QuickBooks + Intuit Intelligence

QuickBooks Online is one of the two default ledgers for UK small businesses, so for most practices the question is not whether to use it but how much of its AI to rely on. Intuit has rebuilt its assistant as Intuit Intelligence, with agents that categorise, check and flag rather than simply answer questions.

What it does well. The AI sits where the work happens. Agents that sort expenses and flag inconsistencies reduce the coding and review load on bookkeepers, and because they run inside the ledger there is no sync to break. MTD for VAT is long established, MTD for Income Tax record-keeping is there for sole traders and landlords facing the new rules, and payroll handles PAYE, pensions and RTI in the same product. The plan range runs from a single sole trader to 25 users, and accountant access comes with every tier. For practices, the move to Intuit Accountant Suite puts firm dashboards and anomaly summaries on the same platform.

Where it falls short. The AI is uneven across plans: Intuit Intelligence is missing from Sole Trader Plus, and Finance AI is limited to Advanced without multicurrency, so cheaper clients see little of it. UK prices were not visible on the live pricing page when checked, and introductory discounts mean the real cost rises after the offer ends; budget for the full price and the payroll add-on. Intuit's statements about its agents are its own, with no independent accuracy data. Practices working mostly with Xero will find Xero's own AI and app ecosystem as strong, so do not switch ledgers for the AI alone.

Best for. UK sole traders, landlords and small businesses that want MTD-ready books with built-in payroll, and practices with a QuickBooks-heavy client base. Use the 30-day trial on a client with messy expense coding, measure how many agent suggestions you accept unchanged, and confirm which AI features the client's plan actually includes.

Verdict. The safe industry default, with AI that now does useful checking work, but feature gaps on lower plans and post-discount price rises need planning.