An accounting app is software that helps businesses and self-employed individuals manage their finances, such as recording income and expenses, sending invoices, tracking cash flow, and preparing for tax time.

Modern accounting apps are online, which means your data is accessible from any device, automatically backed up, and always up to date.

QuickBooks Online is a full accounting platform built for Canadian small businesses, available on the web and as a mobile app for iOS and Android.

A mobile accounting app is an accounting platform optimized for smartphones and tablets. It puts your key financial tools in your pocket—invoicing, expense tracking, snapping receipts, bank feeds, and cash flow monitoring—so you're not tied to a desk to keep your books current.

For small business owners, contractors, and freelancers who are frequently on the move, a mobile accounting app means you can:

• Send an invoice from a job site
• Log an expense at a supplier
• Check your cash position from anywhere

The QuickBooks mobile app covers the tasks you need most when you're away from your desk:

• Invoicing: Create, send, and track invoices and estimates; convert estimates to invoices with one tap.
• Expenses: Log expenses, snap photos of receipts, and categorize transactions.
• Bank feeds: Review and categorize downloaded bank and credit card transactions.
• Payments: Record customer payments and send payment reminders.
• Cash flow: Check your income, expenses, and account balances in real time.
• Contacts: View and manage customer and supplier information.
• Mileage: Track business trips and calculate eligible deductions for the CRA.

The full web version of QuickBooks Online offers additional features for deeper accounting tasks.

Yes. The QuickBooks mobile app includes a full invoicing workflow. You can create a new invoice from scratch, add line items, apply taxes, and send it to your customer by email—all from your mobile device.

You can also convert an estimate to an invoice with a single tap, record payments against unpaid invoices, and send payment reminders for overdue balances. Invoice customization (logos, templates, custom fields) is handled on the web version, but once your template is set up, it applies to invoices you send from your mobile device, too.

Yes. You can log expenses manually or snap a photo of a receipt with your mobile device's camera. QuickBooks Online reads the merchant, date, and amount, then matches it to the corresponding bank transaction. This makes it easy to stay on top of expense tracking in real time rather than catching up at the end of the month.

Attached receipts sync to QuickBooks Online immediately, so your records are complete and audit-ready whenever the CRA needs documentation.

Yes. Bank feeds work the same way on mobile as on the web. Once your bank and credit card accounts are connected, transactions are imported automatically and appear in your QuickBooks Online review queue on any device.

You can review, categorize, and add transactions directly from the app—keeping your books current without waiting until you're back at your computer. QuickBooks Online reads your transaction data only; it cannot initiate bank transfers or move money.

Yes. With QuickBooks Payments enabled, you can accept credit card payments directly from the mobile app, which is useful for in-person sales or service calls where you need to collect payment on the spot. You can also record payments received by e-transfer, cheque, or cash and apply them to the correct invoice.

QuickBooks Payments is an optional add-on with per-transaction fees. You can review available rates on the pricing page.

Yes. The QuickBooks mobile app includes a mileage tracker that lets you log business trips manually or detect them automatically using your mobile device's GPS. Each trip is calculated using the current CRA per-kilometre rate, giving you an accurate deductible amount without manual math.

All mileage records sync to QuickBooks Online, where they're organized and ready to include in your year-end tax records.

The mobile app is optimized for the tasks you do on the go—invoicing, expense logging, snapping receipts, mileage tracking, and reviewing transactions. The web version of QuickBooks Online includes everything in the mobile app plus deeper functionality:

• Reports: Full access to 20+ financial reports (the mobile app shows a summary view only).
• Payroll: Full payroll setup and processing is done on the web.
• Invoice customization: Templates, logos, and custom fields.
• Sales tax filing: GST/HST returns are filed through the web version.
• User management: Adding team members or accountant access.
• Advanced settings: Chart of accounts, integrations, and preferences.

Both the web and mobile app are included in your QuickBooks Online subscription at no extra cost.

The QuickBooks mobile app and the web version share the same data in real time—there's no manual sync required. Any expense you log, invoice you send, or transaction you categorize on your mobile device is immediately visible when you sign in on the web, and vice versa.

The QuickBooks mobile app is included with any QuickBooks Online subscription. There's no separate download fee or mobile add-on charge. Your subscription plan determines which features are available to you on both the web and your mobile device.

Yes. QuickBooks Online offers a free trial so you can explore the full product—including the mobile app—before committing to a plan. No credit card is required to start the trial.

During the trial, you have access to the web version and the mobile app on iOS and Android, so you can get a real sense of how the product fits your workflow.

The QuickBooks mobile app is available for iOS and Android. It requires a recent version of either operating system—check the App Store or Google Play listing for the current minimum requirements, as these are updated as QuickBooks Online adds new features.

The app is optimized for mobile devices and works on both phones and tablets. For the full QuickBooks Online experience, the web version on a computer browser gives you access to all features.

Yes. When you record an expense or create an invoice in the mobile app, you can specify the applicable tax (GST, HST, or PST), and QuickBooks Online tracks the amounts automatically.

Basic payroll tasks are available through the QuickBooks mobile app—you can review upcoming pay runs and approve payroll on the go. Full payroll setup, including adding employees, configuring deductions, and managing tax settings, is handled through the web version.

QuickBooks Payroll is a paid add-on or standalone product and isn't included in any QuickBooks Online plan. Once it's set up on the web, the mobile app keeps you connected for time-sensitive approvals.

Yes. The mobile app is particularly well suited to freelancers and self-employed individuals who don't work from a fixed office. You can do the following all from your mobile device:

• Send invoices right after completing a job
• Snap receipts on the spot
• Log mileage for client visits
• Check your cash position between projects

Managing user access and inviting your accountant is done through the web version of QuickBooks Online, which means you can't add new users from the mobile app. Once your accountant has been invited and accepts access, they can sign in from their own device (web or mobile) to review your books, make adjustments, and prepare for tax filing.

QuickBooks Online has one of the most complete mobile experiences among accounting platforms available in Canada. Xero and FreshBooks also offer capable mobile apps with invoicing and expense features, but QuickBooks Online tends to offer broader functionality—particularly for businesses that also need payroll, project tracking, and deeper reporting.

For Canadian small businesses, QuickBooks Online has the advantage of built-in GST/HST management and CRA-aligned expense categories. The right choice depends on the complexity of your business—QuickBooks Online is a strong fit for businesses that want one platform to handle most of their accounting needs.

For many small businesses and freelancers, yes. Day-to-day bookkeeping tasks can all be done from the QuickBooks mobile app, including:

• Logging expenses
• Sending invoices
• Snapping receipts
• Reviewing transactions

That said, some tasks are better suited to the web version:

• Running detailed reports
• Processing full payroll
• Customizing invoice templates
• Managing user access

If your accounting needs are straightforward, the mobile app alone may be enough for most weeks.

The mobile app includes a dashboard with a real-time overview of your income, expenses, and account balances. You can also view unpaid invoices, recent transactions, and profit and loss summaries.

For full access to the 20+ financial reports in QuickBooks Online—including profit and loss detail, balance sheet, GST/HST Summary, and accounts receivable aging—you'll want to use the web version.