Alternatives
FreshBooks alternatives for freelancers, free and paid
FreshBooks is invoicing and accounting software for small businesses: invoices, time, expenses, online payments and reports.[1] Its plans are priced by the number of billable clients, from 5 on Lite to unlimited on Premium.[2] Below are 4 alternatives, with facts taken from each vendor’s own website, and an honest list of where FreshBooks is the better fit.
Last checked: November 5, 2026. Prices are list prices shown that day; vendors often run temporary discounts.
FreshBooks at a glance
- US list prices are Lite $23, Plus $43 and Premium $70 a month, plus a custom Select plan; on November 5, 2026 they were shown with 80% off the first 4 months.[2]
- Billable clients: 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus, unlimited on Premium and Select; archived clients count toward the limit.[2]
- Team members cost $11 per user per month; Select includes 2 team member accounts.[2]
- A 30-day free trial without a card and a 30-day money-back guarantee; no free plan is described.[2]
- Every plan includes a client portal, recurring invoices, late payment reminders, time tracking, expenses and automatic bank imports.[2]
- Proposals, e-signatures and client retainers start on Plus, with double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access.[2]
- FreshBooks Payments takes cards and bank transfers for businesses in the US and Canada; businesses elsewhere connect Stripe Standard instead.[3]
- FreshBooks Payroll, powered by Gusto, is a paid add-on for businesses in the United States.[4]
- An MCP connector for Claude, announced on September 25, 2026, links a FreshBooks account from Claude's connector directory.[5]
FreshBooks and Clodou
| FreshBooks | Clodou | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Per account, $23 to $70 a month (US list prices), by number of billable clients[2] | Per workspace: Free, Solo $29 (1 seat) or Team $79 (5 seats) a month |
| Free option | 30-day trial, no free plan described[2] | Free plan: 20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month, after a 14-day Team trial |
| Team members | $11 per user per month[2] | Team includes 5 seats, then $12 per extra seat a month |
| Quotes and invoices | Estimates, recurring invoices, late fees and reminders on every plan; proposals and retainers from Plus[2] | Quotes and invoices from a chat message, quote to invoice in one step, monthly retainer drafts, reminders prepared for approval |
| E-signature and client portal | Client portal on every plan; e-signatures from Plus[2] | No |
| Online payments | FreshBooks Payments in the US and Canada; Stripe Standard elsewhere[3] | No card processing; your own payment link printed on invoices (Team) |
| Accounting | Bank imports on every plan; double-entry reports and bank reconciliation from Plus[2] | No ledger or bank feeds; CSV exports and a profit & tax summary |
| Payroll | Add-on: $40 a month plus $6 per user[2] | No |
| AI | MCP connector for Claude (announced September 2026)[5] | A chat agent with more than 60 tools in the app and an MCP server; sensitive actions wait for approval |
| Mobile | iPhone and Android apps[1] | No app; web only |
Where FreshBooks is a better fit
- You need double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation and reports your accountant can work in (Plus and above).[2]
- You want bank transactions imported automatically and expenses tracked in the same tool.[2]
- You want clients to pay inside the invoice by card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay or buy now, pay later.[2]
- You run US payroll and want it in the same account (FreshBooks Payroll, powered by Gusto).[4]
- You want e-signatures on proposals and a client portal.[2]
- You want iPhone and Android apps with mileage tracking.[1]
Where Clodou is a better fit
- You would rather type what happened than fill in forms, and want an agent that does the admin and asks before anything leaves.
- You have more clients than an entry plan allows: Clodou is priced per workspace, not by number of clients.
- You want a free plan to start, and 5 seats included in one workspace price when the team grows.
- You also want a sales pipeline, projects, stock and purchase-order drafts next to your quotes and invoices.
In the UK
FreshBooks' UK list prices are £16, £30 and £42 a month (Lite, Plus and Premium), and every plan can submit MTD-compliant VAT returns to HMRC.[6] In Clodou, a UK workspace prints VAT and your VAT registration number on quotes and invoices and suggests GBP as its currency. Clodou does not submit VAT returns or connect to HMRC: if you need Making Tax Digital for VAT, keep a tool that does, and confirm what your invoices need with your accountant.
4 FreshBooks alternatives
1. Clodou
A chat-first AI back office: you type what happened, and the agent adds the client, writes the quote or invoice, logs time or an expense, and waits for an owner's or admin's approval before it emails a client or records a payment.
Price: Free plan (20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month), then $29 (Solo, 1 seat) or $79 (Team, 5 seats included, $12 per extra seat) a month per workspace, or $290 and $790 a year; every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team.
- Quotes and invoices with your country's tax words (sales tax, VAT, GST, GST/HST), several taxes on one invoice (GST and QST, for example) or a different rate per line, branded PDFs and ten currencies.
- Time, expenses from receipt photos, projects, pipeline, monthly retainer drafts, inventory and purchase-order drafts.
- An MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, with the same approvals and undo as the chat.
- Not included: e-signature, client portal, scheduling, card processing, bookkeeping, bank feeds, payroll and tax filing. Web app, in English.
2. Wave
Small business software for accounting, invoicing, online payments and payroll.[7]
Price: Starter is free; Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year in the US ($25 or $250 CAD in Canada), per business.[8]
- Only for businesses located in the US and Canada.[9]
- Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction; Pro waives the $0.60 on the first 10 each month.[8]
- Pro adds automatic bank imports, unlimited receipt capture and automated late payment reminders.[8]
- Payroll is an add-on, from $40 a month plus $6 per employee in the US.[10]
3. Bonsai
One platform for client management, project delivery and billing for service businesses.[11]
Price: $9 to $49 per user per month billed annually, or $15 to $59 billed monthly (shown in dollars); the Elite plan needs at least 3 users.[12]
- 7-day free trial; no free plan is described.[12]
- Contracts, proposals and a client portal from the Essentials plan.[12]
- Its own payment service, Bonsai Payments, is available in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.[13]
- Bonsai MCP connects AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor to look up and create records, left for your review.[14]
4. HoneyBook
Business management software for independent service professionals, with proposals, contracts, scheduling, invoices and payments in one place.[15]
Price: $36, $59 or $129 a month per account in the US when billed monthly (Starter, Essentials and Premium), less when billed yearly, with local prices in the UK, Canada and Australia.[16]
- 30-day free trial without a card.[16]
- Available only to businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.[16]
- Proposals clients sign and pay from one file, contracts with e-signatures and a client portal on all plans.[16]
- An MCP connector, listed in Claude's connector directory and open to any MCP-compatible client, can create and update records with your authorisation.[17]
Questions
- Is there a free alternative to FreshBooks?
- Yes. Of the tools on this page, Wave has a free Starter plan (unlimited invoices and bookkeeping records, for businesses in the US and Canada) and Clodou has a free plan (20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month). On November 5, 2026, FreshBooks, Bonsai and HoneyBook described free trials (30, 7 and 30 days) rather than free plans on their own sites.
- How much does FreshBooks cost?
- On November 5, 2026, FreshBooks' US list prices were $23 (Lite, 5 billable clients), $43 (Plus, 50) and $70 (Premium, unlimited) a month, shown with 80% off the first 4 months. Team members were $11 per user per month, and FreshBooks Payroll $40 a month plus $6 per user.
- Does Clodou replace FreshBooks' accounting?
- No. Clodou has no ledger, no bank feeds or reconciliation, no payroll and no tax filing. It runs quotes, invoices, payments received, time, expenses and the rest of the back office from a chat, with CSV exports and a profit & tax summary for your accountant.
- Can I use FreshBooks Payments outside the US and Canada?
- On November 5, 2026, FreshBooks' help center said FreshBooks Payments is only for businesses in the US and Canada, and that businesses elsewhere can use Stripe Standard. Clodou does not process payments: on the Team plan it prints your own payment link (from Stripe, PayPal or your bank, for example) on every invoice.
- Which of these tools work with Claude?
- FreshBooks, Bonsai and HoneyBook each describe an MCP connector on their own sites. Clodou has an AI agent in the app and an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, with approvals for sensitive actions.
Your whole back office, in one chat
Every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team, no card required. Then stay on Free: 20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month.
Sources (accessed November 5, 2026)
- [1] FreshBooks home page
- [2] FreshBooks pricing (US)
- [3] FreshBooks support: FreshBooks Payments
- [4] FreshBooks support: what is FreshBooks Payroll?
- [5] FreshBooks press release: MCP connector
- [6] FreshBooks pricing (UK)
- [7] Wave home page
- [8] Wave pricing
- [9] Wave help: create a Wave account
- [10] Wave payroll
- [11] Bonsai home page
- [12] Bonsai pricing
- [13] Bonsai help: integrated payment methods
- [14] Bonsai MCP
- [15] HoneyBook product information
- [16] HoneyBook pricing (US)
- [17] HoneyBook blog: introducing the HoneyBook MCP
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