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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

    TaskForce

    N/AN/AN/AN/A

    Zoho Books

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AZoho Books is an accounting solution that is designed to help small businesses manage their finances. This solution includes dashboards and a wide variety of reports. Business users can automate tasks and set up custom workflows. Zoho offers a 14 day free trial.

    $20

    per month

    Pricing
    FreshBooksTaskForceZoho Books
    Editions & Modules
    Lite
    $21
    per month
    Plus
    $38
    per month
    Premium
    $65
    per month
    Select
    Custom Pricing
    No answers on this topic
    Free
    $0
    For businesses with turnover <50K USD per annum
    Standard
    $20
    per month per org
    Professional
    $50
    per month per org
    Premium
    $70
    per month per org
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FreshBooksTaskForceZoho Books
    Free Trial
    YesNoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details10% discount for annual pricing.—Zoho Books is available for both monthly and yearly plans. Users who sign up for the annual plan get a discount.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    FreshBooksTaskForceZoho Books
    Considered Multiple Products
    FreshBooks
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Starry Associates
    No answer on this topic
    Zoho
    Chose Zoho Books
    Price and easier to use Other many applications that could be integrated with zoho
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    69%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    82%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    54%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    64%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    62%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    Features
    FreshBooksTaskForceZoho Books
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of FreshBooks and TaskForce and Zoho Books
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    9.1
    35 Ratings
    18% above category average
    TaskForce
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho Books
    8.2
    18 Ratings
    8% above category average
    API for custom integration9.330 Ratings00 Ratings8.218 Ratings
    Plug-ins9.026 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of FreshBooks and TaskForce and Zoho Books
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    10.0
    41 Ratings
    20% above category average
    TaskForce
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho Books
    8.6
    28 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Single sign-on capability10.01 Ratings00 Ratings8.622 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions10.041 Ratings00 Ratings8.626 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of FreshBooks and TaskForce and Zoho Books
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    57 Ratings
    4% below category average
    TaskForce
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho Books
    9.0
    27 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Dashboards9.057 Ratings00 Ratings8.727 Ratings
    Standard reports8.855 Ratings00 Ratings9.225 Ratings
    Custom reports4.82 Ratings00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of FreshBooks and TaskForce and Zoho Books
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    7.5
    56 Ratings
    2% below category average
    TaskForce
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho Books
    8.3
    28 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Accounts payable8.041 Ratings00 Ratings8.426 Ratings
    Accounts receivable9.455 Ratings00 Ratings9.227 Ratings
    Cash management7.03 Ratings00 Ratings7.925 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation7.02 Ratings00 Ratings7.825 Ratings
    Expense management6.651 Ratings00 Ratings8.126 Ratings
    Time tracking7.642 Ratings00 Ratings8.518 Ratings
    Multi-currency support7.01 Ratings00 Ratings8.117 Ratings
    Regulations compliance6.021 Ratings00 Ratings8.015 Ratings
    Self-service portal9.13 Ratings00 Ratings8.819 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of FreshBooks and TaskForce and Zoho Books
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    9.5
    49 Ratings
    25% above category average
    TaskForce
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho Books
    8.7
    25 Ratings
    16% above category average
    Pricing8.839 Ratings00 Ratings8.421 Ratings
    Order entry9.337 Ratings00 Ratings9.420 Ratings
    Credit card processing9.741 Ratings00 Ratings8.020 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold10.01 Ratings00 Ratings8.820 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of FreshBooks and TaskForce and Zoho Books
    Feature
    FreshBooks
    -
    Ratings
    TaskForce
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho Books
    8.0
    16 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings00 Ratings7.810 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    FreshBooksTaskForceZoho Books
    Small Businesses
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.1 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    FreshBooksTaskForceZoho Books
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.6
    (75 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (29 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.6
    (18 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.6
    (20 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (11 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.0
    (11 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.3
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FreshBooksTaskForceZoho Books
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    If using other cloud applications and you wish to create Zoho Books transactions via APIs, Zoho Books is great. The overall UI and flow of the application are great. If you need a detailed job cost accounting solution and robust reporting there is some room for improvement here.
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    • Zoho Books invoicing and receipting features are second to none. We find it easy to quickly invoice clients and add items to their bills and also for our own receipting internally.
    • The accounting features are great for our accounting team to be able to see where we are financially and how the business is doing.
    • The ability to add contacts and run a mini CRM channel with clients within Zoho is invaluable. Since we use this in conjunction with our other CRM channels, it helps to have a centralized place to follow up and see through a sales funnel.
    • Zoho Books allows us to take payments from clients around the globe a feature we didn't have when we used another accounting system.
    • The pricing for Zoho Books is fairly reasonable for an SME organization which is a great for us as it pays itself back many times over every month.
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    • Zoho Books is only available in Texas and California. There is no integration allowed for paying employee expenses. The absolute worst aspect is the fact that if you make even the slightest error in data input there is no backing up. You cannot undo an error.
    • The system does not allow change once implemented, so you must get every one of your beginning balances perfect. The practice of Journal Entries is cumbersome. When reconciling, Zoho Books has adopted a number of required steps that significantly overcomplicate reconciliation using practices that are not consistent with general accounting principles in the US.
    • On the customer side, you must look in two places to see the beginning balance and the current receivables that might exist for current invoicing.
    • The way the system works, you must avoid having much trust with the balances depicted. So far, it appears that Zoho Books uses what we called in school "that new math."
    • It would be terrifying to rely on this bookkeeping system to support an IRS Audit. The system violates too many fundamental accounting principles.
    • The software is used by so few people that there is concern that we might never find a skilled bookkeeper.
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    No answers on this topic
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    Customization is the biggest struggle for us and most of the time we need to involve a tech person. The chat support is a great feature and very helpful. It would be great to be able to customize and create invoices and correspondence (templates) such are reminders in multiple languages within one organization. The currency (USD) would be the same. We have clients in different countries that don't speak English but pay in USD.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    FreshBooks
    FreshBooks is easy to use and always works!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    The support team feels very disjointed. We have filtered through a number of "lead" contacts and are frequently spammed by other Zoho members. Once getting an appropriate support contact on the phone - the team is very helpful, it just takes a lot of hoop jumping to get there. We actually unsubscribed from their support package as we were not getting the value we were looking for.
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    We had a lot of problems with Exact Online, support-wise and price-wise. So Zoho Books wins on every point there. While Exact offers way more options, it tends to be really slow... and complex. Again Zoho Books wins. If you want an easy-to-use tool and not pay a lot of money, or if you are a small administration office with a few clients, this tool will be perfect for you.
    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
    Starry Associates
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    • Integration: Zoho Books offers out of the box integrations to extend the functionality and connect with the applications you love like MailChimp, Microsoft Outlook, PandaDoc, and Quickbooks, etc.
    • Flexibility makes Zoho Books great!
    • Since I can use forecast reports, I can create customizable sales forecast data from the dashboard to accurately measure revenue forecasts and establish sales quotas.
    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

    Zoho Books Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshot