MYOB vs QuickBooks Online — Australia 2026
MYOB vs QuickBooks compared for Australian businesses. AU data hosting, BAS lodgement, Modern Award support, pricing & feature breakdown.
Quick Verdict
MYOB edges out QuickBooks for AU businesses
Both are affordable but MYOB hosts data in Australia, has native Modern Award interpretation for payroll, and direct BAS lodgement via SBR. QuickBooks stores data in the US, which concerns some AU businesses. MYOB also offers phone support, while QuickBooks relies on chat and callback.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MYOB | QuickBooks Online |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Melbourne, VIC | Mountain View, CA, USA |
| Entry Price | $35/mo | $33/mo |
| BAS Lodgement | Direct BAS lodgement to the ATO via Standard Business Reporting (SBR). Prepare, review, and lodge BAS within MYOB. Supports quarterly and monthly BAS reporting. | QuickBooks supports direct electronic BAS lodgement to the ATO from within the application using SBR. You can prepare and e-lodge your BAS straight from QuickBooks Online — no need to log into the ATO portal or MyGov. |
| STP Phase 2 | compliant | compliant |
| Payday Super | ready | infrastructure_exists |
| Modern Awards | MYOB updates award libraries when Fair Work changes rates, but changes must be manually re-applied to employee setup. Deep award interpretation (auto-calculation of penalty rates, overtime, and allowances) requires third-party add-on like QuokkaWorks Award Interpreter from the MYOB marketplace. | Advanced Payroll (powered by Employment Hero) includes full automated Modern Award interpretation — penalty rates, overtime rules, allowances, and automatic age/anniversary-based rate progressions. Available as add-on only, not in base plans. |
| Bank Feeds | Big 4 + 130+ banks | Big 4 + expanding banks |
| Data Hosting | AU | unclear |
| AU Support Hours | Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST | Mon-Fri 8am-6:30pm AEST |
| Phone Support | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 350+ apps | 750+ apps |
Pricing Comparison (AUD, Mar 2026)
MYOB Plans
Lite
$35/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: basic
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
Most Popular
Pro
$70/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
AccountRight Plus
$165/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Multi Currency: Yes
- ✓Inventory: Yes
- ✓Time Billing: Yes
QuickBooks Online Plans
Simple Start
$33/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: basic
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Users: 1
Most Popular
Essentials
$55/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Users: 3
Plus
$77/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Inventory: Yes
- ✓Users: 5
AU Compliance Scores
How we scoreScores are out of 5 and reflect depth of compliance support, ease of setup, and ongoing reliability for Australian businesses. Assessed March 2026.
MYOB
BAS Lodgement5/5
STP Phase 25/5
Payday Super5/5
Modern Awards3/5
GST Handling5/5
Bank Feeds5/5
QuickBooks Online
BAS Lodgement5/5
STP Phase 25/5
Payday Super3/5
Modern Awards4/5
GST Handling5/5
Bank Feeds4/5
Pros & Cons
MYOB
Pros
- Australian phone support at 1300 555 666 (Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST) — Xero doesn't offer this
- Payroll for unlimited employees included in Pro plan ($70/mo) — no per-employee add-on cost
- 130+ Australian bank feed connections — one of the broadest coverages available
- Direct BAS lodgement to ATO via Standard Business Reporting (SBR)
- Payday Super already available to switch on ahead of the July 2026 deadline
- Genuinely Australian-owned, Australian-hosted, Australian-supported
- 14-day free trial to test before committing
- Annual billing discount available (e.g., Pro drops from $70 to $52.50/mo)
Cons
- Smaller app marketplace (350+ vs Xero's 1,000+) — fewer third-party integrations
- Modern Award interpretation requires third-party add-on (QuokkaWorks) for full automation
- AccountRight Plus is expensive at $165/mo for multi-currency and inventory features
- UI feels less modern and polished compared to Xero
- Market share declining — now approximately 20-25% vs Xero's dominant position
- Shorter free trial (14 days vs Xero's 30 days)
QuickBooks Online
Pros
- Cheapest major accounting platform — Simple Start at $33/mo with unlimited invoices (vs Xero Ignite at $35/mo with 20-invoice limit)
- Frequent 50% off promotions — often $16.50/mo for first 3 months
- Direct BAS lodgement to ATO via SBR (often incorrectly reported as export-only by other sites)
- Phone support at 1800 046 038 with Australian-based agents (Mon-Fri 8am-6:30pm AEST)
- STP Phase 2 compliant since February 2022 — one of the earliest adopters
- Advanced Payroll add-on (via Employment Hero) provides full Modern Award interpretation
- 750+ app integrations globally with growing AU marketplace
- 30-day free trial with full feature access, no credit card required
Cons
- Data hosting location unclear — Intuit won't confirm AU data centres, which is a concern for data sovereignty
- Bank feed coverage still catching up to Xero (50+) and MYOB (130+) — Big 4 confirmed, Open Banking expanding
- Advanced Payroll with Modern Awards is a paid add-on, not included in base plans
- Payday Super readiness not explicitly confirmed by Intuit for AU product
- US-owned company with global focus — AU-specific feature development may lag behind Xero and MYOB
- 50% promotional pricing can mislead on true ongoing cost ($33/mo, not $16.50/mo)
Who Should Choose MYOB
MYOB is best suited for businesses that need employer with payroll, phone support needed, au owned preference.
Choose MYOB if you are:
- Employer With Payroll
- Phone Support Needed
- Au Owned Preference
- Hospitality
- Retail
Who Should Choose QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online is best suited for businesses that need budget conscious small business, sole trader, simple accounting.
Choose QuickBooks Online if you are:
- Budget Conscious Small Business
- Sole Trader
- Simple Accounting
- Freelancer