Accounting & bookkeeping
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is cloud accounting software aimed at small, service-based businesses. It covers invoicing, estimates, proposals and retainers, expense and receipt capture, time tracking, projects, client management, and double-entry accounting reports such as Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, and Trial Balance.
Invoices pull in tracked time and expenses, calculate taxes, and go out automatically with built-in reminders; clients pay by credit and debit card, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Buy Now, Pay Later. The iOS and Android apps handle invoicing, receipt photos that capture merchant, totals, and taxes, and automatic mileage tracking with a deduction estimate. An accountant can be given access to the live books, and payroll is an add-on inside the same product.
The company was founded in 2003 to simplify invoicing and accounting for service businesses, and says people in over 160 countries have used it. Pricing is tiered by how many clients you invoice: Lite at $23 a month for 5 clients, Plus at $43 a month for 50 clients, and Premium at $70 a month for unlimited clients, each with a 30-day free trial, discounted annual billing, and promotional first-year rates. Extra team members are $11 a month each.
Financial and accounting reports, receipt scanning, and accountant access appear on the Plus plan rather than Lite, so check which tier carries what your bookkeeper needs. This is general small-business accounting: unit-level or trust accounting belongs in property-specific software.
Best for
Small landlords, contractors, and service vendors who invoice clients and want billing, expenses, and simple books in one subscription. Operators needing unit-level or trust accounting should look at property management software instead.
What they do
- Invoicing and automated billing
- Estimates, proposals, and client retainers
- Expense and receipt capture
- Time tracking
- Project tracking and profitability
- Double-entry accounting and financial reports
- Online payments by card, ACH, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Automatic mileage tracking
- Payroll add-on
- Client management and client portal
Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| How they charge | Lite is $23 a month, Plus $43 a month and Premium $70 a month, with cheaper annual billing and promotional first-year rates; extra team members are $11 a month each. |
What stands out
- Plans are tiered by client count: 5 clients on Lite, 50 on Plus, and unlimited on Premium.
- Offers more than 100 integrations and automations, including embedded payroll and bank reconciliation.
- Founded in 2003, and says people in over 160 countries have used the product.
- Every plan includes a 30-day free trial and can be cancelled at any time.