11 Best FreshBooks Alternatives for Small Businesses in 2024

FreshBooks is a great software suite for many small businesses, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Some small business owners need more flexibility or different features than FreshBooks offers, and this is why it’s important to shop around and look at all of the alternatives. There could be a better fit for invoicing or accounting that smooths out daily operations and expense tracking, and it’s impossible to tell unless there are comparisons.

We understand that small business owners may not have time to look for the best FreshBooks alternative, so we’re going to do it for you. Our goal is to give you everything you need to make an informed decision for your small business to help keep you financially sound.

What Is FreshBooks?

FreshBooks is one of the most popular accounting software in the current market. It offers a reliable and fast solution to your small business accounting issues. It comes designed as a cloud-based accounting software for small businesses, service providers, and freelancers.

This software suite can help track time, track expenses, create invoices, provide reports, send follow-up emails, design estimates, manage recurring invoices and subscriptions, and collect online payments in one system using PayPal, credit cards, and Google Checkout payments.

As a bonus, FreshBooks also seamlessly integrates with a host of leading business applications to streamline the entire accounting process. There’s a free trial plan that allows you to easily try out all of the features to see if it works well for your business needs.

Benefits of FreshBooks

• Newest version has advanced features
• Interface is attractive and modern
• Secure backups from the vendor to keep data safe
• Dashboard offers effortless customization
• Integrates with a host of leading software platforms

Comparison of the best Freshbooks alternatives

Top 11 FreshBooks Alternatives for Small Business Owners

Now that you’ve had a quick overview of FreshBooks and the benefits, it’s important that you understand the best FreshBooks alternatives on the current market for accounting or invoicing. Since you’re a small business, tailoring all of your software is essential to help save you money while tracking your finances. We’re going to outline the best small business software suites below for you.

1. Billdu

First up is Billdu, our top pick in the long list of FreshBooks alternatives. Billdu is a cloud-based software that offers a large range of services, all on one centralized dashboard. You can use it to effortlessly design and send invoices and recurring invoices to your clients, or you can create estimates, quotes, purchase orders and send them electronically to your clients to win new bids.

There is also expense tracking, and this is essential for any small business owner to keep your business running in peak shape. Billdu also offers you the chance to create delivery notes, exports, and take online payments from several sources, including PayPal and credit cards. In fact, you can attach a “Pay Now” button to your invoices to make it easy for the client to pay you.

There is a communication hub with an inbox, where you’ll be able to keep in touch with your clients. You’ll also get notifications when the client opens and interacts with the invoices, estimates, or whatever you send them. This feature allows for timely follow-up. It’s also possible to set up appointments with Billdu.

Why Use Billdu Instead of FreshBooks

• Comes with newly redesigned and added features
• Interface is very sleek and intuitive
• Possible to edit your invoices, etc. on the go
• Ready-made invoice templates available to save time
• Manage and edit your finances anytime, anywhere with Billdu
• Billdu easily connects with other software, streamlining your workflow

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of Billdu

• Secure backups available to protect your data
• Can create proposals in seconds
• Offers time tracking
• Newly redesigned dashboard

2. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is a web-based accounting software that works well for small businesses, freelancers, or independent accounting firms. You can use QuickBooks Online to get all of the essential accounting tools your business needs in one centralized location. The goal of this FreshBooks alternative is to help small business owners simplify the finance management and accounting processes.

It offers a host of nice tools that can automate your data collection and tax calculation processes, and it can simplify your invoice management and billing practices. It’s possible to use this FreshBooks alternative to generate customized reports, monitor sales, synchronize banking data, track and pay your bills, and much more.

As a bonus, QuickBooks Online lets you access it on several devices (both desktop and mobile) so you can check it on the go. It comes with an auto-syncing option to ensure all of your data is current each time you look at it. Finally, you also get the opportunity to filter features by your business size to narrow down which ones will work best for your needs.

Why Use QuickBooks Instead of FreshBooks

• Offers synchronization options
• Provides instant feedback on the business’s finances
• Generate custom loss and profit reports
• All-in-one accounting software for freelancers

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of QuickBooks

• Get access to all features, no matter the business size
• Can switch settings to suit your particular needs
• Live chat
• Add users and assign roles

3. Zoho Books

This is a smart accounting software suite that works well for small businesses when you use it to help manage your cash flow and finances. It features a very user-friendly design that allows small business owners to make data-based, intelligent decisions regarding their business. It’s designed to help collectively across all of your business’s departments.

Since Zoho Books is part of the Zoho product line, you never have to worry about security, uptime, and support. The app allows you to easily send professional-grade invoices to any clients and collect online payments to get paid quicker. It’s fast, robust, and gives full control over your company’s finances, no matter if it’s small or rapidly growing.

You can track your time, send invoices and estimates, track clients through the portal, add your accounting team, create sales orders, track your inventory, and more to automate many of your daily processes. In turn, you can spend your time on other aspects of your business. There is also a vendor portal where your vendors can self-manage their transactions with your business.

Why Use Zoho Books Instead of FreshBooks

• Streamlines back-office duties
• Offers features like balance sheets, income statements, and P&L statements
• Extremely detailed design
• Dashboard produces visual graphs and financial data quick overviews

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of Zoho Books

• Comes with pre-made templates to save time
• Has a communication hub/inbox
• Get notifications from client interactions with your documents
• Different payment options

4. Wave

Wave is a well-integrated platform that has receipt scanning, accounting, and invoicing all combined into a compact, single package. It’s a great software suite for start-ups and small business owners as a FreshBooks alternative. If you’re self-employed and work as a freelancer, consultant, or entrepreneur, this is one nice option.

It’s very easy to set up and use Wave straight from the time you get it. It has a user-friendly and simple dashboard that will display whatever information you need very clearly. It works to help simplify the invoicing and accounting process, and it makes tracking expenses for your business a straightforward process. It also helps you chase payments, manage employees, and get ready for tax season.

You can easily and quickly send and create professional estimates, receipts, and invoices. The tracking features are also nice, and they give you a fast way to stay on top of all of your finances. You can accept payments through credit or debit cards, and Wave allows you to run your payroll once a month with no additional fees.

Why Use Wave Instead of FreshBooks

• Free app with no hidden fees
• Simplifies the expense tracking process
• No-hassle tax season preparation
• Allows you to do monthly payroll

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of Wave

• Allows you to create delivery notes
• Has a more robust communication hub
• Has online store capabilities
• Scaleable to fit your business

5. Invoice Simple

Invoice Simple helps to track finances while offering several invoice-generating tools to turn your estimates into simply customizable invoices. This is a very simple FreshBooks alternative for any small business owner who doesn’t need a lot of power from their software. You can use it from your laptop or phone to create invoices on the go and get them on the way to your customers.

All you have to do is choose what you’d like the software to create and it’ll give you a blank invoice template that you can quickly fill in. It allows you to add your logo and convert it to a PDF invoice to share, or you can email it right to your customers. You can also add clients and create estimates, and you can create a running list of products or services to pull them quickly back into the invoice when you make them.

For payments, you can use PayPal, check, or use the banking information from your clients to speed up the payment process once you complete a project or a service. You can try it for free to see if it matches your business needs before upgrading and creating an account to track all of your financial information.

Why Use Invoice Simple Instead of FreshBooks

• Easy to create invoices and send them out
• Fully customizable templates
• Very basic and user-friendly
• Saves items and clients to reuse

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of Invoice Simple

• More services like recurring invoices and expense tracking
• Tiered payment plans
• Centralized dashboard for all of your financials
• Communication hub

6. Xero

Xero is very easy to manage, no matter if you immerse yourself in it or choose to only use it occasionally. It makes more complex tasks like double bookkeeping simple to handle for small business owners. There are certified advisors that can help you with your accounting needs if you don’t have a dedicated accounting team for your business.

It’ll integrate very easily with the leading-third party solutions or the best accounting software without any problems, and you can scale your plan to match your business needs. It allows you to claim expenses, pay bills, monitor your bank account and cash flow, accept payments, track projects, capture data, upload contacts and organize them into smart lists, and generate customized reports.

You can use Xero to create purchase orders, and it offers currency conversion in over 160 currencies. There are several tools and add-ons you can opt into, and it all comes together on a sleek and user-friendly dashboard that makes it easy to track everything. There is a free trial too, so you can see if this is a good fit for your small business before you buy it.

Why Use Xero Instead of FreshBooks

• Facilitates accurate and fast transacting
• Express Setup feature offered from the vendor
• Able to find and alter banks, checks, and expense claims
• Can create payroll forms

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of Xero

• Allows you to create delivery notes
• Has online store capabilities
• Simple and streamlined expense tracking
• Responsive support team

7. NetSuite ERP

This is a scalable but comprehensive invoicing software suite that is cloud-based. It comes designed to meet the needs of fast-growing small businesses and bigger enterprises. This app will work to automate back and front-end processes for your business so you can spend your time elsewhere without worrying that you’re missing out on important financial document.

NetSuite will take care of inventory management, order management, billing, revenue management, fixed assets, and financial management. As a bonus, this software lets each employee — from clerical staff to your top managers — view several highly customizable reports that outline key performance indicators for their particular role at your small business.

The ERP module on this software will integrate quickly and easily with any other NetSuite software you may have or buy, including CRM, eCommerce, order management tools, and inventory. So, you can easily scale your software to suit your business’s exact needs without breaking the bank. NetSuite offers built-in flexibility and native business intelligence to ensure you have everything you need to make informed decisions regarding your business.

Why Use NetSuite ERP Instead of FreshBooks

• Has self-service capabilities
• Complete set of purchasing, manufacturing, and inventory management features
• Real-time information on inventory, suppliers, and procurement indicators
• Integrates with finance and sales

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of NetSuite ERP

• Has recurring invoice creation and tracking
• Sleek and responsive interface
• Centralized location for all of your relevant items
• Notifications for client interaction

8. BigTime

This cloud based billing software is very comprehensive, and it comes designed to help any small business owner streamline the overall billing cycle, track the time each activity takes, and organize tasks to keep you on track. The platform can easily accommodate several billing rates, and you can assign them to staff, set up labor codes, and assign tasks as you see fit.

BigTime is accounting software that lets you prepare invoices using a customizable template in word or excel, monitor and assign various tasks, and track the duration of each task. It has reporting and management tools built into the design that gives you total visibility over your whole team throughout each project’s duration. In turn, you can see when someone is struggling or excelling at their given tasks.

It also integrates with a range of popular applications, and this means that you wouldn’t have to manually migrate and process any data if you chose it. The engineering, accounting, and consulting industries will do best with this FreshBooks alternative. You can also use it to delegate your team the correct workload each day to ensure they have something to do without being overloaded.

Why Use BigTime Instead of FreshBooks

• Offers resource allocation functions
• Track each team member’s time every day on specific tasks
• Comprehensive invoicing and billing solution with automatic calculations
• Project management feature

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of BigTime

• Offers more customizable invoice templates for freelancers
• Easier to keep an eye on receipts and delivery notes
• Quick invoice recall and storage
• Can edit and send documents on the go

9. Invoiced

Invoiced offers a cloud-based automation software for your accounts receivable needs that can make all of your small business’s financial processes work automatically. There are four interconnected modules at the heart of this software, including payment plans, invoice-to-cash, customer portal, and subscription billing that you can use to streamline your daily applications.

You’ll get a seamless accounting workflow for your small business. The workflow starts on the billing end and goes to payments and forecasting so you can keep a close eye on your financial situation. One big bonus of this software is its easy-to-use and straightforward dashboard. It looks very simple, but it has all of the controls you need to keep your tools within easy reach.

It can also improve your company’s bottom line as it gives your customers multiple payment options. It’ll integrate seamlessly with a variety of popular accounting software choices like QuickBooks or FreshBooks, and this eliminates the need to flip back and forth between applications. You have fewer chances of making costly invoicing mistakes this way.

Why Use Invoiced Instead of FreshBooks

• Incorporates the power of four modules to simplify tasks
• Simple dashboard increases productivity
• Automates your workflow
• Offers more flexible payment options

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of Invoiced

• Offers accountant connection
• Redesigned user interface
• Tools all grouped in one centralized location
• Several pricing options

10. DocuPhase

DocuPhase gives you an accounts payable automation software. This software comes with a lot of document management features and other tools that you can give out to all of your employees to use. The strong accounting automation system puts it as one of the best FreshBooks alternatives. It offers optical character recognition features that allow it to accurately read any text on scanned documents to ensure your records are accurate.

It also has a nice document storage system that can keep receipts, invoices, and related financial documents organized and easy to recall should you need them. You can scan them as soon as you get them to reduce the probability of losing them, and this makes filing your taxes much easier because you have proof of all of your expenses and deductions.

DocuPhase is also helpful when it comes to digitizing your company’s processes. There won’t be any more large folders of paper files stuffed into drawers. Instead, it’s all at your fingertips with the click of a button. It can automate invoice payments, and this can help ensure that you pay your dues in time to avoid any late fees.

Why Use DocuPhase Instead of FreshBooks

• AP automation saves time
• OCR capabilities
• Document management tools included
• Allows you to digitize your processes

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of DocuPhase

• Attractive interface design
• Get secure vendor backups for your files
• Prompt customer service if you have issues
• Integrates with other software

11. Sage

The final FreshBooks alternative on the list is Sage . This is a desktop accounting solution that is very easy to use, and it works well for growing small businesses. You can also scale it to fit larger enterprises and their bigger accounting needs.

You’ll get standard accounting features with this software, including bill payments, cash flow management, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. It also gives you a range of advanced tools to help with your financial needs like inventory management and module-level security. You can add payroll services or credit card processing options too.

The vendor for this product has mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Blackberry devices, and you get a free trial to see if it’s something you want to pursue. It also functions very smoothly with different products like Excel, Microsoft Word, and Outlook so you can perform all of your daily tasks without having to flip from screen to screen. You can choose your software by business need, business size, and industry to get a tailored solution that works for you.

Why Use Sage Instead of FreshBooks

• Flexible enough for non-accountants and CPAs to use
• Includes essential business operations
• Screen-level security
• Automatic backup included

Why Use FreshBooks Instead of Sage

• Scalable software solution
• Allows for easy invoicing setup
• Customizable layouts for all your documents
• Newly improved design

What is the Best Freshbooks alternative?

If you’re curious about which FreshBooks alternatives could work best for you, we suggest you start with Billdu. You’ll get a completely free trial that allows you to test out premium features and see how it settles into your business operations.