Compare
ChairBooks vs QuickBooks
QuickBooks is accounting for any small business, and Solopreneur is its plan for one person who files a Schedule C. ChairBooks keeps a stylist's books and taxes, and books her clients too. If you use QuickBooks today, you likely pay for a booking app on top. ChairBooks is the two in one.
Checked on on quickbooks.intuit.com. Prices and features change, so look at their current page before you decide.
| ChairBooks | QuickBooks Solopreneur | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99/mo or $149/yr, one plan | $20/mo list; $10/mo for the first 3 months. A free plan with tight limits. |
| Free trial | 30 days, card asked at signup | 30 days, or the 3-month discount, not both |
| Schedule C | Worksheet in the year-end package | Expenses tracked for Schedule C; paid expert filing from $169 |
| Spending | Bank and card feed, sorted into Schedule C categories you confirm | Bank and card feed, sorted into built-in categories you review |
| Income from visits | Posts itself at checkout: service, tip and product | From QuickBooks Payments and invoices |
| Mileage and receipts | Mileage log; receipt reader | GPS mileage in the app; receipt photos matched to transactions |
| Booking | Booking page, reminders, waitlist | Not in Free or Simple Start. Essentials ($85/mo list) sends emailed video-meeting invites. |
| Card rate | Your own Stripe account: 2.9% + 30¢ for a card paid online | 2.99% on invoices; in-person payments (2.5%) start at Simple Start |
| Apps | iPhone, iPad, and any browser | iPhone, iPad and Android (not on the free plan) |
Where QuickBooks wins
- A free plan. QuickBooks Free costs $0 and needs no card. Its limits are tight: 2 receipt uploads and 5 mileage trips a month, one bank account, and no mobile app.
- A cheaper start. Solopreneur is $10 a month for the first 3 months, then $20.
- Tax filing. Solopreneur users can pay TurboTax experts to prepare and file their Schedule C return, from $169 at filing time. ChairBooks doesn't file taxes; it hands your preparer a worksheet.
- Android. The QuickBooks app runs on iPhone, iPad and Android. ChairBooks is iPhone and iPad, or the browser on Android.
- More ways to get paid. QuickBooks invoices take cards, PayPal, Venmo and Apple Pay at 2.99% with no fixed fee, and bank transfers at 1%.
- Room to grow. Simple Start ($38 a month at list price) gives two accountants their own logins, a chart of accounts you can change, and a balance sheet.
Where ChairBooks wins
- Booking is included. Your own booking page, text reminders, a waitlist and checkout at the chair. QuickBooks Free and Simple Start have no appointment scheduling; it starts at Essentials, $85 a month at list price, and works by emailing a customer a link to book a video meeting.
- Income posts itself at checkout. Each visit you check out lands in your books as service, tip and product, tagged with how the client paid. QuickBooks books what you take through QuickBooks Payments and its invoices.
- A smaller bill after month three. $14.99 a month, or $149 a year, against $20 a month for Solopreneur at list price. The Schedule C worksheet is included.
Questions, answered
Can QuickBooks book my clients?
Appointment scheduling isn't in QuickBooks Free or Simple Start. It starts at Essentials ($85 a month at list price), which emails a customer a link to book a video meeting. ChairBooks gives you a booking page your clients use themselves.
Does QuickBooks do Schedule C?
Yes. Solopreneur tracks expenses with Schedule C in mind, and you can pay TurboTax experts to file. ChairBooks builds a Schedule C worksheet too, for $14.99 a month, and leaves the filing to you or your preparer.
Which is cheaper?
For the first 3 months, QuickBooks Solopreneur at $10 a month. After that it lists at $20, and ChairBooks is $14.99, or $149 a year. QuickBooks also has a free plan with tight limits.
Will ChairBooks replace QuickBooks for me?
If you work alone and file a Schedule C, it covers the same ground: income, spending, mileage, receipts and a worksheet for tax time, with booking added. If you have staff, need a balance sheet, or want your accountant logged in, QuickBooks does more.