QuickBooks vs. Freshbooks: Top QuickBooks Competitors for 2017
Whether you’re adding those finishing touches to your business plan or already have a successful small business, you probably know that having the right small business accounting software makes all the difference.
Not only will this software assist you with your day-to-day business operations, it will also ensure that you are able to maintain, produce, and keep track of your financial records.
Since you want to have the best tools possible to establish a successful business, it may take a while to determine which accounting software for small business owners will be a good fit for you and your staff.
Two options you might want to consider are FreshBooks and QuickBooks. Our review will take a close look at FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks before examining the top-rated alternatives to QuickBooks and alternatives to FreshBooks.
See Also: Best Tax Software for Small Businesses
Comparison Review List
The list below is sorted alphabetically (click any of the names below to go directly to the detailed review section):
High Level Comparison Table
FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks | Free Trial? | # of Plans | Pricing Range |
| FreshBooks | 30 days | 3 | $15-$50 |
| QuickBooks | 30 days | 4 |
Table: The above list is sorted alphabetically
FreshBooks Review
First of all, if you’re deciding between FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks, it’s important to note that FreshBooks was specifically designed with small businesses in mind.
Their mission is to “reshape the world to suit the needs of self-employed professionals,” and their accounting software for small business owners certainly reflects that mission.
As a QuickBooks alternative, FreshBooks has seen wide success. For those who are debating FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks, it may help to know that this accounting software has established a solid track record.
FreshBooks boasts over 10 million users and over $60 billion in paid invoices, making it a top QuickBooks alternative.
Image Source: FreshBooks vs QuickBooks
Explore FreshBooks Features
Created by small business owners, the features inside this QuickBooks alternative are designed to specifically benefit freelancers and those with small businesses.
Considered an easy-to-use program, FreshBooks will allow you to handle many of your business tasks through the following features:
- Create professional invoices
- Customize and automate your invoices
- Accept credit card payments online
- Access your business with FreshBuddy iOS
- Categorize and follow expenses
- Project collaboration
- Time tracking by project & client
If you’re considering FreshBooks as an alternative to Quickbooks, you may want to take a look at their reasonable pricing. They offer three packages, which are categorized by the number of current and/or anticipated clients.
Whether you’re interested in maintaining or expanding the size of your business, there’s a package to address those and other needs.
FreshBooks Plans & Pricing
If you have a maximum of five clients, for example, the cost is $15 per month. If you have between 51-500 clients, the cost is $50 per month.
The “most popular” package, according to FreshBooks’s site, is for businesses that have between six and 50 clients for $25 per month. At least one of these alternatives to QuickBooks may be a good match for your current situation.
If you haven’t yet decided between FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks for your small business accounting software needs, you can try it out by signing up for a free 30-day trial.
Something else to keep in mind is that Freshbooks offers a money-back guarantee. If you just launched your business and are on a tight budget, this money-saving offer can make a difference.
FreshBooks Select
For businesses that accept most of their payments online, this alternative to QuickBooks offers a unique software, called FreshBooks Select.
It features flat rates, exclusive low fees, and multi-currency billing to suit the dynamic needs of online buisnesses. Along with these features, users will also enjoy:
- Automatic tax calculations
- Custom invoicing
- Each account includes 5 employees
- Dedicated account manager
- Automated billing
- Time tracking
One of the most beneficial components of FreshBooks Select comes from the enhanced customer service. These accounts are given a specific account manager, available for ongoing support throughout your use of the accounting software.
With an array of options catered to small businesses and freelancers, it’s hard to deny that FreshBooks is one of the best alternatives to QuickBooks currently on the market.
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QuickBooks Review
It’s impossible to discuss alternatives to FreshBooks–or small business accounting software in general–without discussing QuickBooks.
With over 4.8 million users across the globe, QuickBooks is a dynamic force amongst accounting software programs. Before finding alternatives to QuickBooks, it may be helpful to look at the full range of what QuickBooks has to offer for small business accounting.
Explore These QuickBooks Features
If you’re looking for a Freshbooks alternative, Intuit’s QuickBooks is worth exploring.
Their website has a number of helpful features, including business categories to help you access relevant information on small business accounting software:
- Independent contractor
- New business
- Professional and field services
- Retail business
- E-commerce business
- Non-profit organization
QuickBooks Applications
When considering QuickBooks vs. FreshBooks, QuickBooks may also be a good FreshBooks alternative because of their top-rated applications.
QuickBooks competitors might not be able to match the range of applications that Quickbooks accounting software for small business offers.
Here are a few of the most popular or “top rated” applications:
- TSheets Time Tracking – 5 stars
- Method: CRMS – 5 stars
- Time Tracker by eBillity – 4.5 stars
- Fundbox – 5 stars
- Expensify – 4.5 stars
- BlueVine – 5 stars
- Concur Travel and Expense – 5 stars
QuickBooks Plans & Pricing
This FreshBooks alternative also offers a free trial—and you don’t need to use a credit card to sign up. Each plan outlined here is available in a 30-day trial, allowing users to try the software first before committing.
Keep in mind that, while these plans often have promotional discounts, these discounts will only apply when purchasing the software outright. If you choose the 30-day free trial instead, you risk losing the option for a discount.
Self-Employed Package
The first category is for self-employed independent contractors and freelancers and costs just $9.99 per month after your free trial is over. Currently, Intuit is also offering a promotional cost of $5 a month for the first 6 months, providing huge savings on this accounting software for small business owners.
This package offers the following features:
- Categorizes and tracks your income, expenses, and profit with autopilot
- Computes your quarterly taxes
- Keeps your personal and business expenses separate
- Enables you to access your available income with a mobile application
- Offers additional tax preparation benefits with upgrades
If you choose not to go with the Self-Employed plan, there are three other packages to choose from as alternatives to FreshBooks.
Small Business Packages
The second free-trial category is for small businesses that require invoices and has additional accounting features. Currently, there are three packages being offered, each of which comes with a 30-day free trial. For a limited time, these versions are available at 30% off.
When considering the merits of FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks, it might be easier to make a decision given these options.
The first package is called Simple Start, and costs $15 a month after completing your free trial. This package offers the following features:
- Keeps track of your income and expenditures
- Enables you to provide estimates and produce invoices
- Connects your bank accounts and applications
The second package is called Essentials and costs $30 a month after completing your free trial. This package offers the following features:
- Keeps track of your income and expenditures
- Enables you to provide estimates and produce invoices
- Connects your bank accounts and applications
- Manages and pays your bills
- Provides sales and profit reports
The third and “most popular” package is called Plus and costs $40 a month after completing your free trial. This package offers the following features:
- Keeps track of your income and expenditures
- Enables you to provide estimates and produce invoices
- Connects your bank accounts and applications
- Manages and pays your bills
- Provides sales and profit reports
- Keeps track of your product inventory
- Enables you to prepare and print your 1099s
Top FreshBooks & QuickBooks Alternatives & Competitors
No doubt you’re curious how FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks rank when compared with other business and accounting products.
When searching for FreshBooks and QuickBooks competitors, you will probably encounter some of the following product sites:
Reviews on Alternatives to QuickBooks & FreshBooks
While you may have already conducted extensive research on alternatives to QuickBooks and FreshBooks alternatives, you may still want to engage in further research.
Since one of your goals is to choose an accounting program that provides specific solutions for your business, it’s natural to want several options from which to choose.
While narrowing down your search, you might want to read several reviews to learn about FreshBooks and QuickBooks competitors.
Business News Daily, for example, provides their perspective on the top-ranking accounting software for small businesses. You may also want to read their guide to get advice on “Choosing the Right Small Business Accounting Software.”
Business News Daily’s top picks include alternatives to QuickBooks and FreshBooks, making them a dynamic addition to a FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks debate.
First, in the small business category, Business News Daily states that Quickbooks is the best choice overall for small business accounting software.
FreshBooks, they contend, is the best Quickbooks alternative for mobile devices, and Wave Accounting is the best free accounting software choice. For really small businesses, Business News Daily has chosen Zoho Books.
So, when exploring alternatives to QuickBooks and competitors along with FreshBooks alternatives and competitors, you will want to consider multiple factors.
Criteria for Reviewing Alternatives to FreshBooks & QuickBooks
Some of the basic factors to consider when choosing between FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks include the type of access you need, what you can or want to pay, how easy it is to use, as well as whether you will receive good customer service.
You will also want to consider other factors such as which features are mandatory, and which may not apply to your business needs at the moment or in the near future.
You’re probably curious about the criteria they used to choose the best small business accounting software, so that you, too, can use it when weighing your options between QuickBooks vs. FreshBooks.
Fortunately, Business News Daily discusses their methodology at length. These are the basic criteria they used:
- The software’s cost
- How easy it was to use
- If it had time-saving features
- If it had reporting ability
- If it supported mobile devices and features
- If it was accessible to accountants
- If there were service limitations such as number of customers and users
- Customer service issues
- If it provided other services such as credit card usage, tax preparation and payroll
- If it would support third-party applications
Top Ranking Alternatives to FreshBooks & QuickBooks
Another source for reviews you may want to refer to is Merchant Maverick. The section on accounting software may assist you with choosing between FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks, as well as alternatives to QuickBooks.
According to Merchant Maverick, here are the top-ranking software programs:
- Xero – received 4.5 stars
- QuickBooks Online – received 4.5 stars
- QuickBooks Pro – received 4.5 stars
- Saasu – received 4 stars
- Zoho Books – received 4 stars
- FreeAgent – received 4 stars
In a separate review, Merchant Maverick does give Freshbooks 4.5 stars, making it a good option for a QuickBooks alternative. Both Business News Daily and Merchant Maverick acknowledge QuickBooks as a good choice for accounting software.
Image source: Pixabay
The software that didn’t score as high includes the following programs:
- Kashoo – recevied 3.5 stars
- Wave – received 3.5 stars
- QuickBooks Self-Employed – received 3 stars
- KashFlow – received 3 stars
Other QuickBooks and FreshBooks alternatives that didn’t score as high include the following programs:
- Sage One – received 3 stars
- Clear Books – received 3 stars
- Twinfield Review – received 3 stars
- BeansBooks – received 3 stars
There are other alternatives to QuickBooks and Freshbooks that were scored, which you can review at their site.
Conclusion: Choosing Between FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks
The accounting software you choose should be appropriate for your business. With so many choices, it may still be challenging to make a final decision.
Depending upon your experience and perspective, you may not agree that there are any solid competitors between FreshBooks vs. Quickbooks. All you might need to do at this point is engage in a careful, itemized list of the pros and cons of each QuickBooks alternative and decide whether they apply to you.
If you’re still considering the merits of Freshbooks vs. Quickbooks and have spent time reading reviews, you may want to take advantage of the free trials.
If you’ve already tried the software out for free and still aren’t sure, speaking directly with a customer service representative may assist you with making a decision on an alternative to QuickBooks.
Another option is to reach out to business associates and colleagues to find out what programs they have used in the past and/or are currently using. It’s possible that one or more of your business associates are using a FreshBooks or QuickBooks alternative for their accounting software.
It’s also possible that they may be in a similar position and are considering the merits of FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks.
Yet another option is to conduct additional research on alternatives to QuickBooks and FreshBooks. Even when a software program does not score as high in the reviews, it’s possible that it may be a good choice for your small business accounting software.
Decision-making is an integral aspect of doing business. When you have the right accounting software for small business, some of those decisions may be easier to make.
As your business expands and you outgrow your small business software, you will be even more prepared to make software and financial decisions.
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