Best FreshBooks Alternatives 2023 (13 Similar Competitors)

Last Updated:Wednesday, November 15, 2023
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Hey there, I see you want some info on the best FreshBooks alternatives on the market right now, is that correct? We’re glad you’ve come to us.

To learn all about the top FreshBooks competitors, this article will explore 13 vendors in depth, including their features, pricing, pros and cons. 

Surely there will be something for everyone, from the small business to the ERP. You dig? We dig too. Now, let’s dig in!

 

Top 10 FreshBooks competitors with similar products

Here are the apps like FreshBooks that we think are the best FreshBooks alternatives. Although they are all fairly similar, some FreshBooks competitors will be better suited to your circumstances than others so read more about the FreshBooks competition below.

You might first want to freshen up your knowledge about the accounting program scene, where you can read about FreshBooks and some of its main competitors. Otherwise, let’s jump right into this table.

Product/service

Best for

Pricing*

Website

FreshBooks

Our baseline accounting software 

$6 per month

visit

Intuit Quickbooks Online

Best FreshBooks alternative overall

$15 per month

visit

Wave

Best free FreshBooks alternative

Free plus add-ons

visit

Xero

Most similar to FreshBooks 

$13 per month

visit

myBooks

Cheaper alternative to FreshBooks if you’re on a budget

$4.99 per month

visit

Sage Accounting 

Best ERP provider substitute for FreshBooks 

$7.50 per month

visit

Zoho Books

Great FreshBooks substitute for online payments

$15 per organization per month billed annually

visit

ZipBooks

Good FreshBooks replacement to automate reminders

$15 per month

visit

Quicken

Top substitute for FreshBooks for personal accounting 

$3.49 per month billed annually  

visit

FreeAgent

Great replacement for FreshBooks for freelancers

$10 per month for 6 months, $20 per month after

visit

BigTime

Good alternative to FreshBooks for project management

$10 per user per month billed annually 

visit

*Some prices display promotions which may be temporary, always check directly with the vendor using our links above for current pricing.

 

Here’s our full list of the best FreshBooks alternatives 2023:

What comes next is going to be the actual reviews of our best FreshBooks alternatives. This is a list of the top 13 vendors, which means there are three more that didn't make the above table. But, that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth the mention.

What will be missing from this article is an in-depth FreshBooks review, but of course, you know where to find that if you want to read it.

Here are 13 good alternatives to FreshBooks:
 

1. Intuit Quickbooks Online (Best FreshBooks alternative overall)

Most users would agree when it comes to the best alternative to FreshBooks, QuickBooks is a very popular contender. However, whether or not it is truly better than FreshBooks for every accounting and bookkeeping functionality is a matter of personal taste and business needs.

We’ve got much more details in our Freshbooks vs Quickbooks comparison article.

Intuit QuickBooks Online is best for:

  • Individuals

  • Freelancers

  • Startups

  • Small business

  • Medium-to-large sized businesses

  • E-commerce

Features

For managing income and expenses, QuickBooks is a top choice. All transactions are very organized and secure.

Invoicing and payment processing is another great reason to choose QuickBooks, letting you accept bank transfers and credit card payments.

For basic project management functionality, you got your time tracking and expense tracking to help keep you within budget.

QuickBooks is solid for staying on top of your tax planning and getting the most out of tax deductions.

Overall, top-of-the-line cash flow management, including balance sheet optimization and financial forecasting.

QuickBooks has an awesome free mobile app for iOS and Android.

Pricing

  • Self-employed plan is $15 per month

  • Simple start plan is $30 per month

  • Essentials plan is $55 per month

  • Plus plan is $85 per month

  • Advanced plan is $200 per month

Quickbooks review

Visit Quickbooks
 

2. Wave (Best free FreshBooks alternative)

Wave is our number two accounting and financial software solution on this list, and it is one of the best free FreshBooks alternatives. The pricing plans are quite customizable because you only pay for certain features on a per-use basis while the main platform is still free. For more differences between these two tools, check out our FreshBooks vs Wave comparison article.

Wave is best for:

  • Individuals

  • Freelancers

  • Self-employed

  • Startups

  • Small teams

  • Small businesses

  • Free accounting software

Features

Basic Wave online invoicing is free of charge, and it includes customizable invoicing software, reminders you can automate, and you can apply for payment processing with credit cards, Apple Pay and more online payments.

There are also free accounting tools with Wave that offer income tracking, expense management, and you can add an unlimited number of accountants or partners to your system.

Banking is also free. You can do your taxes, get instant payouts, and automate your bookkeeping with smart categorization to keep your bank accounts well organized.

To do payments, this is a pay-per-use feature, but you can still automate recurring payments and billing for retainer clients.

Wave also scores extra points for being very user-friendly.

Pricing

  • The Wave accounting free plan includes accounting, invoicing, and banking 

  • Payments features are on a pay-per-use scale

  • Payroll tools are per-month and depend on if you are in a tax-service state or self-service state

Wave Accounting Review

Visit: Wave Apps
 

3. Xero (Most similar to FreshBooks)

Is cloud-based Xero really the most similar accounting system to FreshBooks? Many people would agree, but of course, there are always detractors who would sooner argue it should be QuickBooks or even Zoho Books. But we think Xero is the winner of this category these days.

Xero is best for:

  • Startups

  • SMBs

  • Accountants

  • Bookkeepers

  • Project management accounting

  • E-commerce

Features

Let us start with project management accounting. You got job estimation and quoting, time tracking and expenses, customizable invoices for your clients, and a sweet cash flow profitability monitor.

Xero has advanced bank reconciliation features for you. Helps categorize transactions and spot discrepancies, which can be automatically reconciled daily, or as a bulk action.

If you need simple inventory management, Xero is a great FreshBooks substitute. This helps track what items you have in stock and automatically adds items to invoices in real-time. 

Other key features include a receipt and bill capture tool with Hubdoc, while advanced plans allow you to use multi-currency financial reporting. We’ve got a Freshbooks vs Xero comparison article that provides more details, so make sure to check it out!

Pricing

  • Early plan is $13 per month 

  • Growing plan is $37 per month

  • Established plan is $70 per month

Xero Review

Visit: Xero
 

4. myBooks (Cheaper alternative to FreshBooks if you’re on a budget)

myBooks is made by business solutions brand Zetran. It is a good cheap alternative to FreshBooks if you need a very straightforward online accounting software solution. myBooks is another popular cloud-based accounting app for small business owners. 

myBooks is best for:

  • Freelancers

  • Startups

  • Small business accounting

Features

myBooks has a free plan that is good for just one user, and includes 25 monthly transactions, a limited inventory management toolkit, and a mobile app for Android.

If you are into the FMCG scene, which stands for fast-moving consumer goods, then myBooks can help with inventory, online payment processing, invoice tracking and multi-store management.

Like many other FreshBooks competitors, myBooks has a nice accounting template library, with templates for estimates, invoice templates, billing, and payable and receivable forms.

There are some good e-commerce and retail tools like cash invoices, barcode billing, and financial management reporting.

It’s simple to connect your bank to myBooks, and this is ideal for things like payment reminders and workflows that automatically sync updates in your bank account to your myBooks account. 

Pricing

  • myBooks has a free plan

  • Standard is $4.99 per month

  • Premium is $9.99 per month

  • If you need unlimited users and unlimited invoices or other transactions, contact myBooks for enterprise pricing

Visit My Books
 

5. Sage Accounting (Best ERP provider substitute for FreshBooks)

Sage is a huge software company that specializes in business solutions like ERP, HR, human capital management, asset management, and other hardcore accounting solutions. When it comes to a FreshBooks substitute, Sage Accounting is a good choice, especially if you need that ERP connection to their other products. 

Sage Accounting is best for:

  • SMEs

  • Large companies

  • Nonprofits institutions

  • Government organizations

  • Multinational corporations

Features

Sage accounting is good for unlimited users, which is pretty good for Sage’s cheapest accounting software product.

You can create and send invoices quite easily with nice templates. You got your standard accounts receivable and accounts payable features. You can automate a lot of these activities with basic Sage workflows.

You can take advantage of a Sage marketplace for extra functionality, including connections with apps like Stripe, and Gusto, as well as other Sage tools.

Sage Accounting is a great FreshBooks alternative for accountants, contractors, retailers, and e-commerce operations, as well as for professional services in the legal and finance industries.

Pricing

  • Sage Accounting Start is $10 per month

  • Sage Accounting is $7.50 per month, which is a temporary discount from $25 per month

  • Check with sage for current discounts and pricing

Visit: Sage Accounting
 

6. Zoho Books (Great FreshBooks substitute for online payments)

Zoho is an absolutely beloved maker of business SaaS for all things ranging from CRM to marketing and sales tools to IT management and customer service. Zoho Books is your financial management accounting software solution that’s better than FreshBooks for online payments.

Zoho Books is best for:

  • Startups 

  • Small teams

  • E-commerce

  • Small business

  • Medium-sized business

  • Online payments

Features

There is really not a single accounting tool lacking from Zoho Books, from invoicing, estimates, expenses, and project management with inventory tools.

You have a very good list of payment processing options with Zoho Books, including Stripe, PayPal, Square, Wepay, Braintree, and more.

You can set up a great client portal with Zoho Books, which lets your clients give feedback, do estimation approvals, and use Zoho Sign for e-signatures. You will also get real-time alerts when clients interact with the client portal.

Automation and workflows are rife throughout the Zoho Books platform. Automate payment reminders, cut down on manual data entry, and auto-charge cards for recurring transactions. Workflows can also do your transaction categorization. 

Zoho Books is available from the App Store, the Google Play store, and Microsoft as well.

Pricing

  • There is a Zoho Books free plan

  • Standard is $15 per month billed annually 

  • Professional $40 per month billed annually 

  • Premium $60 per month billed annually 

  • Elite $120 per month billed annually 

  • Ultimate $240 per month billed annually 

Zoho Books Review

Visit: Zoho Books
 

7. ZipBooks (Good FreshBooks replacement to automate reminders)

According to the ZipBooks website copy, this is one simple piece of accounting software, but it will make you smarter. This is perhaps due to the great automation and workflows which make ZipBooks a good replacement for FreshBooks.

ZipBooks is best for:

  • Self-employed

  • Small teams

  • Startups

  • SMEs

  • Workflow and automation

Features

Take advantage of ZipBooks workflows for tasks like scheduling recurring invoices with auto-bill payment tools or for setting up automated reminders and follow-ups.

Advanced billing software automatically updates timesheets with good time-tracking tools. You can also track time-based on multiple activities or use templates.

You can connect your bank to ZipBooks for instant bank reconciliation and better management of accounts receivable and accounts payable. Auto-categorization also works well to sort out your transactions quickly.

There are some great advanced business intelligence tools with ZipBooks that give you a financial health score, an invoice quality rating, smarter searching, and recommendations, as well as leveraging machine learning for better accounting optimization. 

Pricing

  • There is a free ZipBooks Starter plan

  • Smarter plan is $15 per month

  • Sophisticated plan is $35 per month 

  • Contact ZipBooks for the Accountant plan pricing

Zipbooks Review

Visit: Zipbooks
 

8. Quicken (Top substitute for FreshBooks for personal accounting)

Quicken has two main products, the namesake Quicken app, which is a top FreshBooks substitute for personal finance management and accounting, as well as Quicken Simplifi, which is a mobile and web app for speedy accounting.

Quicken is best for:

  • Personal use

  • Self-employed

  • Freelancers

  • Small teams

  • Small startups

  • Small business 

Features

For quite the cheap price tag, you can use Quicken to manage your personal accounting and finances, spending only a few moments per week to keep your books and accounts clean and up to date.

Easily create tags and groups to categorize transactions, or you can split single transactions categories depending on their nature. From there, you can personally review transactions and add notes or memos.

For bank account management, you can track and compare income to expenses, as well as handle your debts, mortgages, or other investment data.

Quicken Simplifi lets you auto-detect bills and subscriptions, separate them, and classify them, as well as give you projected cash flows, a feature also available in the regular Quicken app.

Use Quicken for taxes, tracking tax-related spending and comparing taxable and tax-deferred accounts, as well as importing and exporting to and from TurboTax.

Pricing

  • Simplifi is $2.39 per month billed annually 

  • Quicken Starter is $3.49 per month billed annually 

  • Quicken Deluxe is $2.99 per month billed annually 

  • Quicken Premier is $4.19 per month billed annually 

  • Quicken Home & Business is $5.99 per month billed annually 

  • Displayed prices are based on current promotions

Visit: Quicken
 

9. FreeAgent (Great replacement for FreshBooks for freelancers)

If ease of use is a big deal for you, and you still want a FreshBooks replacement, then how about checking out FreeAgent. This is one set of accounting tools that’s the best for freelancers and startups, and small business owners.

FreeAgent is best for:

  • Freelancers

  • Startups

  • Small business owners

  • Ease of use

Features

Estimates, FreeAgent has got the tools for these. You can use great-looking templates which are very professional looking. And they can be multi-currency.

Expenses, FreeAgent has got you covered with a mobile app that can snap photos of receipts and update the data in your system.

Time tracking is on offer here with FreeAgent, helping with 100 percent accurate invoicing and flexible timesheet reporting. Easily separate billable and nonbillable hours.

You want to connect FreeAgent to your bank? Go ahead, sync all your transactions in real-time, keep your cash flow data up to date, and allow FreeAfgent to use machine learning automations to explain your transactions. Importing data from Excel spreadsheets is easy.

The FreeAgent mobile app can handle so many more accounting and financial tasks, like a daily administrative planner, tax deadline tools, and even a mileage tracker if you are on the road.

Pricing

  • FreeAgent costs $10 per month for the first 6 months

  • $20 per month after the first six months

Visit: Free Agent
 

10. BigTime (Good alternative to FreshBooks for project management)

BigTime is probably the least well-known name on this amazing list of accounting software as Freshbooks replacements, but here it is. BigTime is among the best FreshBooks alternatives for project management, task management, and time tracking.

BigTime is best for:

  • Startups

  • SMBs

  • Project managers

  • Accountants 

Features

Combining the dual features of time tracking and expense tracking make BigTime an ideal choice to swap out FreshBooks for these PM purposes.

You can customize timesheet information depending on who is looking at it, for example, if you want to share certain details with clients or outside stakeholders.

Easily connect expenses to certain projects and class them based on whether they are billable, reimbursable, or part of other service fees.

Other great PM features include budgeting, letting you run comparisons to planned budgets versus actual results.

You can easily set up and assign project tasks with specific project information like hours, fees, and other budget data.

BigTime uses awesome Gantt charts for better analytics and reporting.

Pricing

  • Express plan is $10 per user per month billed annually 

  • Pro plan is $30 per user per month billed annually 

  • Premier plan is $40 per user per month billed annually 

Visit: Big Time
 

11. Kashoo (Great FreshBooks competitor if you like invoice templates)

Kashoo is another small business accounting software that proves itself to be very user-friendly. Among the many great tools with Kashoo, it is a solid competitor to FreshBooks for templates.

Kashoo is best for:

  • Startups 

  • Small businesses

  • Accountants

  • Bookkeepers

  • Templates 

Features

Kashoo's wide list of templates are available to anyone for free. You do not even need to use the rest of the Kashoo platform. Just download them and customize them all you like. They are good for PDF, Microsoft Word, or Excel.

Kashoo places most of its amazing tools on the mobile app. You can use the mobile app to create and track invoicing, do job estimates and get approvals, collect payments, and do bank reconciliation.

Kashoo’s invoicing templates are offered through their product called Trulysmall, along with other Kashoo tools.

Take advantage of Kashoo’s automated reminders to stay on top of bills and to keep your credit score squeaky clean for the lack of many missed payments.

Pricing

  • Kashoo trulysmall invoices are free

  • Kashoo trulysmall accounting is $20 per month

  • Kashoo is $30 per month for advanced accounting

Visit: Kashoo
 

12. Lendio (Top FreshBooks alternative for cash flow forecasting)

Lendio is known for a few things. First off, it is a great software solution for small businesses to apply for and manage their loans. It is also a nifty bit of accounting software that is especially good at cash flow optimization, making it a solid forecasting alternative to FreshBooks.

Lendio is best for:

  • Small businesses

  • Small accounting firms

  • Loan management

Features

If you want to manage your cash flow and get reasonable future forecasting as to the health of your finances, Lendio is among the top accounting options for this purpose.

You can combine in-depth cash flow analysis with a wide variety of metrics, along with alerts whenever you or your business threatens to go into the red.

You can also use analytics and forecasting to stay on top of your loans and revenue data.

For basic small business accounting and bookkeeping, Lendio offers bank account syncing, business expense write-off categorization, invoices and payment processing, and financial reporting.

Pricing

  • Lendio has a free plan

  • Lendio plus is $19.99 per month

  • There are processing fees per transaction

Visit: Lendio
 

13. CloudBooks (Good alternative to FreshBooks to create estimates)

CloudBooks is our final accounting software name today and is a good FreshBooks alternative for job estimation and approvals.

CloudBooks is best for:

  • Self-employed

  • Freelancers

  • Startups

  • SMEs

Features

Easily create estimates even on the mobile app. Estimates can then be instantly turned into invoices.

You can add comments to estimates, do them in multi-currency, and let clients approve estimates online.

CloudBooks also has basic features for invoicing and expense tracking, along with payment processing and time tracking.

Pricing

  • Contact Cloudbooks for current pricing

Visit: Cloudbooks

 

Which of the alternatives to FreshBooks is a good choice for you?

As for our key conclusions, perhaps it is no surprise that QuickBooks wins the best spot for FreshBooks alternatives. 

But don’t discard Xero, Quicken, Zoho Books, Wave, or Sage either, nor are the rest of our accounting apps not worth a test drive if you want to request a demo. And remember, if any one of these apps is still missing some functionality, you can always integrate them or use the API to add more features.

That wraps it up. Now you have zero excuses for having sloppy books, disorganized accounts, or improperly managed finances.

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