Ask a business owner in the U.S. what software they use to run payroll, manage expenses, or prepare invoices, and chances are high you’ll hear the word QuickBooks. It has become almost synonymous with business accounting in North America, much like Xerox once became shorthand for photocopying.
Yet when IT leaders and finance executives examine the picture closely, they see that it is more layered. Intuit’s QuickBooks products, which include QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop (Pro, Premier, Enterprise), and QuickBooks Self-Employed, don’t dominate in every vertical, geography, or business size.
And competition, while relatively fragmented, is not standing still. Sage, Xero, FreshBooks, Wave, Oracle NetSuite, and Microsoft Dynamics all carve out their own slices of the pie. So, what is the market share of QuickBooks? And what should business decision-makers make of this when evaluating their own technology stacks for business accounting?
In this article…
Let’s break it down.
QuickBooks Market Share Overview
ElectroIQ reports suggest that QuickBooks Desktop products (Pro, Premier, Enterprise) dominate a 62.23% market share of the accounting software market, far outpacing their competitors.
The graph below clearly illustrates how QuickBooks continues to set the standard in the industry, with a market share that’s more than four times that of the next contender, i.e., ADP.
Key Takeaways:
- QuickBooks holds a decisive lead in the SMB accounting software space, capturing over 62.23% of the total market. This commanding share far surpasses its nearest competitors, clearly illustrating QuickBooks’ entrenched position as the preferred solution for small and medium-sized businesses.
- ADP holds a 14.30% share and is the second-largest player in the space. While its strength lies in payroll services, it offers limited capabilities in core accounting functions.
- Sage 50 maintains a 10.30% market share, supported largely by its foothold among midsize enterprises. However, its growth remains modest compared to more cloud-centric platforms.
- Xero holds 8.90% of the market and continues to expand globally. Despite its success internationally, it has yet to gain significant traction in the United States.
- QuickBooks Online holds a 4.35% share, which may appear small in this chart. However, it represents Intuit’s aggressive move toward cloud adoption, which is gaining momentum at a steady pace.
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Industry-Wise QuickBooks Market Share
Looking beyond the overall market penetration, QuickBooks’ strength becomes even clearer when you examine how adoption spreads across industries.
The data from Business Dasher shows a broad distribution, but some verticals lean on QuickBooks far more heavily than others:
Construction (17.22%)
The construction industry leads QuickBooks adoption. This is partly due to the need for job costing, project-based accounting, and subcontractor management features that QuickBooks handles effectively when paired with third-party add-ons.
Accounting and CPA Firms (13.40%)
Unsurprisingly, professional accountants and CPAs themselves are among the most frequent users. For these firms, QuickBooks serves not only as a client service tool but also as a standard platform that simplifies collaboration with small business customers.
Information Technology and Services (12.50%)
IT services firms favor QuickBooks because of its flexible billing options and integration capabilities with project management and ticketing systems.
Computer Software (9.71%)
Tech startups and small software companies often start with QuickBooks for its affordability and then extend it with SaaS integrations.
Hospital and Healthcare (8.97%)
Clinics, practices, and healthcare providers adopt QuickBooks to manage complex billing and vendor payments, especially in environments where compliance and auditability matter.
Nonprofit Organization Management (8.66%)
Nonprofits rely on QuickBooks because it supports grant, donation, and fund accounting workflows, which are typically more complicated than standard SMB bookkeeping.
Financial Services (7.86%)
Smaller advisory and financial service firms use QuickBooks for back-office accounting, though larger firms often outgrow it in favor of ERP-grade systems.
Retail (7.74%)
Retailers benefit from QuickBooks’ integrations with point-of-sale systems and e-commerce platforms like Shopify.
Real Estate (7.73%)
Property managers and real estate firms use QuickBooks for rental income tracking, commissions, and expense management.
Marketing and Advertising (6.22%)
Agencies adopt QuickBooks for invoicing and time-tracking compatibility, though many also supplement it with project management tools.
This distribution illustrates an important point: QuickBooks is not confined to a single niche. While construction and accounting lead the pack, the platform enjoys broad relevance across diverse sectors.
For IT and business leaders, this wide adoption signals a strong ecosystem of integrations and a large talent pool of professionals already familiar with the software.
QuickBooks Market Share by Business Size
Small Businesses (SMBs)
As per Enlyft, SMBs remain QuickBooks’ stronghold at 62% of the total user base. Its low barrier to entry, wide recognition among accountants, and strong tax integration make it the obvious choice for companies that want straightforward financial management without ERP-level overhead.
Medium-Sized Companies
Roughly 31% of QuickBooks users are mid-market firms, many of which rely on QuickBooks Enterprise. Industry-specific editions and hosting arrangements extend the platform’s lifecycle, but these companies often begin to stretch it beyond its natural limits. This is where competitors like NetSuite and Sage Intacct gain traction.
Large Enterprises
Only 7% of QuickBooks adoption comes from large enterprises, underscoring the platform’s limited role at scale.
Enterprises typically require advanced consolidation, compliance, and international capabilities and features, where full ERP systems like Oracle, SAP, or Microsoft Dynamics dominate.
Also Read: Sage vs. QuickBooks: Which is Better?
QuickBooks Market Share by Geographic Distribution
According to Business Dasher, QuickBooks’ market share isn’t uniform worldwide. While it dominates in the United States, its presence drops sharply in other regions, where local or cloud-native competitors often gain more traction.
United States (US)
The story of QuickBooks’ global adoption begins at home. The United States accounts for 86.49 % of all QuickBooks users, which makes it clear why Intuit invests most of its product energy into U.S.-specific payroll, compliance, and tax features.
For American SMBs, QuickBooks feels like the natural choice, backed by decades of trust and a vast support ecosystem.
Canada
Canada is second with 5.47 % of users. While that number seems modest compared to the U.S., it reflects a healthy market where small and medium businesses prefer tools that are familiar, affordable, and adaptable to Canadian accounting needs.
Proximity to the U.S. and regulatory similarities also contribute to stronger adoption than in most other regions.
United Kingdom (UK)
The United Kingdom holds 3.83% of the user base. Government initiatives like Making Tax Digital have nudged many firms toward cloud-based accounting, and QuickBooks has benefited from that shift.
Even so, its share here is contested, with Xero often leading the conversation in the U.K. market, particularly among accountants and bookkeeping firms.
Other Countries
Outside of these top three, adoption is fragmented. Australia has just over one percent, India not quite one percent, and markets like France, Germany, the UAE, the Netherlands, and South Africa all remain under one percent each.
Collectively, these regions form only a small slice of QuickBooks’ global presence. For organizations with subsidiaries in Europe or Asia, that limited footprint often becomes a sticking point.
Multinationals looking for consistency across borders frequently turn to solutions such as SAP or Microsoft Dynamics, with stronger localized support and integrations.
QuickBooks and the Road Ahead
The data confirms what most business owners and IT leaders already know: QuickBooks remains the trusted backbone of small and mid-sized business accounting. With 62% of its user base in SMBs and another 31% in mid-market firms, it remains the preferred choice because it is reliable, familiar, and supported by a vast ecosystem of integrations and skilled professionals.
What’s especially compelling is Intuit’s new offering, Intuit Enterprise Suite, which builds on the popular QuickBooks Online by adding powerful capabilities tailored for mid-market businesses. QuickBooks Online remains a favorite among small businesses thanks to its cloud-based accessibility and flexibility.
However, mid-size companies still prefer QuickBooks Enterprise (the desktop version) because of its advanced feature set—particularly for operations requiring deep inventory tracking and industry-specific integrations. When hosted on the cloud, QuickBooks also gains remote accessibility—an advantage the traditional desktop version doesn’t provide.
For IT and finance leaders, the takeaway is clear: QuickBooks is not only a safe investment but also a solution that can grow with you when combined with secure QB cloud hosting. Its market leadership is not just a statistic but a signal of stability, flexibility, and long-term value.
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