QuickBooks Online vs Fathom HQ
Side-by-side comparison for accounting professionals.
QuickBooks Online
Intuit AI agents for US accounting firms
$38/mo
★4.0/ 5
30-day free
Fathom HQ
AI management reporting and KPI dashboards
$46/mo
★4.7/ 5
14-day free
| Feature | QuickBooks Online | Fathom HQ |
|---|---|---|
| Core accounting | ||
| Bank reconciliation | AvailableAll plans Accounting Agent with Suggestion Field showing AI reasoning per transaction. 77% more accurate predictions per Intuit data. | Not available Not an accounting platform. Requires connected Xero, QuickBooks, or MYOB to function. |
| Invoicing | AvailableAll plans Unlimited invoices. Customer Agent handles reminders and AR follow-ups on Essentials+. | Not available No invoicing features. |
| Expense categorisation | AvailableAll plans Intuit Assist categorises transactions. Learns from corrections. Suggestion Field shows AI reasoning. | Not available Not available. Reads data from your accounting platform — does not manage transactions. |
| Receipt capture | AvailableEssentials+ Receipt capture and matching. Payments Agent automates AR and payment matching on Essentials+. | Not available Not available. |
| AI & reporting | ||
| Cash flow forecasting | LimitedAll plans (basic) Basic cash flow visibility on all plans. No 180-day scenario modelling. Advanced includes free Fathom. | AvailableAll plans Three-way forecasting (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) with scenario modelling on all plans. Goalseek tool for decision modelling. |
| Management reporting | LimitedAdvanced ($275/mo) Standard reports on all plans. Finance Agent and free Fathom subscription on Advanced only. | AvailableAll plans Core product. AI Commentary Writer, KPI dashboards, white-label reports, industry benchmarking. All features on every plan. |
| Business features | ||
| Multi-currency | LimitedAll plans Limited multi-currency. Not as strong as Xero for international operations. | AvailableAll plans Multi-currency consolidations included on all plans at no extra cost. |
| Time tracking | LimitedAdd-on Via QuickBooks Time add-on (formerly TSheets). Not included natively. | Not available Not available. |
| Payroll | AvailableEssentials+ (add-on) Native Payroll Agent on Essentials+. Handles W-2, 1099, direct deposit, and multi-state payroll. Strongest US payroll of any accounting platform. | Not available Not available. |
| Multi-entity consolidation | Not available Not designed for multi-entity consolidation. | AvailableAll plans Consolidated reporting across multiple entities. Intercompany eliminations. Unlimited consolidated groups at no extra cost. |
| Sales tax automation | AvailablePlus+ ($115/mo) Sales Tax Agent automates multi-state sales tax calculations and filing preparation on Plus+. | Not available Not available. |
| Support & pricing | ||
| Client portal | Not available No dedicated client portal. | Not available No client portal. Clients receive branded report exports or dashboard links. |
| Phone support | LimitedAll plans Phone support included but increasingly routed through AI chatbots. Some users report difficulty reaching humans. | AvailableAll plans Multi-channel support. Reviewers consistently note ~10 minute response times. |
| User seats | LimitedPer-tier limits Simple Start: 1 user. Essentials: 3. Plus: 5. Advanced: 25. Per-seat model unlike Xero's unlimited. | AvailableAll plans Unlimited users on all plans. Priced per company connected, not per user. |
Which should you choose?
Choose QuickBooks Online if…
US-based accounting firms managing clients who need payroll, sales tax, and payments all handled within one platform.
Not ideal: International firms or those outside the US where the full agent suite is not yet available.
Choose Fathom HQ if…
Accounting firms that provide monthly advisory reporting to SMB clients and want to produce board-quality reports in under 30 minutes.
Not ideal: Firms that only need basic P&L and balance sheet reports — Xero/QuickBooks native reporting may be sufficient.