FreshBooks vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
FreshBooks
Score 8.7 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
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV) is one of the ERP products in the Dynamics family. The technology is based on the Navision product acquired by Microsoft in 2002. This product is the best-selling Microsoft ERP platform, and is often used by companies in the manufacturing and distribution verticals.
$8
per month per user
Pricing
FreshBooksMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Editions & Modules
Lite
$21
per month
Plus
$38
per month
Premium
$65
per month
Select
Custom Pricing
Dynamics 365 Business Central Team Members
$8
per month (billed annually) per user
Dynamics 365 Business Central Essentials
$70
per month (billed annually) per user
Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium
$100
per month (billed annually) per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FreshBooksMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details10% discount for annual pricing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FreshBooksMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Features
FreshBooksMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
9.1
35 Ratings
16% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.5
23 Ratings
1% above category average
API for custom integration9.330 Ratings7.422 Ratings
Plug-ins8.926 Ratings7.620 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
10.0
41 Ratings
20% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.8
27 Ratings
6% above category average
Single sign-on capability10.01 Ratings8.723 Ratings
Role-based user permissions9.941 Ratings8.926 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
7.5
57 Ratings
4% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.5
28 Ratings
2% above category average
Dashboards8.957 Ratings7.224 Ratings
Standard reports8.755 Ratings7.628 Ratings
Custom reports4.82 Ratings7.627 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
7.5
56 Ratings
2% below category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.4
28 Ratings
9% above category average
Accounts payable8.041 Ratings8.727 Ratings
Accounts receivable9.455 Ratings8.426 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
Global Financial Support00 Ratings7.515 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.114 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.217 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.617 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.418 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
9.4
49 Ratings
21% above category average
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.8
26 Ratings
0% below category average
Pricing8.839 Ratings8.123 Ratings
Order entry9.337 Ratings8.423 Ratings
Credit card processing9.641 Ratings6.415 Ratings
Cost of goods sold10.01 Ratings8.621 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings8.312 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
6.7
10 Ratings
9% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings6.710 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings5.98 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings6.79 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.5
24 Ratings
8% above category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings8.224 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.816 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings8.020 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.1
18 Ratings
8% above category average
Billing Management00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings8.217 Ratings
Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings7.112 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings7.914 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings7.817 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.7
8 Ratings
14% above category average
Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Project Costing00 Ratings10.07 Ratings
Cost Capture00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Capital Project Management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.4
10 Ratings
6% above category average
Project Planning and Scheduling00 Ratings7.09 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers00 Ratings6.69 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality00 Ratings6.58 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools00 Ratings6.49 Ratings
Grants Management
Comparison of Grants Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.9
7 Ratings
19% above category average
Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings6.77 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.7
14 Ratings
10% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings6.58 Ratings
Contract Authoring00 Ratings6.38 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings6.88 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings7.812 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings7.111 Ratings
Risk Management
Comparison of Risk Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.1
10 Ratings
21% above category average
Risk Repository00 Ratings6.79 Ratings
Control Management00 Ratings6.79 Ratings
Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings6.89 Ratings
Issue Detection00 Ratings7.09 Ratings
Remediation and Certification00 Ratings7.37 Ratings
Logistics
Comparison of Logistics features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.3
8 Ratings
7% above category average
Transportation Planning and Optimization00 Ratings6.46 Ratings
Transportation Execution Management00 Ratings6.46 Ratings
Trade and Customs Management00 Ratings7.06 Ratings
Fulfillment Management00 Ratings6.88 Ratings
Warehouse Workforce Management00 Ratings8.16 Ratings
Manufacturing
Comparison of Manufacturing features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.6
8 Ratings
3% above category average
Production Process Design00 Ratings8.16 Ratings
Production Management00 Ratings7.87 Ratings
Configuration Management00 Ratings6.46 Ratings
Work Execution00 Ratings8.16 Ratings
Manufacturing Costs00 Ratings7.68 Ratings
Supply Chain
Comparison of Supply Chain features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
7.4
10 Ratings
3% above category average
Forecasting00 Ratings6.410 Ratings
Inventory Planning00 Ratings7.410 Ratings
Performance Monitoring00 Ratings6.810 Ratings
Product Lifecycle Management
Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
8.8
7 Ratings
20% above category average
Proposal Management00 Ratings7.06 Ratings
Product Master Data Management00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
Best Alternatives
FreshBooksMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Small Businesses
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Zoho One
Zoho One
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Infor VISUAL
Infor VISUAL
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud
Score 8.5 out of 10
24SevenOffice
24SevenOffice
Score 8.9 out of 10
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User Ratings
FreshBooksMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(75 ratings)
8.2
(29 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.6
(18 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(20 ratings)
8.5
(9 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.0
(11 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
FreshBooksMicrosoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
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.
Read full review
Microsoft
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is well suited for inventory management in all aspects. Its accessibility, along with my other apps, when out of the office is unparalleled. I find it easy to work with on a desktop or laptop; however, it could use some work on a mobile device.
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.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Automate the creation of bills of materials for production. We can now generate a BoM from a sales order.
  • Organization of all data pertaining to thousands of parts, assemblies, and finished goods. Engineering and purchasing have a common portal.
  • We can create sales orders from quotations instead of re-entering them (this did require some bolt-on software). Less redundant work with fewer entry errors.
  • Accounting can provide reports based on specific criteria stored in NAV. We can pull better and more detailed intelligence.
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
Microsoft
  • Some functions could be a bit more user friendly, intuitive.
  • Better migration from previous ERP software (especially other Microsoft products). "Growing pains" associated with change?! Maybe.
  • A few redundancies and procedural missteps on menus and tabs can make the portal a bit crowded.
Read full review
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
Microsoft
We've already decided to continue using this software. It is too expensive for us to upgrade so we made a workaround by using the virtual computer with Windows XP installed on it. We did research replacing this software, but it was a better financial decision to keep what we had instead
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.
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Microsoft
Best in terms of reporting or coming up with a great dashboard. Seamlessly collaborated with teams without depending on particular device as its web version is the buddy for people with work flexibility. Licensing price and integrations can be the areas of improvement and can simplify the interface which will be easy for a new user.
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Reliability and Availability
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is easy to use and always works!
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Microsoft
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.
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Microsoft
It provides one to efficiently be able to manage bookkeeping and inventory without much challenges. One can easily navigate through workflow processes while managing usages and budgets. Being able to produce reports in Word, Excel or PDF means one is able to have a working document to produce trends and graphs or produce pivot tables.
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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
Microsoft
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.
Read full review
Microsoft
I have personally supported all of the Dynamic family of ERP systems and made the decision to concentrate on NAV as the solution of choice. From a support and development standpoint there are few if any packages that can compare. It is not uncommon for most of the companies that I support to only call me once or twice a month after the first year. This is due to the ease of tracking down problems and errors and the ability for a developer to provide the end-user with routines that automatically correct the most basic kind of error
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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.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Automation processing, including EDI functionality, has increased employee efficiency and prevented the need for adding additional employees.
  • Implementation of the warehouse functionality, including cycle counts, has resulted in better inventory control/less shrinkage.
  • Implementation of e-Ship and e-Receive, has resulted in greater efficiency and order accuracy.
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