FreshBooks Reviews

“not really satisfied”

Pros

Security felt solid and a bunch of freelancers I know were using it which is why I gave it a shot based on the recommendations.

Cons

The backend felt dated and that really killed the vibe for me because user experience matters a lot in my line of work. Even though it's marketed as a tool for creatives to manage their own bookkeeping, I ended up finding the workflow pretty non-adaptive.

“Useful time tracking”

Pros

It has been solid for freelancers and service-based small businesses that want to log time on client projects and then carry that time into invoices. It also does a good job covering basic expense tracking, either for costs tied to your business or expenses you want to pass through to clients. The reporting tools are genuinely helpful too. On the payroll side, the integration with Gusto is a simple and budget-friendly way for a small team to handle payroll.

Cons

Time-tracking mobile app turned into too many bugs for me to rely on.. pausing the timer would often cause it to lose track of time. Also, it adds a new invoice line item every time the timer is paused which makes invoices look cluttered fast. Because of that, I switched to a separate time tracking app and enter my time manually. The accounting features feel only partially finished, it reads more like a public beta than production-ready accounting. There's a chart of accounts, bank reconciliation and a general ledger and it fits cash-basis accounting but if you deal with inventory or need accrual accounting, I doubt it can handle it. Bank reconciliation stayed labeled "beta" until fairly recently and admins can't edit the chart of accounts... so you typically need an accountant or bookkeeper to set it up. The weird part is that it will help you find a bookkeeper who supports FreshBooks but many of the accountants I've spoken with won't work directly with it.

“user-friendly invoicing”

Pros

Feels simple to use and their support team has been genuinely helpful whenever I hit a snag. Customizing invoices is simple and turning around a new invoice, creating it and sending it out, takes barely any time. I also really appreciate the automated follow-up emails that nudge customers on past-due invoices, plus the option to set up recurring invoices so you don't have to redo the same thing every month.

Cons

Cost is the only thing that gave me pause. For what I need, it's a bit pricey especially since pricing scales based on how many clients you keep in the system. The upside is that if you use the full feature set, it probably lands as better value for money.

“nice design but has a learning curve”

Pros

You will agree that it looks really good. And once you spend a little time with it, the controls feel simple. After getting used to the flow, it becomes pretty smooth to operate.

Cons

Getting started is a bit tricky at first. It takes a short adjustment period but after you figure out the feel of it, using it turns into a lot less hassle.

“stellar support”

Pros

I've been using this software since it started as a free program and I still rely on it for time tracking and invoicing my real estate clients. It connects easyly with Stripe so my credit card payments get sent to my bank for a small fee. The pricing feels very reasonable and if I ever hire staff, I can give them access so they can log and get hours billed. I also use the Chrome extension to log in and track my time and that's incredibly convenient, there's no need to keep a separate window open. It runs in the background across all my open tabs which makes it effortless. Overall, it's been a solid fit for my workflow and I'm genuinely happy with it.

Cons

Since I'm currently a solo user, I stick to the lowest-tier plan. I'd love to have access to more accounting features and also add my other business but those upgrades cost extra. The one thing I'd change is having a few commonly used accounting tools included in the cheaper plan... especially basics like account balancing since a lot of people would need that. It would also be helpful if you didn't have to pay for an additional Stripe setup just to move payments from the platform to your bank.

“Great expense tracking”

Pros

Responsive mobile design and a user-friendly layout make it pretty simple to get around. It handles the whole invoice-to-payment flow reliably. It also does a solid job of keeping billing history organized so you can look back without digging. Expense tracking is one of the strongest parts... expenses can be categorized and snapping photos of receipts means you don't end up with shoe boxes full of paper.

Cons

It's not possible to create an invoice using unbilled time that's already been added.

“reliable software”

Pros

The software feels like a solid, high-quality and dependable tool. It's working consistently and comes across as a reliable option overall.

Cons

There really isn't much to criticize. It's performing with a lot of polish and seems to hit the mark pretty well so I don't have any major complaints to share.

“smooth invoicing to tax prep”

Pros

Stands out for how smoothly it connects the whole accounting workflow, starting with invoicing, then handling bookkeeping and finally generating the kind of output you need for tax preparation. For small business owners, it feels like an all-in-one setup that genuinely earns a spot in the day-to-day routine.

Cons

A few of the deeper, more powerful features can feel like a lot at first if you haven't taken accounting classes. That said, the customer support team typically guides you through the learning curve pretty effectively.

“easy to learn”

Pros

Reports and data downloads run noticeably quicker and it seems tied to how the server is set up. The interface also feels pretty similar to other entry-level accounting tools but the big win is that data export/download speeds are much higher.

Cons

Their customer support has been excellent, those folks clearly understand both accounting and the underlying software/tech. We expected that same level of service when switching to FreshBooks and it hasn't quite matched up.

“i rely on it”

Pros

Has become one of the most useful tools I rely on for tracking my income day to day. It integrates really smoothly with Stripe which makes it much easier to manage my payments and get ready for tax season. There are also a ton of resources available and the support team is genuinely excellent.

Cons

Honestly.. there's nothing I dislike. I was a bit hesitant when I first started but after getting going with the software, I was genuinely impressed.

“fantastic tool!”

Pros

Creating invoices for both customers and vendors in one place is genuinely convenient. This CRM also makes it simple to apply credits and record payments without jumping through a bunch of screens. I use it every day, most days I generate new invoices and send them directly to customers right from within the CRM.

Cons

Getting rid of invoices isn't as simple as it should be. Also, turning invoices into credits takes a bit more effort than expected.

“recommended”

Pros

Adding and removing third-party apps whenever I needed them was genuinely simple. Also, there were plenty of app options available so I could plug in new ones or swap them out as requirements changed.

Cons

It never once made me a cup of coffee... sounds silly as a joke but that's basically the only job it couldn't handle for me haha.

“so accessible”

Pros

Thanks to FreshBooks storing all our accounting documents in the cloud, I and the team can pull them up from different devices whenever we need to. There are also plenty of integrations and the support has been genuinely helpful for handling any problems that come up.

Cons

Compared with a few other similar tools, it has a bit fewer features and that gap shows up most in the iPad app which I and several coworkers rely on.

“strong features”

Pros

Redesign looks fantastic and overall the product is still really solid. The new look and workflow improvements make it feel more modern while keeping the core offering strong.

Cons

This redesign came with real trade-offs, they stopped supporting PayPal Business-to-Business payments with the previous $0.50 flat fee. That was the main reason I was using the service and now I can't use it anymore. Also, they also pushed me out of the free plan.

“UI is good”

Pros

Debtor accounting tools it includes feel really well integrated and cover a wide range of needs particularly the tax calculator side. I also appreciate how customizable the accounting templates/models are since they let us match how we track finances. Also, the mobile payment option is convenient and saves time when clients need to pay on the go.

Cons

One limitation is that it doesn't give useful performance metrics for tracking broader business management. It also doesn't support marketing management so we had to look elsewhere for those workflows. A bigger problem for us was the weak CRM integration, it made it harder to organize and consult our contact databases which added friction to our day-to-day work.

“cloud accounting that feels sub-par”

Pros

If you're looking for cloud accounting, it does cover the basics and gets the job done.

Cons

At first, it came across as a bit weird. I'm confident it can handle accounting tasks similarly to QuickBooks but the overall experience always felt noticeably sub-par.

“Strong choice for business accounting”

Pros

I really enjoyed the free trial of this software. It seems like a solid help for medium-sized businesses and it can work for larger companies too. It also feels like a strong alternative to QuickBooks which has often left me frustrated.

Cons

Can be a little challenging for beginners though there aren't any major complaints overall.

“simple setup”

Pros

Usage feels simple and pretty simple. Even the free version still offers a solid set of features so there's plenty you can take advantage of without paying right away.

Cons

It would be really helpful to have reminder emails for overdue invoices sent automatically, seeing that built in would make the workflow even better.

“feature-rich but pricey to onboard”

Pros

Comes packed with a lot of built in features. Support has also been solid when questions pop up and the app ecosystem is strong thanks to the number of integrations available.

Cons

Pricing was the sticking point right away, it felt pretty prohibitive for our small business. Also, the platform wasn't very adaptive to learn so getting other people set up took a lot of effort. Switching over and migrating our existing data turned into a major hassle.

“well-designed”

Pros

Love that it is so simple and the interface feels really well designed. Integration with other tools has also been genuinely solid which made the workflow smoother. Also, there's a decent range of invoice templates to choose from so you're not stuck with just one style.

Cons

The only thing that stands out is the pricing, it feels a bit on the expensive side. It could also benefit from adding a few more features over time to make it even more complete.