Verdict · Accounting

FreshBooks

Invoice first accounting built around billing, time tracking and projects, ideal for freelancers and small service firms.

FreshBooks started as invoicing software and still leads there. Invoices look polished, recurring billing and late fees are easy, and time tracking flows straight onto a client bill, which makes it a natural fit for freelancers, agencies and other service firms. Double entry accounting and bank reconciliation have matured, so it now works as a real set of books rather than just a billing app. The limits show up in scale: each plan caps the number of billable clients, extra team members cost about $11 each a month, and inventory and deep reporting trail the heavier accounting platforms.

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Reviewed by M. HALLORAN·Updated MARCH 2026·How we vet
In one line
Billing that practically sends itself, with real books quietly underneath.
What we found

In its favour

+ Best in class invoicing, recurring billing and late fees
+ Time tracking flows straight onto client invoices
+ Easy enough for non accountants to run alone
+ Strong, well rated customer support

Held against it

Every plan caps the number of billable clients
Extra team members cost about $11 each a month
Inventory and deep reporting trail heavier rivals
Lite tier omits double entry accounting reports
The scorecard

Invoicing and ease lead, scale is the limit.

FreshBooks scores high on ease of use and support, with invoicing that few rivals match. Features and value soften at scale, where client caps and per member fees add up faster than flat priced books.

Scored against the same five weighted criteria we use across accounting. See the rubric →

Ease of use 92
Features and depth 84
Value for money 85
Integrations 84
Support and onboarding 88
Buy it if you’re…

a freelancer, agency or small service firm that bills by project or time and wants invoicing to be effortless.

Skip it if you’re…

a product business that needs real inventory, or a larger team that would hit the billable client caps.

What it costs

Per month, billed monthly

Pricing as of June 2026. Lite, Plus and Premium cap billable clients at 5, 50 and unlimited; extra team members are about $11 each a month, and annual billing saves roughly 10 percent. Select is a custom quote. Check the vendor for current pricing.

Lite
$21
Freelancers, up to 5 clients
+Unlimited invoices to 5 clients
+Expense tracking
+Online card payments
+Basic reports
★ Our pick
Plus
$38
Growing firms, up to 50 clients
+Everything in Lite
+Double entry accounting reports
+Recurring billing and retainers
+Proposals and client retainers
Premium
$65
Busy firms, unlimited clients
+Everything in Plus
+Unlimited billable clients
+Project profitability
+Customized email templates
Select
Custom
High volume and custom needs
+Everything in Premium
+Dedicated account manager
+Lower payment processing rates
+Data migration help