The best FreshBooks alternatives vary in complexity but can all track invoices, income and expenses while remaining affordable and easy to use. While all accounting software options listed below can accommodate freelancers’ accounting needs, some are more scalable than FreshBooks and can be a great fit for larger small businesses, too.
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Here are our top alternatives to FreshBooks and how they stand out among the competition.
Best FreshBooks Alternatives
Product | Promotion | Learn more | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
QuickBooks Online Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Scalability | $35/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $65, $99, $235. | 50% off for first three months or free 30-day trial. | Learn more on QuickBooks Online's secure website |
Xero Learn more on Xero's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Unlimited users, more integrations | $15/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $47, $80. | 30-day free trial or monthly discount (terms vary). | Learn more on Xero's secure website |
Zoho Books Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Mobile-first features | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275. | 14-day free trial of the Premium plan. | Learn more on Zoho Books' secure website |
Wave Accounting | 3.5/5 Best for Free, unlimited invoicing | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16 | N/A | |
ZipBooks | Best for Budget accounting software | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom. | 30-day free trial | |
Hiveage | 4.5/5 Best for Invoicing-only solution | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49. | 14-day free trial of the Pro plan. |
Our pick for
Scalability
QuickBooks Online
Learn more
on QuickBooks Online's secure website
Starting at
$35/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $65, $99, $235.
Promotion
50% off
for first three months or free 30-day trial.
QuickBooks Online is an industry leader in the accounting field, thanks to its strong feature set, scalability and ability to accommodate small businesses with more complex financial needs. With millions of users worldwide, your accountant will likely be familiar with it.
Pros
- Easy to share information with your accountant and to find QuickBooks experts and online resources if needed.
- More than 750 app integrations.
- Robust feature set includes record-keeping, reporting, invoicing and inventory management, plus a capable mobile app.
- Chat and phone support available Monday through Saturday in all plans.
Cons
- Expensive compared with the competition.
- Frequent price increases and a tendency toward upselling.
- Limited account users with each plan.
Our pick for
Unlimited users, more integrations
Xero
Learn more
on Xero's secure website
Starting at
$15/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $47, $80.
Promotion
30-day free trial
or monthly discount (terms vary).
Xero allows unlimited users at every subscription tier, a valuable feature for businesses where several users may need at least limited access to the system to run reports or analyze performance.
Pros
- Unlimited users in all pricing plans.
- Integrates with more than 1,000 third-party apps.
- Feature set includes an excellent mobile app and suite of reports, capable invoicing features, plus automated bill and receipt capture through Hubdoc.
- Simple layout and easy to use.
Cons
- No phone number for customer support listed.
- Entry-level plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
Our pick for
Mobile-first features
Zoho Books
Learn more
on Zoho Books' secure website
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Premium plan.
Zoho Books packs an impressive collection of features and capabilities for an affordable price, and higher-tier plans let users automate workflows and track project profitability. It’s an especially good choice for users that already use the company’s other in-house apps.
Pros
- Less expensive than some competitors; free plan available for businesses with less than $50k in annual revenue.
- Email support in free plan; phone and chat support in paid plans.
- Rich feature set includes excellent invoicing, inventory management, workflow rules and a capable mobile app.
- Add accounting widgets to your phone’s home screen; track time using your Apple Watch.
Cons
- Fewer third-party integrations and reports than some competitors.
- No plan includes more than 15 users (can add additional users for a fee).
Our pick for
Free, unlimited invoicing
Wave Accounting
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16
Promotion
N/A
Unlike some “freemium” software products, Wave doesn’t put out a bare-bones free product as bait, then load it down with costly upgrades. The free accounting software lets you add unlimited collaborators, along with unlimited bank and credit card connections. It can be a simple solution for small, service-based businesses.
Pros
- Free plan available.
- Intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.
Cons
- Lacks features that quickly growing companies need, like audit trails.
- Must subscribe to Wave’s Pro plan or other paid services (payroll, payments, advisor, etc.) to receive customer support from a human.
- No third-party integrations, mileage tracking feature or ability to accept in-person card payments.
Our pick for
Budget accounting software
ZipBooks
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom.
Promotion
30-day free trial
ZipBooks’ free plan covers the basics, including double-entry accounting features, and lets users accept digital payments via Square or PayPal.
Pros
- Free plan available.
- Send unlimited invoices and add expenses.
- Unlimited customer and vendor management.
- Free plan includes direct integration with Square and PayPal for payment processing.
Cons
- Free plan lets users connect to only one bank account.
- Limited to one user in the free plan.
- Free plan doesn’t include live customer support.
Our pick for
Invoicing-only solution
Hiveage
4.5
NerdWallet rating Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
If you are looking for an invoicing-only option, Hiveage is worth considering. Creating invoices is easy, its dashboard is user-friendly and even the free version includes expense tracking. You will need to opt for the most-expensive plan to accept offline payments via cash, check and bank transfer, however.
Pros
- Free plan supports unlimited invoicing for up to five clients.
- Integrates with a dozen payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square and more.
- Assign different billable rates to each type of task.
- Direct clients to your own custom domain with the Plus plan.
Cons
- No built-in, direct integrations with bookkeeping or accounting software.
- All plans have client limits (highest-tier Plus plan caps at 1,000).
NerdWallet’s picks for the best FreshBooks alternatives
QuickBooks: Best for scalability
Price:
- $35 per month for the Simple Start plan.
- $65 per month for the Essentials plan.
- $99 per month for the Plus plan.
- $235 per month for the Advanced plan.
Why we like it: QuickBooks Online is good for businesses that are still growing or plan to grow, thanks to its reporting capabilities and granular transaction tracking tools that let you group transactions by department or location, among other categories. Reporting capabilities scale up with each plan, but even the least expensive Simple Start plan includes more than 50 reports. It integrates with more POS systems and payroll software platforms than FreshBooks does, and also offers its own in-house bookkeeping support, in case you need additional assistance down the road. Read our full QuickBooks Online review.
Xero: Best for unlimited users, more integrations
Price:
- Early: $12 per month.
- Growing: $34 per month.
- Established: $65 per month.
Why we like it: If the software you need to sync with isn’t included in FreshBooks’ list of more than 130 integrations, you might find it in Xero’s app store. This accounting software integrates with more payroll and POS products than FreshBooks does and lets you add as many users as you want. FreshBooks charges $11 per additional user, per month, which can get expensive if you want to give employees access to the software. Xero is also known as a very user-friendly platform that sidesteps the potentially confusing accounting jargon you may find with other providers. Read our full Xero review.
» MORE: Top alternatives to Xero
Zoho Books: Best for mobile-first features
Price:
- $0 per month for the Free plan.
- $20 per month for the Standard plan.
- $50 per month for the Professional plan.
- $70 per month for the Premium plan.
- $150 per month for the Elite plan.
- $275 per month for the Ultimate plan.
Why we like it: If you appreciate the ease of use and functionality of FreshBooks’ mobile app, Zoho Books could be a great alternative. Its mobile app lets you send invoices via iMessage or add widgets to your phone’s home screen so that you can easily access timers and overdue invoices. You can track time, send payment reminders and review outstanding invoices from the Apple Watch app, too. Zoho Books can also be more affordable than FreshBooks — its free plan allows for up to 1,000 invoices per year. Read our full Zoho Books review.
» MORE: Best Zoho Books alternatives
Wave: Best for free, unlimited invoicing
Price: $0.
Why we like it: Unlike FreshBooks, Wave’s accounting software is completely free to use. Features include income and expense tracking, automated invoice reminders, unlimited bank and credit card connections and a dashboard showing cash flow and invoice statuses. Wave also offers different invoice templates depending on the type of business you run: consulting, freelance, legal services, marketing or professional services. Read our full Wave Accounting review.
» MORE: Best free invoicing software
ZipBooks: Best for budget accounting software
Price:
- $0 per month for the Starter plan.
- $15 per month for the Smarter plan.
- $35 per month for the Sophisticated plan.
Why we like it: ZipBooks’ free accounting plan stands out for its Square and PayPal payment integrations, a feature some companies only provide in paid plans or as an add-on. Aside from payments, free plan subscribers can also integrate with business apps like Gusto and Slack. The company offers a separate Growth plan for generating customer reviews and managing your business listings, too. This could be a valuable feature for businesses that are just getting started and want to increase their brand awareness.
» MORE: Best free accounting software
Hiveage: Best for invoicing-only solution
Price:
- $0 per month for the Free plan.
- $19 per month for the Basic plan (or $16 per month billed annually).
- $29 per month for the Pro plan (or $25 per month billed annually).
- $49 per month for the Plus plan (or $42 per month billed annually).
Why we like it: If you primarily need an invoicing solution, Hiveage is a worthy alternative to Freshbooks. It stands out for its simplicity. Creating one-time and recurring invoices is straightforward, the dashboard is easy to navigate, and it offers time and expense tracking even in the free version. You can accept online payments with any plan, but to accept offline payments through cash, check and bank transfer, you’ll have to subscribe to the most expensive Plus plan. Hiveage can also integrate with accounting, CRM and project management software via Zapier.
When to choose an alternative to FreshBooks
FreshBooks is a simple and affordable accounting solution for freelancers and small businesses that don’t require many users and prioritize being able to operate on the go via mobile app. It’s an especially inexpensive choice for those who can work within lower-tier plans’ billable client limits.
While it can be a great fit for freelancers and contractors who need to track time, keep tabs on mileage and send invoices, it’s not the best choice for growing businesses that require features like audit trails.
What are the pros and cons of FreshBooks?
Here are some of the reasons we rate FreshBooks as one of the best accounting software picks for freelancers and small businesses:
- Its intuitive, customizable invoicing capabilities compete with those of more robust accounting solutions.
- Its mobile app stands out for its usability and features, like the ability to respond to clients’ questions from anywhere.
- It lets you automatically track mileage and label trips as business or personal.
- You can track time and add billable hours, plus other billable expenses, to invoices.
- All plans include weekday phone support.
These drawbacks, however, could be limiting for some entrepreneurs:
- The least-expensive Lite plan does not include double-entry accounting reports, accountant access or bank reconciliation.
- The Lite and Plus plans limit billable clients to five and 50, respectively.
- The highest-tier Select plan comes with only two users (additional users add $10 per month).
- There are no audit trails for accountants to review.
How FreshBooks compares to top alternatives
Last updated on June 11, 2024
Methodology
NerdWallet independently reviews accounting software products before determining our top picks. We collect the data for our software ratings from products’ public-facing websites and from company representatives. Information is gathered on a regular basis and reviewed by our editorial team for consistency and accuracy.
NerdWallet’s accounting software ratings favor products that are easy to use, reasonably priced, have a robust feature set and can grow with your business. The best accounting software received top marks when evaluated across 10 categories and more than 30 subcategories. Learn more about how we rate small-business accounting software.
These ratings are meant to provide clarity in the decision-making process, but what’s best for your business will depend on its size, growth trajectory and which features you need most. We encourage you to research and compare multiple accounting software products before choosing one.
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