Softwr

Proposals · head to head

Indy vs QuickBooks

Indy logo

Indy

Proposals

Freelance workflow suite covering proposals, contracts, invoices and time tracking with a usable free tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuickBooks logo

QuickBooks

Accounting

Cloud accounting from Intuit with country specific editions, seat caps by plan and payroll charged separately

From
$30/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Indy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Indy the free tier caps documents per month, and an active freelancer passes those caps quickly enough that the free plan is a trial in practice rather than a permanent option.; QuickBooks plans cap the number of billed users, so an approver who signs off bills and a manager who only reads reports each consume a seat and can force an upgrade to a higher tier for reasons that have nothing to do with accounting complexity.
  • They diverge on capability: Indy covers Contract library, QuickBooks covers General ledger.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Indy and QuickBooks actually diverge.

Attributes where Indy and QuickBooks differ
AttributeIndyQuickBooks
Starting priceFree$30/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryProposalsAccounting
FoundedUnknown1983

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Indy

  • Contract library
  • Proposals
  • Invoicing
  • Task and calendar
  • Client portal
  • Free tier

Only in QuickBooks

  • General ledger
  • Bank feeds
  • Reconciliation
  • Sales invoicing
  • Bills and expenses
  • Sales tax and value added tax
  • Multi currency
  • Inventory

Both cover

  • Time tracking

What people use each for

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

Indy

  • A new freelancer who needs a real signed contract before there is revenue to fund a subscriptionnot QuickBooks
  • Testing whether an all in one freelance bundle suits your workflow before committing money to onenot QuickBooks
  • Part time or side project freelancing with low monthly document volume that stays inside the free capsnot QuickBooks
  • Replacing an unsigned emailed quote with a proposal that converts into a contract and an invoicenot QuickBooks

QuickBooks

  • A small business whose accountant works in QuickBooks and can take a free access seat rather than being sent exportsnot Indy
  • An owner who wants to be able to replace their bookkeeper without also replacing the accounting systemnot Indy
  • A service business needing project level profitability without buying a separate job costing toolnot Indy
  • A company that wants a large third party app ecosystem to fill gaps rather than a system that must do everything itselfnot Indy

Where each one falls short

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

Indy

  • The free tier caps documents per month, and an active freelancer passes those caps quickly enough that the free plan is a trial in practice rather than a permanent option.
  • Project management and task tracking are shallow, so anyone running several concurrent projects will keep a separate tool and lose the single system benefit.
  • Reporting on income, utilisation and profitability is thin next to a dedicated accounting or time tracking product.
  • Payments are processed by a third party gateway, so the card fee applies on top of the subscription and materially changes the cost per invoice on small jobs.
  • As with every bundle, leaving means separating proposals, contracts, time and invoices out of one export, which is harder than replacing a single purpose tool.

QuickBooks

  • Plans cap the number of billed users, so an approver who signs off bills and a manager who only reads reports each consume a seat and can force an upgrade to a higher tier for reasons that have nothing to do with accounting complexity.
  • Multi currency is confined to the higher tiers and, once enabled, cannot be turned off and the home currency cannot be changed, so a single foreign currency invoice permanently changes the shape of the file and the plan you must remain on.
  • Inventory is average cost only, with no first in first out or standard costing, so a business whose accounts or tax position depend on a different costing method has to track stock outside the ledger and post adjustments.
  • There is no multi entity consolidation, so a group runs a separate subscription and file per company and consolidates in a spreadsheet, and the cost and the manual consolidation both grow with each new entity.
  • The country edition is selected at setup and cannot be changed afterwards, and the editions differ in tax handling and features, so a business that redomiciles or discovers it chose the global edition rather than a localised one starts a new file rather than switching a setting.

Pricing, plan by plan

Indy

Free
  • Indy$undefined/year
    • Free tier with monthly document limits
    • Proposals, contracts and invoices
    • Time tracking and tasks

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 Indy if

  • You need contract library.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want proposals.
Indy review

Choose QuickBooks if

  • You need general ledger.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want bank feeds.
QuickBooks review

Questions people ask

Is Indy or QuickBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. Indy starts at Free and QuickBooks at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Indy or QuickBooks?
Indy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Indy and $30/month for QuickBooks.
Does Indy or QuickBooks run on more platforms?
Indy runs on Web, iOS, Android. QuickBooks runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Indy for free?
Yes. Indy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. QuickBooks starts at $30/month.
What is Indy best used for?
Indy is most often used for a new freelancer who needs a real signed contract before there is revenue to fund a subscription, testing whether an all in one freelance bundle suits your workflow before committing money to one, part time or side project freelancing with low monthly document volume that stays inside the free caps, replacing an unsigned emailed quote with a proposal that converts into a contract and an invoice. Of those, a new freelancer who needs a real signed contract before there is revenue to fund a subscription and testing whether an all in one freelance bundle suits your workflow before committing money to one are not what QuickBooks is typically brought in for.
What can Indy do that QuickBooks cannot?
Indy covers Contract library, Proposals, Invoicing, Task and calendar. QuickBooks covers General ledger, Bank feeds, Reconciliation, Sales invoicing. Both handle Time tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Indy: Is the free tier actually usable?

Yes, for real signed contracts and invoices, but it caps documents per month and active freelancers hit that fairly quickly.

QuickBooks: Which country editions actually exist?

Intuit sells localised editions principally for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, with a global edition for other markets that has lighter tax localisation. Check that your country has a genuine localised edition before assuming filing support, and note the edition cannot be changed after setup.

Indy: Does it take a percentage of invoices?

The payment gateway charges its standard card fee. That is separate from the subscription and should be modelled per invoice.

QuickBooks: Does the subscription include payroll?

No. Payroll is a separate subscription with a per employee charge in every market that offers it. Price it alongside the plan rather than after you have committed.

Indy: Can it manage several concurrent projects?

Only lightly. The task and project features are the weakest part of the product.

QuickBooks: How many users do I get?

It depends on the tier, and the limits are lower than most buyers expect. Accountant access seats are free and separate, but internal approvers and read only reviewers count against the billed limit, so count everyone who needs to sign in before choosing a plan.

Indy: Are the contracts legally sound?

They are standard freelance templates with editable clauses. They are a starting point, not legal advice for your jurisdiction.

QuickBooks: Can my accountant work directly in my file?

Yes, that is one of its main advantages. Accountants use a separate practice console and take a free access seat in your company, which is also why so many practices standardise on it.

Indy: Who is it wrong for?

Agencies, anyone with subcontractors, and freelancers who need real project management or detailed profitability reporting.

QuickBooks: Is QuickBooks Desktop still available?

The desktop line persists in the United States for larger installations, but Intuit stopped selling new subscriptions of the smaller desktop products to new customers and the investment is in the online product. Treat desktop as a legacy path rather than a choice for a new business.

QuickBooks: How hard is it to migrate to or from QuickBooks?

Getting in from another system is well trodden and there are tools and specialists for it, though transaction history usually arrives partially rather than completely. Getting out is the harder direction, because your accountant's working knowledge, your app integrations and years of coded history all have to be reproduced. Most businesses move at a year end for that reason.

QuickBooks: Can it consolidate multiple companies?

No. Each legal entity needs its own subscription and file, and the consolidation happens outside the system. Groups with several entities should price that reality in from the start.

Share

Related pages

More on Indy

More on QuickBooks

Keep looking

Other head to heads