QuickBooks bills per employee. LineLedger doesn’t.
QuickBooks Online sells payroll as a paid add-on — a monthly bundle plus a fee for every employee, with caps on how many users you get. LineLedger includes Canadian payroll in one flat $25 CAD/month per company, with unlimited users and free service for non-profits.
Comparison as of June 2026.
What you actually pay
LineLedger is one flat price with payroll included. QuickBooks stacks a payroll bundle, a per-employee fee, and user caps on top of bookkeeping.
LineLedger
Flat, per company — payroll & every feature included
- Canadian payroll included — CPP/EI/income tax, Quebec QPP/QPIP, T4/T4A/ROE/RL-1/PD7A
- Unlimited users and team members
- Every feature on — bookkeeping, multi-currency, inventory, CRA filings
- Free forever for non-profits, charities, and associations
- Or $250 CAD/year (two months free) — or self-host the AGPLv3 source for nothing
QuickBooks Online + Payroll
$60–$165 CAD / month + per-employee + per-user caps
Payroll bundle billed monthly, on top of bookkeeping.
- Payroll Core + EasyStart — $60/mo + $5/employee/mo
- Payroll Core + Essentials — $100/mo + $5/employee/mo (up to 3 users)
- Payroll Premium + Plus — $165/mo + $8/employee/mo (up to 5 users)
- 30-day free trial
- Standard list pricing — promotional discounts excluded
| Same books + payroll | LineLedger | QuickBooks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 employee, monthly | $25 CAD | $65 CAD $60 base + 1 × $5/employee |
| 5 employees, monthly | $25 CAD | $125 CAD $100 base + 5 × $5/employee |
| 10 employees, monthly | $25 CAD | $245 CAD $165 base + 10 × $8/employee |
QuickBooks figures are standard Canadian list pricing as of June 2026, promotional discounts excluded. Source.
Feature for feature
Where each one is ahead — including the things QuickBooks does that we don’t yet.
| Capability | LineLedger | QuickBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly price | $25 CAD | $60–$165 + add-ons |
| Per-employee payroll fee | None | $5–$8 / employee / mo |
| Users included | Unlimited | 3–5, by tier |
| Canadian payroll — CPP/EI, Quebec QPP/QPIP | Included | Paid add-on |
| T4 / T4A / ROE / RL-1 / PD7A slips | Yes | Yes |
| CRA corporate & info returns — T2/GIFI, T5013, T2125, T3010 | Yes | No |
| Full multi-currency | Included | Plus tier only |
| Inventory, budgets, classes & locations | Yes | Plus tier |
| Free for non-profits & charities | Yes | No |
| Source-available & self-hostable (AGPLv3) | Yes | No |
| Automatic CRA / Revenu Québec remittance & EFILE LineLedger prepares PD7A and slips with CRA/RQ XML; you submit them. | You file (slips + XML) | Yes |
| Direct deposit (2-day / next-day) | On roadmap | Yes |
| Employee time tracking & workforce portal | No | Yes |
| Automatic bank feeds | On roadmap | Yes |
Flat monthly price
Per-employee payroll fee
Users included
Canadian payroll — CPP/EI, Quebec QPP/QPIP
T4 / T4A / ROE / RL-1 / PD7A slips
CRA corporate & info returns — T2/GIFI, T5013, T2125, T3010
Full multi-currency
Inventory, budgets, classes & locations
Free for non-profits & charities
Source-available & self-hostable (AGPLv3)
Automatic CRA / Revenu Québec remittance & EFILE
LineLedger prepares PD7A and slips with CRA/RQ XML; you submit them.
Direct deposit (2-day / next-day)
Employee time tracking & workforce portal
Automatic bank feeds
Payroll in the box
Canadian payroll for every province and territory, Quebec included — at no extra cost and no per-employee fee. QuickBooks charges for payroll on top of bookkeeping.
Read the code
LineLedger is source-available under the AGPLv3. Audit exactly how your payroll and taxes are calculated — or self-host and pay nothing.
One flat price
$25 CAD/month per company, every feature on, unlimited users. No tiers to climb, no seats to count, free forever for non-profits.
Bring your QuickBooks history with you
Bring your history with you — no fresh start required.
- Import a QuickBooks chart of accounts
- Multi-file, full-history general ledger replay
- Maps accounts, links contacts & tracks refund cheques
Common questions
- Is QuickBooks cheaper than LineLedger?
- Only if you skip payroll and stay on the entry tier. QuickBooks' bookkeeping-only plan can look cheaper, but the moment you add payroll, employees, and extra users the bill climbs — $5–$8 per employee every month on top of the bundle. LineLedger is $25 CAD flat with payroll and unlimited users included, whatever your headcount.
- Does LineLedger handle Canadian payroll like QuickBooks?
- Yes — CPP, EI and federal/provincial income tax (CRA T4127), plus Quebec QPP, QPIP and source deductions, with T4, T4A, ROE, RL-1 and PD7A slips and CRA/Revenu Québec XML. Two things QuickBooks does that we don't yet: automatic remittance/EFILE and direct deposit. We prepare the slips and XML for you to file, and direct deposit is on our roadmap.
- Can I bring my QuickBooks data over?
- Yes. Import your QuickBooks chart of accounts and replay your full general-ledger history across multiple files — accounts mapped, contacts linked, and refund cheques tracked. The migration details are on our features page.
- When was this comparison last checked?
- QuickBooks pricing and features here reflect their published Canadian payroll page as of June 2026, using standard list pricing with promotional discounts excluded. QuickBooks may have changed since — the source is linked above.
See the difference on your own books.
14 days on us — no credit card. $25 CAD per month, per company, once you decide to stay. Free, forever, for non-profits and associations.
QuickBooks and Intuit are trademarks of Intuit Inc., used here for identification and comparison only. LineLedger is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Intuit Inc. Comparison based on publicly available information as of June 2026; pricing and features may have changed — see the source.