FreshBooks vs Zoho Invoice
We give FreshBooks a 2.6 GPA and Zoho Invoice a 3.6, out of 4.0. FreshBooks grades higher on features. Zoho Invoice grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FreshBooks
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses
Zoho Invoice
Free invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAFreshBooksGood | 3.6GPAZoho InvoiceExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DLite is $23 a month, right at this category's middle, but it bills only 5 clients and has tax-time reports only. Accounting reports and bank reconciliation start on Plus at $43, and every extra team member is $11 a month on top. | AIt's free, and it's a real invoicing app: quotes, recurring invoices, reminders, a customer portal, expenses and time tracking. There's no paid plan at all, where paid plans in this category start around $15 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 30-day free trial with no card needed, which is fair. There's no free plan, though, and the 80% off for 4 months is a discount, not a trial: after that you pay the full $23, $43 or $70. | AEverything is free, with nothing held back for a paid tier. The caps are 2 users, 2 organizations, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year, and every invoice says Powered by Zoho Invoice. |
| Features | BInvoices, estimates, proposals, retainers, online payments, unlimited time tracking, expenses, double-entry reports, bank reconciliation, accounts payable on Premium and payroll run with Gusto. That's the whole job for a business that bills clients. | CQuotes, one-off and recurring invoices, reminders, online payments through several gateways, expenses, time on projects and reports. It does invoicing fully, but that's a smaller job than accounting: it hands off to Zoho Books or QuickBooks for the books. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from 10,979 App Store ratings, the top band for accounting apps. It's built around sending an invoice, which is the first thing most small business owners need to do. | A4.86 from 14,879 App Store ratings, the top band. Making and sending an invoice is the whole job here, so there isn't much to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with card payments through Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Affirm and Afterpay, and payroll through Gusto. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, with Zoho Payments, PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, Zoho CRM, HubSpot, Slack and QuickBooks. That's every device plus a real list of connections. |
| Best for | invoicing first, with the books behind it | free invoicing on every device |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: FreshBooks and Zoho Invoice. How we grade
Price against what you get
FreshBooks starts at $23 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho Invoice has no paid plan and scores 3.3.
They score the same, and Zoho Invoice starts $23 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than FreshBooks for less, and none scores higher than Zoho Invoice for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- FreshBooks starts at $23 per month, billed monthly. Zoho Invoice is free.
- Zoho Invoice has a free plan. FreshBooks does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Zoho Invoice lists Windows and macOS apps.
- FreshBooks also covers bookkeeping and payroll.
At a glance
| FreshBooks | Zoho Invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $23 per month, billed monthly | Free |
| Free plan | None | Free for every business: up to 2 users, 2 organizations, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year, with Powered by Zoho Invoice branding. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | FreshBooks | Zoho |
| Price read from | freshbooks.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
FreshBooks
- Freelancers and consultants who bill a handful of clients for their time
- Service businesses that send estimates, proposals and retainers
- Owners who want invoicing first and accounting reports second
Zoho Invoice
- Freelancers who send fewer than 500 invoices a year
- Small businesses that want free invoicing on phone and desktop
- Teams already using Zoho CRM or Zoho Books
Worth knowing
FreshBooks
- The advertised prices are 80% off for 4 months; plans then renew at $23, $43 or $70 a month.
- Lite bills only 5 clients and Plus 50, counting archived clients; each extra team member costs $11 a month.
- Payroll costs $40 a month plus $6 per employee, files US federal and state taxes, and is not available during the free trial.
- Advanced Payments is a $20 a month add-on on every plan except Select.
Zoho Invoice
- The free account allows 2 users, 3 projects and 500 invoices a year, and invoices carry Powered by Zoho Invoice branding.
- It is invoicing, not full accounting: it connects to Zoho Books or QuickBooks for the books, and Zoho points larger needs to Zoho Billing.
- Data of an account left inactive for more than 180 days is deleted within the following 20 days, after a warning.
Key features
FreshBooks
- Invoices, estimates and proposals
- Recurring invoices, late fees and automatic reminders on every plan. Proposals and client retainers start on Plus.
- Online payments
- Clients pay by card, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Affirm and Afterpay. Card payments through FreshBooks Payments cost 2.9% plus $0.30.
- Time tracking and projects
- Unlimited time tracking on every plan, with project budgets and billing. Project profitability reports need Premium.
- Expenses and receipts
- Bank import, mileage tracking on mobile and unlimited expenses. Receipt scanning starts on Plus, and bill line-item capture on Premium.
- Double-entry accounting
- Accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access start on Plus. Lite has tax-time reports only.
- FreshBooks Payroll
- Payroll run with Gusto inside FreshBooks: unlimited pay runs, free direct deposit, and federal and state payroll tax filing.
Zoho Invoice
- Quotes and invoices
- Create quotes, turn them into invoices, and send invoices by email or as PDFs from customizable templates.
- Recurring invoices and reminders
- Schedule invoices that repeat and send automatic payment reminders to customers who have not paid.
- Online payments
- Connect Zoho Payments, PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net and other gateways so customers can pay invoices online.
- Expenses, time and projects
- Record and categorize expenses, log time and bill it to projects, up to three projects on the free account.
- Customer portal and reports
- Customers view and pay their invoices in a self-service portal, and reports cover sales, receivables and expenses.
Plans
FreshBooks
Lite$23
per month for 5 billable clients, billed monthly
Advertised at $4.60 a month for the first 4 months. Invoices, estimates, expenses, online payments and tax-time reports.
Plus$43
per month for 50 billable clients, billed monthly
Advertised at $8.60 a month for the first 4 months. Adds proposals, retainers, accounting reports, receipt scanning and accountant access.
Premium$70
per month for unlimited clients, billed monthly
Advertised at $14 a month for the first 4 months. Adds project profitability, accounts payable, bill line-item capture and custom email templates.
SelectCustom
Unlimited clients, lower card fees, Advanced Payments included, 2 team members, unbranded emails and dedicated phone support.
Zoho Invoice
Free$0
Quotes, invoices, recurring invoices, reminders, expenses, time tracking, a customer portal and reports, within the caps on users, projects and invoices.
Ways to pay less
FreshBooks
- Other savings
80% off the first 4 months
New customers pay 20% of the Lite, Plus or Premium price for 4 months, then the full monthly price. The page calls it a limited-time offer.
- Annual discount
10% off with yearly billing
Yearly plans cost $248.40 for Lite, $464.40 for Plus and $756 for Premium, 10% less than paying monthly.
Zoho Invoice
No public discounts listed.
