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6 Best FreshBooks Alternatives of April 2024

These accounting and invoicing products rival FreshBooks in at least one of the following areas: price, feature set or customer support.
By Hillary Crawford
Last updated on November 7, 2023
Edited bySally Lauckner
Fact checked and reviewed

⏰ Estimated read time: 6 minutes

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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.
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

$30/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200.

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): $42, $78.

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
$30/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, $90, $200.

Promotion
50% off

for first three months or free 30-day trial.

Our pick for

Unlimited users, more integrations

Learn more

on Xero's secure website

Starting at
$15/month

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $42, $78.

Promotion
30-day free trial

or monthly discount (terms vary).

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.

Our pick for

Free, unlimited invoicing

Wave Accounting

Starting at
$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $16

Promotion
N/A

Our pick for

Budget accounting software

ZipBooks

Starting at
$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $15, $35, custom.

Promotion
30-day free trial

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.

NerdWallet’s picks for the best FreshBooks alternatives

QuickBooks: Best for scalability

Price:
  • $30 per month for the Simple Start plan.
  • $60 per month for the Essentials plan.
  • $90 per month for the Plus plan.
  • $200 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.

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.

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.

ZipBooks: Best for budget accounting software

Price:
  • $0 per month for the free 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.

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 November 7, 2023

Methodology

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. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including range of features, cost, ease of use, accounting standards compliance, scalability, ease of sharing with accountants, integrations, customer support, pricing transparency and availability of a free trial period. 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.
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