Question 1

Why switch from QuickBooks Online UK to HelloBooks?

Accepted Answer

Three reasons UK customers cite most: 1) QuickBooks per-user pricing — after the January 2026 hike, Simple Start is 1 user at £16/month, Essentials 3 users at £38, Plus 5 users at £56, Advanced £123 (checked 30 September 2026). HelloBooks Pro at £14.99/month includes unlimited users, no per-seat surcharge. 2) AI categorisation on HelloBooks runs at 95%+ accuracy on every plan, with AI bundled in Pro so it never costs extra; QuickBooks bundles only a basic assistant and reserves its deeper AI for the higher, pricier tiers. 3) CIS is built in on HelloBooks, with the CIS300 monthly return filed direct to HMRC; PAYE / RTI payroll is coming soon. QuickBooks Payroll is a separate £5 + £2/employee add-on.

Question 2

How does the QuickBooks UK to HelloBooks migration work?

Accepted Answer

Export from QuickBooks Online UK (Gear → Export Data) producing a .QBO bundle plus CSVs. Upload to the HelloBooks migration tool. Chart of accounts (UK nominal structure), customers, suppliers, products with VAT codes, opening balances, and historic transactions cross over. The mapping screen lets you adjust QuickBooks account names to your HelloBooks chart before commit. Most UK SMBs complete in under 90 minutes.

Question 3

Will my CIS, PAYE, and Self Assessment workflows survive the move?

Accepted Answer

CIS, yes: subcontractors come across with verification status and YTD deductions, and the CIS300 monthly return files direct from HelloBooks, signed with your Government Gateway credentials. PAYE / RTI payroll in HelloBooks is coming soon, so keep QuickBooks Payroll or your payroll provider running for now. Self Assessment SA100 / SA103 / SA105 figures build from your ledger; filing the return to HMRC from HelloBooks is coming soon.

Question 4

Does HelloBooks support QuickBooks two-way sync during transition?

Accepted Answer

Yes — for UK clients staying on QuickBooks for some workflows while moving to HelloBooks for others, two-way sync keeps chart of accounts, customers, suppliers, and transactions in lockstep. Most UK customers migrate fully off QuickBooks within 60 days; the sync is for the transition window. After full cutover, the sync is unwired and HelloBooks becomes the system of record.

Question 5

Will my ICAEW / ACCA / AAT accountant work with HelloBooks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The CPA Practice tier is built for UK practices — per-client pricing, batch close workflows, unlimited firm staff, CPD-friendly audit trail, journal entry approval flow. Many UK practices run their entire client roster on HelloBooks for the per-client efficiency vs. QuickBooks's per-firm-seat pricing.

Question 6

Is the pricing comparison still accurate?

Accepted Answer

Verified against publicly listed QuickBooks Online UK pricing on 30 September 2026 (quickbooks.intuit.com/uk/pricing). Intuit changes promotional pricing quarterly; introductory discounts expire after 3 months. HelloBooks UK pricing (Pro £14.99/month) has held stable. Specific tier numbers reflect QuickBooks list pricing post-discount.

Feature	HelloBooks	QuickBooks Online UK
Starting price (GBP)	Free Plan; Pro £14.99/mo, unlimited users	Sole Trader £10/mo; Simple Start £16/mo (1 user); Essentials £38/mo (3 users); Plus £56/mo (5 users); Advanced £123/mo — checked 2026-09-30
HMRC MTD VAT submission	Coming soon. VAT returns are prepared from the ledger with digital links preserved end-to-end; direct filing to HMRC from HelloBooks is not live yet	MTD-compliant submission
VAT schemes	Standard, Flat Rate Scheme, Cash Accounting, Annual Accounting — all included	All four UK VAT schemes supported
AI categorisation	Built-in AI agent on every plan, 95%+ accuracy on UK bank descriptions	Intuit ships six named agents, five GA since 1 Jul 2025, and made the AI bank feed default on 8 May 2026 — human-in-the-loop, and agent availability varies by plan and region
AI cost vs the plan price	AI categorisations bundled in Pro — AI never costs extra for a typical SMB	Pay up to a higher tier just to reach the deeper AI automation
Per-user fees	Unlimited users on Pro at £14.99/mo flat	Simple Start 1 user; Essentials 3 users; Plus 5 users; per-tier seat counts
Multi-currency	Live FX rates with gain / loss postings, included on Pro	Locked to Essentials (£38/mo) and above
CIS for construction	Verification, monthly CIS300 returns, P&L showing CIS suffered separately — included on Pro	CIS handled, but most workflows assume Advanced tier
PAYE / RTI payroll	Coming soon. UK payroll with RTI submissions to HMRC from HelloBooks is not live yet; keep your current payroll provider for now	QuickBooks Payroll separate add-on: £5 + £2 per employee per month
Companies House confirmation statement	Annual confirmation statement workflow + filing reminder	Manual workflow; no integrated filing
Data export at cancellation	Free CSV / IIF / QBO export, 90-day read-only window	Limited export; lock-in risk reported on migration off

The QuickBooks UK alternative without per-user tiers

HelloBooks vs QuickBooks Online (UK)

UK migration runbook (from QuickBooks Online UK)

UK QuickBooks switch — frequently asked

Try the QuickBooks UK alternative — free