FreshBooks Reviews

“fast invoicing and time tracking”

Pros

Feels really simple if you're trying to track time and send invoices without having to spend every day on bookkeeping. Sharing invoices is simple and it's clear enough to keep an eye on revenue as it comes in.

Cons

It could be faster when you're entering lots of time entries. Since I do the same type of work most days, it's a bit annoying that I still have to add each day separately. I'd also prefer a smoother way to enter multiple expenses in one go instead of doing them one at a time.

“pocket iOS time tracking but dated”

Pros

Super convenient since the iOS app stays with me all the time. After I wrap up a client visit, I can log the time right away. It also seems like my clients appreciate what they see on their side.

Cons

There are a bunch of confusing snags when I enter time. For instance, clients are organized by the contact person's name instead of the company name and sometimes that "contact" is someone in accounting that I don't deal with often. That makes finding the right client take longer than it should. The overall flow isn't very adaptive and the UI would really benefit from an Apple focused UI developer. After the interface redesign, it actually became much harder to use compared to the previous setup.

“adaptive invoicing with branding”

Pros

It feels really adaptive to use and the branding customization is solid. It's a good choice for anyone just getting started who needs to send invoices and collect payments properly. I used it for around two years and don't recall running into any problems during that time.

Cons

Some limitations, mainly because it's geared toward smaller business needs, are there. If your business process is very complex, you might hit some drawbacks though I didn't run into any of that myself.

“great invoicing tools with deposits”

Pros

So when it comes to creating invoices, its usability is a big win. Everything feels adaptive and I've been using it for almost 11 years so I've watched the product evolve through a bunch of updates. The latest interface does a solid job of handling the different line, Item services my company offers. I'm also happy with the invoice layout style we chose, it looks decent and works well. It did take a short adjustment period to get used to the new interface but it's been steadily growing on me. The "request a deposit" and "reminder" features are also genuinely useful and appreciated.

Cons

I'd love to see more flexibility with invoice formatting down the road things like more control over the look and feel, billingable hours handled separately from quantity and the ability to apply dollar discounts as well as percentage discounts. It would also be nice to have extra options such as end of year tracking that compares revenue collected versus invoices issued.

“fast reporting but invoice paging quirks”

Pros

The software feels quite fast especially when generating reports and switching between pages. Page navigation within the app is responsive and overall the functionality meets our needs so we're genuinely satisfied with how it works day to day.

Cons

When working with the invoice list across multiple pages, moving from page 1 to page 2 unexpectedly redirects to the Dashboard instead of taking us to the next page of results. Also, the invoice status shown under "All Invoices/Search Results" doesn't always look accurate for example, invoice 0004295 appears overdue by about 3 months but when we open the invoice, it shows as paid.

“5-star invoicing with payments”

Pros

I use it to automate customer billing. It lets me send invoices quickly and keep everything organized in one place. There's also full integration with Google Checkout and PayPal so major payment systems are supported.

Cons

One downside is that reporting can't be reconciled with taxes. Another issue is the lack of an option to automatically populate details using a personal identification number.

“user-friendly anytime access”

Pros

Really glad this tool lets me use it quickly and it feels accessible enough for anyone to jump in and use at any time. The system's design is also a strong point, everything feels convenient for everyday use which makes the whole experience smoother.

Cons

No cons about the software from my end!!

“fast human support, quick setup”

Pros

Using it was genuinely effortless, I was up and running straight away. When anything came up, I called support and got a real knowledgeable person on the phone with no annoying robo call runaround. Their marketing and customer service honestly blew me away and I even pointed my own clients to them as an example of how support should work.

Cons

There were a few minor quirks with the older software (especially around expenses) and we had to find workarounds. After switching to the newer version, I'm still adjusting, there's no PayPal payment option now which isn't a dealbreaker. It also takes more effort to locate old invoices and clients since everything feels different and while it still seems to function fine, the interface feels less adaptive and simple than before (though I get that they're trying to make it better and more modern). The search is also tough for me because I'm dyslexic, I have to type 3 4 letters before it suggests options and that makes it pretty frustrating and close to unusable at times. Despite that, support is still excellent so I'm sticking with it for now.

“Online invoicing workflow shines”

Pros

The estimate-to-invoice flow has been really solid and we keep getting compliments on how smoothly we manage everything online. That includes not just the invoices but other services we provide too, it plays a big role in the overall process. What's especially good is that even older or less tech-savvy customers haven't run into issues using it.

Cons

Pricing based on the number of customers doesn't fit our setup. We're not truly an account based service so we keep reaching the limit and end up deleting clients just to stay within the cap, even while paying for the top tier plan.

“automated invoices and friendly customer perks”

Pros

Helps me keep track of my time, send invoices to customers and stay on top of payments. The automated reminders are a standout... especially the alerts that let me know when an invoice is overdue. I also enjoy the little notifications that pop up when I submit an invoice or record a payment. On top of the software itself, I really like how it treats its customers. I've been invited to a bunch of fun customer events and they've even taken care of dinner for attendees a few times. I honestly can't think of another company that's done that for me.

Cons

Every now and then, I run into features that don't feel fully adaptive so I may need to spend a little time clicking around to figure out the right way to make something work. Also since I tend to leave the app open in a browser tab most of the time, there are moments when it feels a bit sluggish or I'm prompted to sign out and sign back in.

“strong time tracking & invoicing”

Pros

The time tracking is really useful, having visibility into where my hours are going helps a lot. I also like the project tools since they make it easy to compare what I'm doing against the planned/projected hours. Also, the invoicing system is a big win especially with the way it ties back into my tracked work (even with a couple of notes).

Cons

Something I'd change is the ability to track time across multiple projects simultaneously. It would also be more convenient if I could open a new tab and start tracking without having to wrap up and log the other one first. Finally, I'd like PayPal e checks back since they cut down my bank fee costs a lot right now I'm losing money using WePay.

“great reporting logic and ease”

Pros

System's logic feels solid and generating reports is genuinely simple.

Cons

One thing that didn't work for me, it wouldn't accept an electronic transaction list exported from my credit card.

“strong client reminders, dated setup”

Pros

Over time, it has clearly tried to keep improving and updating its tools. The most recent interface changes have made a few areas better but some other parts seem to have been left untouched for years, at least from what I've noticed. One thing I genuinely appreciate is the original feature set for reminders, being able to nudge clients at the 30, 60 and 90 day marks to pay their invoices. It's still useful, even though the way you configure it changed after a big update and now it doesn't feel nearly as simple as it used to.

Cons

There are several workflow annoyances that really add up. I don't like how the timer starts running before I've even chosen which project I'm working on this feels like an unnecessary design choice and it seems like it could be fixed with a simple change. Also, setting up a new project and suddenly getting a bunch of pre added tasks is frustrating, I end up having to deselect around 20 tasks every time, then manually select the correct ones for that project. Also, configuring default payment settings and reminders for each individual client is a pain why can't those be controlled with universal defaults you can toggle on once? Lastly, the way service tiers change is hard to swallow, I got notified that my previous tier would shift to a more expensive level and I'm stuck accepting it even though I'm an independent contractor with only a handful of clients so I don't need the next plan. "Whatever" is basically the mood at that point.

“professional invoices with tracking”

Pros

Generating invoices is simple. After saving the customer details once and creating the first invoice, duplicating it for future orders is quick. The invoices also have a really professional look. I especially like the option to see whether a client has actually viewed the invoice.

Cons

Would be better if the customer phone number automatically carried over to the printed invoice the same way the address does. Since our field team relies on that contact info, this matters. We've worked around it by putting the phone number into the client name field but that turns into an extra step when exporting and organizing the data.

“fast proposals and invoicing flow”

Pros

Definitely saves me time with proposals and invoicing since I can duplicate and tweak previous contracts and invoices instead of starting from scratch. The automated reminders for due invoices are a big help and I also appreciate being able to track whether a client has viewed the documents I send. When tax season rolls around, exporting expenses is simple too, credit card fees and income details are easy to pull for my accountant.

Cons

Honestly nothing comes to mind right now.

“friendly invoicing with quick support”

Pros

It feels simple to use and turns invoicing into a pretty simple routine.

Cons

A few glitches showed up in the latest version though support responds quickly once you report the issue.

“simple bookkeeping with support”

Pros

The platform is super simple to use and the support team has been genuinely helpful. It's made my bookkeeping feel a lot more manageable and organized.

Cons

Honestly I can't think of any real downsides right now. I'm sure there are one or two ideas I had earlier but they're escaping me. The only thing that comes to mind is the receipt attaching feature from the phone app having the app read the receipt and automatically try to categorize it into the right expenses would be a nice upgrade (I realize that's kind of an AI request).

“clean invoicing, auto-pay friendly”

Pros

Found it quite simple to use and the pricing feels pretty fair. It keeps all my invoices and expenses organized in one place and I can see when an invoice hasn't been opened yet. If someone misses it, I can resend it right away. The monthly automated invoicing feature is a big win and I like that clients can set up a credit card for auto-pay when a bill is due. It also saves me from those awkward back-and-forth messages like "your invoice is due."

Cons

I do think it is stronger at automated syncing with larger corporate banks than with smaller credit unions at least that's what happened with the one I use. I stopped trying to link my credit union account because the connection keeps dropping and I end up spending a full morning going back and forth with both my bank and their support. With that amount of time sunk into troubleshooting, it doesn't feel worth it. Since I run most of my spending through a credit card that connects reliably, the issue hasn't bothered me too much but the bank linkage has been frustrating.

“great support, limited invoice control”

Pros

Human support team has been a big win for me, there's always someone available to help and walk through issues when they come up.

Cons

A few key features still don't fit my business needs. The biggest gap is invoice customization which I've asked about multiple times. A lot of my clients require specific invoice layouts and it doesn't let me match what they want for example, a flat fee invoice without showing rate or quantity. I've also had trouble with handling down payment or initiation fees as credits. That credit should appear on the invoice as a clearly deducted line item but right now there isn't a clean, proper accounting workflow inside it to do that. Because of these limitations, I end up using workarounds that take up a noticeable amount of extra time.

“hour tracking and invoicing”

Pros

Since I'm a contractor paid by the hour, it has been really convenient for tracking time across multiple clients, bundling the total work into invoices and sending those invoices directly to each client.

Cons

Before switching, I used Toggl and loved how it integrated with the Chrome browser. My first look at the FreshBooks equivalent wasn't as good so I ended up skipping the browser integration maybe it's worth checking it out again.