Integrate Your Systems with FreshBooks
December 13, 2017

Integrate Your Systems with FreshBooks

Mandy Cramer | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a really practical tool for invoicing, keeping track of time and expenses, etc... It's a particularly useful tool if you don't already know how to keep your own books.

Another great thing about FreshBooks is that you are able to do a trial which is free, I mean, completely free. You don't have to enter any credit card information, so if you decide it's not for you, you can quit using it. I'll admit I didn't continue using it because I already had a pretty in-depth system in place that worked for me as far as invoicing and keeping track of my hours and expenses, but I would definitely recommend FreshBooks overall to any new business owner.
  • Great Trial
  • Perfect for streamlining your accounting
  • Accept payments from multiple sources
  • Lovely Design
  • Client limits are sometimes a downer.
  • Credit Card fees still cost you when accepting payments via credit card.
  • Lite Services isn't worth the cost.
  • Unable to perfectly maintain my established branding with FreshBooks. Of course I can upload my logo, but it is not entirely consistent with my overall branding.
  • I don't feel the lite version is worth the cost since you can only have 5 clients, so unless you have a higher premium account, it can still cost quite a lot.
  • I feel like the cost of accepting payments via credit card on top of the cost of the app is not the most cost-effective for a small business who doesn't have to manage too many clients or accept so many payments.
FreshBooks is better than many other apps because it is so efficient and combines many different features that other programs don't integrate in one place.

I appreciate FreshBooks for its overall integration of invoicing, keeping track of hours, managing projects, and keeping records. I am used to keeping track of receipts, invoices, and projects using Excel or other programs like it, and that works, but I can't send those invoices directly from the app.
It is perfect for new business owners or businesses that want to be able to keep their own books. Of course it is still important to check with an accountant, but this can certainly save some time and money.

This is also great for freelancers because you can choose between billing by project or hourly. You can even keep track of how many hours you are working for each project.

I don't think FreshBooks would work as well with a large company because they might have tons of clients or accounts to keep track of. In those situations, it is best if they have their own accountant.

FreshBooks Feature Ratings

Accounts payable
9
Accounts receivable
9
Expense management
9
Time tracking
9
Regulations compliance
Not Rated
Pricing
9
Order entry
9
Credit card processing
9
Dashboards
7
Standard reports
7
Not Rated
API for custom integration
Not Rated
Plug-ins
Not Rated
Not Rated
Role-based user permissions
Not Rated

Using FreshBooks

1 - I am the owner of my own freelance Graphic Design business. I do everything from managing the business, creating the designs for my clients, meeting with clients, keeping track of my hours and managing invoices. I also have to remind clients when they don't pay me on time. It's a lot of pressure so apps like FreshBooks can save me time.
1 - I do my own support or look up anything I need to solve any problems I have in my business. FreshBooks is a simple to use app that can be accessed via computer or via mobile phone or tablet. So the least skills you'd need are at least proficiency with basic tech.

It can help if you are also already pretty good at managing your time and keeping on top of your own books.
  • Managing Invoices
  • Managing Projects
  • Keeping track of time
  • Keeping track of hours
  • Importing expenses which is great for organization and keeping track of company spending
  • Multiple ways to accept payment
  • If I was able to have unlimited clients
  • Creating Proposals or quotes for projects
  • Automated reminders
My main concern is not being able to have a higher amount of clients. The lite version is $15/mo which only allows you to invoice to up to 5 clients. My business manages about 12 regularly and a few random extra clients per a month. This means that I have to pay an extra $10 a month to do something I can do for free by myself. Yes, this app can save you time, but if you're good at staying on top of your expenses, hours, etc, there is no reason you can't do this without expending too much extra time on your own.

Using FreshBooks

It's a fantastic app, and it's very easy to use. I will admit, I don't use it so much anymore however because I already have great systems in place and I also don't like the limit on clients for the lite cost. I feel at $15/mo you should be able to manage more clients than 5. I don't use as many as 50 clients a month, but I certainly manage more than 5 as a freelancer.

But overall, the usability is easy and I'd recommend it to people who don't already know how to manage their books.
ProsCons
Like to use
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Feel confident using
Familiar
Unnecessarily complex
Cumbersome
  • It is easy to send an invoice
  • The design looks great for FreshBooks
  • It is easy to navigate and manage multiple functions of the app
  • It can be a little bit too many steps to set up an account or project
  • You can have multiple rates, but the limit on clients makes it feel somewhat pointless
  • You can't customize your invoicing to a full brand
Yes - It works really well. I actually set up my account initially using the app. I was able to navigate it easily and make changes to my account or clients at the touch of a button. I was able to move around with ease and not have to deal with normal interface problems that some apps like this can have.