QuickBooks is the gold standard for small business accounting. But if you just want to answer "Am I profitable?", it's like buying a semi-truck to move a couch. Here's an honest comparison to help you choose the right tool.
| QuickBooks | ProfitClear | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Full accounting, invoicing, payroll | Just profit tracking |
| Starting Price | $30/month | Free |
| Setup Time | 2-4 hours | 60 seconds |
| Learning Curve | Steep (accounting knowledge helpful) | None (built for non-accountants) |
| Stripe Integration | Basic | ✓ Native, automatic fee tracking |
| PayPal Integration | Basic | ✓ Native, automatic fee tracking |
| Gumroad Integration | ✗ None | ✓ Native |
| Invoicing | ✓ Full featured | ✗ Not included |
| Payroll | ✓ Available | ✗ Not included |
| Tax Prep | ✓ Advanced | ✗ Not included |
| Profit Tracking | ✓ Requires setup | ✓ Automatic |
QuickBooks is the right choice if you need:
Complete general ledger, balance sheets, P&L statements
Create and send invoices, accept payments directly
Run payroll for employees, handle tax withholding
Generate tax reports, 1099s, quarterly filings
Track physical inventory, COGS, purchase orders
Team collaboration with role-based access
ProfitClear is the better choice if you:
No need for full accounting, just clear profit insights
Native integrations with automatic fee tracking
You sell online, customers pay directly via platforms
Solo entrepreneur or indie hacker with no payroll needs
Not 4 hours of setup and learning accounting terms
Built for entrepreneurs, not accountants
Yes! Many entrepreneurs use ProfitClear for daily profit tracking but run QuickBooks for year-end taxes. ProfitClear can export data to QuickBooks when you need it.
Think of ProfitClear as your daily dashboard, QuickBooks as your annual filing cabinet.
All plans include unlimited platforms, automatic fee tracking, and simple expense tracking.
If you're using QuickBooks just for profit tracking (not its other features), switching to ProfitClear takes 60 seconds:
Link Stripe/PayPal/Gumroad with one click
ProfitClear syncs transactions automatically
Start seeing real profit right away
Note: You can keep QuickBooks for tax season or cancel if you don't need the other features.
Get the profit insights you need without the accounting headaches. Start free, upgrade only if you need more.
Get Started Free →No credit card required • 60 second setup • Start free
Also compare: ProfitClear vs FreshBooks • ProfitClear vs Wave