File No. 126 against No. 125
QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks: what each costs
QuickBooks Online and FreshBooks are accounting and invoicing tools that bill a flat monthly price per plan. The difference in how they bill: QuickBooks includes a fixed number of users in each plan, while FreshBooks caps billable clients and charges for each Team Member added.
The short answer. FreshBooks vs QuickBooks Online at list price: FreshBooks Lite is $23 a month against $38 for QuickBooks Simple Start, both billed monthly. QuickBooks plans include a fixed number of users (1, 3, 5 or 25); FreshBooks charges a monthly fee for each Team Member added. Neither file records a priced free plan. Files checked 9 and 10 Oct 2026.
What each one costs
Every figure below is read from the two price files at the moment this page loads, so this page cannot drift away from them. Each row links to the vendor page the price came from.
| Plan | Price | Billed | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online From $38/mo | ||||
| Simple Start | $38/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Essentials | $85/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Plus | $140/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Advanced | $340/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| FreshBooks From $23/mo | ||||
| Lite | $23/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Plus | $43/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Premium | $70/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Select | not published | quote only | Vendor page | |
Which one is for you
Pick QuickBooks Online when 3 to 5 people need access, since Essentials at $85 a month includes 3 users and Plus at $140 includes 5, with no per-person fee on top.
Pick FreshBooks for one person invoicing a few clients, since Lite lists at $23 a month for up to 5 billable clients, or Plus at $43 for up to 50.
What QuickBooks Online's pricing page does not say
- The large figures the page loads with ($19, $42.50, $70 and $170) are the 50% discount, which lasts 3 months. The struck-through figures ($38, $85, $140 and $340) are the list prices filed here, and the terms say billing continues at the then-current price.
- The discount and the free trial are a choice, not a stack. The page puts them on one switch, and the terms say offers for the same product cannot be combined. Both are for new customers only.
- Plans are capped by user seats: 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus and 25 on Advanced. A fourth user means moving from $85 to $140 a month, and a sixth from $140 to $340.
- The free trial converts by itself: the terms say the plan is charged automatically at the end of the 30 days and monthly after that until cancellation.
- Payroll is a separate, optional step after choosing a plan, and its price is not on this page. The terms say neither offer applies to per-employee fees, per-contractor fees or other add-on fees.
- Inventory tracking, budgets and project profitability are listed from Plus up, not on Simple Start or Essentials.
What FreshBooks's pricing page does not say
- The large figures on the page are promotional. $1.00 on Lite lasts one year, and $8.60 on Plus and $14.00 on Premium last 3 months. The figures shown as Was ($23.00, $43.00 and $70.00) are the list prices filed here.
- The promotion is time limited: the banner read savings ends in 5 days on 9 Oct 2026. Its Offer Details were not read for this file.
- The plan price does not cover a team. Team Members cost $11 a month per person on every plan, Select included, although Select comes with 2 Team Member accounts at no extra charge.
- Plans are capped by billable clients, not by invoices: 5 clients on Lite and 50 on Plus. Unlimited clients start at Premium.
- Advanced Payments is a $20 a month add-on on Lite, Plus and Premium and is included only on Select. FreshBooks Payroll is a further $40 a month plus $6 a month per user on every plan.
- Accountant access, bank reconciliation and double-entry accounting reports are not on Lite. They start at Plus.
- Payment processing fees are not on the page. It lists the question of what FreshBooks charges per transaction, but the answer was collapsed and was not read.
List price for 1, 3 and 5 people
Both files record list prices billed monthly. QuickBooks Online includes users in the plan, so headcount picks the plan. FreshBooks charges the plan price plus a monthly fee for each Team Member added, set out in its price file, which also notes that the page does not say how many people the plan itself covers.
| People | QuickBooks Online | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simple Start, $38 (1 user) | Lite, $23 (5 billable clients) |
| 3 | Essentials, $85 (3 users) | plan price + a fee per Team Member added |
| 5 | Plus, $140 (5 users) | plan price + a fee per Team Member added |
QuickBooks users beyond a plan's cap mean the next plan: a fourth user moves from $85 to $140, and a sixth from $140 to $340 on Advanced, which covers 25 users. FreshBooks caps clients instead: 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus, unlimited from Premium at $70.
List prices against promotions
The large figures on both vendors' pages were introductory. QuickBooks offered new customers 50% off for 3 months or a 30 day free trial, as a choice, not both. FreshBooks showed 80% off for 3 months on Plus and Premium and a reduced Lite price for one year, and its banner on 9 Oct 2026 said the savings ended in 5 days. Both files are filed at list price, which is what applies after the offer.
Other billing differences
- Annual billing. The QuickBooks file records no annual price. The FreshBooks page has a Yearly option that was not captured.
- Payroll. A separate add-on on both. FreshBooks prices it in its file; the QuickBooks pricing page does not.
- Top tier. QuickBooks Advanced is $340 a month. FreshBooks Select is quote only.
The full tables are in QuickBooks Online's price file and FreshBooks' price file. FreshBooks is also set against Xero in FreshBooks vs Xero, and other tools are in the invoicing and billing drawer.
The evidence
Both vendors' pricing pages, as they looked when the figures were read.
Figures on this page come from the two files named above, each read off the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Prices change without notice; check before buying.
The files behind this
- QuickBooks Online From $38/mo
- FreshBooks From $23/mo