Xero vs FreshBooks
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. Xero against FreshBooks, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
41Xero 4, FreshBooks 1
Xero vs FreshBooks, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0.5
FreshBooks leads on customer service
Verified reviews
290
194 for Xero, 96 for FreshBooks
Xero194 verified reviews
FreshBooks96 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Xero
- FreshBooks
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- Xero194
- FreshBooks96
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
Xero 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.
| Xero | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Reviews | 194 | 96 |
| Ease of use | 4.7 | 4.6 |
| Value for money | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| Customer service | 4.1 | 4.6 |
| Functionality | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $21/mo |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | No | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Xero | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited users on every plan | ||
| Automated bank feeds | ||
| Side by side reconciliation | ||
| Invoicing and online payments | ||
| GST/HST returns for CRA | ||
| Sales tax via Avalara | ||
| Project tracking | ||
| Expense claims | ||
| Multi currency | ||
| Inventory | ||
| Fixed asset register | ||
| Full audit trail | ||
| Accountant tools | ||
| 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 |
Pricing
Both price lists, side by side
Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.
Xero plans
Early
Capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills a month. Genuinely small.
$20/mo
per month
- 20 invoices per month
- 5 bills per month
- Bank reconciliation
- Unlimited users
- Short term cash flow
Growing
Uncapped invoicing. Where almost everyone actually starts.
$47/mo
per month
- Unlimited invoices and bills
- Bank reconciliation
- Unlimited users
- Bulk transaction reconcile
- Short term cash flow
Established
Adds multi currency, projects and expense claims.
$80/mo
per month
- Everything in Growing
- Multi currency
- Project tracking
- Expense claims
- Advanced analytics
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Xero Limited for the figure you will actually pay.
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.