Price checkMonthly
Lite$23/moPlus$43/moPremium$70/mo
See all 4 plans

All FreshBooks Plans & Pricing

Plan Monthly Annual Best For
View all features by plan (compare side-by-side)

Lite

  • Send invoices to 5 clients
  • Track expenses in real time
  • Create and send estimates
  • Get paid with credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Buy Now, Pay Later
  • Generate tax-time reports

Plus

  • Send invoices to 50 clients
  • Track expenses in real time
  • Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers
  • Get paid with credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Buy Now, Pay Later
  • Generate tax-time reports
  • Run financial and accounting reports
  • Expense receipt scanning
  • Give your accountant access

Premium

  • Send invoices to unlimited clients
  • Track expenses in real time
  • Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers
  • Get paid with credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Buy Now, Pay Later
  • Generate tax-time reports
  • Run financial and accounting reports
  • Bill receipt scanning with the ability to add line items
  • Give your accountant access
  • Check project profitability
  • Customize your email templates

Select

  • Send invoices to unlimited clients
  • Track expenses in real time
  • Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers
  • Access lower credit card transaction fees and capped bank transfer (ACH) fees
  • Generate tax-time reports
  • Run financial and accounting reports
  • Bill receipt scanning with automatic capture of multi-line items
  • Give your accountant access
  • Check project profitability
  • Customize email templates and remove FreshBooks branding
  • Import your data via Easy Switch
  • Gain access to dedicated phone support
  • Add 2 Team Member accounts for no extra charge
  • Advanced Payments included
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At a glance

List price by tier (annualized, per license)

Per-license list price across FreshBooks's plans, annualized. Custom-priced tiers show a hatched bar.

Lite$276/yr
Plus$516/yr
Premium$840/yr
SelectCustom
Real-world benchmark

Buyers actually pay a median of $480/yr for FreshBooks contracts (Vendr deal flow, n=98). That's a contract total — the more seats, the more leverage to negotiate down.

Quick Answer
Last verified:
Medium confidence

FreshBooks pricing: Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70/mo. Select is quote-based. Plans: Lite at $23/month, Plus at $43/month, and Premium at $70/month. Custom pricing is available on request. The median contract is $480/year based on 98 community cost mentions.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: No free tier available

FreshBooks offers 4 pricing tiers: Lite, Plus, Premium, Select. Paid plans include Lite at $23/month, Plus at $43/month, Premium at $70/month. The Plus plan is growing businesses with more clients and accounting report needs.

Compared to other accounting software, FreshBooks is positioned at the budget-friendly price point.

  • Median contract: $480/yr from 98 purchases Thin data
  • 9 documented hidden costs beyond list price
  • Contracts auto-renew
Last verified: | Sources: 2 pricing pages and reviews

How much does FreshBooks cost?

FreshBooks has 3 paid plans costing $23–$70/mo. Select is quote-based. Plans include Lite at $23/month, Plus at $43/month, Premium at $70/month, Select (custom pricing).

FreshBooks Pricing Overview

FreshBooks has 4 pricing plans ranging from $23 to $70/month. The Lite plan costs $23/month, best for freelancers and solo professionals with a small client base. The Plus plan costs $43/month, best for growing businesses with more clients and accounting report needs. The Premium plan costs $70/month, best for established businesses with unlimited clients and advanced accounting needs. The Select plan requires contacting sales for a custom quote and is designed for larger businesses needing premium support, custom service, and lower payment fees.

FreshBooks contracts auto-renew, with a Month-to-month or annual minimum commitment.

The median FreshBooks customer pays $480/year based on 98 community cost mentions.

There are at least 9 documented hidden costs beyond FreshBooks's list price, including implementation, training, and add-on fees.

This pricing was last verified in October 28, 2026 from 2 independent sources.

Start FreshBooks Free Trial — 30 Days

FreshBooks is a cloud-based accounting solution designed primarily for freelancers, self-employed professionals, and small service businesses. It excels at invoicing, time tracking, and expense management with an intuitive interface.

FreshBooks offers four pricing tiers based primarily on the number of billable clients, with higher tiers unlocking double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, and team collaboration features.

How FreshBooks Pricing Compares

Compare FreshBooks pricing against top alternatives in Accounting.

QuickBooks Online $20-$275/user/mo Compare → Xero $25-$90/user/mo Compare → Zoho Books $0.0-$70.0/user/mo Compare →

Compare FreshBooks vs Alternatives

Before committing to FreshBooks, compare pricing with these 3 alternatives in the same category.

VSQuickBooks Online
From $20/user/mo

One-person businesses and gig workers

Full comparison
VSXero
From $25/user/mo

Solopreneurs and freelancers

Full comparison
VSZoho Books
From $0.0/user/mo

Sole proprietors with under $50K annual revenue

Full comparison

All FreshBooks alternatives & migration guides

What Companies Actually Pay for FreshBooks

The median FreshBooks buyer pays $480/year based on 98 community cost mentions.

What companies actually pay $480/yr Median across 98 community cost mentions Thin data
Review scores
TrustRadius 8.9out of 10 (212)
Trustpilot 2.1out of 5 (23)
Third-party review aggregates, as of Jul 2026
Top pricing complaints
Stripe payment processing holds and fee increases causing cash flow problemsRepeated price increases on existing plans without feature additionsPoor bank feed reliability and connectivity issuesPayroll errors including missed tax payments and incorrect submissions
Source: Community cost mentions (Reddit, Hacker News) — aggregated from 98 distinct user reports. Indicative only — not contract-grade data.

FreshBooks Cost by Company Size

Example costs for teams of different sizes. Each figure is labelled with the period it covers.

Freelance designer $23 per month

$23/month billed monthly for Lite plan

A solo designer with 3-4 regular clients tracking time and sending invoices

Growing consulting firm $43 per month

$43/month billed monthly for Plus plan

A consultant with 20 clients needing bank reconciliation and recurring billing

Established service business $40 estimated cost

Select (custom pricing) + Payroll ($40 + $60) = varies

A 10-person firm needing payroll and full features

Freelancer with 5-10 Clients $276 per year

$276/year ($23/month × 12 months)

Solo consultant or freelancer using FreshBooks for invoicing and basic expense tracking with Lite plan

Small Business with Payment Processing $516 per year

$516/year subscription ($43/month × 12 months), plus payment processing fees that scale with the volume of invoices paid online

Service business using Plus plan with online payment processing for 20-30 invoices per month averaging $500 each

Growing Business with Payroll Needs $840 per year

$840/year for Premium ($70/month billed monthly × 12), plus Gusto payroll charges billed separately

Small business with 5 employees requiring Premium plan plus Gusto payroll integration

Solo freelancer on Lite plan $276 per year

$276/year ($23/month)

Single-person service business using FreshBooks Lite for basic invoicing and up to 5 clients

Small service business on Plus plan $516 per year

$516/year ($43/month)

Service business with up to 50 clients using Plus plan with time tracking and additional features

Growing business on Premium plan $840 per year

$840/year ($70/month)

Business needing Premium features including unlimited clients and advanced reporting

Premium plan with payroll add-on $840 per year

$840/year for Premium ($70/month billed monthly × 12), plus Gusto payroll charges billed separately

Premium FreshBooks subscriber adding Gusto payroll integration for a small team

How FreshBooks Pricing Compares

Software Starting Price Top Price
FreshBooks $23/month $70/month
AccountEdge $5/Month $50/Month
Bench Accounting $199/month $649/month
Dext $17.7/month $31.5/month
OneUp Custom Custom
Patriot Accounting $20/month $30/month

Detailed pricing comparisons:

Browse all Accounting pricing →

9 FreshBooks Hidden Costs Beyond the List Price

Beyond the listed price, FreshBooks has at least 9 documented hidden costs that can significantly increase total cost of ownership.

Watch for 9 hidden costs
  • Payment Processing Fees via Stripe 2.9-3.5% of transaction value
    high 3 sources
    Trustpilot “I got a last minute notice that the CC processing fees for saved cards are going from 2.9% to 3.5%. Finally giving my my last reason to migrate to a different platform”
    Trustpilot “THEY USE STRIPE, THAT IS A MAJOR RED FLAG. We tried using this company for our companies invoicing. There were constant holds, interferences from Stripe.”
    Trustpilot “The platform itself is ok but if you want to accept credit cards use another platform or you will be stuck with Stripe or PayPal.”
  • Per-Client Tier Limitations $20/month billed monthly more going from Lite to Plus ($43 − $23), or $27/month billed monthly more going from Plus to Premium ($70 − $43)
    medium 2 sources
    Reddit “Used Freshbooks for years but their per customer pricing model was a turn-off.”
    TrustRadius “50 client limit is annoying.”
  • Payroll Service Add-On $40/month + $6/employee/month
    high 1 source
    Reddit “FreshBooks Premium ($60/month) + Gusto payroll ($40/month) totals $1,272/year”
  • Bookkeeper User Access Not Included in Lite Plan Moving from Lite ($23/month) to Plus ($43/month) is the step up to a higher tier
    medium 1 source
    Reddit “Freshbooks: Lite $22 (doesn't include bookkeeper user), Plus $35, Premium $60”
  • Steep Plan Jump for Additional Features $47-$47/month forced upgrade
    high 2 sources
    Trustpilot “I run a small one person business and I've been using FreshBooks for 2 years. For $21 a month, I was limited to 5 vendors which was okay at first. I would have to upgrade to $70 a month to add 1 more vendor. That's too much for me.”
    Trustpilot “After a very impressive experience during the 30 day free trial, I was disappointed when I subscribed to the product to learn that to use Freshbooks for just basic elementary expense tracking, I would have to buy the much more expensive Premium pa...”
  • Regular Price Increases on Existing Plans 10-80% cumulative price increase over plan lifetime
    high 2 sources
    Trustpilot “I'm canceling my subscription due to the continuous price increases over the years. When I first started using FreshBooks, the plan was around $25 per month.”
    Trustpilot “I've been using FreshBooks for a few years now. While it's generally a decent platform, I've experienced occasional glitches and have noticed a steady increase in pricing over time.”
  • Payroll Add-on Costs and Errors $40/month+ payroll add-on plus potential financial liability
    critical 1 source
    Trustpilot “Their calculations were wrong and they screwed up my 2025 tax submissions. They ended up not paying certain required taxes.”
    Trustpilot “Freshbooks said it was an 'error on their part, not the kind of experience we want our customers to have, but nothing we can do about it; we can't amend submitted forms'”
  • Migration and Data Conversion Costs $500-$5,000 depending on data complexity (source dated Jun 2026)
    high 1 source
    Trustpilot “CLIENT EMAILS DIDN'T PORT TO CLIENT EMAIL FIELD. VENDOR CONTACT INFO/ACCOUNT NUMBERS DIDN'T PORT TO ANYWHERE IN FRESHBOOKS. CLIENT ZIP CODES DIDN'T PORT TO THE ZIP CODE FIELD NOR THE ADDRESS FIELD.”
  • Second Subscription for Multiple Business Entities $23-$70/month per additional subscription
    medium 1 source
    Trustpilot “in order to have a second set of books for my personal accounting, I would have to buy a second subscription. That brings the total cost for me to use Freshbooks to over $1,000 a year which is more than a small business can afford.”
Tip

Ask your FreshBooks sales rep about these costs upfront. Getting them in writing before signing can save you from surprise charges later.

Full hidden costs breakdown →

Intelligence sourced from 3 independent sources
Trustpilot Consumer reviews Reddit User discussions TrustRadius Enterprise reviews
Key claims include inline source attribution. Data verified against multiple independent sources. 22 source citations total.

FreshBooks Contract Terms

FreshBooks contracts auto-renew. Changes require advance notice. These terms are sourced from verified buyer experiences.

Contract Terms
Auto-Renewal Yes
Minimum Commitment Month-to-month or annual
Mid-Term Downgrade Not allowed
Payment Terms Monthly or annual billing
Price Escalation Users report repeated mid-contract price increases on the same plan tier without plan changes or added features; documented increases from ~$25/mo to ~$45/mo over several years
Based on 2 verified sources

How to Negotiate FreshBooks Pricing

FreshBooks contracts are negotiable. These 4 tactics are sourced from real buyer experiences and procurement specialists.

Negotiation Playbook 4 tactics
Use the 30-day free trial strategically high success

FreshBooks offers a 30-day free trial. Use this to fully evaluate the platform on the tier you actually need before committing, especially given the large jumps between plan tiers.

FreshBooks product page / Trustpilot reviews
Leverage competitor pricing medium success

FreshBooks competes with Wave (free), Xero, Zoho Books, and QuickBooks. Research current competitor pricing before renewal and present alternatives to your account manager to negotiate a better rate or at minimum delay a price increase.

Reddit community discussions
Annual billing commitment medium success

FreshBooks historically offered discounts for annual vs monthly billing. Committing to an annual plan upfront may secure a lower per-month rate compared to month-to-month billing.

Reddit/Trustpilot community mentions
Threaten or initiate cancellation low success

Several users report price increases as a trigger for cancellation. If you receive a price increase notice, calling to cancel sometimes results in retention offers or rate freezes. Be prepared to actually migrate if no offer is made.

Trustpilot reviews
High success Medium Low / difficult

Full negotiation guide →

FreshBooks Price History

Pricing changes CostBench has tracked for FreshBooks, verified across 3 snapshots going back to 2026Q1.

  1. FreshBooks price increase

    Highest tier increased from $65 to $70/month

    +7.69%

  2. FreshBooks Lite increase

    Lite tier increased from $21 to $23/month

    +9.5%

  3. FreshBooks Plus increase

    Plus tier increased from $38 to $43/month

    +13.2%

Price increased 10% over 0.4 years

View FreshBooks's full price history →

FreshBooks Pricing FAQ

01 How much does FreshBooks cost per month?

FreshBooks costs $23/month for Lite, $43/month for Plus, and $70/month for Premium when billed monthly. Annual billing saves 10%.

02 Is there a free version of FreshBooks?

FreshBooks does not have a free tier, but offers a 30-day free trial. Promotional pricing often offers 70-90% off for the first 4 months.

03 How many clients can I have on FreshBooks Lite?

The Lite plan allows up to 5 billable clients. Plus allows 50 clients, and Premium allows unlimited clients.

04 Does FreshBooks include payroll?

No. Payroll is a separate add-on with its own pricing, and it is not included in any FreshBooks plan.

05 What is double-entry accounting in FreshBooks?

Double-entry accounting (in Plus, Premium, and Select plans) ensures every transaction is recorded in two accounts, providing more accurate financial statements and audit trails.

06 Does FreshBooks charge per user or per client?

FreshBooks uses a per-client pricing model, not per-user. The Lite plan supports up to 5 clients for $23/month billed monthly, Plus supports up to 50 clients for $43/month billed monthly, and Premium supports unlimited clients for $70/month billed monthly. This means you pay based on how many active clients you manage, not how many team members need access.

07 Are there additional fees for accepting online payments?

Yes. While FreshBooks integrates with payment processors like Stripe and PayPal, standard credit card processing fees apply (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). These fees are separate from your monthly subscription cost.

08 Can I get a discount on FreshBooks?

FreshBooks offers a 10% discount when you pay annually instead of monthly. They also provide a free 30-day trial for new users.

09 What happens if I exceed my client limit?

FreshBooks enforces strict client limits per tier. If you exceed your tier's client limit (5 for Lite, 50 for Plus), you must upgrade to the next tier to continue adding clients, even if you don't need the additional features.

10 Does FreshBooks increase prices over time?

Yes, multiple users report repeated price increases on the same plan tier with no plan upgrades. One user documented their plan rising from ~$23/month to ~$45/month over several years. FreshBooks does not publish a fixed price escalation schedule.

11 What payment processors does FreshBooks support?

FreshBooks uses Stripe and PayPal for credit card payment processing. Stripe charges were recently increased from 2.9% to 3.5% for saved cards. Users report Stripe can hold funds, which may affect cash flow for high-volume businesses.

12 Can I manage multiple businesses under one FreshBooks account?

No. Each set of books requires a separate FreshBooks subscription. For a solo entrepreneur managing both personal and business finances, this means paying for two subscriptions, which can total over $1,000/year.

13 What are the client limits on each FreshBooks plan?

The Lite plan limits you to 5 billable clients, Plus allows up to 50 clients, and Premium offers unlimited clients. The Select plan is custom-quoted for larger businesses. Exceeding client limits requires upgrading to the next tier.

14 Is FreshBooks good for migrating from QuickBooks?

Migration from QuickBooks can be problematic. Users report that client emails, vendor contacts, addresses, phone numbers, and financial data often do not port correctly, requiring manual cleanup of hundreds or thousands of records. Budget time or contractor costs for data remediation.

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