I'm paying £38 a month for my subscription but other people I know pay less than half that amount but I have no idea why?

Allow me to join you here and help with your questions about subscription rates, info-oven-scrub-.

You may be subscribed to QuickBooks Online Advanced. This retails for £35 a month plus applicable taxes and fees. It's the highest level of subscription with the most features such as batch invoices, customised user permissions, and can add up to 25 users. 

Let me share this link so you can see a comparison chart: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/uk/pricing/. 

If you're not using Advanced, other possible reasons include:

• You are currently using the payroll function to pay your employees
• VAT is added to the base subscription price.
• You had promotional discounts that have expired. Because of this, you are now being billed the standard wholesale billing price for your subscription.
• Additional features were activated that are not included in your current subscription plan. 
• You've recently upgraded from Simple Start to Essentials, or from Essentials to Plus.

You can follow these steps on how to verify the type of subscription hat you have: 

1. Go to the Gear or Settings ⚙ icon and select Account and settings.
2. Proceed to the Billing & Subscription tab.

Allow me to share these articles as well for more details: 

• How to Understand Your Subscription Rates and Charges
• Manage Billing, Payment, and Subscription Info in QuickBooks Online

Don't hesitate to ask more questions if you still need help when working in QBO. The Community is open all the time to offer our assistance anytime you need it.