
Includes tools that help automate the reconciliation process, along with a global search function and customizable dashboard; has a simple layout. More than 750 app integrations, including live, in-house bookkeeping. Katherine Haan is a small business owner with nearly two decades of experience helping other business owners increase their incomes. Xero is cheaper when comparing the two base plans, but it quickly becomes more expensive in higher tiers.
Third-party Integrations

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. Xero and QuickBooks have similar pricing, except when it comes to QuickBooks Desktop. The Enterprise Desktop plan offered by QuickBooks starts at $1,922 per year. QuickBooks also offers Payroll, but this service is an additional fee starting at $45 to $125 per month. It does have the option to input your inventory as invoicing items, but this is clunky and not as intuitive as Xero’s inventory process.
FreshBooks goes from $7.60 per month during the promotional period to $19 per month when billed annually for the Lite option. QuickBooks’ Simple Start option is $17.50 per month during the promotional period and moves to $35 per month when billed annually after that. QuickBooks also allows you to automate the creation of invoices in managing your accounts receivable. Regularly occurring invoices can be established on a predictable schedule where the customer has their credit card information saved to be regularly processed. Automated processes assign a stakeholder to the workflow so that someone is overseeing the process to ensure accuracy and accountability. Rather than manually create an invoice every single time, FreshBooks pulls the necessary data from your contacts and creates a template for quick and easy processing.
Whether you want to accept online credit card payments, set up bank transfers, or get paid through FreshBooks Payments, you can easily set up the method you prefer. You can also set up different payment methods for different clients, depending on what suits them best. When setting up a FreshBooks account, you can start fresh, or transfer over existing data from any previous accounting software solutions like Xero, QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books, or Invoice2Go.
If you only send out an invoice or two each month, the Early plan is an affordable option at $15 per month. Otherwise, you’ll have to bump up your subscription or consider QuickBooks Online plans. While FreshBooks has a live chat option for sales inquiries, you have to send an email or request a phone call for customer support. ET, so if you’re having a late-night issue trying to sort out an invoice, you’ll have to wait until morning for in-person help. Since FreshBooks is mainly software for freelancers who often don’t follow traditional working what is cash flow and why is it important schedules, this could be a drawback, especially if you’re working in a remote time zone. Unfortunately, both the iOS app and Android app have much more mixed reviews.
- Unlike FreshBooks, however, Xero does not charge for additional users to access the software.
- Zoho Books stands out for its 24/5 customer support, strong feature set and affordability.
- Speaking of pricing, QuickBooks Online can get a little expensive and may be out of budget for smaller businesses looking for a more cost-effective accounting solution.
Is FreshBooks more expensive than QuickBooks?
As FreshBooks states, this is to “simplify everything from payment to payroll.” You can integrate popular apps such as Indeed, Acuity Scheduling and NiceJob. For example, integrating with NiceJob can automate FreshBooks to solicit and capture reviews and referrals from your existing client base. Number of users aside, Xero is a better fit for small businesses with multiple employees, whereas FreshBooks is more ideal for freelancers and independent contractors. Includes tools that help automate the reconciliation process, along with a global eight awesome social campaigns from starbucks search function and customizable dashboard; however, there is a learning curve.
Customer Service
With more than 3 million users worldwide, Xero is popular but not as ubiquitous as QuickBooks Online. FreshBooks is one such option that has gained popularity in recent years. It’s designed specifically for small businesses and offers invoicing, time tracking and expense management. QuickBooks – the best accounting software for small businesses, QuickBooks has everything free estimate templates for word and excel you could need to easily deal with all of your finances.
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Both FreshBooks and Xero have a hearty number of apps you can integrate for further functionality. Xero offers built-in integrations for superior connections, including Shopify, Hubdoc, Stripe and HubSpot. You can also browse the Xero App Store to connect to over 1,000 third-party apps. These are separated by function and industry to make it easier to search. Popular categories include payroll, inventory, time tracking, payments and CRM.