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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    Melio

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AMelio is a small business-oriented Accounts Payable tool, presented as a service that helps small businesses keep up with business. A B2B payments experience and payment workflow designed to be simple, and to enable businesses to pay domestic and international vendors, expedite payments, or pay by card.N/A
    Pricing
    FreshBooksMelio
    Editions & Modules
    Lite
    $21
    per month
    Plus
    $38
    per month
    Premium
    $65
    per month
    Select
    Custom Pricing
    Card processing fee
    2.9%
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FreshBooksMelio
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details10% discount for annual pricing.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    FreshBooksMelio
    Considered Both Products
    FreshBooks
    No answer on this topic
    Melio
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    69%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    71%
    Would buy again
    17 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    82%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    78%
    Delivers good value for the price
    18 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    54%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    75%
    Happy with the feature set
    18 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    64%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    77%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    17 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    62%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    87%
    Implementation went as expected
    20 Answers
    Features
    FreshBooksMelio
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of FreshBooks and Melio
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    9.1
    35 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Melio
    -
    Ratings
    API for custom integration9.330 Ratings00 Ratings
    Plug-ins9.026 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of FreshBooks and Melio
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    10.0
    41 Ratings
    20% above category average
    Melio
    -
    Ratings
    Single sign-on capability10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions10.041 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of FreshBooks and Melio
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    57 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Melio
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards9.057 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports8.855 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports4.82 Ratings00 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of FreshBooks and Melio
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    56 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Melio
    -
    Ratings
    Accounts payable8.041 Ratings00 Ratings
    Accounts receivable9.455 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cash management7.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Expense management6.651 Ratings00 Ratings
    Time tracking7.642 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-currency support7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Regulations compliance6.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Self-service portal9.13 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of FreshBooks and Melio
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    9.5
    49 Ratings
    25% above category average
    Melio
    -
    Ratings
    Pricing8.839 Ratings00 Ratings
    Order entry9.337 Ratings00 Ratings
    Credit card processing9.741 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payment Management
    Comparison of Payment Management features of FreshBooks and Melio
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    -
    Ratings
    Melio
    9.4
    14 Ratings
    22% above category average
    Customizable Approval Policies00 Ratings7.911 Ratings
    Financial Document Management00 Ratings9.710 Ratings
    Payment Status Tracking00 Ratings9.914 Ratings
    Payment Audit Trail00 Ratings9.911 Ratings
    Duplicate Bill Detection00 Ratings9.810 Ratings
    Advanced OCR00 Ratings9.89 Ratings
    Electronic Funds Transfer00 Ratings8.912 Ratings
    Accounts Payable
    Comparison of Accounts Payable features of FreshBooks and Melio
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    -
    Ratings
    Melio
    9.4
    18 Ratings
    27% above category average
    Automated Accounts Payable Processes00 Ratings8.917 Ratings
    Vendor Management00 Ratings9.417 Ratings
    Tax Form Preparation00 Ratings9.811 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    FreshBooksMelio
    Small Businesses
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Tipalti
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Stampli
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    Yooz
    Score8.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    FreshBooksMelio
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.6
    (75 ratings)
    8.9
    (24 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.6
    (18 ratings)
    9.7
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    9.6
    (20 ratings)
    8.3
    (4 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.0
    (11 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FreshBooksMelio
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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
    Melio
    In my personal experiences, I would recommend Melio to a friend or colleague but would tell them the pros and the con. Melio has really made payments seem seamless and easy. The fact that one can plan his/her payment schedule in advance and at the same time track it, is a very big relief. In as much as Melio has a lot of good features but it still needs upgrade or update, like the notifications of failed payments and delays.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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
    Melio
    • The simplicity it adds to business payments is a great deal. One feature we really value it the ability to pay vendors by check. Melio prints and mails checks for us which saves time and hassle.
    • Payment scheduling tool is another thing we enjoy. This tool lets us plan ahead and manage cash flow more effectively by setting payment dates in advance.
    • Another thing Melio does well is the tracking of payment.
    • There was a time a vendor claimed that they hadn't been paid, but with just a few clicks we could see the check has already been delivered.
    • This kind of transparency gives us confident and keep things professional.
    • The integration with other platform or accounts like QuickBooks is an experience I did love to keep.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    Melio
    • There should be an automatic link between vendors added with their Melio link and the same vendors that already exist in QuickBooks. As it is now, a new vendor is created when you do that and is not linked with the one that already is in QuickBooks.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    Melio
    I like the interface. I am familiar with functionality. Convenient to send ACH payments.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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
    Melio
    Melio has been a very important tool in the advancement of our business. With great features, it has made payments to vendors seamless and hassle free. In terms of vendor management, account/data tracking, and scheduling of payments in advance. This has formed the base that we are still with Melio till today.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is easy to use and always works!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Melio
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    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
    Melio
    They have great customer support system
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    FreshBooks
    No answers on this topic
    Melio
    Very educative. It was well detailed, organized and knowledgeable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    FreshBooks
    No answers on this topic
    Melio
    Very helpful and we learnt a handful
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    FreshBooks
    I haven't changed my mind since my first evaluation. Freshbooks is still meeting my needs, easy to use, etc.
    Read full review
    Melio
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    Melio
    Melio is 100% free if you just use ACH, and that by itself would be reason enough for me to stick with the platform, it boats a ton of other useful features that add to the experience.
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    FreshBooks
    No answers on this topic
    Melio
    The vendor is great
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Professional Services
    FreshBooks
    No answers on this topic
    Melio
    Very knowledgeable
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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
    Melio
    • I have been able to save hours every week now that I am only using Melio as my payment processor
    • I can easily add invoice details which I use to create in another platform and upload to Melio, this saves me time with projects I want to be quicker with
    • The ease of use for my clients is fantastic, and makes for a seamless workflow
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    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