackLine

  • Account reconciliation
  • Journal entries
  • Task management
  • Variance analysis
  • Financial close
  • SAP
  • Oracle
  • NetSuite

Only in QuickBooks

  • Income & expense tracking
  • Invoicing
  • Payment processing
  • Financial reporting
  • Tax preparation
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Bill management
  • Mobile apps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BlackLine

  • Financial closenot QuickBooks
  • Reconciliationnot QuickBooks
  • Continuous accountingnot QuickBooks

QuickBooks

  • Bookkeepingnot BlackLine
  • Invoicingnot BlackLine
  • Expense trackingnot BlackLine
  • Financial reportingnot BlackLine
  • Tax preparationnot BlackLine

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BlackLine

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud 13 at £1,150 to £2,160 per user per year for the public sector, with no free trial offered, per BlackLine's Finance Operations Management Solution pricing document

QuickBooks

  • Chart of Accounts is capped on every QuickBooks Online tier except Advanced; Simple Start, Essentials and Plus all have a limited entry count
  • Even the top Advanced tier caps bulk invoice uploads at 1,000 transaction lines per batch
  • Payroll is a separate paid add-on billed per employee per month (USD 6 to 10 depending on plan) on top of the base subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

BlackLine

$29/month
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Account reconciliation
    • Task management

QuickBooks

$30/month
  • Simple Start$30/month
    • Income & expense tracking
    • Invoice & payments
    • Tax deductions
  • Essentials$60/month
    • Everything in Simple Start
    • Bill management
    • Time tracking
  • Plus$90/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Inventory tracking
    • Project profitability
  • Advanced$200/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Dedicated account team
    • 25 users

Which should you pick?

Choose BlackLine if

  • You need account reconciliation.
  • You also want journal entries.
BlackLine review

Choose QuickBooks if

  • You need income & expense tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want invoicing.
QuickBooks review

Questions people ask

Is BlackLine or QuickBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. BlackLine starts at $29/month and QuickBooks at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BlackLine or QuickBooks?
BlackLine starts at $29/month and QuickBooks at $30/month.
Does BlackLine or QuickBooks run on more platforms?
BlackLine runs on Web. QuickBooks runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What is BlackLine best used for?
BlackLine is most often used for financial close, reconciliation, continuous accounting. Of those, financial close and reconciliation are not what QuickBooks is typically brought in for.
What can BlackLine do that QuickBooks cannot?
BlackLine covers Account reconciliation, Journal entries, Task management, Variance analysis. QuickBooks covers Income & expense tracking, Invoicing, Payment processing, Financial reporting.
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