QuickBooks dominates accounting for established businesses with comprehensive tax compliance and complex reporting, while FreshBooks excels for service-based freelancers and small teams prioritizing invoicing speed and client portals. QuickBooks serves 5.6M+ businesses versus FreshBooks' ~1.2M users.
FreshBooks vs QuickBooks — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Cloud invoicing and time-tracking platform optimized for freelancers and service businesses.
Full-featured accounting platform with tax compliance, payroll, and inventory management for established businesses.
Primary User Base. Monthly Cost (Entry Tier). Invoicing Speed (Templates Ready). Tax Form Support (US). Client Portal Features. Mobile App Functionality. Market Share (2024)
Choose FreshBooks if you're a freelancer, service provider, or small agency under 20 people who needs to invoice fast, capture time, and let clients pay online—it's $17/month with superior client engagement tools. Choose QuickBooks if you're an established business requiring comprehensive tax compliance, multi-user team access, complex payroll integration, and regulatory reporting—it's the industry standard despite higher costs (starting $30/month).
FreshBooks: $17/month | QuickBooks: $30/month
FreshBooks: Limited by additional per-user charges | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Included as core feature | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Basic automation | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Invoicing-specific optimized | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Standard OCR | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Low to moderate | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Simplified migration service | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Limited multi-entity capabilities | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: No FreshBooks branding (Select tier+) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Yes, included in all plans | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: iOS and Android | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 1-3 (plan dependent) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Advanced - project, task, and user-level tracking | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Built-in with Stripe/PayPal integration | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 100+ integrations | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 12+ report types (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Tax Summary) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Included with payment collection | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 30 days | QuickBooks: 30 days
FreshBooks: No free plan | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 4.8/5 (12,400 reviews) | QuickBooks: 4.6/5 stars
FreshBooks: 8 templates | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Receipt scanning only | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 30% faster with automated reminders | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: $240/year (Plus plan, billed annually) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Unlimited with timer | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 4.6/5 (12,400+ reviews) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 1 day (real-time) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: $30.00 (Plus plan) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: No - proposals only | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Full double-entry accounting | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 40+ (P&L, balance sheet, tax, aging, project profitability) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: No (requires third-party or manual) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Not available | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 100+ (Stripe, QuickBooks, Shopify, Zapier) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 4.7/5 (42,000 reviews) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Basic (payment reminders, invoice scheduling) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 168 (24/7) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Basic (quantity only) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 120 requests/min | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: Full: projects, file sharing, payment tracking | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: No (integration only) | QuickBooks: N/A
FreshBooks: 1 user (Lite plan) | QuickBooks: 1 user (Simple Start)
FreshBooks: 2.5 minutes | QuickBooks: 3.8 minutes
FreshBooks: Yes (all plans) | QuickBooks: No (requires third-party integration)
FreshBooks: Basic (1099 tracking only) | QuickBooks: Comprehensive (1099, W-2, Form 941, Form 940)
FreshBooks: Yes (with payment processing) | QuickBooks: Limited (view-only on standard plans)
FreshBooks: Not available (contractor 1099s only) | QuickBooks: Native payroll add-on available
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: $4 (add-on)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: Email/chat, business hours
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 24-48 hours (email/chat)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: $15-30/month
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 5.7 million
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 12-15 locales
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 5 companies (QBO Plus)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 4.2/5 stars (12,000+ reviews)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 1 week average
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 700+ integrations
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: Full invoicing, expenses, reports, receipt capture
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: Available on Plus tier only ($75/month)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: Cloud-only (no on-premise option)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: Yes on all tiers (except Simple Start: 1 user)
Maximum Company Accounts (Single Subscription)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 1 (separate subscriptions required)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 160+ currencies
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 100+ countries
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 1,500+ integrations
Certified Professional Partners (Global)
FreshBooks: N/A | QuickBooks: 380,000 partners
How to choose between FreshBooks and QuickBooks
FreshBooks vs QuickBooks — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for FreshBooks vs QuickBooks. Contains 94 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
FreshBooks vs QuickBooks — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for FreshBooks vs QuickBooks.
Which is better for freelancers: FreshBooks or QuickBooks?
FreshBooks is significantly better for freelancers. It includes built-in time tracking, advanced client portals with payment collection, and a $17/month entry point vs QuickBooks' $30/month. FreshBooks' mobile app has full invoicing capability, making it ideal for on-the-go freelancers. QuickBooks becomes valuable only if you have W-2 employees or complex multi-entity tax filings.
Can QuickBooks process client payments online like FreshBooks?
QuickBooks can process payments, but it requires additional add-ons and third-party integrations. FreshBooks includes native payment processing on all plans with zero transaction fees on invoiced amounts. QuickBooks' payment functionality is less seamless for client-facing invoicing workflows compared to FreshBooks' integrated client portal.
No. FreshBooks does not offer payroll functionality. It can track contractor payments and generate 1099s, but if you have W-2 employees, you'll need to integrate a separate payroll provider or use QuickBooks, which offers integrated payroll management as an add-on ($60-120/month depending on employee count).
Which has better tax compliance features?
QuickBooks has significantly superior tax compliance. It supports 1099, W-2, Form 941, Form 940, and state filing requirements out-of-the-box. FreshBooks handles basic 1099 tracking but lacks payroll tax forms and complex compliance features. If you have employees or complex tax scenarios, QuickBooks is mandatory.
How many users can each platform support at entry pricing?
Both FreshBooks Lite ($17/month) and QuickBooks Simple Start ($30/month) support only 1 user at the entry tier. For team collaboration, FreshBooks' Plus plan ($30/month) adds 5 users, while QuickBooks Essentials ($60/month) adds 2 users. FreshBooks offers better value for small multi-user teams.
How to Choose Between FreshBooks and QuickBooks
Primary User Base: FreshBooks has Service-based freelancers and small agencies (1-20 employees), while QuickBooks has Established small-to-mid businesses (1-100+ employees).
Monthly Cost (Entry Tier): FreshBooks has $17/month (Lite plan), while QuickBooks has $30/month (Simple Start).
Consider: Invoicing Speed (Templates Ready)
Invoicing Speed (Templates Ready): FreshBooks has 2-3 minutes with 100+ templates, while QuickBooks has 3-4 minutes with 50+ templates.
Tax Form Support (US): FreshBooks has Basic 1099 tracking, limited compliance, while QuickBooks has Full 1099/W-2, Form 941, Form 940 support.
Client Portal Features: FreshBooks has Advanced (online payments, estimates, proposal tracking), while QuickBooks has Basic (view invoices only, no payment portal standard).
Mobile App Functionality: FreshBooks has Full invoicing, receipt capture, time tracking on iOS/Android, while QuickBooks has View-only or limited on free tier; full access requires Self-Employed plan.
Market Share (2024): FreshBooks has ~9% of SMB accounting software market, while QuickBooks has ~32% of SMB accounting software market.