Comparison
QuickBooksvsFreshBooks
QuickBooks and FreshBooks are both popular accounting tools, but they take different approaches. QuickBooks offers plans from $30.00/mo and positions itself as "smart money tools for your small business". FreshBooks offers plans from $17.00/mo and bills itself as "accounting that works for you". Here's how they compare across features, pricing, and real-world strengths.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | QuickBooks | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Expense tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Financial reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free plan | ✗ | ✗ |
| Inventory tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-currency | ✓ | ✓ |
| Payroll | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tax preparation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Third-party integrations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
QuickBooks Pricing
Simple Start
1 user, 2 accountant seats, 40 class/location tracking
$38.00/mo
Essentials
3 users, 2 accountant seats, unlimited class/location tracking
$75.00/mo
Plus
5 users, 2 accountant seats, project/inventory tracking
$115.00/mo
Advanced
25 users, 3 accountant seats, custom permissions, workflow automation
$275.00/mo
FreshBooks Pricing
Lite
5 billable clients, 1 user
$19.00/mo
Plus
50 billable clients, 1 user
$33.00/mo
Premium
Unlimited billable clients, 1 user
$70.00/mo
Select
Custom for enterprises
Custom
QuickBooks
Pros
- Simplifies invoicing and automatically records expenses without manual sorting (G2 review)
- Seamless bank integrations and rules save time on repetitive entries (G2)
- Real-time reporting and access from anywhere for informed decisions (G2)
- Integrates with PayPal, payroll, Excel and 300+ apps (G2)
- Automatically chases unpaid invoices and supports estimates/statements (G2)
- Scales well for small businesses with mobile access and reliable performance (Capterra)
Cons
- Steep learning curve initially for new users (G2)
- Laggy performance with large datasets (G2)
- High subscription costs especially for small businesses (G2, Capterra)
- Limited report customization and fewer features than desktop version (G2)
- Inconsistent customer support quality (G2, Capterra)
- Frequent UI changes and glitches (G2, Capterra)
FreshBooks
Pros
- Ease of use simplifies accounting for non-accountants (154 mentions on G2)
- Quick invoicing saves time on financial management (80 mentions on G2)
- Exceptional customer support with fast responses (69 mentions on G2)
- Visual invoice calendar clarifies payment status
- Time tracking feels productive and auto-populates invoices
- Streamlines small business operations from setup to payments
Cons
- 5-client limit on Lite forces upgrade for more clients
- Expensive for growing teams at $11 per additional user/month
- Limited advanced reporting and customization options
- High payment processing fees over 3% per transaction
- No access to historical data after cancellation
- Duplicate expense issues with bank sync and manual entry
The Verdict
FreshBooks takes this one with a DuelStack Score of 6.8/10 vs 6.2/10. It particularly excels at ease of use simplifies accounting for non-accountants (154 mentions on G2). That said, QuickBooks is the better pick if you need its ability to simplifies invoicing and automatically records expenses.