FreshBooks Review

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What it is: Accounting for small business
Best for: Service businesses and freelancers who invoice
Price: $23/mo (Lite) list price, checked October 25, 2026
Prices checked: October 25, 2026

We researched FreshBooks's official pricing and terms, plus independent reviews and customer feedback. We haven't used FreshBooks ourselves, so this is a research-based review, not a hands-on test.

Who it’s best for

Freelancers and service businesses whose main job is sending invoices and tracking time and expenses.

Who should skip it

Probably not the best fit for inventory-heavy businesses.

How it works day to day

This part draws on FreshBooks’s own product pages, help center and documentation, read October 26, 2026 (listed under Sources). We haven’t used FreshBooks ourselves.

FreshBooks is built around getting paid for your time. You track hours with its timer, log expenses (snapping receipts on your phone), and turn billable time and expenses into a polished invoice that clients can pay online. Its mobile app handles invoices, expenses, time and mileage, so much of the routine work can happen away from a desk.

Key features in use

Invoicing with online payments and automatic reminders.
Time tracking that feeds straight into invoices.
Expense tracking with receipt scanning.
Mileage tracking in the mobile app.
Reports for profit and loss and taxes.

Setup and learning curve

FreshBooks' getting-started guide covers adding your business details, clients and first invoice. Invoicing is where most users start, and it's the part reviewers call easy (noted above).

Integrations

The FreshBooks App Store lists more than 100 integrations, including Gusto for payroll and Stripe for payments.

Support

FreshBooks offers support through its FreshBot assistant, email tickets and phone support by region, plus a help center.

Real-world use cases

A freelance writer tracks hours per client and bills from them each month.
A consultant snaps receipts on the road so expenses are ready at tax time.
A small service business adds Gusto for payroll alongside FreshBooks invoicing.

What it costs

Prices checked October 25, 2026, from FreshBooks’s own pricing page unless noted. Prices change often, so check the official page before you buy.

Lite: $23 a month at list price (up from $21 in 2026), up to 5 billable clients.
Plus: $43 a month. Premium: $70 a month (list prices).
Promotions often lower the first months.

What we like

Easy invoicing, time tracking and expense tracking.
A 30-day money-back guarantee.
FreshBooks gives 30 days' notice before a price increase.

What to watch for

Lite limits you to 5 billable clients, and archived clients still count.
Trustpilot showed 3.7 out of 5 from about 1,050 reviews as of October 25, 2026.
Complaints mention repeated price increases, payout delays, card-fee changes and gaps in reconciliation and reporting.

The fine print

To free a client slot on Lite, you have to delete an inactive client (its invoice history is kept).

The main alternative: QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is the accounting software most bookkeepers and accountants know. Prices went up on August 1, 2026, and payroll and payments cost extra.

What it costs: $38/mo (Simple Start), $19/mo for 3 months, checked October 26, 2026

Read our full QuickBooks Online review · QuickBooks vs FreshBooks

Pick FreshBooks if you…

mainly invoice clients and track time, and want an easy app.
have only a handful of clients (Lite) or don't need inventory.

Pick QuickBooks Online if you…

work with an accountant who uses QuickBooks.
need inventory, deeper reports or more users.

Our take

FreshBooks is pleasant for invoice-first freelancers and service businesses. Check the client limit on Lite and expect occasional price rises. QuickBooks Online is the safer pick if you need full accounting or your accountant uses it.

Side by side

Company	Best for	Starting price	Trial / refund
FreshBooks	Service businesses and freelancers who invoice	$23/mo (Lite) list price, checked October 25, 2026	30-day money-back
QuickBooks Online	Most small businesses; accountant-friendly	$38/mo (Simple Start), $19/mo for 3 months, checked October 26, 2026	Free trial or discount

From our company records. Check the official pages for current prices.

What we checked

FreshBooks' pricing page and 2026 price-change FAQ, read October 25, 2026
Trustpilot's FreshBooks page (3.7 from 1,046 reviews)
An independent FreshBooks review (payrollofone)
QuickBooks Online's details: from our small business accounting guide, which read the official pricing page on October 25, 2026
FreshBooks's feature pages, help-center articles and integration pages, read October 26, 2026

Sources

Visit FreshBooks’s official site

How we review

We read the company's own terms, test the sign-up or booking steps where we can, and compare it with alternatives. A commission never changes what we write. Read our disclosure.