6 Best FreshBooks Alternatives of January 2026
FreshBooks is a good choice for freelancers and smaller businesses. But these accounting and invoicing products rival it in at least one of the following areas: price, feature set or customer support.
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| Product | Best for | NerdWallet rating | Starting at | Promotion | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Xero | Unlimited users, more integrations | $25/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $55, $90. | 90% off for 6 months. | on Xero's website | |
 QuickBooks Online | Scalability | $38/month Additional pricing tiers (per month): $75, $115, $275. | 50% off for 3 months or free 30-day trial. | on QuickBooks' website | |
 Zoho Books | Mobile-first features | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275. | 14-day free trial of the Premium plan. | on Zoho Books' website | |
 Wave Accounting | Free, unlimited invoicing | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19 | N/A | on Wave's website | |
 ZipBooks | Budget accounting software | $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom. | 30-day free trial | ||
 Hiveage | Invoicing-only solution | 4.5
/5
| $0 Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49. | 14-day free trial of the Pro plan. |
Our pick for simple accounting software
Xero
Best for Unlimited users, more integrations
Starting at
$25/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $55, $90.
Promotion
90% off
for 6 months.
on Xero's website
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 inbound phone customer support (callbacks are available, though).
- Entry-level plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
- Must subscribe to the highest-tier Established plan to claim expenses.
QuickBooks Online
Best for Scalability
Starting at
$38/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $75, $115, $275.
Promotion
50% off
for 3 months or free 30-day trial.
on QuickBooks' website
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.
Zoho Books
Best for Mobile-first features
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Premium plan.
on Zoho Books' website
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 than some competitors.
- No plan includes more than 15 users (can add additional users for a fee).
Wave Accounting
Best for Free, unlimited invoicing
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19
Promotion
N/A
on Wave's website
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 mileage tracking feature and must use Zapier for third-party integrations.
ZipBooks
Best for Budget accounting software
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom.
Promotion
30-day free trial
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.
Hiveage
Best for Invoicing-only solution
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
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).
Sort by:
Our pick for simple accounting software
Starting at
$25/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $55, $90.
Promotion
90% off
for 6 months.
on Xero's website
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 inbound phone customer support (callbacks are available, though).
- Entry-level plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
- Must subscribe to the highest-tier Established plan to claim expenses.
Our pick for simple accounting software
Xero
Best for Unlimited users, more integrations
Best for Unlimited users, more integrations
Starting at
$25/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $55, $90.
Promotion
90% off
for 6 months.
on Xero's website
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 inbound phone customer support (callbacks are available, though).
- Entry-level plan limits bills and invoices to five and 20 per month, respectively.
- Must subscribe to the highest-tier Established plan to claim expenses.
Starting at
$38/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $75, $115, $275.
Promotion
50% off
for 3 months or free 30-day trial.
on QuickBooks' website
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.
QuickBooks Online
Best for Scalability
Best for Scalability
Starting at
$38/month
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $75, $115, $275.
Promotion
50% off
for 3 months or free 30-day trial.
on QuickBooks' website
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.
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Premium plan.
on Zoho Books' website
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 than some competitors.
- No plan includes more than 15 users (can add additional users for a fee).
Zoho Books
Best for Mobile-first features
Best for Mobile-first features
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $20, $50, $70, $150, $275.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Premium plan.
on Zoho Books' website
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 than some competitors.
- No plan includes more than 15 users (can add additional users for a fee).
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 mileage tracking feature and must use Zapier for third-party integrations.
Wave Accounting
Best for Free, unlimited invoicing
Best for Free, unlimited invoicing
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19
Promotion
N/A
on Wave's website
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 mileage tracking feature and must use Zapier for third-party integrations.
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom.
Promotion
30-day free trial
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.
ZipBooks
Best for Budget accounting software
Best for Budget accounting software
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom.
Promotion
30-day free trial
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.
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
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).
Hiveage
Best for Invoicing-only solution
Best for Invoicing-only solution
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $19, $29, $49.
Promotion
14-day free trial
of the Pro plan.
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).
Jump to
When to choose an alternative to FreshBooks
FreshBooks is simple and affordable accounting software
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
- 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.
» MORE: Read our full FreshBooks review
How FreshBooks compares to top alternatives
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.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines