QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks Pricing (2026)

QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks

Accounting pricing comparison · 2026

QuickBooks Online pricing ranges from $20–$275/month, while FreshBooks ranges from $21–$250/month. FreshBooks is typically 47% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Accounting

QuickBooks Online

$20–$275
/month
5 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Accounting

FreshBooks

$21–$250
/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

QuickBooks Online and FreshBooks both operate in the accounting category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan QuickBooks Online FreshBooks
Solopreneur $20 /month $21 /month
Simple Start $38 /month $38 /month
Essentials $75 /month $65 /month
Plus $115 /month Custom
Advanced $275 /month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

QuickBooks Online

4 scenarios
$38/month
Freelancer / Solo Consultant
for Simple Start ($456/year)
$175
Small Service Business with 3 Employees
$205/month
$115/month
Product Business with Inventory (5 users)
for Plus ($1,380/year)
See all 4 scenarios →

FreshBooks

7 scenarios
$21/month
Freelance designer
for Lite plan
$38/month
Growing consulting firm
for Plus plan
$65/month
Small agency with team
for Premium + $22/month for 2 extra team members = $87/month
See all 7 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

QuickBooks Online

Median annual cost
$900
Based on
309 deals

FreshBooks

Median annual cost
$480
Based on
98 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

QuickBooks Online 4 hidden costs

high
Payroll Add-On Costs $50-$130/month base + $6/employee/month
high
Annual Price Increases 11-17% annual increase — Advanced plan rose from $200 to $275 since 2023
medium
Forced Plan Upgrades and Discontinued Tiers 30-50% of license costs
low
Persistent In-App Upsells Non-monetary — UX friction
See all QuickBooks Online hidden costs →

FreshBooks 4 hidden costs

medium
Credit Card Payment Processing Fees 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
medium
Per-Client Tier Limitations $17-$27/month upgrade cost
high
Payroll Service Add-On $40/month + $6/employee/month
medium
Bookkeeper User Access Not Included in Lite Plan $17/month to upgrade from Lite to Plus
See all FreshBooks hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term QuickBooks Online FreshBooks
Auto-renewal Yes Yes
Cancellation Cancel anytime; charges for current billing month are non-refundable
Minimum commitment Monthly commitment only — no annual option available Monthly or annual subscription
Price escalation Annual increases of ~11-17% each summer. No grandfathering — all existing subscriptions move to new pricing. No published schedule of automatic increases mentioned in sources
Can downgrade Yes Yes