How Much Does FreshBooks Accounting Cost?

FreshBooks is a good accounting software package for the self-employed or small businesses. With a price range of just £15 to £35 per month, plus a custom plan, it’s one of the most affordable platforms on the market and is also one of the easiest to use, making it great for those new to accounting.

However, FreshBooks might not be worth it for more established businesses looking to grow, since it’s missing some key reporting tools. These businesses might want to pay more to get access to powerful features with competitors like QuickBooks or Xero.

We’ll review how much each FreshBooks plan costs, what’s included in it, and what type of business it’s for. We’ll also go over hidden fees and help you decide whether FreshBooks is worth it for your business.

How Much Does FreshBooks Cost? Pricing Plan Comparison

FreshBooks has four pricing plans in total, one of which has custom pricing. The three others range from £15 to £35 per month.

Here’s what you get with each plan:

FreshBooks Lite: £15/month

• Who is it for? Newly registered sole traders, such as freelancers, with a limited client list who don’t plan on working with a professional accountant
• What is it for? Managing incomings and outgoings, and tax returns on a small scale

The FreshBooks Lite plan costs £15 per month on a monthly billing cycle, but businesses who pay for the year upfront get a reduction, bringing the plan down to £13.50 per month.

FreshBooks Lite: Features

For a starting plan, FreshBooks’ Lite plan comes with a decent set of features, including unlimited invoicing and VAT calculations and returns. Other features include:

• Unlimited quotes
• Unlimited expense tracking
• MTD VAT submissions
• Get paid via payment links and BACS
• Basic reporting

The main limitations of the Lite plan are that it can only be used to invoice a maximum of five clients, and it doesn’t allow for accountant collaboration. To get these features, users need to upgrade to the £25 per month Plus plan.

Additionally, the Lite plan, like all FreshBooks plans besides the Select plan, is limited to one user. Additional users cost £8 per month per user. For a detailed assessment of all FreshBooks’ features see our full FreshBooks review.

FreshBooks Plus: £25/month

• Who is it for? Freelancers or startups with a growing client list who want the option of working with an accountant
• What is it for? Managing incomings and outgoings, and tax returns on a small scale

The FreshBooks Plus plan costs £25 per month on a monthly billing cycle, and businesses who pay for the year upfront get a reduction, bringing the plan down to £22.50 per month.

FreshBooks Plus: Upgraded features vs Lite

The main difference between the Plus plan and the Lite plan is that the client limit increases to 50, and businesses can invite an accountant to collaborate with them. There are a few other key differences between the plans that make the Plus plan more suitable for individuals or businesses with increased activity:

• Tools for accountants (double-entry reports, automated bank reconciliation)
• Advanced reporting (tracking loans, and assets, creating unique expense categories)
• Expense receipt data capture
• Being able to set up client retainers
• Accepts e-signatures

The main limitation of the Plus plan compared to the Premium plan is that there’s still a limit on the number of clients you can invoice.

FreshBooks Premium: £35/month

• Who is it for? Small businesses with an established number of clients and a small number of staff
• What is it for? Managing increasing incoming and outgoings, tax returns, and financial planning

The FreshBooks Premium plan costs £35 per month on a monthly billing cycle, and businesses who pay for the year upfront get a reduction, bringing the plan down to £31.50 per month.

FreshBooks Premium: Upgraded features vs Plus

The main difference between the Premium plan and the Plus plan is that businesses can now send invoices and quotes to an unlimited number of clients. Besides that, there aren’t many differences between the plans, except these few added features:

• Customisable email templates and dynamic email fields
• Automatic bill receipt data capture
• Project profitability reports

These extra tools make the Premium plan more suitable for businesses that require customisation to create brand-aligned invoices and personalised emails for clients, as opposed to sole traders. The added reporting feature also suits businesses over individuals who need to effectively manage their finances.

There aren’t many differences between the Premium plan and the Select plan, other than the fact that the Select plan gives businesses access to personalised support.

FreshBooks Select: Custom pricing

• Who is it for? Established small businesses that are switching to FreshBooks from another software package, that need customisation and increased support
• What is it for? Managing increasing incomings and outgoings, tax returns on a moderate scale, and financial planning

The Select plan is the only FreshBooks plan to have custom pricing and requires businesses to request a quote.

FreshBooks Select: Upgraded features vs Premium

The main difference between the Select plan and the Premium plan is that it gives businesses access to priority customer support and help with switching to FreshBooks, which could be worth it for established businesses. Here’s the full list of extra features:

• Two team member accounts
• Remove FreshBooks branding from emails
• Offers more payment options (subscriptions, credit card payment in-person and over the phone, store card data)
• Priority support
• Help with onboarding and data migration

All in all, we don’t think the Select plan is worth it for most businesses unless they feel they need dedicated support. You can get access to higher user limits and unbranded emails at a clear price point with rival QuickBooks or Zoho Books.

Does FreshBooks Have Any Hidden Fees?

FreshBooks’ only real hidden fee is the fact that all plans have a one-user limit, and additional users cost £8 per month per user. The only plan that doesn’t have a one-user limit is the Select plan, but even then it’s capped at two users.

This is an unusual added cost, since most of FreshBooks’ rivals, including Xero, QuickBooks, and Zoho Books, increase user limits as plans go up in price.

Additionally, although not a hidden cost per se, FreshBooks does have an add-on, the £15 per month Advanced Payments feature. This feature allows businesses to accept a wider variety of payments and is included in the Select plan. It’s not a necessary purchase, however, since standard FreshBooks plans allow for payments via payment links and BACS, which is enough for most businesses.

Does FreshBooks Offer Discounts?

FreshBooks offers discounted pricing for businesses on a yearly billing cycle. Paying for the year upfront results in a 10% discount compared to paying month to month.

Here are the numbers:

• Lite: £15 per month monthly billing, £13.50 per month annual billing
• Plus: £25 per month monthly billing, £22.50 per month annual billing
• Premium: £35 per month monthly billing, £31.50 per month annual billing

The discount does not apply to the Select plan since pricing is custom.

FreshBooks doesn’t currently have any other discounts running, not even for non-profits, but it’s always worth having a look online for new active discounts.

FreshBooks Alternatives

If you don’t think FreshBooks is the right option for you, here are some alternatives:

Zoho Books has a free plan, a rarity, and paid plans that range from £10 to £165 per month. Its top-tier plan is one of the most expensive on the market, but Zoho Books’ mid-tier plans are actually priced similarly to FreshBooks’, costing £20 to £25, compared with £15 to £25.

Overall, Zoho Books is similar to FreshBooks when it comes to usability – both platforms are very easy to use – but it offers more powerful financial planning tools and inventory management tools, making it a better option for small to medium businesses.

QuickBooks, comes with pricing plans ranging from £10 to £115 per month. Compared with FreshBooks, QuickBooks has a cheaper starting price, but it more expensive top-tier plans.

However, these plans are worth it for growing businesses, since they come with more generous user limits than the FreshBooks plans, and advanced budgeting and financial analysis tools that are not available with FreshBooks.