Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
FreshBooks
Score 7.6 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.
$19
per month
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Quickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.N/A
Xero
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Xero is an online accounting software product for small businesses and personal finance. Its features beyond general ledger and double-bookkeeping include quotable invoicing, bank reconciliation, purchase order and expense management, and tax management. Third party apps can extend its features further.
$13
per month
Pricing
FreshBooksQuickBooks Desktop for MacXero
Editions & Modules
Lite
$19
per month
Plus
$33
per month
Premium
$60
per month
Select
Custom Pricing
No answers on this topic
Early
$13
per month
Growing
$37
per month
Established
$70
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FreshBooksQuickBooks Desktop for MacXero
Free Trial
YesNoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPrices in table are in USD and just apply to the US - other markets & prices are listed below: Canada - Starter $18 CAD/month, Standard $45 CAD/month, Premium 5 $58 CAD/month UK - Starter £14/month, Standard £28/month, Premium £36/month AU - Starter $29 AUD/month, Standard $59 AUD/month, Premium 5 $76 AUD/month NZ - Starter $31 NZD/month, Standard $66 NZD/month, Premium $84 NZD/month
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FreshBooksQuickBooks Desktop for MacXero
Considered Multiple Products
FreshBooks
Chose FreshBooks
Freshbooks is an extra cost when used with Xero (or even QuickBooks) and I wouldn't suggest it. Freshbooks needs to find a pivot as they are known as invoicing software, but every other platform (that does more) has that feature built in. Time tracking was a good move, now they …
Chose FreshBooks
Don't get me wrong — I like Xero for accounting purposes. But Xero's invoicing isn't great. There's too many features I depend on that FreshBooks has that Xero just does not. I need to be able to take deposits, send automatic reminders, and create an extremely user-friendly …
Chose FreshBooks
I really liked Wave Apps for a bit. It had some limitations, but I really like how easy it was to use and intuitive. Great pricing too. So I would recommend that over Freshbooks at this point for someone who is just getting started. Quickbooks is great for accounting. Super …
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 …
Chose 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 …
Chose FreshBooks
We do not consider other options since our client wants the implementation of this platform in order to use it in the two countries where it has operations. At the moment, full integration was not possible and we still share the information with a Mexican system to complete …
Chose FreshBooks
FreshBooks is easy to implement and the onboarding process is straightforward. It has great user interface to navigate and any user can easily start using it. It also offers customization of the modules/reports. Most importantly invoice tracking is a great module. It is offered …
Chose FreshBooks
I looked at QuickBooks but they only had desktop products and I was interested in a hosted solution. Freshbooks has always been ahead of their competition in this area of mobile, on the go use cases where a modern platform can be used to stay up to date and accessible from …
Chose FreshBooks
QuickBooks felt very accounting centered. FreshBooks feels more like business software instead of accounting software. I don't know all of the accounting terms, and I don't have time to learn them all. So FreshBooks was just much easier to sit down and use right away. …
Chose FreshBooks
Harvest was not as flexible interactively. That is, you could not sort columns online. Made it hard to manage invoices.
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Xero has tried copying what Quickbooks offers but it is missing a lot of features and it is not as easy to navigate through.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Functionality: they are very similar. I do like how QBO is more user-friendly and has a sleeker design.
Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
QuickBooks for Mac definitely outshines other competitors mainly due to its ability to sync seamlessly with all mac products, which other programs have continual problems with. Although the Mac version isn't quite as powerful as the Microsoft counterpart, it is still one of the …
Chose QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
QuickBooks for Mac is roughly equivalent in functionality to QuickBooks Pro for Windows. It has better job costing than QuickBooks Online with roughly equivalent inventory functionality. QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Wave offer anytime, anywhere functionality for multiple users …
Xero
Chose Xero
We switched off of FreshBooks to Xero. It is somewhat apples to oranges, in that FreshBooks is not a general ledger nor does it claim to be (at least at the time 2 years ago). Our business grew though and having a general ledger with reconcillation features like Xero was …
Chose Xero
Used FreshBooks when the business was first starting out because they had a free plan. Quickly needed more features, and switched to QBO.

QBO worked well for many years, but they continually increased their fees and the interface got more and more difficult to use. Also, it had …
Chose Xero
We selected Xero specifically for accessibility.
Chose Xero
Xero ranks highly among the competitors, however multi-level reporting is better done in QuickBooks. More price sensitive, micro-businesses can find decent cheaper or free alternatives. Those wanting integration with other apps like cashflow management, inventory, reporting …
Chose Xero
Xero is really basic and our team can easily adapt with it rather than using other some other non-user friendly apps. We could focus on the work itself rather than having problems with learning its complexity. Xero is very user-friendly and also gives tutorial which is great! …
Chose Xero
Xero stands out as the industry leader in terms of ease of use, functionality, integration possibilities, usability, and reporting functionality. Having extensive experience with various accounting software as a business owner and mentor, Xero consistently proves to be my top …
Chose Xero
Xero has enterprise capabilities but can be used for small businesses. Coming from a large enterprise, I had a certain way of looking at the business that I was used to. Xero met that whereas the other products didn't - they appealed directly to small businesses with a …
Chose Xero
Ignoring pricing, Xero is among the best options available. It has the most complete feature set along with Quickbooks. It is more user-friendly compared to most of its competitors. It has well-designed mobile apps that can actually do something in contrast with most …
Chose Xero
Seamless integration with all accounts, much more user-friendly, I chose Xero because of these 2 factors.
Chose Xero
Xero is a lot easier for the non-accountant. Most of the language is easy to understand and not finance-speak. I can do what I need to do in 1/2 the time. They also have great support, so if I mess something up when I reconcile, they help me sort it out.
Chose Xero
We really liked Xero because it was incredibly affordable when compared to the other solutions that we evaluated. There are some things that need to be improved but overall it's a really enjoyable online accounting solution. I'm happy with my experience of Xero and I know there …
Chose Xero
Xero hits our "maximum point" on the curves of simplicity, usability, and feature set. In my opinion it is by far the best in class, and the only reason it hasn't taken over Quickbooks entirely is that industry-standard products, no matter how inferior, are difficult to …
Chose Xero
Previously exclusively a desktop QuickBooks "shop". Hate the version control issues and need to collect and transfer data files to get source documents. Auto bank downloads clunky and not as intuitive as Xero bank recon features. Few clients use FreshBooks - nice customer …
Chose Xero
QuickBooks for Mac is not a viable product. PC desktop makes off-site work difficult (and hosted environments are clunky and slow). QuickBooks Online is improving, but all recent innovations seem directly in response to, and taking a lead from Xero base product. Overall, Xero …
Chose Xero
Xero is the best. Xero thinks about the accountants and supports that role very well. Xero "makes sense" to average business owners and also is very powerful tool for the accountants. They have built the product right and keep improving it with every release they do. We picked …
Chose Xero
QBO - UI/UX and integrations are far superior. The only area where QBO is currently ahead is job costing

Freshbooks - we recommend for some pre-revenue and solopreneur clients only. Xero provides a full-featured solution
Chose Xero
Four years ago, Xero was the market leader. I had written an article on cloud accounting and compared all of the offerings. I had concerns as Xero was from New Zealand and preferred to use a UK company. However, Xero had more flexibility via its APIs and was, at that time, …
Chose Xero
Quicken is really old, that's what I used to use and I like it but there is no bank feed support.
QuickBooks is incredibly bloated.
Freshbooks is just for invoicing (we still use it for that).
Chose Xero
Xero was chosen by the client simply because it integrates with FreshBooks. I prefer QuickBooks for its ease of use, but it doesn't integrate with FreshBooks. The bank reconciliation feature of Xero is very similar to QuickBooks which is a benefit. The reporting feature in …
Chose Xero
I have written several reviews comparing Quickbooks/Freshbooks/Xero. In many categories they offer very similar features. What sets them apart and will continue to set them apart in the long run is their approach to the market. Quickbooks has a closed ecosystem approach, while …
Chose Xero
We were never able to easily import our bank transactions through our QuickBooks software, which made accounting a dreaded and time consuming tasks. QuickBooks was also almost too robust for our basic accounting needs, so having a much easier to use system has been a great …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
FreshBooksQuickBooks Desktop for MacXero
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
8.4
35 Ratings
11% above category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
7.5
12 Ratings
0% below category average
Xero
8.1
151 Ratings
7% above category average
API for custom integration8.530 Ratings7.08 Ratings7.979 Ratings
Plug-ins8.226 Ratings8.011 Ratings8.2138 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
9.6
41 Ratings
15% above category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
10.0
22 Ratings
20% above category average
Xero
7.3
189 Ratings
12% below category average
Single sign-on capability10.01 Ratings10.022 Ratings5.772 Ratings
Role-based user permissions9.141 Ratings10.019 Ratings8.8187 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
7.1
57 Ratings
9% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
6.7
24 Ratings
15% below category average
Xero
8.4
213 Ratings
8% above category average
Dashboards8.357 Ratings5.021 Ratings8.3209 Ratings
Standard reports8.255 Ratings8.024 Ratings8.7211 Ratings
Custom reports4.82 Ratings7.024 Ratings8.3187 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
7.3
56 Ratings
5% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
7.6
26 Ratings
1% below category average
Xero
7.2
223 Ratings
6% below category average
Accounts payable7.641 Ratings8.026 Ratings8.6203 Ratings
Accounts receivable8.955 Ratings7.525 Ratings8.8209 Ratings
Cash management7.03 Ratings5.520 Ratings8.3191 Ratings
Bank reconciliation7.02 Ratings9.526 Ratings8.9216 Ratings
Expense management6.351 Ratings8.522 Ratings8.1197 Ratings
Time tracking7.042 Ratings7.514 Ratings8.073 Ratings
Multi-currency support7.01 Ratings5.011 Ratings7.8130 Ratings
Regulations compliance5.521 Ratings10.011 Ratings8.6112 Ratings
Self-service portal9.13 Ratings7.515 Ratings8.2130 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.016 Ratings8.4137 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings6.012 Ratings8.1112 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings10.017 Ratings9.4116 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings5.08 Ratings6.767 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.515 Ratings8.465 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.016 Ratings4.540 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.07 Ratings8.039 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.519 Ratings9.890 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings8.57 Ratings2.533 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings6.511 Ratings3.059 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings6.511 Ratings3.433 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings7.015 Ratings3.859 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
8.9
49 Ratings
15% above category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
9.1
20 Ratings
17% above category average
Xero
6.2
89 Ratings
21% below category average
Pricing8.339 Ratings9.019 Ratings6.262 Ratings
Order entry8.537 Ratings9.518 Ratings6.256 Ratings
Credit card processing8.541 Ratings9.019 Ratings6.358 Ratings
Cost of goods sold10.01 Ratings9.018 Ratings6.366 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings9.07 Ratings6.121 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings9.09 Ratings6.124 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings9.08 Ratings6.117 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
9.0
13 Ratings
18% above category average
Xero
7.5
73 Ratings
0% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.511 Ratings8.065 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.08 Ratings8.023 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings10.010 Ratings7.249 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.57 Ratings7.241 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings10.09 Ratings7.154 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
FreshBooks
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
7.4
17 Ratings
2% above category average
Xero
6.4
101 Ratings
12% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings9.516 Ratings7.497 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings6.512 Ratings6.224 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.011 Ratings6.229 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.510 Ratings6.016 Ratings
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FreshBooksQuickBooks Desktop for MacXero
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Score 9.6 out of 10
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Score 9.6 out of 10
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Score 9.6 out of 10
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Accounting Seed
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Score 7.4 out of 10
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Score 7.4 out of 10
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Score 7.4 out of 10
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User Ratings
FreshBooksQuickBooks Desktop for MacXero
Likelihood to Recommend
7.4
(75 ratings)
8.0
(34 ratings)
8.4
(238 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.6
(18 ratings)
8.0
(9 ratings)
8.5
(35 ratings)
Usability
8.9
(20 ratings)
6.0
(8 ratings)
8.5
(163 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(2 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
5.2
(11 ratings)
7.0
(4 ratings)
9.3
(36 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(10 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(122 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(6 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
FreshBooksQuickBooks Desktop for MacXero
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
Intuit
If you're a freelancer or running a very small business where you do your own bookkeeping I think this is a great option, especially if you're familiar with accounting and bookkeeping in general. If you're not so familiar with bookkeeping, I would say that the learning curve is too steep and you might want to look elsewhere for a more intuitive solution
Read full review
Xero
In my opinion Xero is well suited for: 1) Standalone organisations, 2) Organisations where the accounting team bench strength is thin, 3) Organisations which are able to leverage on new technologies and apps 4) Organisations which get most of their tech infrastructure within the APAC region Xero may not be as suitable for: 1) Organisations with group structures (especially complex ones) 2) Organisations which are constrained in their use of startup technologies and apps by startups 3) Organisations which get most of their tech infrastructure from the US or EU
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
Intuit
  • The program is very easy to learn, the interface is incredibly user-friendly and there are tons of free resources and tutorials available
  • It makes managing payroll really easy for the employee and accountant on staff. No more lost time sheets or late paychecks!
  • Managing bills and paying them has become streamlined and it's great having everything in one place so we don't lose track of things.
Read full review
Xero
  • Repeating invoices (most of my business is monthly recurring invoices) - it does these very well.
  • Reporting - particularly being able to dig into the different lines of the P&L statement.
  • Tracking categories - I assign a category to every line of every invoice so it's easy to see how much has been sold of each type of service every month and year, and compare them to previous periods.
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
Intuit
  • The #1 complaint is that setting it up right is a challenge. People waste time trying to figure it out only to realize that they don't know accounting so of course they don't know how an accounting program should be set up. Like any time you are in over your head, reach out to your network and find someone who can log onto your computer and walk you through it.
  • If you need to track the cost of wages to jobs you can't do it with the online payroll, but check for yourself because it's a function that landscaping companies and construction businesses usually need, so maybe they have added it by now. That would really help!
  • It's premise-based software and that means you take on the role of hardware admin, and it's a lot of work for what is increasingly becoming a smaller gap in the functionality between QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online.
  • QuickBooks for Mac 2015 has been updated consistently over the last 3 years and continues to provide for the bookkeeping needs of small companies using Macs in their offices. However, it has limited job costing functionality. It is similar in functionality to the 2010 version of QuickBooksPro which runs on Windows.
Read full review
Xero
  • Having different email addresses for different parts of a customer's business (eg invoices and statements to different places)
  • Easily seeing the text of emails that have been sent through Xero
  • More easily archiving old pay items. Our HR software updates rates when awards are updated which means a lot of old pay rates are in the system and they have multiple clicks to archive each one. Clicking the ones to archive in bulk and then just click archive for all would be much more efficient.
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
Intuit
I haven't spent that much time with the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac, but I think I'm seeing it make the much-needed improvements. For example, something as simple as undoing the previous reconciliation was a terrible chore, and I'm glad that feature has been included in the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac
Read full review
Xero
In addition to the matters covered in this review, my reason for renewing this product is that Xero's functionality and the constant updates that the company provides, makes the software even more business friendly. The software therefore builds a brand loyalty among customers.
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.
Read full review
Intuit
The Mac version is OK overall. I find the Windows versions to be much more robust but Mac is quite good for Mac users. Though I think die hard Mac users should consider QuickBooks Online instead as there is a new QB for Mac app that makes using QBO much better!
Read full review
Xero
The dashboard is a simple design where all accounts can be seen from the same screen, unlike other softwares that makes you search for bank accounts that you want to work in. Our clients love that they can easily find their way around their books without having to call our firm to help them.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is easy to use and always works!
Read full review
Intuit
I've been using the QuickBooks online version for a little over 6 months now (upgraded from Mac desktop) and I haven't had any access issues. There have been times when it was down for service/upgrade however there is always plenty of notification time given by the Quick Books Online Support team. These upgrade maintenance time frames are always over night hours and on the weekends so everything can be worked around very easily.
Read full review
Xero
We have been actively using and 100% Xero based for our ecommerce accounting practice for over 4 years. There has on been one real outage for more than 5 minutes. Xero was open and transparent about the outage, what they were doing to resolve the issue, and provided 15 minute updates. Showing how they care about their customers and partners. Plus, showing that their customers care too, were understanding, and went surfing or in our case took a nap. Couldn't run our business without Xero as a partner.
Read full review
Performance
FreshBooks
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Xero
Pages generally load quickly, but it's a fairly common occurrence to have pages taking a bit longer than I'd like to load (as in, 4+ seconds). Occasionally I have to refresh a page to get it to work. Bank feed and integrations tend to be slow in general, but that could easily be due to API latency on the side of the other parties. Most of the time, though, the bank feeds refresh before I login so it's not a huge problem. Not necessarily good performance compared to a local app like QuickBooks desktop, but definitely good performance for a cloud application. Room for growth? yes.
Read full review
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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Intuit
Fortunately, I haven't had to reach out much for support.
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Xero
Always respond and keep issues open until you are satisfied with the result. Generally good responses, in the past, I had some support responses that were really basic and really annoying. They type where "have your tried restarting your computer" style of answers. Well, of course, I went through all the basics before contacting them. Duh, but I suppose not everyone does. Otherwise, it would be a 10. The last year has shown a marked improvement in the support responses however.
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In-Person Training
FreshBooks
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Xero
The format was great; someone was there to ask questions or help if you were stuck.
Read full review
Online Training
FreshBooks
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Xero
All of Xero's training is online and available for anyone (business owner or accountants) to learn and become experts in their system. There is a range of content from product training to real world webinars from their partners. Xero is beautiful accounting software and their training is the same.
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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
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Xero
If it can be done, time the implementation near a new fiscal year so you can start clean. Otherwise, you have to go back and do historical data from the beginning of the fiscal year, which can be brain draining.
Read full review
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
Intuit
I love using Quickbooks compared to other software we've tried. QuickBooks Online and TSheets interface. Customer service and problem resolution are generally excellent, with well-trained and proficient agents taking calls or on chat. Ease of use and accessibility via the mobile app. Great courses were available to help with learning the basics and some advanced accounting background. I love learning! Online accessibility - it can work anywhere with an internet connection. Linking to bank and credit card accounts is handy.
Read full review
Xero
Each of the products I listed had their own list of drawbacks, but the one thing they all had in common, which was right on top of that list of drawbacks, was ease of use. I struggled to get myself accustomed to each system and struggled, but when it came to getting a client to even try and use it was when the true struggle started. Just found it easier to make use of Xero from the very beginning.
Read full review
Scalability
FreshBooks
No answers on this topic
Intuit
No answers on this topic
Xero
I have yet to fully stress test the product given the size of the company where I am using it. I am sure as we scale to more customers, more vendors and more reporting requirements, I will have a better understanding of what it is capable of in terms of bandwidth and processing
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.
Read full review
Intuit
  • It has allowed us to offer multiple bookkeeping softwares for clients that do not want to change from what they have been using.
  • Payroll filing has given us ease of mind because we can physically make the filings rather than waiting on payroll software to make them for us.
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Xero
  • We have saved 1 hour per month on reporting on one of our not-for-profits, which is 12 hours a year at minimum from an investment of 30 minutes on initial setup.
  • On cleanup files, we are able to save at minimum half the time we would spend and be able to get them cleaned up and moved to a monthly file quicker
  • Using cash coding on one client as an example it would take us a week to do their bookkeeping last year it took me 8 hours from start to finish.
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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

Xero Screenshots

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