The typical searcher is a freelancer or small service business that started on FreshBooks for invoicing and is now hitting its client caps or paying for a second seat. Some want a free tier, others want accounting depth or local tax filing. They move to a general small-business ledger, a free invoicing tool, or a package built around one country's rules.
Hannah ReiterSenior Analyst, Business Applications
Tomasz Wierzbicki
Elena MarchettiShort answer: The closest replacements for FreshBooks in our accounting software ranking are Xero, QuickBooks Online and Wave. Choose Xero if you want a ledger your accountant already knows rather than an invoicing tool. All 11 alternatives below are ranked products from Best Accounting Software in 2026, and each says where it differs from FreshBooks.
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FreshBooks sorts its plans by the number of billable clients: 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus, unlimited on Premium. On the US site the standard prices are $23, $43 and $70 a month. A business that adds clients moves up a tier because of its client list, not because its bookkeeping got more complex.
Every plan includes one user, and each additional team member is $11 a month on the US site ($13 in the Canadian pricing). Payroll is a separate add-on at $40 a month plus $6 per user. A firm with a bookkeeper and a partner pays more than the headline price suggests.
FreshBooks describes itself as software for freelancers and small service businesses, with invoicing, time tracking and mileage included. Double-entry accounting reports only start on Plus. A company that needs country-specific VAT filing or a full ledger is better served by a package designed around those rules.
| Alternative | Headquarters | Free option | Pricing | Key difference | Switch if | Our rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | New Zealand | No free tier | Per month by plan, published | Unlimited users on every plan | you want a ledger your accountant already knows rather than an invoicing tool | #7 |
| QuickBooks Online | United States | Yes | Free plan with tight limits; paid per month by plan, published | The one your accountant already uses | you need more than one user included and a path from freelancer to inventory and projects | #8 |
| Wave | Canada | Yes | Free Starter plan; Pro per business per month, published; fees on payments and payroll | Free invoicing and books, paid Pro plan and payments | you invoice few clients, cost is the reason you are leaving and card fees are acceptable | #4 |
| Zoho Books | India | Yes | Free tier under $50K annual revenue; paid per organisation per month, published | A low-cost full ledger, and it comes with a suite | you want more users and a published invoice-volume limit instead of a client cap | #9 |
| FreeAgent | United Kingdom | Yes | Per month, published; free with some UK business accounts | Accounting for contractors and very small companies | you want one flat plan with tax support and accountant access rather than client-based tiers | #6 |
| Sage Accounting | United Kingdom | No free tier | Per month by plan, published | Compliance-first, strongest in the UK and Ireland | your accountant works in Sage and you want the ledger in the same product | #10 |
| Pennylane | France | Yes | Invoicing plans for independents published, free tier for micro-enterprises without VAT, paid from 7 EUR a month; company accounting quoted through the accountant | Accounting shared between the company and its accountant | you operate as a French independent or company and need local invoicing compliance | #2 |
| Fortnox | Sweden | No free tier | Packages or single modules per month, published; mandatory Access fee scales with transaction volume | The Swedish small-business standard, module by module | you run a Swedish company and want bookkeeping and payroll in one package | #3 |
| Exact Online | Netherlands | No free tier | Per month by package, published; Essentials from 49 EUR, Premium 299 EUR | Dutch and Belgian compliance done properly | you are a Dutch business that has outgrown invoicing software and needs administrations and bank connections | #5 |
| Visma eAccounting | Norway | No free tier | Per month by plan, published | Nordic small-business accounting from the region’s largest vendor | you are a Norwegian sole trader or small company needing invoices and annual reporting | #11 |
| NetSuite | United States | No free tier | Quoted per organisation | Accounting as one module of a full ERP | your business has become multi-entity and you need ERP rather than small-business accounting | #12 |
New Zealand · Per month by plan, published
A full small-business ledger where FreshBooks is invoicing-first. Xero's UK plans run from Ignite at £18 to Ultimate at £70 a month, with bank feeds, bill automation and multi-currency on the upper tiers. It lacks FreshBooks' built-in time tracking focus, and its plans are sized by invoice volume.
Switch from FreshBooks if you want a ledger your accountant already knows rather than an invoicing tool.
United States · Free plan with tight limits; paid per month by plan, published
Offers a permanent free plan with one user, two invoices a month and one bank connection, then paid tiers from Simple Start at $38 to Advanced at $340 a month on its US site. Several users come bundled, unlike FreshBooks' one seat. List prices are higher and promotional discounts expire.
Switch from FreshBooks if you need more than one user included and a path from freelancer to inventory and projects.
QuickBooks Online, #8 of 12 in our accounting software ranking →
Canada · Free Starter plan; Pro per business per month, published; fees on payments and payroll
The Starter plan is free and includes unlimited invoices, estimates and bills, where FreshBooks starts at $23 a month. Wave earns its revenue from payments (2.9% plus $0.60 per card payment on Starter) and the $19 Pro plan. It has no client cap but a smaller feature set.
Switch from FreshBooks if you invoice few clients, cost is the reason you are leaving and card fees are acceptable.
India · Free tier under $50K annual revenue; paid per organisation per month, published
A free plan for one user plus an accountant, with up to 1,000 invoices a year while revenue stays under $50K, then paid plans from $15 a month billed annually with three users. It limits invoices per year instead of clients, and it is easiest to use alongside other Zoho applications.
Switch from FreshBooks if you want more users and a published invoice-volume limit instead of a client cap.
United Kingdom · Per month, published; free with some UK business accounts
A single plan with published pricing ($22 a month standard, discounted for the first six months) and a 30-day free trial, aimed at freelancers, small businesses and their accountants. It adds a project dashboard and tax and VAT support. There is no free tier and the cheaper entry price is temporary.
Switch from FreshBooks if you want one flat plan with tax support and accountant access rather than client-based tiers.
United Kingdom · Per month by plan, published
A long-established accounting package from a UK vendor, with monthly plans rather than FreshBooks' client-count tiers. We could not retrieve its pricing page for this review, so plan limits and prices should be checked on the vendor site. It is aimed at bookkeeping depth more than service invoicing.
Switch from FreshBooks if your accountant works in Sage and you want the ledger in the same product.
Sage Accounting, #10 of 12 in our accounting software ranking →
France · Invoicing plans for independents published, free tier for micro-enterprises without VAT, paid from 7 EUR a month; company accounting quoted through the accountant
A French platform with plans for independents at EUR 7, 14, 24 and 79 a month, each for one user, and a 15-day free trial. It is built around French business forms, VAT and e-invoicing rules. It suits French companies, not freelancers invoicing across several jurisdictions.
Switch from FreshBooks if you operate as a French independent or company and need local invoicing compliance.
Sweden · Packages or single modules per month, published; mandatory Access fee scales with transaction volume
A Swedish package for accounting, invoicing and payroll, priced from 238 kr a month for Mini and 948 kr for Stor+, plus a mandatory activity-based Access fee from 29 kr. First six months are free for new companies. The interface and support are in Swedish, so it is a Sweden-only fit.
Switch from FreshBooks if you run a Swedish company and want bookkeeping and payroll in one package.
Netherlands · Per month by package, published; Essentials from 49 EUR, Premium 299 EUR
Dutch accounting software with four packages, Essentials at EUR 49 to Premium at EUR 299 a month. Higher tiers add multi-company support and Power BI reporting, and extra users cost EUR 23 to 49 a month. It targets companies and accountants working under Dutch bookkeeping rules, not solo freelancers.
Switch from FreshBooks if you are a Dutch business that has outgrown invoicing software and needs administrations and bank connections.
Norway · Per month by plan, published
A Norwegian product for small businesses with an invoice-only plan (free for 12 months, then 119 kr a month) and Start and Smart plans at 159 kr and 269 kr. It sends invoices in Norwegian formats (EHF, eFaktura) and produces annual tax reporting. It is built for Norwegian rules.
Switch from FreshBooks if you are a Norwegian sole trader or small company needing invoices and annual reporting.
Visma eAccounting, #11 of 12 in our accounting software ranking →
United States · Quoted per organisation
An enterprise ERP with financials, quoted per organisation, at the opposite end of the scale from FreshBooks. We could not retrieve the vendor pages for this review, so features and pricing should be confirmed with the vendor. It is far more than a freelancer needs and requires implementation work.
Switch from FreshBooks if your business has become multi-entity and you need ERP rather than small-business accounting.
FreshBooks remains the right choice for a freelancer or small service firm whose work is invoicing, time tracking and getting paid. Unlimited time tracking, mileage tracking and online payments are included on every plan, and proposals and double-entry reports arrive on Plus. If you have under 50 clients and one user, the cost of a full accounting package buys you nothing you use.
FreshBooks holds clients, invoice history, expenses and time entries in one place. Decide what the new system needs: open invoices and client contacts usually do, while historical time entries may only need an export for your records. Export before cancelling, because access to the data ends with the subscription.
Clients who pay by card or bank debit through FreshBooks invoices have stored payment details and links. A new tool needs its own payments account, and recurring invoices have to be recreated. Tell clients before the first invoice from the new system so the payment link does not look suspicious.
On the US site the standard prices are $23 a month for Lite, $43 for Plus and $70 for Premium, with Select quoted. The lower prices advertised are promotional. Extra team members are $11 a month each and payroll is a separate add-on.
Wave has a free Starter plan with unlimited invoices and estimates, and charges for payment processing. Zoho Books is free for one user while annual revenue stays under $50K, and QuickBooks Online has a free plan limited to two invoices a month.
Xero and QuickBooks Online are the common next step because they are full ledgers with bank feeds and tiered plans. Both publish prices and both are widely supported by accountants, unlike an invoicing-first tool.
Yes. Lite allows 5 billable clients, Plus allows 50 and Premium and Select are unlimited. Zoho Books limits invoices per year instead, from 1,000 on the free plan to 100,000 on the highest plans.
Yes, but they are country-specific: Pennylane for France, Fortnox for Sweden, Exact Online for the Netherlands and Visma eAccounting for Norway. Each is built around local VAT and invoicing rules and sold in the local language.
Covers CRM, ERP and the operational software that runs a company day to day.
Builds the market data: where a number comes from, what it counts, and what it leaves out.
Runs the review process and sends a page back when a claim is not backed by anything.
Written by Hannah Reiter, edited by Tomasz Wierzbicki and fact-checked by Elena Marchetti. Last reviewed 8 October 2026. How we review.
