FreshBooks
Simple invoicing and accounting built for freelancers and small teams
Overview
FreshBooks is cloud accounting software built around invoicing first — designed for freelancers, agencies, and small service businesses that bill clients by the project or the hour. It trades some of QuickBooks' accounting depth for a noticeably simpler, faster day-to-day experience.
FreshBooks centers the whole product on getting paid: branded invoices, online payments, automated late-payment reminders, and built-in time tracking that turns billable hours straight into an invoice. Double-entry accounting, expense tracking, and basic project profitability reporting round it out. It's less suited to businesses with complex inventory or multi-entity accounting needs, where QuickBooks or a dedicated ERP still wins.
- Founded
- 2003
- Pricing model
- Subscription
- Starting price
- $19/mo
- Best for
- Freelancers, consultants, and small agencies who bill clients by project or hour
Features
Professional invoicing
Branded, customizable invoices with online payment links and automatic late-payment reminders.
Time tracking
Track billable hours by client or project and convert them directly into an invoice.
Expense tracking
Snap receipts with the mobile app and auto-categorize business expenses.
Client portal
Clients can view invoices, leave comments, and pay online from a self-service portal.
Project profitability
See time, expenses, and invoiced amounts per project to track true profitability.
Double-entry accounting
Full accounting ledger, chart of accounts, and financial reports for tax-ready books.
Screenshots
Pricing
FreshBooks uses a subscription pricing model, starting at $19/mo.
Lite
$19/mo
up to 5 billable clients
- Unlimited invoices
- Expense tracking
- Time tracking
Plus
$33/mo
up to 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Double-entry reports
- Client retainers
Premium
$60/mo
unlimited billable clients
- Bill payment
- Custom email templates
- Accounts payable
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Fastest, simplest invoicing workflow of any major accounting tool
- Time tracking flows directly into client invoices
- Client portal makes getting paid noticeably smoother
- Much gentler learning curve than QuickBooks for non-accountants
Cons
- Client limits per tier can force an upgrade sooner than expected
- Inventory and multi-entity support are limited compared to QuickBooks
- Payroll isn't built in — requires a third-party integration
- Advanced reporting is thinner than dedicated accounting platforms
Alternatives to FreshBooks
User Reviews (3)
Priya Malhotra
VerifiedStudio Founder · 1-10 employees
Everyone on our team recommends this now
It feels like every freelancer group chat I'm in has someone bringing up FreshBooks this quarter. We moved our whole studio over and the client portal alone has cut our payment delays in half.
Pros: Word-of-mouth is real — it just works out of the box.
Cons: Wish the Lite plan allowed a few more clients before upgrading.
Danielle Ruiz
VerifiedFreelance Consultant · 1-10 employees
Invoicing finally doesn't feel like a chore
I switched from spreadsheets and a payment link generator to FreshBooks and got paid faster within the first month — clients love the portal, and the automatic reminders mean I've stopped chasing late invoices myself.
Pros: Effortless invoicing, great client portal, time tracking built in.
Cons: Client limit on the Lite plan forced an early upgrade.
Marcus Bell
VerifiedAgency Owner · 11-50 employees
Great for a small agency, thin on inventory
For a five-person creative agency billing by the project, FreshBooks nails the basics — time tracking rolls straight into invoices and project profitability reports keep us honest about scope creep. We'd need something heavier if we ever sold physical products.
Pros: Simple setup, solid project profitability view.
Cons: No real inventory management, no built-in payroll.