Tired Of FreshBooks? Here Are The 6 Best FreshBooks Alternatives

Best for small businesses looking for strong accounting, advanced features, and overall robust small business accounting software.

With over two million users and more than 15-plus years of company history, it’s hard to overlook QuickBooks Online. This cloud-based, double-entry accounting program brings plenty of nifty features, such as invoicing, contact management, tax support, and lending through QuickBooks Capital. Plus, many like it for its ease of use, 500+ integrations, and invoicing automations.

QuickBooks Online does receive poor marks across the web for customer support and a sometimes unintuitive interface. However, there are still plenty of positives to QuickBooks’s online service. QuickBooks Online is great for small to medium-sized businesses wanting strong accounting, integrations, and features. Plus, the QuickBooks Online Advanced plan is suitable for larger businesses (although those needing more than 25 users will want to steer toward deeper waters).

QuickBooks Online Features

QuickBooks has bundled this program with numerous features, including many standard accounting tools. Here’s a quick rundown of a few notable features in QuickBooks Online:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Bank reconciliation
• Accounts payable
• Chart of accounts
• Inventory
• Project management
• Time tracking
• Up to 80 reports
• Budgeting
• Tax support
• Multicurrency support

QuickBooks Online Pricing

You can snag a QuickBooks Online subscription for $30-$200/month. The more expensive the plan, the greater the number of features. QuickBooks frequently runs discounts for new users. Payroll costs an extra $45-$125/month plus $5-$10/month per user.

How QuickBooks Online Compares To FreshBooks

While QuickBooks Online runs more than FreshBooks, it packs in plenty of punch for your dollar. With its complete array of features, QuickBooks Online is simply the stronger and more well-rounded program.

On the flip side, FreshBooks offers better customer support and a more intuitive interface. If you’re a small business owner that just wants a simple and basic bookkeeping program, FreshBooks could still be the way to go.

Take a deeper dive by reading our QuickBooks Online vs. FreshBooks comparison.

Best for freelancers and small businesses needing free, full-featured accounting software.

The free-to-use Wave, which splashed onto the scene in 2010, could be a great fit for those who can’t spare extra cash for accounting software. Wave doesn’t skimp out on features despite its $0 price tag. By adding Wave to your arsenal, you’ll have access to a strong accounting service with decent invoicing and lending, and an overall robust feature set that’s easy to learn.

Some users have remarked online that Wave does lack when it comes to providing good customer service. However, reviews are generally positive for the product as a whole.

The free pricing angle makes Wave ideal for freelancers and micro-businesses that just need a straightforward accounting program and can’t shell out $100+ per year. There’s also a nifty Etsy integration that could be especially attractive to sellers on that online marketplace.

Wave Features

Even though Wave is a free product, it includes a stunning array of features that won’t constrain most users. Here’s a glance at some useful features included with Wave:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Separate personal and business expenses
• Accounts payable
• Item list
• Time tracking
• 12 reports
• Lending

Wave Pricing

As mentioned above, Wave’s basic accounting program is entirely free to use. However, if you’re willing to dish out some extra dough, there are online payment and payroll services available. Payroll with tax service starts at $35 a month and self-service is $20 a month.

How Wave Compares To FreshBooks

While FreshBooks offers more integrations and better mobile apps, Wave includes some features that FreshBooks does not, such as vendor management and accounts payable. On top of this, Wave provides double-entry accounting upfront — with FreshBooks, you’ll need to shell out for one of the more expensive tiers to get access to that feature.

Wave also has one significant advantage over FreshBooks: it’s free. So while Wave may not be quite as beefy as QuickBooks Online, it’s still a solid service sold at a hard-to-beat price.

See a more in-depth breakdown in our FreshBooks vs. Wave comparison.

Best for small businesses wanting affordable accounting software that works well for international invoicing.

Zoho Books has advanced features, strong accounting, and amazing invoicing, all for a reasonable price. On top of its core tools, Zoho Books delivers stellar customer service, international invoicing, and a solid suite of mobile apps.

When scouring the web for user reviews, we’ve found that customers can be frustrated by the service’s lack of integrations and that it has no payroll feature. However, Zoho Books receives heaps of praise for its ease of use, affordability, and good customer support.

Zoho Books Features

As Zoho Books is a paid accounting service, it unsurprisingly offers a robust set of features. Its current form is on par with the other heavy hitters in the accounting software world. Here’s what we at Merchant Maverick like about Zoho Books:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Mileage deductions
• Accounts payable
• Chart of accounts
• Fixed asset management
• Inventory
• Time tracking
• Project management
• 50+ reports
• Tax support
• Multicurrency support
• Invoice in multiple languages

Zoho Books Pricing

Six pricing plans range from free to $275 a month for Zoho Books. You’ll be able to access more features, contacts, and users when spending on the more expensive plans. All plans include unlimited invoicing and estimates. Things cap out at 15 users, although you can buy more spots for additional fees.

How Zoho Books Compares To FreshBooks

By far, the most significant difference between Zoho Books and FreshBooks is price. You’ll need to open your pockets a bit more if you go with FreshBooks — Zoho Books can be between $5 and $20 cheaper. This, coupled with Zoho Books’ gamut of accounting tools, means that small businesses may prefer to pass on FreshBooks.

Of course, FreshBooks is still a great service. Its payment history tools are better-rounded, and its software performs more smoothly. Like Zoho Books, FreshBooks also lacks native payroll tools (however, FreshBooks makes up for that by integrating with Gusto).

Otherwise, both services provide powerful accounting tools, solid mobile apps, easy-to-use software, and excellent customer service. FreshBooks and Zoho Books are also great options for international invoicing. As one last note, they are both better suited for smaller businesses that don’t require numerous users.

Best for small businesses that lack accounting experience and need affordably priced accounting software.

Having launched in just 2015, ZipBooks is a relative babe in the wide world that is accounting software. However, this youngster still delivers plenty of features while mastering the art of simplicity — making it a worthy competitor to any potential combatant.

With ZipBooks’ powerful automation tools and free plan, you can expect to be able to hop in and take full advantage of this service — even if you lack much accounting know-how. This ease of use makes it attractive to small businesses that prefer a guiding hand over intricate functionality.

On the downside, ZipBooks lacks invoice customization and generates limited reports. Some users also complain about having problems with ZipBooks’ mobile apps.

ZipBooks Features

Despite its free and low-priced plans, ZipBooks still comes with a substantial number of features. Plus, its intuitive and straightforward design makes it a great fit for business owners who don’t have much accounting experience. Here’s a look at some key tools ZipBooks includes:

• Invoicing
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Business insights
• Time tracking
• Project management
• Reports
• Category tracking

ZipBooks Pricing

ZipBooks doles out three plans pricing $0-$35 a month. There’s also a fourth plan that provides a personal bookkeeper; it starts at $125 a month. Every plan incorporates unlimited invoicing and every paid plan bundles in unlimited users, an especially impressive feat. By leveling up to a more expensive plan, you’ll gain access to more features.

How ZipBooks Compares To FreshBooks

Both ZipBooks and FreshBooks promise simple and easy-to-use accounting experiences. One significant difference between both services is price. ZipBooks clocks in $15-$25 cheaper than FreshBooks, so budget-minded small businesses may prefer the lower price point.

FreshBooks does at least include more functionality for its higher cost, though. From an ample number of integrations to more customizable invoices, you’ll be able to do more with FreshBooks.

However, you may not be losing out if you go with ZipBooks. The service prides itself on delivering an excellent experience for those without in-depth accounting knowledge. If you or others in your business lack bookkeeping skills, you may not need FreshBooks’ functionality and will instead benefit from the simplicity ZipBooks delivers.

Best for medium- to large-sized businesses looking for strong accounting, robust features, and unlimited users.

If you’re looking to step up the functionality of your accounting software, Xero could be your answer. Introduced in 2006, this bit of software offers unlimited users, an impressive slate of accounting features, and 700+ integrations.

Customers seem to agree that Xero is a solid service with a plethora of functionality, even if its customer service has been lacking as of late.

Xero is best suited for medium- to large-sized companies, and not freelancers or micro-businesses. Because of Xero’s hefty feature set, those with minimal accounting experience may want to shy away.

Xero Features

Xero is known for having a wide array of features that require a learning curve at first (but you may get plenty out of this program once getting the hang of things). Here are some of our favorite Xero features:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Accounts payable
• Inventory
• Project management
• Time tracking
• Expense reimbursements
• 55 reports
• Budgeting

Xero Pricing

You can sign up for Xero with one of three plans — they range in price from $11 to $62 a month. The more expensive the plan, the greater the number of features and invoices you can access.

How Xero Compares To FreshBooks

Straight up, Xero and FreshBooks have similar monthly rates. However, Xero offers unlimited users on all its plans, while FreshBooks charges a monthly $10 per user beyond one. As such, the wallets of larger businesses will like that Xero isn’t continually pulling cash out.

Besides keeping your wallet at a healthy weight, Xero comes bundled with inventory tools and accounts payable (two things FreshBooks lacks). You’ll also like Xero if you need integrations; the service includes over 700, which makes FreshBooks’ 200-plus paltry by comparison.

However, Xero’s extensive functionality comes at a cost that isn’t measured with dollar bills: You’ll need to take time to learn how to use all of its features. With this in mind, those who don’t want to deal with understanding the ins and outs of Xero’s accounting software — such as freelancers or small businesses without dedicated bookkeepers — may prefer the simplicity of FreshBooks.

For more details, check out our Xero vs. FreshBooks comparison.

Best for freelancers needing management software with some basic bookkeeping baked in.

AND.CO, launched in 2015 and now owned by Fiverr, isn’t exactly a full-on accounting suite. While it includes some features, such as invoicing, expense tracking, and reports, this piece of software is more of a management program for freelancers. As such, it makes the most sense in the hands of those that don’t need the complete accounting experience and would rather have tools to help simplify their freelancing career.

With that lead-in, AND.CO is unsurprisingly best suited for freelancers. Micro-businesses or independent contractors may also benefit from some of AND.CO’s unique features, such as proposals and signed contracts.

Throughout the web, AND.CO has received generally positive reviews from users, with many praising its ease of use and strong mobile apps. It also offers solid customer support and numerous tools outside of its core software to help freelancers.

AND.CO Features

Because AND.CO gears its software towards freelance management, you’ll find that it lacks compared to more dedicated accounting services. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; if you’re a freelancer who just needs basic bookkeeping tools, AND.CO could be right for you. Here’s a quick rundown of AND.CO’s core features:

• Unlimited clients with the paid plan
• Invoicing
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Project management
• Time tracking
• Reports
• Proposals and fully editable contracts

AND.CO Pricing

AND.CO keeps pricing simple: there is a free plan and a premium one that goes for $18 a month. The base plan is pretty limited while the premium option tacks on an array of unique freelance-specific features.

How AND.CO Compares To FreshBooks

To take full advantage of AND.CO, you’ll want to opt into the paid plan, which could make deciding between it and FreshBooks harder. However, AND.CO ultimately incorporates tools targeted toward freelancers that aren’t in FreshBooks (such as contracts and subscriptions). If those features matter to you, the price may be a moot issue.

FreshBooks, on the other hand, is a more complete program that will give you a better-rounded accounting experience. The program combines other tools in its accounting Swiss Army knife that simply don’t exist in AND.CO’s, such as invoice customization, estimates, bank reconciliation, and a chart of accounts.