Guliel vs QuickBooks Online (2026): a QuickBooks alternative with its own ledger
Guliel and QuickBooks Online are both accounting software with a double-entry general ledger. QuickBooks Online is the default small-business ledger in the US, with bank feeds, US payroll, payment processing, an app marketplace and a large network of accountants who use it every day. Guliel is accounting and finance-operations software that runs invoicing, expenses, purchasing, stock, payroll, reporting and a double-entry general ledger on one engine. If your books depend on US bank feeds, US payroll taxes or sales-tax filing, QuickBooks does that today and Guliel does not. If you want more of the business on one engine, compare Guliel.
QuickBooks facts and prices on this page are as of October 2026.
The short answer
- Ledger: both have one. Guliel's general ledger is double-entry on a fixed chart of accounts, with manual journal entries that must balance, a trial balance, balance sheet, income statement, cash flow, general ledger report, books lock date and CSV export (live). Custom accounts are planned.
- Banking and US tax: QuickBooks has bank feeds, reconciliation, US payroll and sales-tax tools. Guliel has none of these yet.
- Scope: QuickBooks is an accounting core with payroll, payments and third-party apps added around it. Guliel runs invoices, receipts, expenses, purchase orders, stock, payroll and the ledger as one data model.
- Adoption: you don't have to switch on day one. Guliel can run beside QuickBooks while you try it, and you move over when you're ready.
Feature comparison
| QuickBooks Online | Guliel | |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger | Double-entry; chart of accounts you configure; journal entries; closing date | Double-entry on a fixed chart of accounts; manual journal entries that must balance; books lock date set by a manager (live). Custom accounts planned |
| Statements | Profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow and a large report library | Trial balance, balance sheet, income statement, cash flow, general ledger report; 49 report definitions in total (live) |
| Bank feeds and reconciliation | Yes, with wide US bank coverage | Not built yet |
| Invoicing | Invoices and estimates; local editions for a set of countries | Invoices, receipts, invoice-receipts, payment requests, credit and debit memos as PDF in the formats of 39 countries (live) |
| Expenses | Receipt capture, matched against bank transactions | OCR scans, inbox capture (Gmail, Outlook, IMAP, POP3), AI category from your own list, a person's approval before the ledger (live) |
| Purchasing | Purchase orders on Plus and Advanced, linked to bills | Supplier invoice linked to the purchase order it bills; captured bills matched to orders by amount and date (live) |
| Stock | Inventory on Plus and Advanced | Items, stock movements, low-stock trigger (live) |
| Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll for the US, sold separately | Singapore (CPF, SDL, FWL, self-help group funds) with payslips, posted to the ledger; a basic profile without statutory deductions elsewhere; HR, leave and attendance (live). No US payroll taxes |
| Sales tax, GST, VAT | US sales-tax tools | Tax reports by period, with adapters for Israel, Singapore and the US (live). GST/VAT return preparation planned. Guliel does not file returns |
| Israel | No Israeli edition | Hebrew tax documents (live); SHAAM allocation numbers built, not switched on |
| E-invoicing | Varies by country edition; check Intuit for InvoiceNow status | PDF today. Own Peppol access point built, awaiting OpenPeppol certification, not yet connected to the app |
| Automations | Recurring transactions and reminders; custom workflows on Advanced | 14 triggers; an action is any API operation or an outbound webhook (live) |
| AI | Intuit's AI features; Intuit publishes an open-source MCP server | Built-in AI companion; MCP server with OAuth 2.1 for any MCP client (live) |
| Payments | QuickBooks Payments processes card and bank payments | Recorded against documents, receipt issued on payment (live); PayPal payment links planned; not a payment processor |
| Users | 1 to 25 users depending on plan | Per organisation, not per seat; roles: manager, contributor, viewer (live) |
Where Guliel differs: one engine
QuickBooks follows the familiar model: a ledger at the centre, with payroll and payments sold as separate Intuit products and an app marketplace for the rest. It works, and many accountants know it well. The cost is that records end up in several systems held together by connectors.
Guliel keeps everything in one data model. Invoices, receipts, expenses, purchase orders and payslips are one document object with a type and a direction. The ledger is computed from the same document lines as receivables and payables, so the trial balance and the open balances agree by construction. In practice:
- A scanned receipt, or a bill pulled from a connected inbox, is read with OCR, gets a category from your own list, and waits for a person's approval before it reaches the ledger (live).
- A supplier invoice links to the purchase order it bills, and the order moves to invoiced (live).
- Recording a payment issues the receipt; payroll posts to the ledger (live).
- Automations start on 14 triggers: invoice, expense, payment, purchase-order and stock events, overdue invoices, and daily, weekly or monthly schedules (live).
- Suppliers you invite by email can accept with their own Guliel organisation. The two organisations are linked, and the supplier sees your purchase orders and invoices against them (live).
Finance doesn't need more connectors. It needs one engine.
Pricing
| Plan | QuickBooks Online (US list price per company, as of 2026-10) | Guliel (per organisation, per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0: 1 user, up to 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments, no accountant access | $0: 200 invoices, 100 expense scans, 10 reports, 5 active automations, 10 AI messages |
| Entry | Simple Start $38: 1 user | Standard $20: 5,000 invoices, 1,000 scans, unlimited reports and automations, MCP access |
| Middle | Essentials $85: 3 users. Plus $140: 5 users | — |
| Top | Advanced $340: 25 users | Premium $99: 50,000 invoices, 10,000 scans, unlimited AI companion |
QuickBooks prices are Intuit's US list prices before promotions; payroll and payment processing are charged separately. Check Intuit's pricing page for current rates. Guliel is priced per organisation, not per seat. Its prices are published, but billing is not live and paid plans are not on sale yet. SSO and an organisation-wide audit log, listed on Premium, are planned. Full table at /pricing.
Pick QuickBooks when…
You're a US business and your accountant works in QuickBooks. That is often reason enough: most US bookkeepers know it, and the work moves faster in a tool they use every day. You reconcile bank feeds every week. You need US payroll with tax filing, sales-tax tools, 1099s or a chart of accounts you configure yourself. Your apps already connect to QuickBooks and the setup works. Those are QuickBooks' strengths.
Pick Guliel when…
You want invoicing, expenses, purchasing, stock, payroll and the ledger on one engine instead of a core plus apps. You buy from suppliers as much as you sell. You're in Singapore and want CPF, SDL and FWL calculated in the same system that issues your GST invoices. You're in Israel and issue Hebrew tax documents, or you trade across several of Guliel's 39 countries. You want the whole team on one fee per organisation, without user caps by plan. You want Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot to work on your books through MCP, under your role and scopes. See how documents are issued at /invoicing.
Starting beside QuickBooks, then moving over
- Connect. Issue documents, capture expenses and run purchase orders in Guliel while QuickBooks stays in place. Guliel keeps its own ledger from the first document, and you can export it as CSV (live).
- Automate. Automations take over routine steps, such as acting on overdue invoices or low stock (live).
- Migrate when ready. There is no QuickBooks importer. Export your customer list from QuickBooks, rename the headers to Guliel's template (Name, Tax ID, Email, Phone, Address, City) and upload it; a column check and a staged review run before anything is saved (live). Enter opening balances as a manual journal entry (live). Invoice, bill, vendor and payment history stays in QuickBooks, or export it for your records. A QuickBooks connector is planned. Step by step at /migrate/from-quickbooks.
Your accountant
Guliel doesn't replace your accountant. Invite them into your organisation with a role: manager, contributor or viewer (live). Captured expenses wait for a person's approval before they reach the ledger, and a manager sets the books lock date (live). Your accountant reads the trial balance, balance sheet and general ledger in Guliel or takes the CSV export. A sign-off queue where an accountant approves AI work, and GST/VAT return preparation, are planned. Guliel does not file tax or payroll returns. More at /accountants.
FAQ
Is Guliel a QuickBooks alternative?
Yes. Guliel is accounting and finance-operations software with a double-entry general ledger, and it runs invoicing, expenses, purchasing, stock and payroll on the same engine. It does not have bank feeds, bank reconciliation, US payroll taxes or sales-tax filing yet, so a US business that depends on those is better served by QuickBooks today.
Does Guliel have a general ledger like QuickBooks?
Yes. Guliel keeps a double-entry general ledger on a fixed chart of accounts. Documents, payments and payroll post to it, manual journal entries must balance, and it produces a trial balance, balance sheet, income statement, cash flow and general ledger report, with a books lock date and CSV export. Custom accounts are planned.
Can I import my QuickBooks data?
Not directly. There is no QuickBooks importer yet; a QuickBooks connector is planned. Today you export your customer list from QuickBooks, match the headers to Guliel's customer template and upload; a column check and review run before anything is saved. Opening balances go in as a manual journal entry. Invoice, bill, vendor and payment history is not imported.
Can I run Guliel alongside QuickBooks?
Yes, as a way to adopt it. Issue new documents, capture expenses and run purchase orders in Guliel while QuickBooks stays in place, then move over when you're ready. Guliel keeps its own ledger the whole time and exports it as CSV.
Can my accountant work in Guliel?
Yes. Invite them with their own role. Captured expenses wait for a person's approval before they reach the ledger, and a manager sets the lock date. Guliel does not file tax or payroll returns; an accountant sign-off queue and GST/VAT return preparation are planned.
How does pricing compare?
As of October 2026, QuickBooks Online lists Simple Start at $38, Essentials at $85, Plus at $140 and Advanced at $340 a month per company, and a Free plan for 1 user with up to 2 invoices a month. Guliel publishes Free at $0 with 200 invoices a month, Standard at $20 and Premium at $99 per organisation, not per seat. Guliel's billing is not live yet, so paid plans are not on sale.
What about AI and MCP?
Intuit builds AI features into QuickBooks and publishes an open-source MCP server for it. Guliel has a built-in AI companion and an MCP server that Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot or any MCP client connects to through OAuth 2.1. AI acts within the signed-in user's role and scopes, and the engine applies the same rules to AI as to people: numbering at issue, totals from line items and balanced double entries.
Start free at /pricing.
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