FreshBooks

Overview

FreshBooks was founded by Mike McDerment in 2003 to simplify invoicing and accounting for small businesses, and says more than 500,000 small businesses in over 160 countries have used it^[3]. It started as invoicing software and remains strongest for service businesses that bill clients for time and projects.

Plans are priced by number of billable clients. Lite costs US$23 a month and allows invoices to five clients; Plus costs US$43 a month for 50 clients and adds accountant access, financial reports and receipt scanning; Premium costs US$70 a month for unlimited clients and adds project profitability and custom email templates; Select is quoted and includes advanced payments and two team-member accounts^[3]. At review, plans were offered at 80% off for four months^[3].

Add-ons are charged separately: team members at US$11 a month each, Advanced Payments at US$20 a month and FreshBooks Payroll at US$40 a month plus US$6 per user^[3]. The client caps make costs rise quickly for businesses with many customers, and inventory features are limited compared with general-purpose ledgers.

FreshBooks features

• Invoices with card and ACH payment
• Client-based plan tiers
• Advanced Payments add-on
• Payroll add-on
• 30-day free trial
• Invoices, estimates and proposals
• Time tracking and project profitability
• Expense receipt scanning

FreshBooks pricing

Lite US$23/month (5 clients); Plus US$43 (50 clients); Premium US$70 (unlimited); Select custom. Team members US$11/user/month. Card 2.9% + US$0.30; ACH 1%.

FreshBooks strengths and limitations

Appears in

• Best Accounting Software for Small Business in 2026 #3
• Best Invoicing Software in 2026 #2

FreshBooks alternatives and competitors

Alternatives to FreshBooks: companies ranked in the same lists.

• QuickBooks Live
• ZAZoho Analytics
• Wave
• Xero
• Stripe Atlas
• Harvest
• Bonsai
• HoneyBook
• Invoice Ninja
• SSquare
• Pandle
• Kashoo