FreshBooks Reviews

“onboarding made simple”

Pros

This is super simple for someone like me who hasn't used QuickBooks before. I really appreciate being able to create and update client details directly from the invoices, without jumping around. Keeping track of payments, who they're coming from and when they're expected, has been genuinely helpful since it removes one more organizational step from my plate and makes scheduled payments easier to manage. The email alerts after payments go through are also a nice touch.

Cons

Subscription cost can feel steep over time especially month to month when there isn't much ongoing work. Another thing I'd change is the invoice workflow, having to handle each invoice one at a time gets tiring and batching invoices would be a much better option.

“solid reporting”

Pros

Been using it for a few years now and it's been dependable on both Android and iOS. The Android app runs well and the iOS version just feels consistently polished. I've been able to handle my accounting tasks, create and send invoices, bill clients, track expenses and generate reports covering my spending.

Cons

Pretty light on a lot of the features you'd expect. For instance, there's no way to plan or schedule incoming payments and receipts and it's not possible to keep records across multiple accounts. It also doesn't properly cover cash expenses and cash income.

“Amazing dashboard”

Pros

Really works well for me thanks to the flexibility in its settings. I'm able to assign which responsible people are linked to invoices and also control how the billing documents are delivered. From the same place, I can send an invoice by email and also through regular mail, the app even labels this as "Snail mail."

Cons

The only import options available for customer data are CSV and QuickBooks which feels a bit limiting. It would be more convenient if I could pull the data directly from Google Sheets and the export side has the same kind of restriction for me.

“5-star payments from anywhere”

Pros

Back when I was running my own small business, it let me collect payments from both suppliers and customers. The best part was how flexible it felt, you could handle everything using just a smartphone, without needing to be on a computer.

Cons

Functionality feels pretty basic. You can't manage things like stock levels and discounts and the analytics available for finances are limited to expense items only.

“Loved it”

Pros

The invoice tracking plus the customer portal are both fully labeled as your own which is a feature many competitors don't offer. You can see when customers have viewed invoices and even when they've printed them. The mobile app also feels really slick and makes day-to-day use convenient.

Cons

Pricing has increased compared with other similar competitors. The built, In ticketing feels pretty basic and the workflow leans more toward quoting than proposal-style documents, If you want more polished proposals, you'll likely be better served by a different platform.

“simple to use”

Pros

Using it has been simple and it's genuinely easy to use. My invoices also look a lot better now, the overall appearance improved noticeably.

Cons

No real complaints from me though I think technical support could be strengthened if something isn't clear while using the program.

“So good”

Pros

Connects well with CRM tools and makes it simple to send invoices to clients. It also does a solid job keeping tabs on outstanding invoices across all my clients so nothing slips through the cracks.

Cons

More invoice template control would be appreciated. The default designs feel a bit dull-professional is good but it'd be nice to have options that are a little more flashy. Since I travel sometimes without reliable internet, I'd really like an offline mode so I can draft and store invoices locally when I can't log in.

“fast invoice logging”

Pros

It lets me clear my invoices really quickly, with very little stress each time. After I make a purchase, I can log it in fast and stay on top of everything. I also like being able to create and send invoices almost instantly.

Cons

Occasionally some entries struggle to sync properly.

“missing core security features”

Pros

The interface is pretty simple and creating invoices is simple enough.

Cons

Feel like it is missing a bunch of industry-standard security features. There's no two-factor authentication for login, no IP address blocking to stop specific addresses from accessing the account and no audit/log trail showing my last login or logout times. It also doesn't force an automatic timeout/log out after the account sits idle for a while. None of this is unusual, most other online accounting tools include these protections and banks typically use the same kind of measures.

“strong features”

Pros

Totally enjoyed how quickly I was able to get the hang of it and the feature set is genuinely impressive. Everything feels thoughtfully put together and once you start using it, you notice how much it can do.

Cons

Sometimes, updates take longer than expected. It might not be the software itself, could be the speed of the actual system my company connects through but the delay is still noticeable sometimes.

“beginner friendly”

Pros

This ended up being a solid beginner friendly accounting tool and the invoicing feature was one I actually used a lot. Navigation felt adaptive and the whole setup came across as pretty user-friendly, even when I was still learning the basics.

Cons

Pricing kept climbing over time. Since we're a non-profit, we were hoping to bring in more donors and add more contacts but each time our contact list grew we got pushed into higher pricing tiers. Eventually it became too costly for our organization to keep using the software.

“Excellent tool”

Pros

Feels simple to set up and understand. It's a really solid fit for small businesses and sole proprietors who want an accounting tool that makes sense without a ton of hassle.

Cons

Reporting tools aren't as flexible, customizing reports and running them the way you want can be a bit frustrating.

“time-saver”

Pros

The redesign definitely made it simpler to use and the built-in integrations, PayPal included, cut down on a lot of manual work. There's also an integrated time tracker though I still mostly stick with Toggl. Bookkeeping feels surprisingly enjoyable, at least as enjoyable as it can be. Support has been excellent too, replies have been fast even on weekends and after hours which is genuinely impressive.

Cons

I've run into occasional integration problems like transactions not syncing or getting duplicated. That said, their support team has always been willing to help and has even offered to manually import transactions for me on more than one occasion. I'm also on a paid tier but some features I'd like to explore require paying even more and the subscription-style pricing is a bit of a letdown. It also feels odd that it's meant to connect with eCommerce platforms when the available tiers limit what you can actually do.

“works really well”

Pros

Best part for me is how well this works for small businesses. The mobile app is a big plus too, being able to manage everything from my phone makes it simple to stay on top of tasks anytime. Also, the invoice templates are really flexible so you can pick options that fit how you run your business.

Cons

One downside is that it doesn't support a lot of users at the same time. Pricing can also feel steep if you're running a very small operation.

“my favorite”

Pros

Overall user experience is pretty simple. I can get new projects up and running fast, add and assign clients without much hassle, track the time I spend and generate invoices quickly.

Cons

Some features are a bit confusing to figure out at first. It feels like the app could be organized further to make the overall user experience clearer.

“it makes bookkeeping secure”

Pros

Helps me run my small business with a setup that feels quick, secure and reliable. It cuts down the time I spend on accounting so I can put more energy into other projects and day-to-day work.

Cons

Worked very well a couple of years ago for a small start up and there aren't any real downsides to report right now.

“adaptive for invoicing”

Pros

It feels adaptive and simple to use. We're on FreshBooks Classic because it includes everything we need right out of the box.

Cons

Accounting side leaves a lot to be desired since there's no double-entry setup. It's also a bit tricky to track payments in our accounting software, the payment fees get blended in and credit card payments show up as a single combined payment on our bank statement (I'm not sure what the best workaround is).

“clean interface”

Pros

App feels simple to use and the user interface looks really polished. Having recurring payments and customer portals built in has been a genuine advantage for my business since it keeps billing and customer communication organized.

Cons

My accounts haven't gotten along well with it and it doesn't measure up to QuickBooks on the accounting side.

“try it out yourself!”

Pros

I've been using it for a few years now and it works well when I only need to manage billing for a small set of clients. The interface and mobile app are simple so creating and sending invoices doesn't feel like a chore. Keeping the billing workflow easy to navigate is a big reason I keep using it.

Cons

The free plan is pretty restrictive when it comes to the number of clients you can add. It used to allow up to 5 clients but that number was cut down to just one a few years back which eventually pushed me to buy a paid subscription to keep everything running for my current client list.

“a bit pricey”

Pros

Using this was pretty simple for creating invoices and staying on top of payments from my clients. The free trial was also genuinely helpful because it let me test the whole workflow before committing to anything.

Cons

For a small business like mine, the monthly fee didn't feel worth it, there are several free alternatives that offer more value for the cost.