Business software · Comparison
FreshBooks vs QuickBooks Online
FreshBooks starts at $1/mo billed monthly and renews at $23/mo; QuickBooks Online starts at $19/mo billed monthly and renews at $38/mo. Over 3 years paying monthly, FreshBooks (Lite) costs about $564 and QuickBooks Online (Simple Start) about $1,311. Prices checked 10 Oct 2026.
Accounting and invoicing
Invoicing-led accounting for freelancers and small service businesses, with plans capped by billable clients.
$1/mobilled monthly, renews $23/mo
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Cloud accounting from Intuit with a limited free plan and four paid tiers that add users, reports and automation.
$19/mobilled monthly, renews $38/mo. Free plan too
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3 years, paying monthly
- FreshBooks Lite, monthly$564
- QuickBooks Online Simple Start, monthly$1,311
Side by side
| FreshBooks | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $1.00/mo (term: monthly, renews at $23.00/mo). Price checked . | Free plan, paid from $19.00/mo (term: monthly, renews at $38.00/mo). Price checked . |
| Free plan | No; 30-day free trial | Yes: 1 user, 2 invoices a month, 1 bank connection, no accountant access |
| Trial length | 30 days | 30-day free trial on paid plans, as an alternative to the 3-month discount |
| Integrations | Not captured | Third-party integrations on paid plans, not on QuickBooks Free |
| Users included | Extra team members cost $11/mo per user; Select includes 2 team member accounts | Free 1, Simple Start 1, Essentials 3, Plus 5, Advanced 25 (plus 2 accountants, 3 on Advanced) |
| Client limit | Lite 5 billable clients, Plus 50, Premium and Select unlimited | Not captured |
Both are Researched from public pricing and specifications; neither has been hands-on tested.
Client caps against user caps
On 10 October 2026 FreshBooks listed Lite at $23 a month, Plus at $43 and Premium at $70, with Lite offered at $1 a month for the first 12 months and Plus and Premium at 80% off for 3 months. QuickBooks Online listed Simple Start at $38, Essentials at $85 and Plus at $140, at 50% off for the first 3 months.
FreshBooks caps billable clients: 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus and unlimited on Premium, with extra team members at $11 a month each. QuickBooks caps users instead: 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials and 5 on Plus. A freelancer with a handful of clients pays less with FreshBooks Lite; a small team that needs several logins should compare the user limits first.
Read the full reviews: FreshBooks review and QuickBooks Online review.