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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Accelo

    Score3 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Accelo is a Professional Services Automation (PSA) platform designed to provide visibility into operational risks for service-based organizations. While traditional tools often focus on historical data, Accelo is intended to surface real-time risks such as Project Overruns, Resource Overloading, and Scope Creep. The platform integrates the full client lifecycle, including CRM, Quoting, Project Delivery, Support Ticketing, Time and Expense Tracking, Retainer Management, and…N/A

    BQE CORE

    Score8.8 out of 10
    Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
    BQE CORE is a business management solution built specifically for professional service firms. BQE CORE is a combination of a billing assistant, project management, and accounting solution. CORE is designed to do the hard work of delivering actionable insights directly to the user's dashboards or inbox. BQE CORE replaces the products Engineeroffice, Archioffice, and BillQuick; the functionality of these applications is now found in BQE CORE.N/A

    FreshBooks

    Score9.2 out of 10
    Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
    FreshBooks is an accounting service for small businesses. The solution enables users to send and manage invoices, track billable time and collect online payments. The vendor’s value proposition this that their solution provides a straightforward service that simplifies the billing process.

    $21

    per month

    Pricing
    AcceloBQE COREFreshBooks
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Lite
    $21
    per month
    Plus
    $38
    per month
    Premium
    $65
    per month
    Select
    Custom Pricing
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AcceloBQE COREFreshBooks
    Free Trial
    NoYesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details10% discount for annual pricing.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AcceloBQE COREFreshBooks
    Considered Multiple Products
    Accelo
    Chose Accelo
    Accelo doesn't really exceed any competitors in any one area of their product, but in 2015 when we made the move this was the best option that included all the tools we wanted. However, user adoption was low in some areas due to the UI, so we scaled back Accelo and added other …
    Incentivized
    BQE Software Inc.
    Chose BQE CORE
    BQE CORE combined numerous products for us. It allows everything to be in one place which cuts down on the back and forth, as well as user error.
    Incentivized
    Chose BQE CORE
    They aren't used for the same thing so not able to compare.
    Incentivized
    Chose BQE CORE
    Monograph is the most closely similar platform that would be favorable as it has a better GUI and UX with simpler flexibility for customization on a per-project, per design phase basis, for example, utilizing simple radio buttons and drop-down selections. This can be readily …
    Incentivized
    FreshBooks
    Chose FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is an invoicing software that wants to do accounting.
    Xero is an accounting software that wants to do billing.
    Both are pretty solid at their core functionality, and weak on the other. However, it's a shorter step for Xero to add interest and recurring CC billing, so …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Would buy again
    144 Answers
    69%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    106 Answers
    82%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    150 Answers
    54%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    92%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    70 Answers
    64%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    82%
    Implementation went as expected
    81 Answers
    62%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    Features
    AcceloBQE COREFreshBooks
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Accelo and BQE CORE and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Accelo
    -
    Ratings
    BQE CORE
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    9.1
    35 Ratings
    18% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings00 Ratings9.330 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings00 Ratings9.026 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Accelo and BQE CORE and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Accelo
    -
    Ratings
    BQE CORE
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    10.0
    41 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings00 Ratings10.041 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Accelo and BQE CORE and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Accelo
    -
    Ratings
    BQE CORE
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    57 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings00 Ratings9.057 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings00 Ratings8.855 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings00 Ratings4.82 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Accelo and BQE CORE and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Accelo
    -
    Ratings
    BQE CORE
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    56 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings00 Ratings8.041 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings00 Ratings9.455 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings00 Ratings6.651 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings00 Ratings7.642 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings00 Ratings6.021 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings00 Ratings9.13 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Accelo and BQE CORE and FreshBooks
    Feature
    Accelo
    -
    Ratings
    BQE CORE
    -
    Ratings
    FreshBooks
    9.5
    49 Ratings
    25% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings00 Ratings8.839 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings00 Ratings9.337 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings00 Ratings9.741 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AcceloBQE COREFreshBooks
    Small Businesses
    Autotask PSA
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Autotask PSA
    Score7.7 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Workday Professional Services Automation
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Workday Professional Services Automation
    Score8.2 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Planview AdaptiveWork
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Planview AdaptiveWork
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AcceloBQE COREFreshBooks
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    9.4
    (167 ratings)
    7.6
    (75 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (8 ratings)
    7.6
    (18 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.6
    (117 ratings)
    9.6
    (20 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.2
    (3 ratings)
    7.4
    (90 ratings)
    6.0
    (11 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    2.3
    (6 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.5
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AcceloBQE COREFreshBooks
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Accelo
    Accelo is a system that can do it all. It's extremely sophisticated. Depending on the sophistication of your organization, or specifically the abilities of the people you put in charge of the implementation, it can almost be too sophisticated. It all just depends on your situation. The more you use it, the more data you give it, the more you'll be able to see and do. It's incredibly powerful. But it's definitely not a tool that would be appropriate for smaller boutique type organizations that have only basic needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    BQE Software Inc.
    I would recommend this for our industry: architecture, engineering, or construction. I would recommend this for any larger firm with many employees or high number of projects. I would particularly recommend this for a company with projects that have budget constraints and where time tracking and expense tracking is very important. I would not recommend this complicated software for a small firm with a small amount of income or number of projects.
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    I recommend FreshBooks to anyone running a service-based business that needs invoicing, time reporting, and accounting tools. FB is adept in all three of these scenarios and isn't overly complicated like similar accounting packages I have used. I love how I can write estimates and proposals, manage the business development process from the software, and quickly convert prospects to invoiced clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Accelo
    • Timing Client Work: You are able to better manage your time on your clients.
    • Housing Client Info in one Area: You can view all you need for any given client in one area.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    BQE Software Inc.
    • Invoice Collections within Billing is a great tool because of the ability to take notes and track contact.
    • Invoices are professional looking and easy for our clients to understand the overall progress within each phase of their project.
    • Dashboards are the best tool EVER!
    • The Contact List feature within Clients setup is the perfect way to track multiple project managers within a large company that also has multiple contracts with us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    • Invoicing - FreshBooks basically ensures our accountants spend less time on invoices via its automated invoicing system, which sends invoices to our customers and clients alike and also send them regular reminders for them to pay up their bills.
    • Collecting business insights - FreshBooks enable our company analysts measure our business performances via data reports provided by FreshBooks' intuitive dashboard. Allowing us do a comparative analysis of key business metrics of a current month against past months and determine if the business is growing.
    • Expense tracker - We have recently embraced FreshBooks as an expense tracker for teams at our company branch. Thusfar, FreshBooks has performed very well, making our expense management a perfect operation; ensuring teams do not exceed their planned budget and also eliminating the need for tracking expenses on excel spreadsheets.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Accelo
    • Accelo is excellent on the adaptation to its deep functionalities.
    • Managing multiple project is very challenging.
    • Not easy to collect multiple reports across platforms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    BQE Software Inc.
    • Customizable Reporting
    • Linking Project to Payment all together
    • Assigning contacts to particular roles - such as Invoicing, Contracts, etc.
    • Accounting Functionality - they are basically a project management accounting software, so in my opinion, they could learn some things from other accounting software such as QuickBooks etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    • I can brand invoices with my business logo, but I might like to change colours of the invoices themselves to match the rest of my business documents. That isn't a major point at all, but it's something that I'd like to see.
    • Freshbooks doesn't remember the categories that similar expenses were previously assigned to. It would be nice if Freshbooks would suggest a category for an already saved vendor, to ensure the consistency of expense reporting.
    • The home page of a Freshbooks account has a great graph display of expenses and income, but it only shows the last 6 months. This is still very useful, but I'd like to be able to see this kind of graph for different periods of time.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Accelo
    Looking forward to seeing more refinement of features provided and upcoming features promised :)
    Read full review
    BQE Software Inc.
    We have been using Core for a few years now, and honestly started to look at other software systems to see what was out there. What we chose was a nightmare for migration so we never left Core. Now we have added invoicing and payments from Core instead of double entry with QBO. Still only a few cycles in but looks like it will be up to speed soon and working smoothly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    At the current needs of our business, FreshBooks suits us perfectly - it allows online access by our accountant to the system for GST purposes, easy input of expenses and tracking of Profit and Loss statements. FreshBooks customer service is great as well - very understanding and accommodating.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Accelo
    No answers on this topic
    BQE Software Inc.
    The foundation is awesome, like I have said before, however the house being built on it, the educational resources being provided to us (more of sales pitches that don't work), and flexible workflow opportunities, is making us look elsewhere for how much we will be spending on per user. It's crazy to think how flexible they are not when it comes to user settings. Lack of integration with other sources is awful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is very easy to use even for novices. If you're looking for an online accounting software that is full of features, has great aesthetics and is user-friendly, then this is definitely the software for you. I've been using it for several years now and despite being tempted to switch by other vendors, I like the feel of FreshBooks and it's mobile features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Accelo
    No answers on this topic
    BQE Software Inc.
    I can only remember a couple of times in 4 years that Core has been unavailable.
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is easy to use and always works!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Accelo
    No answers on this topic
    BQE Software Inc.
    This is one area that does need some improvement. It can be slow at time, so we had our IT look at it from our side and we had no issues, so it has to be some slowness on their side.
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Accelo
    From the beginning the Accelo team has been very invested in ensuring our success and overall happiness with the platform. The initial implementation specialists and trainers did a fairly good job of learning our company and needs, and tried to tailor the trainings accordingly. However, once we made the formal switch to the platform, meaning we no longer were using our legacy systems, we found that we had a lot of questions....and a lot of ideas and recommendations. The support team is extremely responsive and seemingly happy to receive our continual feedback. And if we encounter an issue that seems to be a system issue, they work diligently to fix it (we've actually had an engineer join a call with us to learn of the issue - and subsequently fix it)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    BQE Software Inc.
    As a new employee and CORE user, I talk to support on a weekly basis. I have never had to wait for more than 3 min to get connect with a support rep, and all my questions have been answered. The support representatives are polite and eager to help no matter how simple your question is.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    I think the support level for FreshBooks is on par with a 6 because the folks behind this application do a fairly good job at providing support for their customer base. I still don't think they are at an elite level when it comes to supporting but are getting there although too slow in my opinion.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Accelo
    No answers on this topic
    BQE Software Inc.
    Make sure you have someone training you that fits your style of learning.
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Accelo
    No answers on this topic
    BQE Software Inc.
    It does take some time to understand the options and to find the best invoice template.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    I haven't changed my mind since my first evaluation. Freshbooks is still meeting my needs, easy to use, etc.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Accelo
    Accelo doesn't really exceed any competitors in any one area of their product, but in 2015 when we made the move this was the best option that included all the tools we wanted. However, user adoption was low in some areas due to the UI, so we scaled back Accelo and added other tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    BQE Software Inc.
    Deltek Vision is far more advanced, more encompassing and offers more flexibility with what you want to do. However, it's also quite difficult to use, whereas BQE CORE is intuitive and user friendly. The trade off is worth it in some arenas but overall it's not suited for a larger fast paced company. Great for smaller companies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks does very well in comparison, especially since it is free software for Barclays bank users. Sage software is much worse than FreshBooks. However, Xero and QuickBooks, the market leaders, are still ahead with usability, additional features, reporting, and connection with third-party software providers. We chose FreshBooks as it does everything we require from this type of software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Accelo
    No answers on this topic
    BQE Software Inc.
    This software works on a small and large scale.
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Accelo
    • It substantially reduced the number of systems we use to run our business.
    • It reduced the need to train our staff on a variety of platforms.
    • It gave us the ability to have a client-facing portal that directly integrates with our backend systems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    BQE Software Inc.
    • Quick setup of new tasks under a parent project, with immediate hourly billing to it.
    • Monitoring of details of non-chargeable efforts in appropriate detail
    • Validation of hourly cost, billing cost, benefit cost, profitability by person and role
    • Company tracking of write-off's included in corporate and project reporting, no data is "lost"
    • Can track excessive work time as +PTO in lieu of pay for use as future vacation
    Read full review
    FreshBooks
    • In reality, we do not implement all of its use at the moment in order to determine an adequate ROI.
    • In our approach to the use of the system, it seems to us a considerable time saving by achieving the integration of the Mexican subsidiary with its parent located in the US.
    • Financial reports meet the necessary USGAAP requirements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Accelo Screenshots

    Screenshot of project analytics. Accelo keeps projects on track with templates, task management, Gantt charts, AI-predicted completion dates, portfolio views, and built-in client approvals.Screenshot of the scheduling interface. Accelo matches work to the right person by skill, workload, and availability — with utilization reports, capacity forecasting, and dynamic allocations that keep delivery and pipeline aligned.Screenshot of the revenue dashboard. Revenue leakage hides in unbilled hours, missed scope, and late invoices. Accelo captures time automatically, tracks budget and margin live, automates invoicing end-to-end, and manages retainers and scope creep before the damage is done.Screenshot of an overview of capacity. Most firms make decisions on data that's already a month old. Accelo delivers real-time reporting across utilization, profitability, and project financials — with custom dashboards that give every role the signal they need to act.

    BQE CORE Screenshots

    Screenshot of Core powered by BQE SoftwareScreenshot of BQE CORE Project Dashboard ViewScreenshot of BQE CORE 360* Firm Performance ViewScreenshot of BQE CORE Reporting & AnalyticsScreenshot of BQE CORE Project Time EntryScreenshot of BQE CORE Project Expense Tracking

    FreshBooks Screenshots

    Screenshot of the dashboardScreenshot of an invoice overviewScreenshot of an example of a customizable invoiceScreenshot of an invoice appearing across devicesScreenshot of expensesScreenshot of time tracking