Overview

FreshBooks brings invoicing, time tracking, expenses, and project organization into one service. Invoices can incorporate tracked time and expenses, calculate taxes, and offer configurable payment options; recurring invoices and online payments are supported. That combination can reduce the gap between doing client work and billing for it, especially for freelancers and small teams. The trade-off is that client caps constrain the lower plans, while double-entry accounting begins at Plus.

Key features

Invoicing and payments

Invoices can draw on tracked time and expenses, with tax calculations and configurable payment options. The pricing page lists card and ACH payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and buy now, pay later options. This gives businesses several stated payment methods, though the available facts do not tie particular methods to individual plans.

Time tracking and projects

Users can track time against clients and projects, then generate invoices from that time. Projects also organize client work, team members, time, invoices, and expenses, with project profitability views. These features are useful when work needs to be tracked through to billing and profitability; they are less relevant to a business that only needs basic bookkeeping.

Integrations and API

FreshBooks recommends apps including Acuity, Checkeeper, FreshCurrencies, Income Importer, Mailform, SurePayroll, Employment Hero, and Zapier, which it says connects to 1,500+ apps. Developers can use its OAuth2 API to build integrations and automate account tasks. That gives teams routes to connect FreshBooks to an existing stack, though the stated integration breadth does not guarantee a particular workflow.

Security, hosting, and support

FreshBooks says browser traffic uses 256-bit SSL encryption and that it maintains PCI DSS Level 1 compliance with an annual independent audit. Its application is hosted on Google Cloud Platform; account data is replicated across two geographic locations and backed up nightly. Free support is available during office hours, while self-serve help and FreshBot are available globally 24/7. Contact options vary by region, time, and plan, so support access is not uniform for every customer.

Pricing

FreshBooks is paid software with a 30-day trial and no free plan. Lite costs 23.00 USD per month, billed monthly, and includes a limit of 5 billable clients. That cap makes it a fit for a freelancer with a small client roster, but active and archived clients both count toward the limit. Plus costs 43.00 USD per month, billed monthly, and raises the cap to 50 clients; it is also the least expensive plan with double-entry accounting. Premium costs 70.00 USD per month, billed monthly, and allows unlimited clients, making it the clearer choice for a growing roster. Select has custom pricing and unlimited clients, but no price is provided.

Lite gives up double-entry accounting and has the tightest client ceiling; moving to Plus adds that accounting capability and substantially more room for clients. Premium removes the client cap, while Select is the option for unlimited clients at custom pricing. No plan-specific payment-method breakdown is established, so buyers should confirm which payment options apply to their chosen tier.

Platforms

FreshBooks is web-based and also has iOS and Android apps. The apps require iOS 15 or later or Android 7.0 or later, and some features, including reporting, are desktop-only. Teams that depend on mobile reporting should account for that limitation before choosing it.

Who it's for

FreshBooks is best suited to freelancers, contractors, and small service businesses that invoice clients and want time, expenses, and project organization tied to that work. Its project profitability views and time-based invoicing are particularly relevant to teams that bill for hours or manage client projects. It is a weaker fit for businesses that need double-entry accounting but cannot move beyond Lite, or that need reporting features on mobile.

Pros and cons

Pro: Tracked time and expenses can feed invoices, connecting billable work with collection.
Pro: Projects organize client work and related financial activity, with profitability views for reviewing project performance.
Pro: An OAuth2 API and integrations including Zapier give developers ways to connect the service to other tools.
Con: Lite is capped at 5 billable clients, and archived clients count toward the limit, which can constrain even a freelancer with a changing roster.
Con: Double-entry accounting is unavailable on Lite, so buyers who need it must pay at least the Plus monthly price.
Con: Some features, including reporting, are desktop-only, limiting mobile-only workflows.

Alternatives

For a different fit, compare Wave, KashFlow, Zoho Books, Odoo Accounting, BUSY, FreeAgent, Clear Books, and GnuCash.

Choose Wave if a free plan is the priority: its Starter plan is 0.00 USD per free and allows unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records, with online card payments charged at 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction. KashFlow is a paid alternative with a trial and a Starter plan at 13.50 GBP per month; its Starter plan includes 10 invoices and 25 bank transactions. Zoho Books has a free plan for solopreneurs and micro businesses, available indefinitely while annual revenue stays below $50K, with 1 user and 1 account.

Odoo Accounting is worth comparing if self-hosting matters, and its One App Free plan is shown as INR 0 per free in the provided plan details. BUSY offers a free Express billing and accounting plan that includes multiple companies and financial years. FreeAgent has free-plan availability and paid monthly plans from 10.00 GBP for a sole trader and 19.00 GBP for a partnership or LLP. Clear Books offers a forever-free Sole Trader Free plan with no transaction limits, as well as a Sole Trader plan at 5.00 GBP per month. GnuCash is a free desktop accounting option for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

For category-specific comparisons, browse Bookkeeping Software, Contractor Invoicing Software, Salon Accounting Software, Gym Accounting Software, Freelance Invoicing Software, and Time Billing Software.

Verdict

FreshBooks is a strong choice for freelancers and small service teams that need client invoicing connected to tracked time, expenses, and project work. Its API and integrations can help it fit into an existing stack, but client caps, the Plus entry point for double-entry accounting, and desktop-only reporting are meaningful constraints. Choose it when those service-business workflows matter more than keeping accounting costs at the Lite level or doing everything from mobile.

	Clerq	FreshBooks
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	Free	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, self-hosted, Web	Android, api, extension, iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Invoice generation	Yes	—
Time capture	mixed	—
Billable rates	Yes	—
Recurring invoices	Yes	Yes
Client portal	—	Yes

Clerq vs FreshBooks

Clerq

FreshBooks