Local Books vs. MYOB Business Pro: which fits your business?

This compares Australian MYOB Business Pro with U.S. Local Books. MYOB’s products and prices vary by country, and the two products serve different tax systems.

MYOB Business Pro is made for an Australian small business that wants browser access and Australian tax and payroll workflows. Local Books is made for a U.S. business that wants accounting and payroll tools in software it owns. The right choice starts with where your business files taxes and what your accountant already uses.

What each product brings together

MYOB Business Pro handles quotes and invoices, bills, bank feeds, job tracking, inventory, and reporting. Its plan page lists unlimited user profiles, unlimited connected bank accounts, browser access, and payroll for unlimited employees as an add-on. MYOB says its payroll calculates tax and superannuation and reports Single Touch Payroll to the ATO. The Pro inventory plan has limits, with additional inventory options available. MYOB Australia’s plan comparison and feature list show which features belong to each edition.

Local Books brings invoicing, bills, payments, bank reconciliation, inventory, job costing, and reports into both editions. It includes unlimited company files and user accounts without per-user or per-company software fees. Desktop includes five office computers total, including the host, for staff working together in the same books. Server supports larger teams and access across locations through one business-managed host. Compare Local Books editions.

The payroll comparison needs care. MYOB Business Pro offers Australian payroll, including ATO reporting and superannuation features, for an added fee per employee paid each month. Local Books includes U.S. payroll tools such as pay runs, pay stubs, time entries, benefits, onboarding, and tax-form preparation. You or your payroll professional review the calculations and handle filing and tax payments. It is not an Australian payroll product or a managed filing service.

A five-person cost example

Consider a business with five people who need access to the books and five employees paid through payroll. This is a pricing example, not a Local Books user limit. Local Books Server has no fixed concurrent-user cap; practical capacity depends on the host and workload.

The prices are in different currencies and are not converted or compared as a single total. MYOB lists payroll at AUD $5 per employee per month. Check its current quote and terms before buying. Promotional offers are excluded. Current MYOB plan prices and offer terms.

Local Books includes stock counts, partial purchase order receiving, barcode lookup, stock movements and inventory valuation in both editions. Optional Advanced Inventory adds locations and bins, lot and serial tracking, assemblies, warehouse fulfillment and advanced pricing. Start with basic stock records and enable the controls your business needs; Advanced Inventory is off by default for a company with no saved preference. See the inventory workflows. The inventory tools do not change the regional tax distinction: Local Books remains a U.S. business and accounting product.

Consider how you want help with AI

MYOB Business now includes its Ask Iris assistant. MYOB describes it as a chat for questions about business finances. Other features, including AI BAS, are marked beta or available as an additional purchase. MYOB’s product page describes those features and their plan status.

Local Books has a built-in AI Assistant that can answer how-to questions from the current manual and help with supported bookkeeping tasks. You choose whether proposed changes need approval, within the signed-in user’s permissions. Connecting an AI provider is optional. This U.S. application does not add Australian BAS or payroll filing.

What users report

Individual G2 reviews show different experiences. A finance team leader rated MYOB 3.5 out of 5 on July 27, 2026, and valued familiarity and cloud access while wishing for better search and fewer steps. A taxation-services reviewer rated it 4.5 out of 5 on July 30, 2026, and praised the Australian fit, payroll, and reporting, while also saying some tasks took extra clicks. These are individual reviews, not a promise about every business or every MYOB edition. Read the MYOB reviews on G2.

Review the books with your accountant

For a U.S. business, Local Books includes Accountant Review workpapers and protected handoff packages. See the full feature list.

Which one fits?

Choose MYOB Business Pro if your business operates in Australia and wants its GST, BAS, payroll, and ATO workflows in a browser-based system, with a recurring subscription and a payroll fee tied to paid employees.

Choose Local Books if your business operates in the United States and you want to keep using a purchased version without mandatory monthly software renewal. Desktop suits an office using up to five computers in total. Server supports larger teams and access across locations. Your business manages the host and backups. Both editions include the same core toolkit, unlimited companies and users, and payroll tools. Its built-in AI Assistant follows user permissions and your approval choice.

Before choosing, compare the reports and everyday tasks your bookkeeper relies on, and ask how your accountant prefers to receive the records.

Written by Local Books, the maker of one of the products discussed. Prices and product details are linked to their sources. Other product names belong to their respective owners; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.