Item: FreshBooks
Rating: 10
Author: Lou Gallo

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is currently being used to manage and track expenses, log hours and invoice companies for our family small business. I have also written a few automations using their API to allow easy entry of payments and tracking what is owed. In addition to these business actions, Freshbooks is linked through their partner network into our payroll system so that the expenses of payroll and costs associated with running the business can be easily computed for tax time.

Pros and Cons

Super intuitive interface and ease of actions.
Integrations with other web services like Gusto help the handoff of tracking of payroll.
Being a hosted platform, it is simple to share links for reference to my tax service people for access to any numbers.
Reporting is great as it can break down the P&L and compiling deductions during tax time.

They recently updated their interface which was one area that needed an update. But overall the areas that were lacking a few years ago (Old XML API, Older interface, poor mobile apps) Have all been address so I really don't have many complaints. If you are someone like me who does not want to become a accounting wizard and simply want to run your business, this was a great solution.

Return on Investment

Freshbooks has simplified my accounting needs for my small business since it is easy to access, integrate and sync with my other systems.
It is low cost and saves about a week of work at the end of tax time to pull together what is needed to get things submitted.
Not having to travel to meet with my accountant allows a secure way to communicate and keep in sync.

Alternatives Considered

QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

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 anywhere. Today there are many more competitors but I have not bothered looked since Freshbooks seems to continue to invest in making their platform awesome and current as time passes.

Other Software Used

Figma, Zoom, GitHub

Likelihood to Recommend

For a small business where you want to add to link your business bank account, track expenses, log hours on projects and invoice customers without any hassle, this is the platform to use. Easy to set up, customize and you can send invoices via email and get paid electronically. If they send you checks you can send them into your bank, log the checks and close out invoices. I also love sharing a link with my accountant so they can log in and get whatever reports are needed. Mobile apps are great for tracking time and checking on payments. You cannot beat the simplicity. If you use other tools like Gusto, the integration is great and I get reports of those costs to run the business right inside Freshbooks.

Automated accounting is the key to small business

Overall Satisfaction with FreshBooks