Top 12 FreshBooks Alternatives in 2025

Look, I’ll be honest with you—FreshBooks is like that reliable friend you’ve had for years. It’s served thousands of freelancers and small businesses well, and I’ve recommended it countless times in my decade of helping freelancers build sustainable businesses.

But here’s the thing: as your freelance business grows or your needs change, you might find yourself outgrowing FreshBooks’ features or budget. Maybe you’ve hit their user limits, need more robust inventory management, or simply want something that integrates better with tools like SolidGigs to streamline your entire business operation.

That’s exactly why I’ve put together this comprehensive guide to the best FreshBooks alternatives available in 2025. After working with thousands of freelancers and testing dozens of accounting solutions, I’ve identified the top 12 platforms that can either replace or complement FreshBooks—each with their own strengths and ideal use cases.

What Makes a Great FreshBooks Alternative?

Before we dive into the specific alternatives, let’s talk about what you should be looking for. In my experience, the best accounting software for freelancers and small businesses need to nail a few key areas:

Ease of Use: If you’re spending hours figuring out how to create an invoice, you’re doing it wrong. The best alternatives should make accounting tasks feel almost effortless.

Pricing That Makes Sense: As someone who’s helped freelancers transition from feast-famine cycles to steady income, I know every dollar counts. Your accounting software should add value, not drain your budget.

Scalability: What works when you’re a solo freelancer might not work when you’re running a small team. You want software that grows with you.

Integration Capabilities: Your accounting software shouldn’t exist in a silo. It should play nicely with other tools in your freelance toolkit.

1. QuickBooks Online: The Comprehensive Powerhouse

When freelancers ask me for a FreshBooks alternative that can handle serious business growth, QuickBooks Online is usually my first recommendation. It’s like upgrading from a reliable sedan to a luxury SUV—more features, more capacity, but with a steeper learning curve.

Why I Recommend It: QuickBooks Online shines when you’re ready to get serious about your finances. The reporting capabilities are fantastic—you can dive deep into your profitability, track project costs, and get insights that help you make better business decisions.

The payroll integration is seamless if you’re growing a team, and the inventory management features are perfect for product-based businesses. Plus, if you’re using SolidGigs to find clients, you can easily track which opportunities convert to actual revenue.

Best For: Established freelancers who are scaling their business or small businesses that need robust financial management and reporting.

Pricing Considerations: Starting at $30/month, it’s pricier than FreshBooks’ basic plan, but the value you get—especially if you use multiple features—often justifies the cost.

Visit QuickBooks Online

2. Xero: The User-Friendly Challenger

If FreshBooks and QuickBooks had a baby that inherited the best traits from both parents, it might look something like Xero. This cloud-based platform has won over millions of users with its intuitive design and powerful capabilities.

What Sets It Apart: Xero’s interface feels refreshingly modern. Creating invoices is a breeze, and the bank reconciliation feature is so smooth you’ll actually enjoy this traditionally tedious task. The mobile app is top-notch too—I’ve helped clients who manage their entire business from their phone using Xero.

One feature I particularly love is the unlimited user capability on all plans. This is huge if you work with an accountant or have team members who need access to financial data.

Integration Magic: With over 1,000 add-ons, Xero plays well with nearly every business tool you can imagine. Whether you’re tracking time, managing projects, or using specialized invoicing features, there’s probably a seamless integration waiting for you.

Ideal For: Freelancers and small businesses who want powerful features without complexity. It’s particularly great for collaborative work environments.

Check out Xero

3. Zoho Books: The Affordable Ecosystem Play

Here’s something interesting about successful freelancers I’ve worked with—many of them don’t just use one tool; they use ecosystems. Zoho Books is part of the larger Zoho suite, which includes CRM, project management, email marketing, and dozens of other business tools.

The Ecosystem Advantage: If you’re already using any Zoho products, Books becomes a no-brainer. Everything talks to everything else. Your invoices can pull from your CRM contacts, your project costs can automatically flow into accounting, and you can track the entire customer journey from first contact (maybe through SolidGigs) to final payment.

Automation That Actually Works: Zoho Books excels at workflow automation. You can set up rules that automatically categorize expenses, send invoice reminders, or even create recurring invoices for retainer clients.

Best For: Businesses looking for an integrated solution or those who want to gradually build out a comprehensive business management system.

Pricing Sweet Spot: Starting at just $10/month, it’s one of the most affordable options on this list while still offering enterprise-level features.

Explore Zoho Books

4. Wave Accounting: The Free Option That Actually Works

Let me address the elephant in the room: yes, Wave is free. No, it’s not too good to be true. I’ve recommended Wave to dozens of new freelancers, and it consistently delivers value that rivals paid alternatives.

What’s the Catch?: Wave makes money through payment processing and payroll services. If you use their other services, you’ll pay fees, but the core accounting features are genuinely free forever.

Perfect for Getting Started: If you’re just starting your freelance journey or testing the waters, Wave removes the financial barrier to proper accounting. You can create professional invoices, track expenses, and connect your bank accounts—all without paying a cent.

Limitations to Consider: Wave lacks some advanced features like time tracking in projects or extensive reporting options. But if you’re keeping things simple, it might be all you need.

Pro Tip: Many successful freelancers start with Wave and gradually migrate to more robust solutions as their business grows. There’s no shame in starting here—smart money management means not overpaying for features you don’t yet need.

Try Wave Accounting

5. ZipBooks: Simplicity Meets Functionality

ZipBooks reminds me of the early days of FreshBooks—simple, clean, and focused on making accounting painless for small businesses. It offers both free and paid tiers, giving you flexibility as your needs evolve.

Smart Features That Save Time: The smart tagging feature automatically categorizes expenses based on previous transactions. It’s like having a virtual bookkeeper that learns your habits and saves you time on data entry.

Beautiful Reporting: The financial reporting interface is intuitive and visually appealing. You can quickly understand your cash flow, profit margins, and other key metrics without a finance degree.

Time Tracking Integration: For project-based freelancers, the built-in time tracking is a game-changer. You can track billable hours and automatically convert them to invoices.

When to Choose ZipBooks: If you’re looking for something more robust than Wave but simpler than QuickBooks, ZipBooks hits that sweet spot perfectly.

Get started with ZipBooks

6. Bonsai: The Freelancer’s All-in-One Platform

I’ve mentioned Bonsai in several of my articles about getting paid as a freelancer, and for good reason. It’s not just accounting software—it’s a complete business management platform designed specifically for freelancers and consultants.

Beyond Just Numbers: Bonsai combines invoicing with proposals, contracts, time tracking, and even tax preparation assistance. It’s like having a virtual business manager that handles all the administrative tasks you hate.

Getting Paid Faster: Remember how I’ve written about the importance of getting paid quickly? Bonsai’s data shows their users get paid 13x faster than those using traditional methods. That’s because they’ve optimized every step of the payment process.

Proposal to Payment Workflow: You can create a proposal, get it approved, convert it to a contract, track time, and invoice—all within one platform. This seamless workflow eliminates the back-and-forth that often delays projects.

Perfect For: Individual freelancers and consultants who want to professionalize their entire business process, not just their accounting.

Discover Bonsai

7. Hiveage: The Billing and Invoicing Specialist

Sometimes you don’t need a full accounting suite—you just need a system that excels at getting you paid. That’s where Hiveage shines. It’s laser-focused on making invoicing and billing as smooth as possible.

Recurring Billing Made Easy: If you’ve taken my advice about building recurring revenue streams, Hiveage’s subscription billing features will become your best friend. Set it up once, and your retainer clients get billed automatically.

Multi-Currency Support: For freelancers working with international clients, the built-in multi-currency support and automatic exchange rate calculations save hours of manual work.

Expense Management: While not as comprehensive as full accounting software, Hiveage does a solid job with expense tracking and reimbursement management.

When Hiveage Makes Sense: If your main pain point is getting paid efficiently and you’re handling basic accounting elsewhere, Hiveage could be the perfect focused solution.

Learn more about Hiveage

8. Sage 50 Accounting: The Desktop Traditionalist

While the world has largely moved to cloud-based solutions, there’s still a place for desktop accounting software. Sage 50 offers the security and control that some businesses require, especially those dealing with sensitive financial data.

Robust Desktop Features: The depth of features in Sage 50 is impressive. Job costing, inventory management, and detailed financial reporting are all handled with precision. It’s like having a traditional accounting department in software form.

No Internet Dependency: Your accounting data stays on your computer, which some freelancers prefer for security reasons. You’re not dependent on internet connectivity or worried about cloud outages.

Learning Curve Consideration: Sage 50 is powerful but complex. It’s designed for businesses that have dedicated accounting staff or owners who don’t mind investing time in learning the system thoroughly.

Best Suited For: Established businesses with complex accounting needs who prefer desktop software over cloud solutions.

Explore Sage 50

9. NetSuite: The Enterprise Solution

NetSuite is what happens when a company outgrows even the most robust small business accounting solutions. It’s an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that includes accounting as one of many integrated modules.

All-in-One Enterprise Platform: NetSuite combines accounting, CRM, e-commerce, inventory management, and more into a single platform. For rapidly growing businesses, this integration eliminates the need for multiple software solutions.

Scalability Without Limits: Unlike other solutions that you might outgrow, NetSuite can handle businesses with thousands of employees and complex operations across multiple countries.

Investment Required: Both in terms of money and time, NetSuite requires significant commitment. It’s not something you implement over a weekend.

Perfect For: Fast-growing companies that have outgrown traditional small business accounting software and need an enterprise-level solution.

Discover NetSuite

10. A2X Accounting: The E-commerce Specialist

If you’re selling products online—whether through Amazon, Shopify, or other platforms—you know the accounting can get complicated quickly. A2X specializes in solving this exact problem.

E-commerce Accounting Automation: A2X automatically imports your sales data from various platforms and creates accounting entries that properly handle fees, taxes, and refunds. No more manual reconciliation nightmares.

Multi-Platform Integration: Whether you’re selling on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify, or WooCommerce, A2X probably has an integration that will save you hours of bookkeeping each month.

Inventory Tracking: For product-based businesses, accurate inventory accounting is crucial. A2X helps maintain accurate cost of goods sold and inventory valuations across multiple sales channels.

Ideal For: E-commerce businesses selling across multiple platforms who are tired of manual accounting reconciliation.

Check out A2X

11. ZarMoney: The Flexible Customizer

ZarMoney takes a different approach—instead of forcing you to adapt to their way of doing things, they adapt to your business processes. This flexibility makes it a great option for businesses with unique accounting needs.

Customization Options: You can customize almost everything—from invoice templates to workflow processes. This is particularly valuable for businesses in specialized industries with specific requirements.

Dynamic Cash Flow Management: The cash flow forecasting tools help you predict and prepare for financial fluctuations—crucial for freelancers who’ve experienced the feast-famine cycle.

Unlimited Invoicing: Most plans include unlimited invoicing, which is great for businesses that send many invoices each month.

Strong Support: Users consistently praise ZarMoney’s customer support team for being responsive and helpful during setup and ongoing use.

Explore ZarMoney

12. Numeric: The AI-Powered Future

Numeric represents the future of accounting—AI-driven automation that handles the tedious tasks so you can focus on growing your business. It’s particularly powerful for companies with dedicated finance teams.

Automated Reconciliation: The AI algorithms can match transactions and identify discrepancies automatically, reducing month-end close times dramatically.

Intelligent Analysis: Flux analysis and variance reporting help identify unusual patterns or potential issues before they become problems.

Integration Powerhouse: Connects with major ERP systems, bringing AI capabilities to your existing accounting infrastructure.

Best For: Growing companies with complex accounting processes who want to leverage AI to increase efficiency and accuracy.

Learn about Numeric

Making Your Choice: A Practical Framework

After reviewing all these alternatives, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. That’s normal—I’ve been there myself when upgrading my own business systems. Here’s a practical framework I’ve developed to help freelancers and small business owners make the right choice:

Start with Your Current Pain Points

What specific problems are you trying to solve? Are you spending too much time on invoicing? Need better reporting? Want integration with other tools? List your top three frustrations with your current system—these should guide your evaluation.

Consider Your Growth Stage

A solo freelancer just starting out has different needs than someone managing a team of ten. Be honest about where you are now, but also think about where you want to be in two years. It’s often worth investing in a solution you’ll grow into rather than one you’ll quickly outgrow.

Calculate Total Cost of Ownership

Don’t just look at the monthly subscription cost. Factor in implementation time, training costs, and any additional features you’ll need. Sometimes a $50/month solution that saves you 10 hours of work weekly is cheaper than a $20/month solution that requires constant manual intervention.

Take Advantage of Free Trials

Most of these platforms offer free trials or free tiers. Use them. Actually create invoices, run reports, and try the features you’ll use most. A tool that looks perfect on paper might feel clunky in practice.

Integration with Your Freelance Workflow

One thing I’ve learned from helping thousands of freelancers is that your accounting software doesn’t exist in isolation. It needs to integrate smoothly with your entire business process. If you’re using tools like SolidGigs to find clients, make sure your chosen accounting platform can track which opportunities convert to revenue.

Similarly, if you’re building recurring revenue streams (which I strongly recommend), ensure your accounting software can handle subscription billing and retainer management effectively.

The Bottom Line: There’s No Perfect Solution

Here’s the truth I wish someone had told me when I was starting my freelance journey: there’s no perfect accounting software. Each platform makes trade-offs between features, ease of use, cost, and scalability.

The key is finding the solution that aligns best with your current needs while leaving room for growth. Whether you choose the comprehensive power of QuickBooks, the simplicity of Wave, or the specialized features of platforms like Bonsai or A2X, the most important thing is that you’re actively managing your finances rather than letting them manage you.

Remember, successful freelancers aren’t just good at their craft—they’re also good at business. Choosing the right accounting software is an investment in your long-term success. Take the time to evaluate your options, but don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. Pick something that meets your immediate needs and get started.

You’ve got this! And once you’ve got your accounting sorted, remember that finding consistent, quality clients is the other piece of the puzzle. Tools like SolidGigs can help ensure you have a steady pipeline of opportunities to keep your new accounting system busy tracking your growing success.

Taking Action: Your Next Steps

If you’ve read this far, you’re serious about improving your business systems—and that puts you ahead of most freelancers. Here’s what I recommend you do next:

This Week: List your top three accounting pain points and identify which features would solve them. Start free trials with two or three platforms that seem most promising.

Within 30 Days: Complete a full month of accounting tasks using your top choice. Pay attention to how the software affects your daily workflow.

Before Month 2: Make your decision and commit. The best accounting software is the one you actually use consistently.

Remember, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress. Every successful freelancer I know has switched accounting systems at least once as their business evolved. The key is to make informed decisions based on your current needs and take action rather than endlessly researching options.

Start today, and your future self will thank you for taking control of your finances. You’ve got this!

One more thing...

You didn't start freelancing to spend hours every week searching through job boards. You started freelancing to do more work you enjoy! Here at SolidGigs, we want to help you spend less time hunting and more time doing work you love.

Our team of "Gig Hunters"—together with the power of A.I.—sends you high-quality leads every weekday on autopilot. You can learn more or sign up here. Happy Freelancing!