Best FreshBooks Alternatives

When it comes to cloud accounting, it’s almost impossible to ignore FreshBooks. The software serves as the accounting home to over 10 million customers, a number that speaks to FreshBooks’s reliability and popularity. However, there are a few other kids on the block worth considering.

If you’re a FreshBooks user who has tired of the service or miss FreshBooks Classic — or perhaps you’re just in the market for new accounting software and want to know all your options — we’ve compiled a list of various other accounting programs for small businesses. Below, you’ll find seven of the best FreshBooks alternatives that match up well in terms of business size, features, accounting ability, and more. Read on through to find out if FreshBooks is right for you — or if you should try something else.

Overview of FreshBooks

Founded in 2003 and based in Toronto, Canada, FreshBooks offers an array of accounting features, including invoicing, estimates and proposals, contact management, and expense tracking. However, it also lacks other features like traditional accounts payable and budgeting.

The company is especially praised for its top-tier customer support and easy-to-use software. Unfortunately, these boons come at a cost. FreshBooks is among the more expensive bookkeeping solutions, with plans ranging from $15 to 50 per month. On top of monthly rates, extra users will put you out even more; all plans start by allowing a single user, and additional users run $10 per month each. Plus, only the two most expensive plans actually have double-entry accounting, meaning the smallest plan is not an accounting solution for small businesses — it’s just glorified invoicing software.

With user limitations in mind, freelancers, micro-businesses, and small businesses in need of simple accounting features probably fit FreshBooks best. Larger businesses with multiple users, or companies that require advanced accounting tools, should look elsewhere.

Pros

• Ease-of-use
• Excellent customer support
• Good mobile apps
• Plenty of integrations

Cons

• Expensive monthly rates
• Limited users
• Limited feature set

QuickBooks Online

Best for small businesses looking for strong accounting, advanced features, and overall robust small business accounting software.

With over 2 million users and over 15-plus years of company history, it’s hard to overlook QuickBooks Online. This cloud-based, double-entry accounting program brings plenty of nifty features like invoicing, contact management, tax support, and lending. Plus, many like it for its ease-of-use, 500+ integrations, and invoicing automations.

QuickBooks Online does receive poor marks across the web for customer support and a sometimes unintuitive interface. However, there are still plenty of positives with QuickBooks’s online service.

QuickBooks Online is great for small to medium-sized businesses wanting strong accounting, integrations, and features. Plus, the QuickBooks Online Advanced plan is suitable for larger businesses (although those needing more than 25 users will want to steer towards larger waters).

QuickBooks Online Features

QuickBooks has bundled this program with numerous features, including many standard accounting tools. Here’s a quick rundown of a few notable features in QuickBooks Online:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Bank reconciliation
• Accounts payable
• Chart of accounts
• Inventory
• Project management
• Time tracking
• Up to 80 reports
• Budgeting
• Tax support
• Multi-currency support

QuickBooks Online Pricing

You can snag a QuickBooks Online subscription $20 – $60 a month. The more expensive the plan, the greater the number of features. Additional features can be accessed via QuickBooks Online Advanced, which goes for $150 a month, and payroll costs an additional $35 – $80 a month plus $4 a month per user.

How QuickBooks Online Compares To FreshBooks

While QuickBooks Online runs $5 – $10 more than FreshBooks, it packs in plenty of punch for your dollar. With its complete array of features, QuickBooks Online is simply the stronger and more well-rounded program.

On the flip side, FreshBooks clocks in with better customer support and a more intuitive interface. If you’re a small business that just wants a simple and basic bookkeeping program, FreshBooks could still be the way to go.

Take a deeper dive by reading QuickBooks Online vs. FreshBooks.

Takeaway

With a healthy array of features, QuickBooks Online makes for a great alternative to FreshBooks. While the monthly fees aren’t cheap, this program includes all the bells and whistles needed for a small business to have a complete accounting experience. If you can spring for the extra cost, and will utilize the more advanced features, QuickBooks Online is worth the look.

Wave

Best for freelancers and small businesses needing free, full-featured accounting software.

The free-to-use Wave, which splashed onto the scene in 2010, makes a great fit for those who can’t spare extra cash for accounting software. Wave doesn’t skimp out on features despite its $0 price tag. By adding Wave to your arsenal, you’ll have access to a strong accounting service with decent invoicing and lending, and an overall robust feature set that’s easy to learn.

Some users have remarked online that Wave does lack when it comes to providing good customer service. However, reviews are generally positive for the product as a whole.

The free angle makes Wave ideal for freelancers and microbusinesses that just need a straightforward accounting program and can’t shell out $100+ per year. There’s also a nifty Etsy integration that could be especially attractive to sellers on that online marketplace.

Wave Features

Even though Wave is a free product, it includes a stunning array of features that won’t constrain most users. Here’s a glance of some worthwhile features included with Wave:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Separate personal and business expenses
• Accounts payable
• Item list
• Time tracking
• 12 reports
• Lending

Wave Pricing

As mentioned above, Wave’s basic accounting program is completely free to use. However, if you’re willing to dish out some extra dough, there are paid online payment and payroll services available.

How Wave Compares To FreshBooks

While FreshBooks offers more integrations and better mobile apps, Wave actually includes some features FreshBooks does not, like vendor management and accounts payable. On top of this, Wave provides double-entry accounting upfront — with FreshBooks, you’ll need to shell out for one of the more expensive tiers to get access to that feature.

Wave also has one big advantage over FreshBooks: it’s free. This means that Wave may not be quite as beefy as QuickBooks Online, but it’s still a solid service sold at a hard-to-beat price.

You can get a more in-depth breakdown with our FreshBooks vs. Wave comparison.

Takeaway

By providing a nice set of features at a $0 price point, Wave makes for a reasonable alternative to FreshBooks. Wave is especially great for freelancers or small businesses with only a couple of people. All told, budget-focused shoppers will want to give Wave a second look before moving on.

Zoho Books

Best for small businesses wanting affordable accounting software that works well for international invoicing.

Rolled out in 2009, Zoho Books is an option with advanced features, strong accounting, and amazing invoicing, all for a reasonable price. I’ll also mention that Zoho Books has been adding features since launch without raising its price once. On top of its core tools, Zoho Books delivers stellar customer service, international invoicing, and a solid suite of mobile apps.

When scouring the web for user reviews, we’ve found that customers can be frustrated by the service’s lack of integrations and no payroll feature. However, praises are heaped for Zoho Books’ ease-of-use, affordability, and good customer support.

Zoho Books Features

As Zoho Books is a paid accounting service, it unsurprisingly offers a strong set of features. In fact, its current form is on par with the other heavy hitters in the accounting software world. Here’s what we at Merchant Maverick like about Zoho Books:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Mileage deductions
• Accounts payable
• Chart of accounts
• Fixed asset management
• Inventory
• Time tracking
• Project management
• 50+ Reports
• Tax support
• Multi-currency support
• Invoice in multiple languages

Zoho Books Pricing

Three pricing plans ranging from $9 to $29 a month line the shop shelves for Zoho Books. You’ll be able to access more features, contacts, and users when spending on the more expensive plans. All plans include unlimited invoicing and estimates. Things cap out at nine users, although you can buy more spots for additional fees.

How Zoho Books Compares To FreshBooks

By far the biggest difference between Zoho Books and FreshBooks is price. You’ll need to open your pockets a bit more if you go with FreshBooks — Zoho Books can be between $5 and $20 cheaper. This, coupled with the fact that Zoho Books has the whole gamut of accounting tools, means that small businesses may prefer to pass on FreshBooks.

Of course, FreshBooks is still a great service. Its payment history tools are better rounded and its software preforms more smoothly. Like Zoho Books, FreshBooks also lacks native payroll tools (however, FreshBooks makes up by integrating with Gusto).

Otherwise, both services provide powerful accounting tools, solid mobile apps, easy-to-use software, and excellent customer service. FreshBooks and Zoho Books are also great options for international invoicing. As one last note, they are both better suited for smaller businesses that don’t require numerous users.

Takeaway

Zoho Books makes a great case for small businesses wanting an affordable accounting solution with international invoicing and good customer support. Those that need bundled payroll capabilities should pass. Overall, Zoho Books is worth considering if you operate on a tight accounting software budget.

ZipBooks

Best for small businesses that lack accounting experience and are in need of affordably priced accounting software.

Having launched in 2015, ZipBooks is a relative babe in the wide world that is accounting software. However, this youngster still delivers plenty of features while mastering the art of simplicity — making it a worthy competitor to any potential combatant.

With ZipBooks’ powerful automation tools, you can expect to be able to hop in with its free plan and take full advantage — even if you lack much accounting know-how. This makes it attractive to small businesses that prefer a guiding hand over a service with intricate functionality.

On the downside, ZipBooks lacks invoice customization and generates limited reports. Some users also complain about having problems with its mobile apps.

ZipBooks Features

Despite its free and low-priced plans, ZipBooks still comes with a solid number of features. Plus, its simple and intuitive design makes it a great fit for business owners that don’t have much accounting experience. Here’s a look at some key tools ZipBooks includes:

• Invoicing
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Business insights
• Time tracking
• Project management
• Reports
• Category tracking

ZipBooks Pricing

ZipBooks doles out three plans pricing $0 – $35 a month. There’s also a fourth plan that provides a personal bookkeeper; it starts at $125 a month. Every plan incorporates unlimited invoicing and every paid plan bundles in unlimited users, an especially impressive feat. By leveling up to a more expensive plan, you’ll gain access to more features.

How ZipBooks Compares To FreshBooks

Both ZipBooks and FreshBooks promise simple and easy-to-use accounting experiences. One major difference between both services is price. ZipBooks clocks in $15 – $25 cheaper than FreshBooks, so budget-minded small businesses may prefer the lower price point.

FreshBooks does at least include more functionality for its higher cost, though. From a great number of integrations to more customizable invoices, you’ll be able to do more with FreshBooks.

However, you may not be losing out if you go with ZipBooks. The service prides itself on delivering an excellent experience for those without in-depth accounting knowledge. If you or others in your business lack bookkeeping skills, you may not need FreshBooks’s functionality and will instead benefit from the simplicity ZipBooks delivers.

Takeaway

ZipBooks is a nifty program that will get accounting newbies in the game for cheap. It features a free option that manages to be a worthwhile offering for small business owners. Plus, giving the free plan a spin won’t hurt your bank account if you decide you don’t like ZipBooks.

Xero

Best for medium- to large-sized businesses looking for strong accounting, robust features, and unlimited users.

If you’re looking to step up the functionality of your accounting software, Xero could be your answer. This bit of software, which was introduced in 2006, offers unlimited users, an impressive slate of accounting features, and 700+ integrations.

Customers seem to agree that Xero is a solid service with a plethora of functionality, even if its customer service has been lacking as of late.

Xero is best suited for medium- to large-sized companies, and not freelancers or microbusinesses. Because of Xero’s hefty feature set, those with minimal accounting experience may want to shy away.

Xero Features

Xero is known for having a wide array of features that require a learning curve at first (but you may get plenty out this program once getting the hang of things). Here’s some of our favorite Xero features:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Accounts payable
• Inventory
• Project management
• Time tracking
• Expense reimbursements
• 55 reports
• Budgeting

Xero Pricing

You can sign up for Xero with one of three plans — they range in price from $9 to $60 a month. The more expensive the plan, the greater number of features and invoices you can access.

How Xero Compares To FreshBooks

Straight up, Xero and FreshBooks have similar monthly rates. However, Xero offers unlimited users on all their plans while FreshBooks charges a monthly $10 per user beyond one. As such, the wallets of larger businesses will like that Xero isn’t constantly pulling cash out.

Besides keeping your wallet at a healthy weight, Xero comes bundled with inventory tools and accounts payable (two things FreshBooks lacks). You’ll also like Xero if you need integrations; the service includes over 700, which makes FreshBooks’ 200-plus paltry by comparison.

However, Xero’s expansive functionality comes at a cost that isn’t measured with dollar bills: You’ll need to take time learning how to use all its features. With this in mind, those that don’t want to deal with understanding the ins and outs of their accounting software — like freelancers or small businesses without dedicated bookkeepers — may prefer the simplicity of FreshBooks.

Takeaway

Xero is one of the more robust accounting solutions on the block. With a wide array of features, unlimited users, and reasonable pricing, Xero should provide a solid accounting experience to many medium and large businesses. However, smaller businesses that can’t waste time figuring out their accounting software might prefer something else.

AND CO

Best for freelancers needing management software with some basic bookkeeping baked in.

AND CO, launched in 2015 and now owned by Fiverr, isn’t exactly a full-on accounting suite. While it includes some features like invoicing, expense tracking, and reports, this piece of software is more of a management program for freelancers. As such, it makes the most sense in the hands of those that don’t need the complete accounting experience and would rather have tools to help simplify their freelancing career.

With that lead-in, AND CO is unsurprisingly best suited for freelancers. Microbusinesses or independent contractors may also benefit from some of AND CO’s unique features like proposals and signed contracts.

Throughout the web, AND CO receives generally positive reviews from users, with many praising its ease-of-use and strong mobile apps. It also offers solid customer support and numerous tools outside of its core software to help freelancers.

AND CO Features

Because AND CO is geared towards freelance management, you’ll find that it lacks compared to more dedicated accounting services. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; if you’re a freelancer who just needs basic bookkeeping tools, AND CO could be right for you. Here’s a quick rundown of AND CO’s core features:

• Unlimited clients with the paid plan
• Invoicing
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Project management
• Time tracking
• Reports
• Proposals and fully editable contracts

AND CO Pricing

AND CO keeps pricing simple: a free plan and a premium one that goes for $24 a month. The base plan is pretty limited while the premium option tacks on an array of unique freelance-specific features.

How AND CO Compares To FreshBooks

To really take advantage of AND CO, you’ll want to opt into the paid plan, which could make the decision between it and FreshBooks harder. However, AND CO ultimately incorporates tools targeted towards freelancers that aren’t in FreshBooks (such as contracts and subscriptions), meaning that if those features matter to you, price may be moot.

FreshBooks, on the other hand, is a more complete program that will give you a better rounded accounting experience. The program combines other tools in its accounting Swiss Army knife that simply don’t exist in AND CO’s, like invoice customization, estimates, bank reconciliation, and a chart of accounts.

Takeaway

If you’re looking for something that isn’t a dedicated accounting platform and instead acts as a robust freelance management suite with some bookkeeping features corralled together, then AND CO could be your answer. You also may want to shop elsewhere if you aren’t a freelancer of are looking for a full-on accounting experience.

Zoho Invoice

Best for small to mid-sized businesses not needing a full accounting suite, but want an easy way to manage invoices. 

The second Zoho product on our list, this offering focuses solely on invoices. You’ll get a few bookkeeping tools with Zoho Invoice, like expense tracking and mileage deductions, but it generally focuses on doing one thing well: invoicing.

Zoho Invoice was created in 2008 and boasts an array of features, from 16 invoice templates, invoice auto-scheduling, and 14 different languages to send invoices in. Small to mid-sized businesses will benefit most from Zoho Invoice.

Across the nodes of the internet, users report that Zoho Invoice has friendly customer service and great mobile apps, but can be hard to navigate sometimes.

Zoho Invoice Features

Because Zoho Invoice isn’t a full accounting experience, you won’t get the same set of features that a complete accounting suite might. Here’s a quick slate of Zoho Invoice’s features:

• Unlimited invoices and estimates
• Client portal
• Expense tracking
• Project management
• Time tracking
• Reports
• Multi-currency support
• Multiple invoice languages

Zoho Invoice Pricing

You have four plans to choose from with Zoho Invoice. Prices range from free to $29 a month. The more expensive plans include more features, the ability to make invoices for more customers, and slots for additional users.

How Zoho Invoice Compares to FreshBooks

Zoho Invoice focuses on the invoice part of business, which means that if you need the gamut of accounting tools, FreshBooks will look better on your business’s software shelf. However, if you’re just in the market for invoicing software with a sprinkle of bookkeeping features, then Zoho Invoice might be for you.

When it comes to pricing, Zoho Invoice is indeed cheaper than FreshBooks, which makes up for its smaller feature set. Of course, if you don’t want to partner with FreshBooks — but like what Zoho brings to the table — there’s always Zoho Books to placate your business’s accounting needs.

Takeaway

Zoho Invoice probably won’t solve all your accounting problems, but it’s a great invoicing alternative for FreshBooks users on the smallest plan or for those who miss the simplicity of FreshBooks Classic. Of course, if you’re in the market for a full-on accounting solution, your answer may be in another castle.

Finding the Right FreshBooks Alternative

It should be pretty clear by now that while FreshBooks is a popular cloud accounting choice, it isn’t the only player in the ballgame. Let’s run down a quick summary of the best FreshBooks alternatives:

• QuickBooks Online: A complete accounting suite that offers a more well-rounded experience than FreshBooks.
• Wave: With Wave, you’ll be able to take advantage of solid accounting software for free.
• Zoho Books: This option will give you a total accounting experience without breaking the bank.
• ZipBooks: Designed for new users, ZipBooks is great if you lack much accounting experience.
• Xero: This software is very functional and works great with larger businesses, but has a steep learning curve.
• AND CO: A freelance management program, AND CO offers some basic bookkeeping features.
• Zoho Invoice: While not a full accounting suite, Zoho Invoice provides well-designed invoicing tools.

So how should you pick your software?

If you currently use FreshBooks, ask yourself: what isn’t working with my accounting software? Once you figure out what’s wrong, you’ll be able to decide a replacement easily.

If you are still exploring options and haven’t picked one specific program, consider these questions:

• Which features are most important to my business?
• What’s my budget for accounting software?
• How much experience do I have with accounting software?

By answering these questions, you’ll be able to delve into which software fits best with your business. And don’t fret — FreshBooks is a solid choice, as is any of the seven alternatives we’ve outlined above. This means you should be in safe hands no matter which service you choose.

Be sure to visit our full accounting reviews to get an in-depth look at every option out there or read our nifty guide to picking online accounting software for extra help on your journey.