Businesses using QuickBooks can optimize their experience and operations by integrating specialized apps within the platform. There are numerous advantages to doing so. Some of these integrations may, for example, allow users to perform tasks that are not native to QuickBooks, while others enhance the experience by adding an extra layer of personalization. In sum, the vast options of integrations allow you to transform QuickBooks into an all-in-one platform suited specifically to your needs.

This guide shows you what we at QuickBooks and our users have found to be the best integrations available in 2025:

Payroll Management

QuickBooks Payroll is a comprehensive payroll solution that often surpasses the need for external integrations with its built-in features. However, for businesses in specific situations or those who have not yet transitioned fully, the following integrations provide valuable alternatives.

1. QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets)

QuickBooks Time is an employee management and time tracking solution that integrates with QuickBooks Online. It provides tools for managing your workforce and accurately tracking billable hours.

Key Features:

• GPS tracking of employee locations.
• Mobile management for clocking in and out, and timesheet management.
• Scheduling features for efficient work allocation.
• Customizable alerts, automated overtime calculation, and real-time time tracker.

User Reviews:

• Generally easy to use with intuitive interfaces.
• Offers comprehensive features beyond basic time tracking (invoicing, expenses, payroll, reports).
• Saves time by automating time tracking and payroll tasks.
• Customer support is often praised for being helpful.
• Seamless integration with QuickBooks Online is a major advantage.
• May have limitations for businesses with a large number of staff or complex scenarios.

2. Hour Timesheet

Hour Timesheet is a time tracking and compliance platform that integrates with QuickBooks Online, aiming to simplify timekeeping and related processes for businesses.

Key Features:

• Offers online and mobile time tracking for employees.
• Includes features for job costing, allowing tracking of time spent on different projects.
• Provides leave management capabilities for PTO, sick, and vacation time.
• Supports overtime calculation and billable/non-billable hour tracking.
• Offers reporting and analytics on timekeeping data.
• Integrates with QuickBooks Online for seamless transfer of employee time data.
• Includes options for manager approvals and timesheet audit trails.

User Reviews:

• Some users have reported a great experience with Hour Timesheet, praising its technical support and overall functionality.
• The platform is noted for being user-friendly on both desktop and mobile versions.
• Users appreciate the seamless transition from timekeeping to payroll and invoicing.
• There have been mentions of issues with the login feature and the need for improvements in adding work codes and leave policies.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Canadian businesses looking for a time tracking solution that integrates with QuickBooks Online and helps with compliance may find Hour Timesheet a suitable option.
• The platform's features for job costing and leave management can be particularly useful for managing Canadian workforces.

Inventory Management

For the majority of businesses, QuickBooks provides extensive inventory management capabilities. However, for organizations with highly specialized requirements that go beyond standard tracking, such as advanced manufacturing processes or intricate multi-warehouse systems, the following integrations offer supplementary functionalities.

3. SOS Inventory

SOS Inventory integrates with QuickBooks Online to provide robust inventory management, particularly beneficial for manufacturing or assembly processes. It offers tools to effectively manage your physical goods.

Key Features:

• Real-time stock level tracking.
• Reordering thresholds to prevent stockouts.
• Monitoring item movement across multiple warehouses.
• Comprehensive manufacturing and assembly capabilities (bills of materials, work order tracking, production workflow management).

User Reviews:

• Generally great experience with inventory tracking within QuickBooks.
• Customer service and support are frequently praised as excellent.
• Offers robust features and reporting.
• User-friendly and intuitive interface.
• Seamless integration with QuickBooks Online is a significant advantage.
• Integrates with other platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and PayPal.
• Some users noted underdeveloped aspects, potential issues with address synchronization, limitations in automated workflows, time-consuming setup, and occasional data processing glitches.

4. Fishbowl Inventory

Fishbowl Inventory is a specialized solution for manufacturing and warehouse management that integrates with QuickBooks Online. It provides comprehensive tools for managing inventory and production processes.

Key Features:

• Tracks inventory by serial and lot numbers.
• Robust production management (work orders, bills of materials, manufacturing stage tracking).
• Streamlines purchasing with purchase order creation and integration with QuickBooks Canada.
• Synchronizes with QuickBooks for inventory levels, cost of goods sold, and income accounts.
• Integrates with Shopify, EDI, Amazon, and ShipStation.

User Reviews:

• Highlights seamless integration with QuickBooks Online.
• Cost-effective alternative to full-scale ERP systems.
• Customer support is generally well-regarded.
• Praised for streamlining accounting and inventory processes.
• Some users found the interface outdated and reported occasional bugs.
• Experienced issues with accounting and integration processes, requiring careful setup and synchronization.
• One review noted there could be an improvement on reporting features.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Designed to handle Canadian tax regulations (GST/HST) through QuickBooks Canada integration.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

5. Method CRM

Method CRM enhances QuickBooks with robust CRM functionalities and deep integration. It aims to improve customer interaction, sales process, and overall business operations.

Key Features:

• Two-way real-time synchronization with all QuickBooks versions.
• Comprehensive lead management.
• Detailed customer tracking.
• Automation of sales processes.
• Customer support case management.
• Integrates with Gmail, Outlook, and Google Calendar.

User Reviews:

• Frequently commends the seamless and industry-leading CRM integration with QuickBooks.
• High level of customization without needing extensive technical expertise.
• Customer support is often described as excellent and responsive.
• User-friendly interface.
• Some users have reported system slowdowns and high implementation costs.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Offers a CRM solution deeply connected to accounting data for Canadian businesses.

Method CRM offers a deeply integrated CRM solution for Canadian QuickBooks users, streamlining customer management and providing valuable time-tracking capabilities as an alternative to QuickBooks Time. You can see a demonstration of why customers love Method CRM in this video.

Point of Sale (POS)

6. Lightspeed POS

Lightspeed POS is a cloud-based POS and e-commerce platform for retail, restaurants, and golf, with direct integration to QuickBooks Online. It offers a comprehensive suite of features for sales, inventory, and customer interactions.

Key Features:

• Mobile-friendly interface.
• Robust inventory management.
• Supports various payment methods.
• Features for customer loyalty, employee scheduling, and detailed reports.

User Reviews:

• Often praised for being easy to use and constantly improving.
• Mobile-friendly interface is appreciated.
• Extensive integrations with other business applications.
• Some users noted less intuitive scheduling features, difficulties with ad-hoc queries and exporting reports.
• QuickBooks integration may incur additional costs.
• Poor experiences with initial setup and training.
• Some users find Lightspeed more expensive than other POS systems.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Canadian businesses should carefully evaluate the QuickBooks integration due to reported challenges, potential extra costs, and setup difficulties.
• Thoroughly assess if the integration meets accounting needs and explore trial periods.

7. Square POS

Square POS is a widely used POS system, popular among small businesses, with native integration with QuickBooks Online. It provides a straightforward solution for processing payments and managing sales transactions.

Key Features:

• Accepts various payment types.
• Efficient sales transaction management.
• Captures detailed information about items sold.

User Reviews (Native QuickBooks integration):

• Many users appreciate the seamless integration with QuickBooks Online, which automatically syncs sales data, saving time and effort.
• The integration is considered a key to its flexibility, allowing businesses to manage both in-store and online sales with ease.
• Users find it particularly helpful for simplifying the process of managing and reconciling sales transactions within QuickBooks.
• The platform is scalable, making it suitable for businesses as they grow.

E-commerce Platforms

8. Shopify Connector App

The Shopify Connector App is a dedicated application on the Shopify App Store designed for seamless connection between Shopify and QuickBooks Online that automates your e-commerce and financial data.

Key Features:

• Automates e-commerce and accounting tasks.
• Offers real-time inventory tracking.
• Automates order management processes.
• Consolidates sales receipts for easier reconciliation.
• Supports complex, multi-currency transactions across multiple Shopify websites.

User Reviews:

• Overwhelmingly positive, praising its ability to automate syncing of orders, inventory, and customer data.
• Significantly enhances operational efficiency and reduces errors.
• Users appreciate manual mapping options and flexible transaction posting.
• Responsive and helpful customer support is consistently highlighted.
• Overall sentiment is that this app is essential for businesses integrating Shopify with QuickBooks Online.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Highly recommended solution for Canadian businesses using Shopify and needing robust QuickBooks Online integration.
• Reliability, comprehensive automation, and strong customer support make it valuable.
• Ability to handle multi-currency transactions is a significant benefit for Canadian merchants.

9. A2X (for Shopify and other E-commerce Platforms)

A2X is designed for accurate accounting and efficient revenue reconciliation for e-commerce businesses on Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, integrating with QuickBooks Online. It addresses the unique accounting complexities of online sales with a detailed and automated approach.

Key Features:

• Automatic categorization and summarization of sales, fees, and taxes, matched to bank deposits in QuickBooks Online.
• Provides detailed financial reporting.
• Supports multiple e-commerce platforms and payment gateways.

User Reviews:

• Overwhelmingly positive, highlighting significant time and cost savings.
• Praised for enhancing the accuracy of financial reporting.
• Users appreciate the detailed categorization of transactions.
• Customer support is frequently described as responsive, helpful, and dedicated.
• Allows users to focus on business growth rather than complex bookkeeping.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Consistently recognized as excellent for Canadian e-commerce businesses integrating with QuickBooks Online.
• Focus on accuracy, automation, and detailed reporting effectively addresses online selling challenges in the Canadian market.

A2X provides a specialized and highly recommended solution for Canadian e-commerce businesses on platforms like Shopify, ensuring accurate and automated accounting within QuickBooks Online.

Expense Management

10. Dext (formerly Receipt Bank)

Dext focuses on effortlessly extracting data from receipts and invoices, automating bookkeeping and expense tracking. It aims to simplify business expense management.

Key Features:

• Utilizes advanced OCR technology that reads data from documents with over 99% accuracy.
• Automatically itemizes and categorizes expenses.
• Offers secure, bank-level encryption for document storage.
• Seamlessly integrates with QuickBooks Online and Desktop.
• Convenient mobile application for capturing receipts on the go.

User Reviews:

• Frequently highlights ease of use and intuitive navigation.
• Seamless integration with QuickBooks is consistently praised.
• Users report significant time savings in bookkeeping.
• Accuracy of OCR technology and reliability of data extraction are key benefits.
• Excellent tool for organizing and securely storing receipts and invoices.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Highly recommended expense management solution for Canadian businesses using QuickBooks.
• User-friendly interface and robust OCR technology make it popular.

Payment Automation

11. Plooto

Plooto is an online payment platform for Canadian SMEs, integrating with QuickBooks Online and Desktop. It aims to simplify and automate payment management.

Key Features:

• Streamlines both outgoing and incoming payments.
• Automates workflows for invoice and payment management.
• Features a smart two-way integration with QuickBooks.
• Supports various payment types, including Electronic Funds Transfers (EFTs).

User Reviews:

• Often highlight the ease of use of the platform.
• Seamless integration with QuickBooks is frequently praised.
• Many users report significant time savings in payment processing and reconciliation.
• Customer support is generally considered good.

Canadian Market Relevance:

• Appears to be a highly beneficial payment automation platform for Canadian SMEs integrating with QuickBooks.
• Ease of use and time-saving features are valuable assets.

Marketing Automation

12. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform for email campaigns, website building, social media management, and audience engagement. It offers integration with QuickBooks Online.

Key Features:

• Automatic synchronization of customer and purchase data from QuickBooks to Mailchimp.
• Allows businesses to manage customer interactions and gain insights.
• Enables targeted marketing efforts and audience segmentation.
• Offers versatile marketing tools, including customizable email templates.

User Reviews:

• Often praise versatile marketing tools and customizable templates.
• The ability to segment audiences based on QuickBooks data, such as lifetime sales and average order value, is seen as a powerful tool for tailoring marketing messages and improving campaign effectiveness.

For Canadian businesses seeking to integrate their marketing with QuickBooks Online, Mailchimp offers powerful tools for customer engagement. For a visual guide on connecting QuickBooks Online with Mailchimp, you can refer to this YouTube video.

Conclusion

Integrating the right apps with QuickBooks Canada can significantly enhance operational efficiency and provide deeper financial insights for Canadian small businesses. By connecting specialized tools for various business functions, companies can automate processes, reduce errors, and free up time for strategic growth.

When selecting apps, Canadian businesses should identify their specific needs and look for apps tailored to the Canadian market, including compliance with GST/HST regulations. The QuickBooks App Store is a valuable resource for exploring integrations. Taking advantage of free trials and reading recent user reviews are highly recommended to ensure a smooth integration and alignment with business needs. Carefully chosen app integrations can transform QuickBooks into a powerful platform for managing your entire business.