FreshBooks vs Zoho Books
Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.
FreshBooks
Invoicing first accounting for people who bill for their time
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension. FreshBooks against Zoho Books, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
32FreshBooks 3, Zoho Books 2
FreshBooks vs Zoho Books, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0.9
FreshBooks leads on customer service
Verified reviews
344
96 for FreshBooks, 248 for Zoho Books
FreshBooks96 verified reviews
Zoho Books248 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- FreshBooks
- Zoho Books
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- FreshBooks96
- Zoho Books248
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Zoho Books is the cheaper way in. Lower is not automatically better, so weigh it against the ratings above.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| FreshBooks | Zoho Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| Reviews | 96 | 248 |
| Ease of use | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| Value for money | 4.3 | 4.7 |
| Customer service | 4.6 | 3.7 |
| Functionality | 4.0 | 4.4 |
| Starting price | $21/mo | $20/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | No | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | FreshBooks | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing and recurring billing | ||
| Automatic late payment reminders | ||
| Client retainers and deposits | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Project profitability | ||
| Expense tracking and receipt capture | ||
| Online card and bank payments | ||
| Double entry accounting | ||
| Mileage tracking | ||
| Client portal | ||
| Proposals and estimates | ||
| True double entry accounting | ||
| Automated bank feeds and reconciliation rules | ||
| Client portal with online payment | ||
| Recurring invoices and payment reminders | ||
| Inventory tracking on Professional and above | ||
| Multi currency with automatic exchange rates | ||
| Custom workflow automation | ||
| Project time tracking and billing | ||
| Open API on affordable tiers | ||
| Deep integration with the wider Zoho suite |
Pricing
Both price lists, side by side
Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.
FreshBooks plans
Lite
Up to 5 billable clients.
$21/mo
per month
- 5 billable clients
- Unlimited invoices
- Expense tracking
- Online payments
- Sales tax on invoices
Plus
Up to 50 billable clients. Adds recurring billing and retainers.
$38/mo
per month
- 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Client retainers
- Double entry accounting
- Accountant access
Premium
Unlimited clients and project profitability.
$65/mo
per month
- Unlimited billable clients
- Project profitability
- Accounts payable
- Customized email templates
- Advanced reporting
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with FreshBooks for the figure you will actually pay.
Zoho Books plans
Free
For businesses under 50,000 dollars of annual revenue.
Free
no card required
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- Client portal
- Automatic payment reminders
- Up to 1,000 invoices a year
- Bank feed connections
Standard
3 users. The plan most small businesses actually start on.
$20/mo
per month
- 3 users
- Recurring invoices and expenses
- Bank reconciliation rules
- Project time tracking
- Sales tax tracking
- 15 dollars a month billed annually
Professional
5 users. Adds purchase orders, inventory and multi currency.
$50/mo
per month
- 5 users
- Purchase orders and sales orders
- Inventory tracking
- Multi currency handling
- Custom workflow rules
- Vendor portal
Premium
10 users. Custom domain, budgeting and deeper automation.
$70/mo
per month
- 10 users
- Custom domain and branding
- Budgeting
- Custom buttons and functions
- Twenty five custom modules
- Validation rules
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Zoho for the figure you will actually pay.