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FreshBooks alternatives: 5 tools compared honestly

The best FreshBooks alternative for a service business that needs projects and a client portal, not just books, is a client-work tool: Workspace369 (from $29/mo, texts and calls from $74/mo), Bonsai (Essentials $25/mo per seat) or Plutio (Core $19/mo). If you want deeper books instead, QuickBooks Online starts at $38/mo. FreshBooks raised prices in March 2026 (Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70 a month) and is still a fair pick if invoicing and books are the whole job. You can move clients, invoices and expenses as spreadsheets; projects and time entries don’t transfer. Prices last checked October 26, 2026. Workspace369 is our product; it sits in the same table under the same rules.

Simon Dziak, Founder

Published · Updated

Methodology — We first read each tool’s pricing page in a browser on October 17, 2026. On October 26, 2026 we re-read every competitor price, plan limit and add-on on this page on the vendor’s own pages, in a browser with the monthly and yearly views read separately; Intuit’s pricing page blocks automated browsers, so QuickBooks Online was read with a remote fetch that day. Workspace369 is our product; we link its pricing page and say where it is not the best fit.

Facts last verified from FreshBooks's public pages. FreshBooks is a trademark of its owner; Workspace369 isn't affiliated with or endorsed by it. Spot an error? Tell us at support@workspace369.com and we'll fix it.

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The short version, by scenario

The best FreshBooks alternative depends on whether you need books or client work. For a service business that needs projects and a client portal: Workspace369 keeps proposals, projects, the client portal, invoices and payments on one client record, with texts and calls from Voyager ($74/mo, 2 seats) and basic accounting from Specialist ($149/mo, 10 seats). Bonsai Essentials ($25/mo per seat) wraps proposals, contracts and time tracking around invoicing; Plutio Core ($19/mo, up to 9 active clients) is the cheapest client portal here. HoneyBook (Starter $36/mo on monthly billing) is the polished pick for creatives.

What FreshBooks changed: it raised plan prices in March 2026, to Lite $23, Plus $43 and Premium $70 a month (last checked October 26, 2026, when the page also showed 80% off the first 4 months). Stay on FreshBooks if your accountant works in your file and invoicing plus books is the whole job. Go to QuickBooks Online (Simple Start $38/mo for 1 user, Essentials $85/mo for 3) if you need deeper books and the biggest accountant ecosystem.

Moving over: export clients, invoices and expenses from FreshBooks as spreadsheets, and Workspace369’s AI Import maps the columns (expenses from Specialist). Projects, time entries, recurring schedules and payment connections don’t transfer and are set up again. Free option: QuickBooks lists a Free plan at $0/mo, and our free invoice generator makes one-off invoices with no signup; neither is a full FreshBooks replacement.

Prices above checked October 26, 2026. Moving from FreshBooks? The FreshBooks switch guide has the steps, and Workspace369 pricing lists every plan.

Why people leave FreshBooks in 2026

One dated price increase in 2026, plus a cap rule most switchers only learn at renewal. The events behind the current wave of “FreshBooks alternatives” searches:

  1. Mar 2026

    FreshBooks raises plan prices

    FreshBooks increased plan pricing in March 2026 and published a FAQ about the change. The lineup on our October 26, 2026 check: Lite $23/mo (5 billable clients), Plus $43/mo (50 billable clients), Premium $70/mo (no client cap), with Select as the custom tier. The page also showed 80% off the first 4 months, so the bill steps up to list price afterwards.

  2. Sep 23, 2026

    Client caps still count archived clients

    Per FreshBooks’ own FAQ, the Lite and Plus client limits count active and archived clients together — deleting a client frees a slot while keeping its invoices accessible. For a growing practice, the cap, not the feature list, is what forces the upgrade.

Workspace369 on iPhone and iPad

Workspace369 App Store screenshot: the iPhone dashboard with tasks and events today, reminders, revenue and clientsWorkspace369 App Store screenshot: an iPhone client page with open invoices, amount outstanding and the next visitWorkspace369 App Store screenshot: the iPhone projects list with status and priority tags, progress and budget
Screenshots from Workspace369’s App Store listing.

One workspace on the web, iPhone and iPad. What the app does today:

  • Native app for iPhone and iPad, with iPad in every orientation.
  • Same workspace as the web app at app.workspace369.com.
  • Send invoices and proposals, track time, and share payment links.
  • Read the inbox and open any client record from the same app.
  • See your calendar and what is coming up for the day.
  • Share a receipt to Workspace369 to start an expense. Expense tracking and receipt capture start at Specialist.

App Store listing, checked October 26, 2026

iPhone
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
iPad
Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later.

See the mobile app →Workspace369 on the App Store ↗

FreshBooks alternatives compared

The two columns that decide most switches are SMS and voice, and built-in accounting. FreshBooks is the first row for context; the alternatives follow.

ToolPrice (tier most buyers need)SeatsSMSVoice / phoneBuilt-in accountingClient portalPayment plansTime trackingLast checked
FreshBooks current toolpricing ↗$23/mo Lite (5 billable clients) · Plus $43 · Premium $701 user · extra team members $11/mo eachNot listed on FreshBooks's pricing page (checked Oct 26, 2026)Not listed on FreshBooks's pricing page (checked Oct 26, 2026)Double-entry reports from Plus ($43/mo)yes — every planDeposits on every plan · retainers from Plusyes — every planOct 26, 2026
QuickBooks Online pricing ↗$38/mo Simple Start (1 user) · Essentials $85 (3 users) · Plus $140 (5)1 / 3 / 5 / 25 users by planno — invoice texting dropped from the current invoice layout (Jan 2025)See siteyes — the category defaultSee siteSee siteSee siteOct 26, 2026
Bonsai pricing ↗$25/mo Essentials, per seat (monthly) · Basic $15Per-seat pricing on all tiers · Elite has a 3-user minimumNot listed on Bonsai's pricing page (checked Oct 26, 2026)Not listed on Bonsai's pricing page (checked Oct 26, 2026)Income & expense tracking; QuickBooks/Xero sync from PremiumFrom EssentialsRetainer & subscription invoicesyes — all tiersOct 26, 2026
Plutio pricing ↗$49/mo Pro · Core $19/mo caps at 9 active clientsPro: up to 30 contributors · Max $199/moNot listed on Plutio's pricing page (checked Oct 26, 2026)Not listed on Plutio's pricing page (checked Oct 26, 2026)Not listed on Plutio's pricing page (checked Oct 26, 2026)See siteSee siteyes — all tiersOct 26, 2026
HoneyBook pricing ↗$59/mo Essentials on monthly billing · $49/mo billed yearly1 on Starter · up to 2 on Essentials · no team cap on PremiumReminders from Essentials; 2-way texting is an add-on from $8/mo (300 texts), US and CanadaBusiness number in the same $8/mo add-on, US and CanadaExpense tracking; QuickBooks sync from EssentialsIncludedIncludedyes — switched off Sep 8, 2026, restored Sep 15 (checked Oct 26, 2026)Oct 26, 2026
Workspace369 ourspricing →$74/mo Voyager (2 seats — the calls and texts tier) · solo from $29/moFlat by plan: 1 / 2 / 10 / 20 / 50 seats · extra seats $10yes — from Voyager $74/moyes — from Voyager $74/moBasic from Specialist · full from Commander $299/moyes — every plan, from Cadet $29/moyes — from Specialistyes — every plan, from Cadet $29/moOct 26, 2026

Prices are monthly billing at the tier most FreshBooks switchers actually need, last checked October 26, 2026; annual-billing equivalents and cheaper entry tiers are in each tool’s section below. “See site” means we could not verify the figure on the vendor’s own page that day — we don’t guess prices.

A dash on another tool's row means the feature is not listed on that tool's pricing page on the date shown for that row. It links to the page we read, so you can check it yourself.

The alternatives, in detail

QuickBooks Online quickbooks.intuit.com ↗

Best for: Businesses whose accountant runs on QuickBooks and that want the deepest small-business bookkeeping ecosystem, payroll and inventory add-ons included.

Pricing: Simple Start $38 (1 user), Essentials $85 (3 users), Plus $140 (5 users) and Advanced $340 (25 users) a month, last checked October 26, 2026, when each plan showed “50% off for 3 months”. A Free plan is listed at $0/mo for getting started. Intuit’s pricing-changes FAQ lists an August 1, 2026 increase for Essentials, Plus and Advanced.

Where it wins

  • The deepest small-business books on this list — and the one your accountant most likely already knows
  • The largest ecosystem of add-ons, payroll and integrations in the category
  • Bank feeds and reconciliation are battle-tested at enormous scale

Real limitations

  • An August 2026 price increase on top of years of earlier rises — renewal-price transparency is not its strength
  • SMS invoice texting dropped from the current invoice layout (January 2025) and never replaced
  • It runs ledgers, not client work: proposals, projects, portal and texting live in other tools

Skip it if: You mostly bill for client work and don’t need full double-entry depth — a client-work tool plus your accountant’s ledger costs less and fits better.

Bonsai hellobonsai.com ↗

Best for: Freelancers leaving FreshBooks who want the work side filled in — proposals, contracts and time tracking wrapped around invoicing — for about the same money.

Pricing: Basic $15, Essentials $25, Premium $39, Elite $59 per seat/month on monthly billing, or $9/$19/$29/$49 a month per seat billed annually, last checked October 26, 2026; Elite carries a 3-user minimum. Invoices, proposals and the client portal start at Essentials. Zoom acquired Bonsai in a deal Zoom says closed in December 2025 — worth watching how the roadmap shifts under new ownership.

Where it wins

  • Proposals, contracts, time tracking and invoicing in one flow — the work side FreshBooks keeps light
  • Retainer and subscription invoices for recurring client work
  • Income and expense tracking built in, so the books start before QuickBooks

Real limitations

  • Per-seat pricing: a 4-person team on Essentials pays $100/mo, and integrations sit behind Premium ($39/seat)
  • No SMS or phone line
  • Fee creep on extras — things like the tax solution cost extra even though “one-stop shop” is the pitch

Skip it if: You need real double-entry books (FreshBooks does more there) or you run a team — the per-seat math climbs fast.

Plutio plutio.com ↗

Best for: Solo operators who want a real client portal and project workspace for less than FreshBooks Lite — and can live inside the 9-active-client cap.

Pricing: Core $19/mo (up to 9 active clients), Pro $49/mo (no client cap, up to 30 contributors), Max $199/mo (white-label, SSO), last checked October 26, 2026. Yearly billing takes two months off. 7-day free trial, no card.

Where it wins

  • Projects, invoices, proposals, contracts, time tracking, forms and scheduling on all tiers, including the $19 one
  • A proper client portal at the lowest price on this list
  • White-labeling and SSO on Max for agencies that resell the portal

Real limitations

  • The 9-active-client cap on Core is easy to hit; archiving frees a slot, but that’s ongoing admin
  • No SMS or phone line on its pricing page
  • No accounting module — the books need a second tool, which is what you were trying to leave

Skip it if: You need the books and the work in one tool — Plutio covers the work only.

HoneyBook honeybook.com ↗

Best for: Solo creatives leaving FreshBooks who care more about polished proposals, contracts and client experience than about double-entry books.

Pricing: $36/$59/$129 a month on monthly billing for Starter, Essentials and Premium, or $29/$49/$109 a month billed yearly (the page says yearly billing saves up to 18%), last checked October 26, 2026. Texting and calling are an add-on from $8/mo (300 texts) for members in the US and Canada, per HoneyBook’s Phone & SMS page and help center on October 26, 2026. HoneyBook switched Time Tracker off on September 8, 2026 and brought it back on September 15, 2026; a HoneyBook employee confirmed in its community that previous entries were kept.

Where it wins

  • The most polished client experience on this list — interactive files and a deep template gallery
  • Payment plans and client portal included
  • No team-member cap on Premium, if roles and permissions matter later

Real limitations

  • Not an accounting tool — expense tracking and a QuickBooks sync are the whole story
  • Three dated price events in 20 months: the February 2025 overhaul, the legacy discount expiring in February 2026, and the paid texting add-on in August 2026
  • Time Tracker was switched off on September 8, 2026 and only restored a week later, after member complaints

Skip it if: You need real books (stay in the accounting row) or you bill by the hour.

Workspace369 workspace369.com ↗

Best for: Service businesses that want invoicing next to the project, the client conversation and the books — proposals, a portal, SMS, voice and payment plans included as the plan grows, instead of FreshBooks plus a texting app plus a portal.

Pricing: Cadet $29/mo (1 seat, with time tracking), Voyager $74/mo (2 seats — adds the shared inbox, texts and calls), Specialist $149/mo (10 seats — adds IVR and call queues, payment plans and basic accounting), Commander $299/mo (20 seats — full accounting), Enterprise $699/mo (50 seats). Yearly billing saves 20%; extra seats are $10 from Voyager. Claiming dedicated SMS/voice numbers carries a $50 one-time carrier compliance setup. Checked October 26, 2026 — every number is on the pricing page.

Where it wins

  • Native SMS and a business phone line inside the CRM from Voyager — FreshBooks lists neither
  • Invoices and payment plans (from Specialist, $149/mo) sit next to projects, files and the client record — not in a separate billing app
  • Basic accounting from Specialist covers a chart of accounts, expense categories and AR aging; the trial balance, P&L, balance sheet and full accounting are on Commander ($299/mo)
  • Flat plans priced by seats — no billable-client caps counting your archived clients

Real limitations

  • If you need full double-entry books today, FreshBooks does more for less: double-entry reports start on Plus at $43/mo, while our full accounting starts at Commander ($299/mo). Keep the books where they are if that’s the main need
  • Calls and texts require Voyager ($74/mo, 2 seats), and the phone system (IVR, call queues, recording) requires Specialist ($149/mo, 10 seats)
  • No direct import from FreshBooks: AI Import maps the spreadsheets you export, and templates and automations are rebuilt by hand

Skip it if: Your primary need is bookkeeping with invoicing attached — FreshBooks or QuickBooks is the right tool for that. Workspace369 is for when the client work, not the ledger, is the center.

Try Voyager free for 14 days — calls and texts built in

14-day free trial. Card required. After the trial: $74/month for Voyager. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings → Billing.

Need IVR and call queues? Try Specialist

14-day free trial. Card required. After the trial: $149/month for Specialist. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings → Billing.

See full pricing →

Stay on FreshBooks if…

  • Your accountant opens your FreshBooks file and tax time works — the March 2026 increase didn’t change that, and QuickBooks raised Essentials, Plus and Advanced prices on August 1, 2026.
  • Plus genuinely fits your practice — up to 50 billable clients with double-entry reports, proposals and retainers at $43/mo is still a fair books-plus-invoicing setup.
  • You live in the proposal-to-project conversion and the project profitability reports — those are genuinely good, and nothing on this list clones them exactly.
  • You are mid-tax-year. Switching books mid-period is the worst version of this move: finish the year, export clean, start the new tool in January.

How to switch from FreshBooks

  1. 01

    Export your FreshBooks data

    Clients and open invoices first, then expenses, then the reports your accountant needs: P&L, balance sheet, general ledger, tax summary. Download everything before downgrading — the file is yours, but only while you can log in.

  2. 02

    Start a Workspace369 trial

    14-day free trial. Import clients by CSV instead of retyping anything, and connect your inbox and calendar so conversations land beside the work.

  3. 03

    Run one real client through the full loop

    Proposal to project to invoice to payment, plus one text from the client record — FreshBooks has no built-in texting, so test it on a real client before you move anyone else.

  4. 04

    Switch at a tax boundary

    Keep FreshBooks through the end of the current tax period, start the new one in the new tool, and cancel only after the period is closed and exported. Your accountant will thank you.

There’s no direct import from FreshBooks, but you don’t retype your records: export them as spreadsheets, and Workspace369’s AI Import maps the columns and shows the AI usage estimate before it saves anything. Support can help you map anything unusual. For the feature-by-feature version of this page, start with the head-to-head:

Workspace369 vs FreshBooks →

Questions FreshBooks users actually ask

Is FreshBooks worth it after the 2026 price increase?
Depends what you use it for. As invoicing plus friendly double-entry books, yes: Lite $23/mo, Plus $43/mo (where double-entry reports start), Premium $70/mo (last checked October 26, 2026) still undercuts most of the market, and QuickBooks raised Essentials, Plus and Advanced prices on August 1, 2026. As a client-work tool, the increase just makes the same old edges — light projects, no texting or calling — cost more.
How many clients can I have on FreshBooks Lite?
Five billable clients, and per FreshBooks’ own FAQ the limit counts active and archived clients together. Deleting a client frees the slot while keeping its invoices accessible. Plus allows 50; Premium and Select have no client cap.
Does FreshBooks have texting or a phone number?
No. FreshBooks has no built-in SMS or business phone line on any plan. If texting clients matters, Workspace369 includes texts and calls from Voyager ($74/mo, 2 seats), and IVR, call queues and call recording from Specialist ($149/mo, 10 seats); Moxie includes a phone line from its $25/mo Pro plan (US/CA/UK).
FreshBooks vs QuickBooks — which should I pick?
For a solo or very small service business, FreshBooks is friendlier and cheaper at entry. QuickBooks Online has the deeper books and the bigger accountant ecosystem — and an August 1, 2026 price increase for Essentials, Plus and Advanced, with Simple Start at $38/mo for one user and Essentials at $85/mo for three (last checked October 26, 2026). A third path: keep the books with your accountant in either, and run proposals, projects, portal and client texting in a client-work tool like Workspace369.
Does FreshBooks have a client portal?
Yes. FreshBooks’ pricing page lists a client account portal on every plan (last checked October 26, 2026). If you want projects, files and proposals in the same portal, Plutio (Core $19/mo), HoneyBook (Starter $36/mo on monthly billing) and Workspace369 (every plan, from $29/mo) include one.
Can I move my FreshBooks clients and invoices to Workspace369?
Yes, as spreadsheets. Export clients, invoices and expenses from FreshBooks as CSV or Excel, and Workspace369’s AI Import maps the columns (expenses from Specialist), keeps invoice line items, tax and paid or unpaid status, and shows the AI usage estimate before it saves anything. There is no direct FreshBooks connection. Projects, time entries, recurring invoice schedules, saved payment methods and your FreshBooks ledger don’t transfer: set those up again, and keep the books your accountant needs exported from FreshBooks. Move at a tax-period boundary.
Is there a free FreshBooks alternative?
Not a full one. QuickBooks lists a Free plan at $0/mo for getting organized and paid (last checked October 26, 2026). Workspace369’s free invoice generator makes one-off invoices with no signup or watermark, but it is not a billing system. The cheapest paid replacements on this page are Bonsai Essentials ($25/mo per seat) and Plutio Core ($19/mo, up to 9 active clients).

Try the workspace with texting and calling inside.

Texts and calls start on Voyager ($74/mo, 2 seats); IVR, call queues and call recording on Specialist ($149/mo, 10 seats). 14-day free trial — bring one client and run the full loop.

Start free with Voyager

14-day free trial. Card required. After the trial: $74/month for Voyager. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings → Billing.

Try Specialist for IVR and call queues

14-day free trial. Card required. After the trial: $149/month for Specialist. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in Settings → Billing.

See pricing →

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FreshBooks alternative with SMS + voice

14 days free · card required · then $74/mo · cancel anytime

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