The FreshBooks Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about FreshBooks in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
FreshBooks
The Insider’s Guide
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among accounting and invoicing tools, read from FreshBooks’s own pages.
Made by FreshBooks · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from FreshBooks’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on FreshBooks’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 10 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade
FreshBooks is invoicing and accounting software built around billing clients. It handles invoices, estimates, proposals, retainers, time tracking and expenses, with double-entry accounting reports and bank reconciliation for the bookkeeping side. Plans are priced by how many clients you bill, and extra team members are charged per person.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about FreshBooks, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's built around sending an invoice, which is the first thing most small business owners need to do.
- 1
Best for invoicing first, with the books behind it
FreshBooks is invoicing software that grew a proper set of books, and billing clients is where it's strongest: estimates, proposals, retainers, time tracking and late reminders.
- 2
Paid plans start at $23 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $23 per month, billed monthly.
- 3
You can try it first
30-day free trial, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
Invoices, estimates and proposals
Recurring invoices, late fees and automatic reminders on every plan. Proposals and client retainers start on Plus.
- 6
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.
- 7
Time tracking and projects
Unlimited time tracking on every plan, with project budgets and billing. Project profitability reports need Premium.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 10 of 17
That is against the other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace FreshBooks you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
FreshBooks at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $23 per month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- FreshBooks, since 2003
- Category
- Accounting & Invoicing
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.7 on the App Store, 10,979 ratings
The report card
Best for invoicing first, with the books behind it
FreshBooks is invoicing software that grew a proper set of books, and billing clients is where it's strongest: estimates, proposals, retainers, time tracking and late reminders. The catch is the price ladder. Lite at $23 a month bills only 5 clients and skips the accounting reports, so most people end up on Plus at $43.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Lite 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | A 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. |
| Features | B | Invoices, 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. |
| Ease of use | A | 4.7 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who FreshBooks is for
- Great if you're a freelancer billing a handful of clients for your time
- Handy when you send proposals and take retainers before the work starts
- Good for service businesses that want invoicing first and the books second
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you need real accounting reports, as they start on Plus at $43 a month
- Tight if you bill more than 5 clients, since archived ones count toward Lite's limit
- Skip it if you want payroll outside the US, as it files US federal and state taxes only
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$23
A month to start
FreshBooks is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $23 per month, billed monthly.
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.
Select
Custom
Unlimited clients, lower card fees, Advanced Payments included, 2 team members, unbranded emails and dedicated phone support.
Trying it first
30-day free trial, no credit card required
Read from freshbooks.com on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on freshbooks.comAnnual 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.
Stated on freshbooks.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: time tracking, invoicing, reports, bookkeeping, expense tracking, payroll.
That's the whole job for a business that bills clients.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Gusto
- Stripe
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Affirm
- Afterpay
FreshBooks is made by FreshBooks, and has been around since 2003.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
10/17
Other accounting and invoicing tools it is graded above
FreshBooks's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 10 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 13 of 17) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $23 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 9 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 18 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. FreshBooks’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 17
- CFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 17
- BFeaturesAbove 13 of 17
- AEase of useAbove 13 of 17
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 17
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 18 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. FreshBooks is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace FreshBooks you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $276 a year.
What you could make
- Invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Gusto, Stripe and Apple Pay among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. FreshBooks’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave, Zoho Books and Bonsai
The 5 tools FreshBooks is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
QuickBooks Online
Free plan · from $38/mo
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced.
- QuickBooks Online has a free plan. FreshBooks does not, though it has a free trial.
- FreshBooks also covers time tracking.
- 2.6GPA
Xero
Free trial · from $27/mo
Cloud accounting for small businesses, with unlimited users.
- FreshBooks also covers time tracking.
- 2.4GPA
Wave
Free plan · from $19/mo
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses.
- Wave has a free plan. FreshBooks does not, though it has a free trial.
- FreshBooks also covers time tracking.
- 3.4GPA
Zoho Books
Free plan · from $15/mo
Online accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers.
- Zoho Books has a free plan. FreshBooks does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Zoho Books lists a Windows app.
- FreshBooks also covers time tracking and payroll.
- 2.4GPA
Bonsai
Free trial · from $9/mo
Client, project and billing software for agencies and freelancers.
- Only Bonsai lists a macOS app.
- Only Bonsai lists a browser extension.
- FreshBooks also covers payroll.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is FreshBooks free?
No, FreshBooks is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does FreshBooks cost?
FreshBooks lists 4 plans. Lite: $23 per month for 5 billable clients, billed monthly.
What platforms does FreshBooks work on?
FreshBooks is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does FreshBooks offer any discounts?
FreshBooks publicly lists the following: 80% off the first 4 months; 10% off with yearly billing.
How is FreshBooks rated?
FreshBooks's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 10,979 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does FreshBooks have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. FreshBooks is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does FreshBooks have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. FreshBooks is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is FreshBooks open source?
FreshBooks is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does FreshBooks integrate with?
FreshBooks's listing names Gusto, Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Affirm and Afterpay.
Who makes FreshBooks?
FreshBooks is made by FreshBooks. It dates from 2003.
What are the alternatives to FreshBooks?
The closest alternatives to FreshBooks in our directory are QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave, Zoho Books and Bonsai.
How does FreshBooks compare with other accounting and invoicing tools?
FreshBooks's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 10 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 1.
Is FreshBooks good value for money?
ToolGPA grades FreshBooks D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $23 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 9 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of FreshBooks?
To replace FreshBooks you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from FreshBooks’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from FreshBooks' own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by FreshBooks. Prices change, so check freshbooks.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,858
Tools graded, in 46 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,858
tools graded
46
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- FreshBooks, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/freshbooks
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "FreshBooks: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/freshbooks
Know someone choosing between accounting and invoicing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/freshbooks/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded accounting and invoicing tools after FreshBooks, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Accounting & Invoicing Insider's GuideEvery one of the 18 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Invoice Insider's GuideFree invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses3.6 GPA
- Zoho Books Insider's GuideOnline accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers3.4 GPA
- Odoo Insider's GuideBusiness app suite whose Accounting app is free when used on its own3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what FreshBooks’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. FreshBooks is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by FreshBooks. Prices and plans change: check freshbooks.com before you buy.