Core vs QuickBooks
Core Platform vs QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is a capable global product. In South Africa its entry tier is single-user and several everyday features sit a tier up. Here is the honest comparison.
| Core Platform | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | R 99 a month, everything in. R 29 a month for your first three months if you are one of the first 50 businesses. No VAT. | Simple Start is around R 276 a month (verify; a near-permanent 50%-off-for-three-months promo applies). |
| Invoice limit | Unlimited invoices and quotes. No monthly or yearly cap. | Unlimited invoices. |
| Users | Unlimited users on one flat price. No per-seat billing. | One user on Simple Start. More users mean a higher tier. |
| One ledger | Every invoice, payment and credit note posts to a real double-entry ledger from day one. Switch on Core Accounting and the books are already up to date. | Full double-entry accounting. |
| SA payment links | Paystack, NjiaPay and PayFast pay-links on every invoice. | Limited South African payment options. |
| VAT | VAT-aware documents today. The VAT201 return engine is built into Core Accounting for when you register. | VAT returns supported. |
| Bank | Bank statement import and reconciliation (OFX, QFX and CSV). Live bank feeds are on the roadmap. | Bank feeds and reconciliation. |
| SA-native | Built in South Africa: ZAR, SARS PAYE and UIF payroll, Bob Go couriers, POPIA-aware. | A global product. Billable expenses are gated to the Plus tier, and SARS payroll is not native. |
| Multi-currency | ZAR only today. If you invoice in foreign currency, Core is not the tool for you yet. | Multi-currency on the higher tiers. |
| Moving in | One-click importers from Zoho, Xero, QuickBooks and Sage CSV exports. | Importers available. |
Competitor pricing and features were gathered in July 2026 from public South African pricing pages and may have changed since. Verify the current details with the vendor before you decide. Figures marked approximate were not cleanly published in rand at gather time.
Who should switch to Core
- The single-user entry tier means you are paying more just to give a second person access.
- You keep hitting features (like billable expenses) that sit a tier above where you are.
- You want South African payment rails and payroll in the box rather than a global default.
Who should stay on QuickBooks Online
You bill in foreign currency
QuickBooks handles multi-currency on higher tiers. Core is ZAR only today, so cross-border billing should stay on QuickBooks for now.
Your accountant lives in QuickBooks
If your bookkeeper or accountant works in QuickBooks daily, that familiarity has real value. Weigh it against the switching cost.
You need a native mobile app
QuickBooks has mature mobile apps. Core is web plus an installable PWA, not a native app yet.
Core Platform is in Early Access and does not do everything the big incumbents do yet. The best way to decide is to run it in parallel for a cycle. Nothing forces a hard cutover.
Questions
- Is QuickBooks Simple Start really single-user?
- Yes, at the time of writing Simple Start is one user. Adding people means moving up to Essentials or Plus, so the entry price is not the price for a team.
- What does Core do that QuickBooks does not in South Africa?
- Core builds in South African payment rails (Paystack, NjiaPay, PayFast), SARS PAYE and UIF payroll, and ZAR-first accounting, with unlimited users on one flat price. QuickBooks handles those through add-ons or higher tiers.
- Can I move off QuickBooks easily?
- Core imports QuickBooks CSV exports (contacts, invoices, credit notes, payments), flagged as historical so opening balances stay clean.
More comparisons
Try it against your own numbers
Import your QuickBooks Online data, run Core alongside for a cycle, and see the books keep themselves. Free for 14 days, no card to start.