# QuickBooks for Billboard Companies: Uses, Limits, Prices (2026)

URL: https://gabie.ai/learn/quickbooks-for-billboard-companies
Type: Guide · Published: 2026-10-12 · Updated: 2026-10-12 · By: Gabie Research

Short answer: QuickBooks Online is good at the money side of a billboard company: invoices, recurring bills, bank feeds and the books. Intuit lists no tools for faces, open dates, holds, leases or contracts. Four paid plans list at $38 to $340 a month. QuickBooks was one of the top three answers in a 2024 Billboard Insider poll of OOH software.

Key takeaways:
- QuickBooks Online handles invoices, recurring invoices, card and bank payments, bill pay and the books.
- Intuit's feature pages list no tools for faces, open dates, holds, leases or contracts tied to faces.
- Four paid plans list at $38, $85, $140 and $340 a month. A free plan allows 2 invoices a month.
- QuickBooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet were the top three answers in a June 2024 Billboard Insider poll.
- SignDash, Apparatix and DOmedia each list a QuickBooks link. Ask what moves between the two systems.

QuickBooks Online is good at the money side of a billboard company. It sends invoices, bills on a schedule, takes
payments and keeps the books. Intuit lists no tools for faces, open dates, holds, leases or contracts. Paid plans list
at $38 to $340 a month. A free plan also exists.

> Note: Gabie makes billboard software too, and appears near the end of this guide. Prices and features come from Intuit's own
pages, checked October 12, 2026. Prices change, so check Intuit before you buy. This is not tax or accounting advice.
Ask your accountant.

## Do billboard companies use QuickBooks?

Yes. In June 2024, Billboard Insider asked readers which software they use to run their out-of-home companies.
[QuickBooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet](https://billboardinsider.com/quickbooks-apparatix-and-billboard-planet-are-most-used-ooh-software-tools/)
were the top three answers. The article names QuickBooks first. It doesn't give vote counts or the number of
respondents.

The same article calls QuickBooks "paid cloud-based accounting and invoicing." Billboard Insider says it uses
QuickBooks for its own books and for its related company, Circle City Outdoor. It also notes ChargeOver, a billing tool that
links to QuickBooks.

A newer poll looks different. In [August 2026](https://billboardinsider.com/billboard-insider-billboard-software-poll-results/),
readers chose among billboard-specific tools. Apparatix got 40%. "Something else" got 28%. An Excel spreadsheet got
14%. Billboard Planet got 10% and SignDash got 9%. The article doesn't give the number of respondents. QuickBooks isn't
in those results. That fits. QuickBooks is the books, and the others run the billboard side.

## What does QuickBooks do well for a billboard company?

QuickBooks does the work every company needs, billboard or not. These are the parts that fit an owner best.

### Invoicing and payments

Intuit's [invoicing page](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/invoicing/) lists the main tools.

- **Recurring invoices.** "Set up recurring invoices to auto-send every day, week, month, or year." A board that
  bills the same advertiser each period fits this.
- **Online payments.** Simple Start lists card and bank-transfer payments inside the invoice, through QuickBooks
  Payments.
- **Reminders.** Automated payment reminders help with late payers.
- **Estimates.** QuickBooks tracks the total on an estimate, what has been paid and what is still owed.
- **Progress invoicing.** Plus and Advanced let you accept payments over time. That may help with a deposit and a
  balance.

The invoicing page doesn't say which plans include recurring invoices or estimates. Check the plan before you buy.

### The books

Intuit's [accounting page](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/) says QuickBooks learns how you sort income and
expenses. Bank and card transactions sync in on their own. Reports grow by plan. Simple Start has general business
reports. Essentials adds enhanced reports. Plus has comprehensive reports.

### Can QuickBooks bill every four weeks?

Out of home is billed in four-week periods, not months. See [four-week period](https://gabie.ai/glossary/four-week-period). A year has
13 of them, so a four-week bill isn't a monthly bill.

Intuit's invoicing page lists recurring schedules by day, week, month or year. It doesn't name a four-week cycle. Test
that your plan can repeat an invoice every four weeks before you move your billing over. If it can't, ask your
accountant how to handle it.

### Bill pay for landowners

Simple Start and up include bill pay with free ACH. A billboard company pays ground rent to landowners. QuickBooks can
pay that bill. Intuit lists no way to keep lease terms, such as the end date. See [ground lease](https://gabie.ai/glossary/ground-lease).

### Classes, locations and projects

Plus allows up to 40 classes and locations, and Advanced allows unlimited. Plus also tracks project profitability.
These are tags. You could use one per market or per structure. You could use a project for a big production job. That
is our idea, not an Intuit example.

## What does QuickBooks not do for a billboard company?

Intuit's feature pages are about money. The pages we read list no tools for the items below.

| Billboard need | QuickBooks Online | What fills the gap |
|---|---|---|
| Which faces are open, and when | Not listed | Billboard software or a spreadsheet |
| Holds on a face | Not listed | Billboard software |
| A contract tied to specific faces and dates | Estimates and invoices, not faces | Proposal and contract tools |
| Ground lease terms and expiry | Not listed (bill pay can pay the rent) | Lease tools |
| Proof of posting | Not listed | Billboard software |
| Finding new advertisers | Not listed | A CRM or prospecting tool |

### Why isn't QuickBooks inventory enough?

QuickBooks has an inventory tool. [Intuit describes it](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/inventory/) as a way
to "keep track of every product you buy and sell." Stock counts update on their own. Low-stock alerts tell you to
reorder. It is on the Plus and Advanced plans.

That fits a store with shelves. It does not fit a face. A face isn't bought and sold. It is rented for set dates, and
the same face is open in some weeks and held or booked in others. Intuit's page doesn't list dates, holds or flights.
See [avails](https://gabie.ai/glossary/avails) and [hold](https://gabie.ai/glossary/hold).

## How much does QuickBooks Online cost?

Here are the plans on [Intuit's pricing page](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/) as of October 12, 2026.

| Plan | List price per month | Offer shown | Users | Fits a billboard company that... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | None | 1 | Sends 2 invoices a month or fewer |
| Simple Start | $38 | $19 for 3 months (50% off) | 1 | Has one person doing the books |
| Essentials | $85 | $42.50 for 3 months (50% off) | 3 | Has an owner, a sales lead and a bookkeeper |
| Plus | $140 | $70 for 3 months (50% off) | 5 | Wants projects, classes, locations or progress invoicing |
| Advanced | $340 | $170 for 3 months (50% off) | 25 | Has a larger team and needs custom permissions |

The last column is our advice. Intuit lists users and features, not who should buy.

What each plan adds, per Intuit:

- **Free.** Tracks income and expenses, allows 2 invoices a month, shows the top 3 reports and connects 1 bank.
- **Simple Start.** Adds general reports, automated bookkeeping, invoicing with payments and bill pay with free ACH.
- **Essentials.** Adds enhanced reports, employee time on invoices and bulk invoice creation (beta).
- **Plus.** Adds budget planning, project profitability, inventory tracking, and classes and locations.
- **Advanced.** Adds custom dashboards, unlimited classes and locations, batch invoices, automated workflows, Excel
  sync, user permissions and priority support.

Intuit's page shows "50% off for 3 months" on each paid plan. The text we could read didn't give the price after
the offer or the offer's end date. It says there is no annual contract, and you can cancel anytime. A 30-day free
trial is listed too.

## How do billboard companies pair QuickBooks with billboard software?

The clean split is this. QuickBooks owns the money. Billboard software owns the faces. Each job has one home.

| Job | Where it should live |
|---|---|
| Faces, rate cards and open dates | Billboard software |
| Holds, proposals and contracts | Billboard software |
| Ground lease terms and permits | Billboard software or lease tools |
| Invoices and payments | QuickBooks, or billboard software that sends them to QuickBooks |
| Rent paid to landowners | QuickBooks bill pay |
| Books, reports and tax prep | QuickBooks and your accountant |

Do not enter an invoice twice. If your billboard tool sends invoices to QuickBooks, let it. Then your team does not
retype a rate in two places.

### What does the flow look like?

Here is one sale from start to finish. The names are made up. Riverbend Outdoor in Jackson, Tennessee, sells face
B-114 N to Hollis Family Dental.

1. A rep checks that B-114 N is open for the dates, in the billboard system or sheet.
2. The rep places a hold, so no one else quotes the face.
3. Hollis accepts the proposal, and the contract books the face.
4. The invoice goes out from QuickBooks, or from the billboard tool into QuickBooks.
5. A recurring invoice repeats it for the length of the flight.
6. The payment lands, and the books match the bank.
7. Rent for the ground under B-114 N is paid through bill pay.

Steps 1 to 3 never touch QuickBooks. Steps 4 to 7 never touch the billboard system, unless a link joins them.

### Which billboard tools say they link to QuickBooks?

| Tool | What the source says | Date of source |
|---|---|---|
| SignDash | Added a QuickBooks Online link. Tied to invoicing. Only QuickBooks Online is mentioned | Sept. 2024 |
| Apparatix | A QuickBooks link for billing, per a 2016 profile. Its modules cover billing, lease management and accounting | Apr. 2016 |
| DOmedia | Lists Intuit QuickBooks among its integrations. No detail on scope | Page checked Oct. 2026 |
| Watchfire OAx | Data can feed your accounting system. Reports export to accounting programs. No brand named | Sept. 2016 |

None of the sources say which records move, or in which direction. Apparatix's homepage, as we read it, doesn't
mention QuickBooks. SignDash's [2024 interview](https://billboardinsider.com/tracey-hess-on-whats-new-at-signdash/) says
the two systems are "talking to one another" and nothing more. See our [SignDash review](https://gabie.ai/learn/signdash-review) and
[Apparatix review](https://gabie.ai/learn/apparatix-review).

### What should you ask a vendor about QuickBooks?

1. Is the link to QuickBooks Online, Desktop or both?
2. Which records move: customers, invoices, payments?
3. Does data move one way or both ways?
4. Which system creates the invoice?
5. What happens if an invoice is edited in QuickBooks?
6. Does the link cost extra?

## How should you set up QuickBooks for a billboard company?

These are ideas to take to your accountant, not rules.

- Make one customer for each advertiser.
- Keep rental income and production income apart, so you can see each one.
- Use a class or location per market, if your plan allows it.
- Keep ground rent in its own expense account.
- Keep a deposit separate from the rest of the month's bill.

Keep the open-date calendar somewhere else. A spreadsheet works at first.

## When do you outgrow QuickBooks and a spreadsheet?

Look for these signs.

- A rep asks if a face is held, and nobody knows.
- Two advertisers get promised the same face.
- A renewal slips by.
- You have empty faces and no one working on them.
- You have more than one sales rep.

OAAA runs a [Tech Locator](https://oaaa.org/resource-center/directories/tech-locator/) of vendors for out-of-home.
Its categories include content management, CRM and marketplaces. Accounting and inventory aren't categories there.
That fits the split. QuickBooks sits outside the OOH tools. See our guide to
[billboard management software](https://gabie.ai/learn/billboard-management-software) and our list of
[best billboard software](https://gabie.ai/learn/best-billboard-software).

> How Gabie handles this: Gabie doesn't do invoicing or accounting, and it has no QuickBooks connector. It runs alongside QuickBooks. Billing
stays in your own system. Gabie keeps the faces, rate cards, holds, leases and permits, then builds proposals from live
availability. Scout works open faces with local businesses. Gabie is free up to 100 faces. See
[Inventory](https://gabie.ai/platform/inventory).

## Questions people ask
### Can a billboard company run on QuickBooks alone?
For the books, yes. For selling, no. QuickBooks handles invoices, payments and reports. Intuit's pages list nothing for open dates, holds, leases or faces. Most owners add a spreadsheet or billboard software for those.

### Can QuickBooks track billboard inventory?
Not faces. Intuit's inventory tool is for products you buy and sell, with stock counts and low-stock alerts. It is on the Plus and Advanced plans. A face has open dates and holds, which that tool doesn't track.

### How much does QuickBooks Online cost?
Intuit's pricing page lists Simple Start at $38 a month, Essentials at $85, Plus at $140 and Advanced at $340. It shows 50% off for 3 months on each paid plan. There is also a free plan.

### Can QuickBooks bill an advertiser every month?
Yes. Intuit says you can set up recurring invoices that send every day, week, month or year. Its invoicing page doesn't say which plans include them, so check before you buy.

### Which billboard software connects to QuickBooks?
SignDash added a QuickBooks Online link in 2024. Apparatix described a QuickBooks link in 2016. DOmedia's platform page lists Intuit QuickBooks. Each source gives few details, so ask what moves.

### Do I need billboard software if I have QuickBooks?
You do when open dates, holds and renewals get hard to track by hand. QuickBooks can't tell a rep which face is free. A spreadsheet can, until the team grows.

## Sources
1. QuickBooks Online pricing, Intuit. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
2. QuickBooks invoicing, Intuit. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/invoicing/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
3. QuickBooks Online accounting software, Intuit. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
4. QuickBooks inventory management, Intuit. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/accounting/inventory/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
5. Quickbooks, Apparatix and BillboardPlanet are Most Used OOH Software Tools (June 17, 2024), Billboard Insider. https://billboardinsider.com/quickbooks-apparatix-and-billboard-planet-are-most-used-ooh-software-tools/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
6. Billboard Insider billboard software poll results (Aug. 11, 2026), Billboard Insider. https://billboardinsider.com/billboard-insider-billboard-software-poll-results/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
7. Tracey Hess on What's New at SignDash (Sept. 25, 2024), Billboard Insider. https://billboardinsider.com/tracey-hess-on-whats-new-at-signdash/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
8. Apparatix: Providing Billboard Solutions (Apr. 8, 2016), Billboard Insider. https://billboardinsider.com/apparatix-providing-billboard-solutions/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
9. DOmedia platform, DOmedia. https://www.domedia.com/platform (accessed 2026-10-12)
10. For media sellers, DOmedia. https://www.domedia.com/sellers (accessed 2026-10-12)
11. Watchfire Unveils Ignite OAx Business Management Software for Static and Digital Billboard Operators (Sept. 21, 2016), Billboard Insider. https://billboardinsider.com/watchfire-unveils-ignite-oax-business-management-software-for-static-and-digital-billboard-operators/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
12. Tech Locator, OAAA. https://oaaa.org/resource-center/directories/tech-locator/ (accessed 2026-10-12)