QuickBooks Online is accounting software first. Conduit is built around contractor operations: customers, jobs, bids, schedules, invoices, pricebook items, and payment collection. If you are searching for how to switch from QuickBooks to Conduit, the right framing is not “replace accounting.” It is “move job-management work out of accounting-shaped records.”
Many contractors still keep QuickBooks for bookkeeping while running sales, production, and payment workflows in Conduit. This guide explains what can import from QBO, what should stay in accounting, and what to verify before using Conduit for live work.
For payment collection details, see /payments. If you are comparing tools, keep the framing honest: QuickBooks Online is accounting software, while Conduit is built for contractor field-service operations.
Connect QuickBooks Online with Intuit OAuth
The QuickBooks Online import uses Intuit’s OAuth flow. Conduit never sees your Intuit password.
- In Conduit, open Settings -> Import Data -> Import from Another Tool.
- Select QuickBooks Online.
- Click Connect Account.
- Sign in with your Intuit ID in the popup window.
- Choose the correct QBO company if your Intuit ID has more than one.
- Approve the connection and return to Conduit.
The migration connection is read-only by default. If you want Conduit invoices to sync back to QBO later, configure that separately in the integration hub after the initial import.
What Imports from QuickBooks
Conduit imports the supported records QuickBooks exposes in the migration flow and maps them into a contractor operating model:
- Customers and contacts: names, email addresses, phone numbers, billing addresses, and customer type where it can be mapped.
- Projects and jobs: QBO sub-customers or job-shaped records can become Conduit projects or jobs when the relationship is clear.
- Bids and invoices: customer-facing sales records import with line items, totals, payment status, and dates.
- Pricebook items: the QBO item list becomes the Conduit pricebook with name, description, unit, price, and cost when present.
- Schedules: recurring or schedule-shaped data can become Conduit recurring schedules when enough customer and date information exists.
Imported customer records store the original source ID in source_external_id to help avoid duplicates if you re-run the migration.
What Should Stay in QuickBooks
QuickBooks has accounting data that should not be forced into a job-management app:
- Journal entries and ledger transactions: keep accounting detail in QBO.
- Bank feeds and reconciliations: these remain part of bookkeeping.
- Vendors and bills: vendor bill workflow does not come through the migration import.
- QuickBooks Time history: Conduit time tracking starts fresh unless you keep a separate QB Time process.
- Tax codes: set a default tax rate in Conduit and override records where needed.
- 1099 tracking: vendor compliance data remains a QBO concept.
- Reports and custom report layouts: rebuild operational views in Conduit analytics from imported records.
Verification Checklist
QuickBooks customer hierarchies can flatten, so check structure before relying on the imported workspace.
- Review customers that had parent, sub-customer, or job relationships.
- Open the Conduit Pricebook and compare it against the QBO item list.
- Check invoice totals for a few larger customers.
- Connect Stripe in Settings -> Payments.
- Decide whether Conduit should sync invoices back to QBO for bookkeeping.
- Set tax defaults in Settings -> Company Profile.
Run QBO and Conduit together for at least one billing cycle if accounting reconciliation is a major concern.
Cost Comparison
QuickBooks Online list pricing is plan-based accounting pricing, not field-service software pricing. As of the confirmed Wave 2 review, Simple Start lists at $38/mo for 1 user, Plus lists at $115/mo for 5 users, and Advanced lists at $275/mo for 25 users. Those plans also include 2 to 3 accountant seats.
Intuit may advertise first-3-month promotional pricing, such as $19/mo, $57.50/mo, or $137.50/mo for those same tiers. Treat those as promos, not the standing monthly price.
| Platform | Listed monthly price | Listed detail | Listed 5-person team cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | $38 / $115 / $275 per month | Accounting software: Simple Start has 1 user, Plus has 5 users, Advanced has 25 users; promos may discount the first 3 months. | $115/mo on Plus for up to 5 users |
| Conduit | $35-250/mo | Every feature included. No per-user fees. No setup costs. No contracts. | $65/mo |
Switch in Minutes, Not Weeks
The OAuth import is the main path for structured QuickBooks data, but many contractors also have operational data outside QBO: old customer spreadsheets, project notes, price lists, or handwritten lists from the field. Conduit can ingest a CSV, connect to the old platform, or use a photo of a handwritten list.
The AI-assisted importer extracts fields, recognizes likely customer and job information, and maps records into Conduit’s customers, projects, jobs, bids, invoices, schedules, and pricebook items. You review the results before using them.
Payment Fee Savings
On a $10,000 invoice, card processing is about $290 before Conduit’s 1% platform fee. ACH in Conduit uses a $1 platform fee plus Stripe ACH processing at 0.8% capped at $5, so that same invoice costs $6 by ACH.
For contractors moving job operations out of QuickBooks, payment collection is often the first workflow to improve. See /payments for how customers pay from invoice links.
Ready to Move Job Work Out of QuickBooks?
Connect QBO, import the supported records, verify customer hierarchy and invoice totals, then decide which bookkeeping sync you want after launch. Use /payments to review the payment-link and ACH workflow.