QuickBooks Desktop in 2026
Can you buy QuickBooks Desktop without a subscription?
The plain answer, the dates behind it, and the desktop program you can still buy once. Checked against Intuit's own help pages, October 2026.
The short answer
No. Intuit only sells QuickBooks Desktop by subscription now.
The one-time licence ended with the 2021 versions.
Pro, Premier and Mac 2022 and later were sold only as yearly Plus subscriptions. The 2021 one-time versions stopped being sold on Dec 10, 2021.
New customers can't subscribe to Pro or Premier either.
In the US, Pro Plus, Premier Plus and Mac Plus closed to new customers after September 30, 2024; in Canada, Pro and Premier on April 15, 2025. Enterprise is still sold, by yearly subscription.
Stop paying and the file goes view-only.
Intuit says a lapsed Desktop Plus subscription gives 12 months of view-only access with export. You can't keep entering transactions.
The desktop program you still buy once
AcboBooks is a Windows accounting program for US and Canadian small businesses, in the same desktop style, for $399.99 once. Payroll, inventory and multi-user are included, your encrypted company file stays on your PC, and it imports your QuickBooks Desktop data.
No card, no account for the trial. Windows 10 and 11.
What Intuit sells today
If you are a new customer, Intuit offers two kinds of QuickBooks, and both are subscriptions:
- QuickBooks Online, in a browser, billed monthly. US list prices run from $38 to $340 a month.
- QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, on Windows, billed yearly per user and priced by quote.
Existing Desktop Pro Plus and Premier Plus subscribers can keep renewing. Intuit does not publish those renewal prices; accounting firms reported $1,149 a year for one Pro Plus user from February 1, 2026, and Intuit raised Desktop Plus prices again from October 1, 2026. Every figure is dated and sourced on our QuickBooks price history page.
What "one-time purchase" used to mean
Until 2021 you could buy QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier once and use that year's version for as long as Intuit supported it, usually about three years. The last ones were Pro 2021 at $399.99 and Premier 2021 at $649.99, Intuit's list prices. From the 2022 versions onward Pro, Premier and Mac were sold only as subscriptions, and the 2021 one-time versions were taken off sale on Dec 10, 2021.
The 2021 versions were then discontinued after May 31, 2024, which ended their payroll, online banking, support and security updates. If you are on one of those versions, see QuickBooks Desktop 2021, 2022 and 2023 without a subscription.
What happens to your file when a subscription lapses
For QuickBooks Desktop Plus 2023 R3 or newer, and Mac Plus 2024 or newer, Intuit's help pages say an inactive subscription leaves you with view-only access to your data for 12 months. You can export, but you cannot edit. Intuit does not say what happens after the 12 months. More in what happens to your QuickBooks Desktop file when your subscription ends.
An AcboBooks licence works the other way round: the version you buy keeps opening and editing your file for good, whether or not you renew updates.
Five years of QuickBooks next to $399.99 once
Today's list prices, one user, before payroll or add-ons. The multi-year columns assume no further price rises, which the last few years suggest is generous.
| Plan | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online Simple Start $38 a month, Intuit's list price | $456 | $1,368 | $2,280 |
| QuickBooks Online Essentials $85 a month, Intuit's list price | $1,020 | $3,060 | $5,100 |
| QuickBooks Online Plus $140 a month, Intuit's list price | $1,680 | $5,040 | $8,400 |
| QuickBooks Online Advanced $340 a month, Intuit's list price | $4,080 | $12,240 | $20,400 |
| QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, 1 user (renewals only) $1,149 a year from Feb 1, 2026, as reported by accounting firms | $1,149 | $3,447 | $5,745 |
| QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus, 1 user (renewals only) $1,609 a year from Feb 1, 2026, as reported by accounting firms | $1,609 | $4,827 | $8,045 |
| QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Gold, 1 user $2,210 a year on Intuit's page, Mar 8, 2026; now priced by quote | $2,210 | $6,630 | $11,050 |
| AcboBooks Pro, 2 computers Bought once; 12 months of updates included, renewing them is optional | $399.99 | $399.99 | $399.99 |
Put in your own users, computers and payroll with the cost calculator. More computers for AcboBooks are $149.99 each, once. See also QuickBooks Desktop vs Online over five years and what a one-time licence includes.
What AcboBooks is
Desktop accounting in the style you know, bought once
Menus, registers, lists and reports laid out the way QuickBooks Desktop users expect, for small businesses in the US and Canada.
A Windows program: menu bar, sidebar, your company file.
Print to your own printer or save as PDF.
Payroll included, with no per-employee charge.
Every figure opens the register behind it.
What you get for $399.99
- The whole program: invoicing, bills, banking and reconciliation, inventory, sales tax, job costing, budgets and reports. No tier to upgrade to.
- Payroll included, US and Canadian, with no per-employee charge. See payroll.
- One business on two computers, with as many user logins as you need. Extra computers are $149.99 each, once.
- Your file on your PC, encrypted, with no account to sign in to. See security.
- A 15-day free trial on your real data, no card needed, and a 30-day money-back guarantee after you buy.
The limits, plainly: it runs on Windows 10 and 11 only, with no phone app, and it imports your bank's statement files rather than connecting live to most banks.
Moving your QuickBooks file
AcboBooks never writes to your QuickBooks file. It brings your data across in one of two ways:
- IIF export, from any QuickBooks Desktop edition and year, for your lists: accounts, customers, vendors, employees, items, classes and terms.
- Live pull on the same PC, from QuickBooks Desktop 2019 or later, for lists, account balances, open invoices, unpaid bills and credit memos.
Then you compare the trial balance, ageing and bank balances in both programs at the same date. Step by step on the Move from QuickBooks page and in the Academy lesson migrate from QuickBooks Desktop. Before you start, export your history from QuickBooks while it still opens your file.
Questions
Can you buy QuickBooks Desktop without a subscription?
No. Intuit no longer sells QuickBooks Desktop as a one-time purchase. The last one-time versions were Pro, Premier and Mac 2021, which Intuit stopped selling in December 2021. Every Desktop edition since has been a yearly subscription. If you want a desktop accounting program you buy once, AcboBooks is $399.99, one time.
Is there a QuickBooks Desktop one-time purchase in 2026?
Not from Intuit. In the US, Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus and Mac Plus have not been sold to new customers since September 30, 2024, and the only Desktop edition still sold to new customers, Enterprise, is an annual subscription priced by quote.
Is there a non-subscription version of QuickBooks?
No current version. QuickBooks Online is a monthly subscription, and QuickBooks Desktop Plus and Enterprise are yearly subscriptions. Intuit has not sold a non-subscription QuickBooks Desktop since the 2021 versions.
Can I buy QuickBooks outright, with a lifetime licence?
Not any more. If you want to own the licence, AcboBooks Pro is $399.99 once for one business on two computers. The version you buy never expires; it includes 12 months of updates, and renewing updates after that is optional (payroll users will want each year's new tax tables).
What happens to my QuickBooks Desktop file if I stop paying?
For Desktop Plus 2023 R3 or newer and Mac Plus 2024 or newer, Intuit says an inactive subscription gives you view-only access to your data for 12 months, with export allowed but no editing.
Is there a QuickBooks for Mac without a subscription?
No. Mac 2021 was the last one-time Mac version, and Mac Plus has not been sold to new US customers since September 30, 2024. AcboBooks runs on Windows 10 and 11 today; a Mac version is planned for the future, though there is no date yet.
Can I bring my QuickBooks Desktop data into AcboBooks?
Yes. AcboBooks imports lists from QuickBooks' IIF export (any edition, any year) and, on the same PC, reads lists, account balances, open invoices, unpaid bills and credit memos live from QuickBooks Desktop 2019 or later. You compare the trial balance in both programs before relying on it.
Related
- QuickBooks Desktop 2021, 2022 and 2023 without a subscription
- QuickBooks Desktop without a subscription in Canada
- Is QuickBooks Desktop discontinued?
- AcboBooks compared with QuickBooks Desktop
- QuickBooks moving checklist
QuickBooks® and QuickBooks Desktop® are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc. AcboBooks is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Intuit. Dates and services are quoted from Intuit's published help pages and community answers as of October 27, 2026 and may change.
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Still sold. Still bought once.
AcboBooks is Windows desktop accounting with payroll, inventory and multi-user included, for $399.99 once. Try it free for 15 days.
No card. No account. Nothing to cancel.