FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks Comparison
QuickBooks hits the mark for most small businesses, but FreshBooks has enough basic tools for many freelancers.
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Updated · 3 min read
Written by
Lead Writer & Content Strategist 
Edited by
Assistant Assigning Editor 
Co-written by
Senior Writer 
FreshBooks and QuickBooks Online both make our list of the best accounting software for small businesses. Deciding between them depends on your business's size and complexity.
Freelancers may find all the basic functions they need with FreshBooks. And for a lower price point than QuickBooks, to boot.
But QuickBooks Online goes beyond basic accounting. It has hundreds of app integrations, detailed inventory tracking and customizable reporting. Plus, it’s easy to scale and share with your accountant. This makes it a better fit for most non-freelance businesses.
FreshBooks is better for:
✔️ Time tracking.
✔️ Less expensive monthly plans.
✔️ Client communication.
QuickBooks is better for:
✔️ Detailed transaction tracking.
✔️ Scalability.
✔️ Collaborating with an accountant.
FreshBooks pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Has a client portal.
Track time and add billable hours to invoices in all plans.
Weekday phone support in all plans.
Cons
Highest-tier Select plan only comes with two users (additional users add $11 per month) and lower-tier plans put limits on billable clients.
Least expensive plan lacks double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access.
QuickBooks pros and cons at a glance
Pros
Is an industry standard among accountants.
Integrates with more than 750 apps.
Has a robust feature set with detailed reporting and transaction tracking.
Cons
Plans can be expensive.
Frequently increases pricing and tends to upsell.
FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks: Head-to-head comparison
| FreshBooks | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Key features | Has a strong invoicing feature; app lets users send invoices on the go, scan receipts and track mileage; basic inventory tracking for billable items; least expensive plan lacks double-entry accounting reports. | Has robust reporting tools and report customization options, invoicing for an unlimited amount of clients, inventory tracking in higher tier plans, plus a capable mobile app. |
| Ease of use | Auto-categorizes transactions for you, but you can’t set up your own bank rules; least expensive plan lacks bank reconciliation tools. | Includes tools that help automate the reconciliation process, along with a customizable dashboard; however, there is a learning curve. |
| Scalability | Can support freelancers, contractors and small businesses with a handful of employees; highest-tier plan includes two users (additional users can be added for a fee). | Can support larger small businesses with dozens of employees; highest-tier plan includes 25 users. |
| Ease of sharing with accountants | Least expensive plan doesn’t allow accountant access. | Includes easy accountant access; has millions of users so your accountant will likely be familiar with it. |
| Integrations | Integrates with more than 100 third-party apps; limited choices for direct payroll and point-of-sale integrations. | Integrates with more than 750 apps and offers live, in-house bookkeeping add-on. |
| Customer support | Includes phone support in all plans 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET from Monday to Friday; offers email and live chat support. | All plans include phone and chat support 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. |
| Cost |
|
|
| Advanced features | Project tracking tools in higher-tier plans; lacks industry-specific reports and transaction tracking tags; users with multiple businesses must pay for separate subscriptions. | Includes project tracking tools in higher tier plans; has transaction tracking tags; lacks industry-specific reports; users with multiple businesses must pay for separate subscriptions. |
Where QuickBooks stands out
Scalability
QuickBooks has four subscription tiers that layer on reporting and bookkeeping functions. It can support solopreneurs and small companies with complex workflows alike.
As you upgrade plans, QuickBooks lets you invite more users to collaborate. The highest-tier Advanced plan, for example, allows you to add up to 25 users. FreshBooks, on the other hand, charges $11 per month per additional user. Most FreshBooks plans come with just one user (the Select comes with two).
Better feature set
Both software solutions have a variety of capabilities, but QuickBooks' are typically stronger. Here are some examples:
Reporting
When it comes to reporting, QuickBooks lets you drill deeper than FreshBooks. Its Plus plan and up allow you to track both classes and locations. You can use the former to separate results by department. Location tracking is useful for businesses with multiple brick-and-mortar storefronts. QuickBooks also has double-entry accounting reports (e.g., general ledger and chart of accounts) in all plans. FreshBooks only includes these in the Plus plan and up.
Inventory management
If you manage just a small amount of inventory, FreshBooks can get the job done. But QuickBooks goes beyond basic stock tracking. It has reorder points and lets you buy inventory from directly within the platform. You can also run reports to identify your best sellers and which carry the highest cost. Other inventory features include pricing rules that let you customize rates.
That said, QuickBooks' inventory features are available only in Plus and Advanced plans. FreshBooks, on the other hand, offers basic inventory tracking in all plans.
Accounting fundamentals
FreshBooks lacks some basic accounting features, like bank reconciliation, in its Lite plan. You can upgrade to get these features. But you shouldn’t have to. And while the software will match some transactions for you, it doesn’t let you create bank rules to further automate the categorization process. These functions are standard in QuickBooks' entry-level plan.
Ease of sharing with accountants
FreshBooks’ Lite plan doesn’t allow for accountant access. This can be limiting for businesses that want an accountant to look over their financials every so often. Alternatively, QuickBooks includes accountant access in all plans. And thanks to the software’s popularity, most accountants should be familiar with it.
Where FreshBooks stands out
Low-cost plans for freelancers
QuickBooks is the more expensive option at all plan levels. So FreshBooks’ lower price tag may be the deciding factor for freelancers. Especially if they're looking for a simple, mobile-friendly bookkeeping solution.
For example, all FreshBooks plans let you re-bill expenses to clients. You’d have to subscribe to QuickBooks’ Plus plan ($115 per month) or higher to access that feature. All FreshBooks plans boast other features that are particularly useful for freelancers. This includes the ability to chat back and forth with clients via the mobile app. You can also find out when a client has viewed an invoice.
QuickBooks does offer a scaled-back product for freelancers and gig workers. QuickBooks Solopreneur starts at $0 per month. But you can’t seamlessly grow into QuickBooks Online from this version. It would require manual data imports.
Time tracking
Time tracking is easy and automatic with FreshBooks. And it's included with all plans. You can log in online to track your time or mark it via the mobile app, a browser extension or a third-party app like Asana. You also can record time by project and bill for tracked hours.
QuickBooks offers automatic time tracking through QuickBooks Time. But it costs extra, regardless of which plan you choose. And you need to subscribe to QuickBooks’ Essentials plan ($75 per month) or up to enter billable time and add it to invoices.
Alternatives to FreshBooks and QuickBooks
Xero: Better for unlimited users
Pricing:
- $25 per month for the Early plan.
- $55 per month for the Growing plan.
- $90 per month for the Established plan.
Xero allows unlimited users in every plan tier. It also integrates with more than 1,000 apps. All of its plans include bank reconciliation, unlike FreshBooks. But its lowest-tier Early plan doesn’t let users send more than 20 invoices, enter five bills or claim expenses.
» MORE: Xero vs. QuickBooks
Wave: Better for free invoicing
Pricing:
- $0 for the Starter plan.
- $19 per month for the Pro plan.
Wave's free accounting software plan includes unlimited invoicing. You'll also find income and expense tracking, plus basic reporting. But you'll need to upgrade to the paid plan to connect bank feeds and automatically categorize transactions. Wave can’t necessarily support a quickly growing small business. But it’s a great solution for very small service-based businesses with a tight budget.
» MORE: FreshBooks vs. Wave
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. Our editorial team reviews information on a regular basis for consistency and accuracy.
We also periodically update our scoring system to reflect changing industry norms and business needs. For instance, in 2026, we stopped factoring in whether mobile apps work for both Android and iOS smartphones. If an accounting software product has its own mobile app, it’s almost always available for both operating systems.
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.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Bonus offer
