Billing & Invoicing Software · Accounting Software

QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks

Both are billing & invoicing software and accounting software. The short answer: choose QuickBooks Online if you are small businesses in the US, UK, Canada and Australia; choose FreshBooks if you are freelancers and service businesses billing clients for time.

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QuickBooks Online logo QuickBooks OnlineFreshBooks logo FreshBooks
Best forSmall businesses in the US, UK, Canada and AustraliaFreelancers and service businesses billing clients for time
Free planNo (trial may exist)No (trial may exist)
PricingSee providerSee provider
Built for IndiaGlobalGlobal
CategoriesBilling & Invoicing Software, Accounting SoftwareBilling & Invoicing Software, Accounting Software
Strengths
  • Large accountant and app ecosystem
  • Strong reporting
  • Good bank integrations
  • Very easy invoicing
  • Time tracking built in
  • Good client experience
Watch out for
  • Availability and features vary by country
  • Costs rise with add-ons
  • Pricing tiers limit billable clients
  • Less suited to inventory businesses
Visit QuickBooks OnlineVisit FreshBooks

Which should you choose?

QuickBooks Online: Widely used cloud accounting software with invoicing, expenses, bank feeds and an accountant ecosystem.

FreshBooks: Invoicing-first accounting software with time tracking, expenses and client portals.

The best way to decide is to run the same week of real work through both — most offer a free plan or trial — and compare how long tasks take, what your team prefers, and the total cost for your number of users including renewal pricing.

Not sure either fits? See all billing & invoicing software compared.