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What is FreshBooks?
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…
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- Dashboards (52)4.646%
- Standard reports (50)4.141%
- Expense management (46)2.828%
- Accounts receivable (50)2.424%
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What is FreshBooks?
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.
FreshBooks Features
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting Features
- Supported: Accounts payable
- Supported: Accounts receivable
- Supported: Expense management
- Supported: Time tracking
- Supported: Regulations compliance
Order Management Features
- Supported: Pricing
- Supported: Order entry
- Supported: Credit card processing
Reporting & Analytics Features
- Supported: Dashboards
- Supported: Standard reports
Customization Features
- Supported: API for custom integration
- Supported: Plug-ins
Security Features
- Supported: Role-based user permissions
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Accounting, for the Non-Accountant.
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FreshBooks Integrations
- Shopify
- Gusto
- RightSignature, on Sharefile
- Mailchimp
- Google App Engine
- Zendesk Suite
- Basecamp
- Wufoo
- Freshservice
- Skyvia
- Stripe Payments
- Agile CRM
- Authorize.net
- Fundbox
- Acuity Scheduling
- a Squarespace company
- PayPal
- Hours
FreshBooks Competitors
FreshBooks Technical Details
| Deployment Types | On-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Windows, Mac |
| Mobile Application | Apple iOS, Android |
| Supported Languages | English |
Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewers rate Self-service portal highest, with a score of 9.1.
The most common users of FreshBooks are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
FreshBooks Customer Size Distribution
| Consumers | 0% |
|---|---|
| Small Businesses (1-50 employees) | 95% |
| Mid-Size Companies (51-500 employees) | 5% |
| Enterprises (more than 500 employees) | 0% |
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- Business Problems Solved
- Recommendations
FreshBooks is a user-friendly accounting software that has been highly praised by users for its ability to streamline invoice creation, email tracking, and expense management. With FreshBooks, users can effortlessly create, email, and track invoices, as well as set up recurring invoices. The detailed reports provided by FreshBooks allow users to efficiently manage their financials and gain insights into their expenses and client details. Clients also appreciate the convenience of accessing their accounts, viewing/printing invoices, and even filing disputes through FreshBooks. Another notable aspect of FreshBooks is its responsive and helpful customer support team, which is always ready to address any issues or questions that users may have.
Freelancers in particular rely on FreshBooks to stay organized and generate reports for estimating, invoicing, expense tracking, and timekeeping. However, the versatility of FreshBooks extends beyond freelancers. It has been widely used across industries for invoicing clients and keeping the process organized and efficient. For example, Picobarn implemented FreshBooks as a mandatory tool for its employees, enabling them to streamline the invoicing process and provide real-time project tracking. Additionally, FreshBooks has been adopted by organizations to integrate accounting and bookkeeping activities, simplifying day-to-day tasks and ensuring security. By replacing manual bookkeeping processes with FreshBooks, users have saved time and resources while improving client understanding of financial documents.
FreshBooks handles all invoicing needs effectively by making invoice creation quick and easy while enabling online payments. The software has become a valuable tool for independent representatives in various business sectors such as graphic design, helping them track business expenses effortlessly. Similarly, freelance writers and editors find FreshBooks indispensable for tracking hours worked, invoicing clients accurately, and managing their one-person operations smoothly. Companies also utilize FreshBooks to track time and expenses for both staff and consultants working on client projects. In addition to customer invoicing and expense tracking capabilities, it provides direct access for tax advisors, facilitating bank account reconciliation and ensuring accurate financial reporting.
While FreshBooks has garnered positive feedback from users, some have experienced challenges with credit card integrations and payment processing, leading them to explore alternative options. Despite this, FreshBooks has remained a popular choice for businesses seeking to centralize invoicing and accounting processes, improving efficiency and organization. Consultants and support teams have also found value in FreshBooks as it helps them track time, invoice clients, and consolidate tasks within one program.
FreshBooks has successfully helped users streamline their invoicing process, resulting in faster invoice creation, professional-looking invoices, and improved payment tracking. By allowing users to set automatic reminders for overdue invoices, FreshBooks ensures timely follow-up for payment. However, some users prefer to send manual reminders.
FreshBooks has been praised for its user-friendly interface, making it easy for users to navigate and use for multiple purposes. It is particularly beneficial for small businesses and freelancers who need a simple accounting solution without the complexity of tools like QuickBooks. Users appreciate the ease of use and simplicity of FreshBooks for handling administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, expense tracking, and invoicing. The software eliminates the need for more complex tools and reduces the need to hire additional staff.
One of the key advantages of FreshBooks is its cloud-based nature, allowing users to access and send invoices from their smartphones and tablets. This flexibility enables users to manage their financials on the go, keeping them connected to their business at all times. The ability to track time spent on projects, calculate project estimates, invoice clients, and accept payments all within FreshBooks makes it a valuable tool for freelancers and small businesses alike. Additionally, FreshBooks offers a free trial without requiring credit card information, allowing users to test the software before committing.
FreshBooks caters to a wide range of industries and has been used by marketing and manufacturing customers to properly track invoices and increase productivity and cost savings. It is also utilized across entire organizations for account receivables, setting up and sending invoices, collecting payments, tracking hours on projects, and efficiently managing billing. Moreover, FreshBooks has found its place in small family businesses that depend on it for managing expenses, logging hours, invoicing companies, and tracking total sales. Users have even customized FreshBooks using its API to automate payment entry and tracking according to their specific needs.
Overall, FreshBooks has proven itself as a reliable accounting software that simplifies the invoicing process, tracks expenses effectively, provides comprehensive financial insights, and offers user-friendly features. Its extensive range of functionalities makes it a valuable tool for freelancers, small businesses, and organizations looking to streamline their financial management processes.
Based on user recommendations, FreshBooks receives the following common suggestions:
-
Familiarize yourself with the interface: Users recommend purchasing the free version of FreshBooks to get acquainted with the interface. This allows users to understand how the software works before committing to a paid plan.
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Suitable for small businesses: FreshBooks is highly recommended for small businesses. It is seen as a valuable program that caters to their day-to-day transactions and accounting needs. The software's simplicity and user-friendly interface make it an ideal choice for small business owners.
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Try before committing: Users suggest trying the trial version or taking advantage of the 1-month free trial offered by FreshBooks. This allows potential users to test out the software and assess its suitability for their specific business needs before making any financial commitments.
Overall, users find FreshBooks to be a valuable and user-friendly tool for online accounting, billing, invoicing, and expense tracking. They recommend giving it a try, especially for small businesses looking for a simple and easy-to-use accounting or invoicing program.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(51-70 of 70)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
FreshBooks is used by all of our employees to track their hours on software development projects. It allows these hours to be logged in one centralized location and then allows billing to take place efficiently. Invoicing is done through FreshBooks, and the invoices are sent by email. Most payment is done through PayPal.
- FreshBooks makes it easy to track hours for different projects and clients.
- FreshBooks makes it easy to call up reports about time sheets and projects.
- Invoices are easy to create.
- The interface is attractive and fairly user-friendly.
- It can be difficult to get things to bill just how you want because "staff rate," "task rate," and "project rate" can be a bit confusing.
- I'd like for there to be a way to program in a recurring time entry instead of manually entering for something I do every day.
- If you change the name of a client (for example if the company name changes or the name or contact info for your main contact changes), it automatically changes that in previously sent invoices - I'd rather previous invoices remain true to the information that was used at the time, so I know who I sent them to.
September 30, 2015
FreshBooks: A Good Resource for Rookie Entrepreneurs
My wife and I own a small ice cream shop, and we've used FreshBooks extensively as we've started our business, written our business plan, obtained bank financing, all the way through to opening our shop this summer. FreshBooks has provided and easy-to-use, cost effective method of tracking various accounting and financial items during the hectic start-up phase of our business. I would recommend FreshBooks as a starting point for any small business owner.
- Allows effective tracking of income and expenses
- Allows tracking of vendors and customers
- Allows time tracking of tasks
- FreshBooks has great customer service
- Intuitive user interface
- The reporting functions could be more robust.
July 11, 2015
FreshBooks May Be Your Breath of Fresh Air
I'm a sole proprietor of an administrative services business as well as its only employee. When I decided to go into business for myself I looked at the list of vendors who I could efficiently use for my bookkeeping needs. I use FreshBooks to track all of my expenses as well as my income (in a round about way). FreshBooks makes it easy to invoice and keep up with billing and also has a nice aesthetic. However, be sure it's what you want to use because it can be pricey. I used the free version for as long as I could, which at the time only allowed you to have three clients (now it's one), and then had to pay the monthly fee of $19.95 plus tax. And that's the cheapest plan they have. Plus, it only allows you to have 25 clients. There are other vendors now out there who will charge you less including Nutcache (which is free) so if you don't need something quite as robust as FreshBooks, then use a free option. However, FreshBooks has a solid reputation and a solid product that I would recommend to anyone.
- FreshBooks is, in general, very user friendly, robust and uncomplicated.
- You have the ability to access FreshBooks via your mobile devices.
- FreshBooks has the ability for you to set up recurring expenses.
- You can track your work with the great timer that you can use online, on your phone or, if you're using a Mac, via a widget.
- Invoicing is very easy and professional.
- Integrates with PayPal for easy payments.
- FreshBooks isn't a full-service solution for your accounting/bookkeeping needs as it doesn't allow you to easily track income. You have to add in dummy accounts (which takes up client spots and counts against your total number of clients) and then manually add in the information.
- FreshBooks doesn't allow you to have staff members on your account unless you pay them at least $39.95 plus tax per month.
- In order to have no limit on the number of clients you have you have to pay at least $29.95 plus tax per month.
- Doesn't allow you to have your payments deposited into your bank account.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
As a small business owner, I needed an easy way to issue invoices, track payments and expenses, track revenue and P&L. The problem FreshBooks solves for me is eliminating the need for using something like Quickbooks (which requires a long learning-curve), or hiring someone to do tasks that are basically simple, but can be time consuming, especially since I don't perform those tasks on a regular enough basis to feel comfortable.
- FreshBooks is pretty intuitive to use. I did have some questions when I first started using the system, but it wasn't a long learning curve.
- FreshBooks provides more capability than other billing applications such as PaySimple or BlinkSale. FreshBooks does provide an easy invoicing function. It's easy to create invoices that can be sent via email or snail mail to one or more individuals (for example, the decision-maker and the accounting dept). Clients can pay online or send a check and then I note that the payment has been received. If paid by credit card, the system automatically marks the invoice paid. Your business accounts such as bank accounts can be linked to FreshBooks. Then, the system can automatically draw in expenses and will create simple P&L reports, overdue invoices, client history, etc. If you don't have inventory and complex payroll, etc. FreshBooks provides just the right level of capability to make financial tracking simple.
- FreshBooks integrates with a number of credit card companies. I use Stripe, which has fees similar to Paypal, but much more reliable processing. I can accept all credit cards, including American Express, for a reasonable fee.
- Can't really think of negatives.
May 06, 2015
Freshbooks is a solid online accounting platform
We support clients that are currently using FreshBooks. It is a simple online accounting platform that helps clients that aren't accountants to download and organize their transactions.
- Online.
- Users that aren't familiar with accounting, or those that are, should find it simple and easy to use.
- No software updates required.
- Processing transactions more quickly. May just be limited by internet speed however.
April 30, 2015
FreshBooks review
We use FreshBooks throughout our company to track time and expenses of our staff and consultants, as they work on client projects.
- Time tracking by project, by contractor and by client.
- Very easy to use and intuitive, no training required.
- Cloud-based. No software to install.
- Database structure does not appear to be relational - could be improved.
We use it to send out invoices and accept credit card payments. We're a small company, but we do all our billing through it.
- Easily create and send invoices
- Accept credit cards
- Easily create and send estimates
- See when clients viewed invoices
- Send automatic reminders for open invoices after 30, 60 and 90 days
- Ability to send invoices for partial payment (can do, could be better)
- Multiple addresses for clients (billing, mailing, contact, etc.)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We utilize FreshBooks and have integrated it with Authorize.Net to bill and capture payments for all of our clients. We also utilize the end data to provide our accounting team with the information they need. Features like invoice reminders and online payments are crucial in ensuring cash flow is properly managed.
- Invoicing
- Payment Reminders
- Online Payments
- Expense Reporting
- Accounting Reporting
December 17, 2014
FreshBooks - Cloud Time Tracking, Ethereal Accounting
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
FreshBooks was used for time tracking and invoicing purposes across a team of consultants. These consultants principally worked on-site with clients in a variety of environments, from offices to oil fields. We tracked the time that consultants were engaged on projects in different capacities and invoiced clients directly through the FreshBooks interface. We also used data from FreshBooks for bookkeeping, but principally relied on a separate product for the majority of accounting functions.
- Ease of use in adding new users to the system and onboarding their use of the FreshBooks interface
- The ability to create new projects and work types within those projects and assign individual contributors to each was well-developed
- Time tracking through the FreshBooks mobile app was easy to do and synced without difficulty
- The reporting functionality was somewhat limited, and the ability to export data had significant room for improvement
- Creating custom invoices and rules around when to issue invoices could have been made easier
- The expense logging was sometimes confusing was executed across multiple clients/projects
December 15, 2014
Great cloud based accounting software - FreshBooks is fantastic!
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use FreshBooks across our accounting, invoicing and book keeping [departments]. It's an excellent cloud based software to satisfy our requirements at the small business level.
Because we don't have an in-house bookkeeper, the invoices are typically sent out by me and being able to access this software on the smartphone and tablet - allows invoices to be sent out as they are requested by clients.
Because we don't have an in-house bookkeeper, the invoices are typically sent out by me and being able to access this software on the smartphone and tablet - allows invoices to be sent out as they are requested by clients.
- Nicely laid out graphical interface - really easy to use and get basic tasks done.
- Smartphone and Tablet apps are really effective and useful
- FreshBooks continues to innovate and improve their product offering regularly
- Having bank feeds imported straight into the system like Xero does
- Balance sheet is a bit cumbersome as it doesn't update figures automatically based on sales activity
- Templated emails should have a quick warning before they are applied to the invoices
October 17, 2014
Highly Recommend Freshbooks for Small Businesses and Startups!
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use FreshBooks as our accounting software as well as for invoicing clients. They make it very easy to use and track your invoicing process. They also offer an easy to understand Profit & Loss Report to help small businesses with an overview of how they are doing in a given month, quarter, or year.
- Easy to Use
- Excellent Invoicing System... make it easy to collect send invoices and collect payments.
- Easy to understand P&L, accounting overview.
- Access for multiple users could be better.
July 03, 2014
FreshBooks: An Invaluable Tool
At iAG Energy, we use FreshBooks as our main source of invoicing our clients. In addition, we encourage our vendors to invoice us using FreshBooks as well. The main departments that use FreshBooks are our Accounts Receivable Dept. and our Accounts Payable Dept. It helps us keep track of all our invoices and keeps the entire process very organized.
- FreshBooks allows us to see which of our clients have invoices that are still unpaid. It is very easy to to categorize invoices by groups, which identifies very clearly which invoices are still open.
- FreshBooks notifies us when a particular invoice is opened, reopened, paid, or disputed. Obviously, this is a great organizational tool.
- FreshBooks has many customized settings which can be used to your particular needs. For example, we take advantage of the "Reminder Emails" feature which we have automatically sent out to our clients at particular intervals.
- The search bar could use improvements. It will not pick up on spelling mistakes, and will therefore not find the invoice or client you desire unless the spelling is perfect. This can get frustrating. Additionally, it would be nice to broaden the search by allowing you to search by name, phone #, invoice #, invoice text, address, etc. all in a single search.
- Default email text that is sent to client with their invoice is the same for all your invoices. Therefore, it has to be general and cannot be specific to the service provided.
July 03, 2014
FreshBooks Fans for Life
My whole team uses FreshBooks for time tracking. We also use it to transfer that time to invoices within the program. The best part about their invoicing is that you can see when a client has viewed the invoice, and follow up accordingly for payment.
- Time tracking is so simple. Just create a project, connect it to a client, and you've got your pop-up timer able to run in the background. Signing into a few different browsers allows you to have 2-3 timers going at once for those who sometimes need to jump from job to job when getting a phone call or a quick issue comes up
- Since expense syncing has been added, it's been so easy to allocate expenses to clients. The time and expenses are available to add to the client's bill
- Accounts Receivable management is seamless, as you can see when your client has viewed the invoice, when a payment has been declined or will be retried. Just helps you know how to better approach a past due balance
- There is a mobile app just in case!!
- Would love for there to be an easier way of setting terms for each individual client and/or project.
- The Balance Sheet should be more of an automated report, instead of manual, which leads to mistakes.
- The system would need to be improved quite a bit, for this report to become automatic...such as, there can't be just a function to bring in Expenses, but to read bank balances, too.
July 01, 2014
Freshbooks is a balm for billing woes
After struggling for over a year with non-standardized invoicing procedures for our team of remote copywriters, Picobarn chose to make the Freshbooks free service mandatory for its employees. Rather than wasting time tracking down individual invoices come billing time, Freshbooks kept all of our invoices in the same place, offered PayPal compatible payment options, and allowed project managers to view in real time the hours logged per project. It also gave our copywriters the ability to accurately track their own hours and projects.
- Allowing for projects to have multiple contributors is in line with how many freelancers work.
- Automated email reminders for late invoices. It allows a bit of professional separation between freelancers and clients, something that many people new to freelancing struggle with.
- The flexibility in how invoices can be created combined with an invoice template makes billing customizable and less time intensive.
- I would like to see the option to display project notes on an invoice, rather than displaying time tracking notes for each individual time entry.
Whole organization. Mainly used for tracking invoices.
- Tracks invoices very well.
- Allows easy creation of invoices. You can then use email or snail mail to send invoice.
- Robust contact list and information therein.
- Accounting -- seems like they just threw a minimal set of features so that they could say they offer bookkeeping capabilities.
- Integration with Xero could be better. Sometimes the invoices didn't link up exactly.
June 25, 2014
Just a Little Tidbit
We used FreshBooks specifically for tracking time worked on specific projects and for invoicing clients.
- FreshBooks made the invoicing process easy. It was also very easy to set up recurring invoices on a schedule.
- If you made a mistake recording a payment for a particular invoice, it was difficult to undo the mistake once payment was recorded.
FRESHBOOKS is a life saver! We were using QuickBooks and it was so difficult to set up and maintain. You literally had to be an expert with the program in order to use it, especially with regard to set up. We currently use FB as our accounting system. We create invoices, email them out, set up recurring invoices to be issued by automatic option, we can see very detailed reports for expenses and client details. Also, a huge benefit is the ability for clients to have access to their accounts to view/ print invoices and file disputes. It offers a wonderful component of checks and balances without the awkward dispute. We have solved many administrative issues by using FB here. Our President of Operations even utilizes FB for his own personal expenses. It is totally user-friendly so there is no worry about "training". We waste no time getting a client satisfaction as everything is right there, in plain English. If there is ever an issue or question, the rockstars at FB as always VERY helpful and expeditious with their response and take the time out (unscripted and in plain English) to describe the function you are trying to access. Also, they are open to suggestions and they are always well received. They also have taken the time and thought to not only constantly improve this product, but to make sure we know why certain things are not available. Their main objective is to make sure this website-based program can be used for any industry which is pure genius!
- They are very receptive and helpful if you call for service. They speak plain English and are very personable and engaging. Nothing is scripted. I love how each has such a vibrant personality.
- Clients can view things with no hassle and you can even upload forms for their viewing so it is a huge time saver!
- It helps us see at a glance where we are spending, what clients are spending and who is in aging.
- It is VERY affordable and is a whole solution! It handles every need!
- SUPER simple to use yet offers so much in depth data!
- Sincerely I have recommended different features for it to offer but they have an iron-clad platform versatile for every industry so it cannot personalize per say.
- I wouldn't change a thing!
- Honest… After my time with it I have made suggestions and got solid reasons why it is not valuable to the product as a whole and if they offered different versions it would muddle the greatness!
- GREAT job FB! Keep it up! No complaints here!
Score 3 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use Freshbooks to track employee time on various client projects. Then we bill clients for that time. We also use Freshbooks to create estimates. We use it to send automated late payment reminders as well as subscription payments. Finally we use it to run reports on invoices, accounts due, employee time tracking and taxes.
- Invoicing is quite quick and flexible
- Creating estimates is also quick and easy to do
- Entering time, assigning that to clients, entering expenses and assigning to clients
- Pricing structure is very poor for us. $10/user per month when we have staff that comes and goes. And it's impossible to change a free contractor to a paid staff and vice-versa. This is my biggest complaint.
- They only allow one admin owner user. Emails must come from that account. This is annoying, as other staff cannot log in with the same power.
- The user interface is quite dated. I've made recommendations to improve it and all have been ignored. It's skinny and not fluid. Also, there is no way to link between invoices and clients.
March 20, 2014
I didn't know accounting could be this much fun!
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I am a freelancer working for a small number of clients on an ongoing basis. I use Freshbooks every day for preparing estimates, issuing invoices, entering expenses and keeping time sheets. It helps me stay organized by keeping everything in the same place and it's very easy to pull off reports such as time spent on projects and tasks as well as expenses for the year.
- I like the way my company logo appears automatically on my estimates and invoices. I used to use Word for these and the formatting always needed attention. Now my documents look professional and they take less time to produce.
- The time sheet function is very useful for clients who pay me on an hourly basis. It takes just minutes to pull off a timesheet per project and task at the end of each month in the required Excel format. I can also track how I am doing against my time estimate which is useful if I am working for a flat fee.
- I like the way expenses can be entered as one off or recurring and tax is automatically calculated. It's also very easy to pull off a report of expenses by category.
- I haven't found anything I'd like to change. It is very intuitive to use and meets my needs exactly.
December 11, 2013
Freshbooks AOK
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
- Easy to use interface
- Responsive customer support
- Would like to see better customization of overdue payment reminders.
- Integration with collection agency services in Canada. i.e. escalate to collections.