FreshBooks alternatives
The 5 best FreshBooks alternatives in 2026
The short answer: most people look for a FreshBooks alternative because of the client caps — the Lite plan ($23/month) allows only 5 billable clients, and archived clients still count; 50 clients cost $43 (Plus), and unlimited only arrives with Premium at $70. Add $11 per extra team member per month, and FreshBooks markets no AI features at all. If you want to grow without caps and write invoices with AI, Billy (from €9/month) is our pick — it is our own product, and below we are transparent about where it wins and where it does not.
To stay fair: FreshBooks’ time tracking is mature, automatic payment reminders ship on all plans, and invoices come in 16 languages — including German (document text only). This roundup covers all five serious alternatives, with verified pricing (as of July 2026) and honest weaknesses.
All alternatives at a glance
| Billy | QuickBooks | Zoho Invoice | Wave | Square Invoices | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Invoices from AI prompts, no client cap | Full US accounting with taxes and payroll | Free invoicing with deep customization | Simple free bookkeeping in the US/Canada | Shops already on Square POS |
| Document limit | from 50/month; unlimited on Pro | Free: 2/month; Simple Start: unlimited | 500 invoices/year, 2 users | Unlimited — but sending needs Pro/payments | Unlimited (free plan too) |
| Price | from €9 / month | Simple Start $38 / month | $0 (500 invoices/year) | Free; sending needs Pro ($19) | Free; cards 3.3% + 30¢ |
| Invoice from AI prompt | Yescore feature | Partiallybeta/connector, 25 prompts/mo | Noonly in paid Zoho Books | No | No |
| All features via AI assistant | Yesassistant reaches every feature | Nodrafts; never sends on its own | NoZia: insights & text drafts | Nomarkets no AI features | NoAI answers questions only, no actions |
| Professional templates | Yesdesigned templates | PartiallyStandard & Modernized | Yesdeepest free customization in the US field | Partially3 designs; font tied to the design | Partially3 layouts |
| Live preview | Yes | Nopreview via print/download only | Nopreview on click | – | Nopreview on click |
| Recurring invoices | Yesset up in one sentence | YesSimple Start included | Yes | Partiallyauto-send needs Pro/payments | Yes |
| Automatic email sending | Yesinvoices & reminders, from the entry plan | Partiallyreminders yes; recurring invoices save as drafts | Yesseries optionally automatic; reminders free | Partiallyreminders need Pro/payments | Yesseries sent on schedule |
| Bookkeeping | Nodeliberately not | Yescore strength | Nothat is paid Zoho Books | Yessimple accounting included | No |
| E-invoicing | NoPDF invoices | Nono XRechnung/ZUGFeRD | Nono XRechnung/ZUGFeRD | Nono XRechnung/ZUGFeRD | Nono XRechnung/ZUGFeRD |
All pricing and feature claims per the vendors, verified on August 2, 2026. Prices net; subject to change.
Billy
The AI invoicing appBilly is the alternative for everyone whose main FreshBooks gripe is the limits: Billy has no client cap and no per-user surcharge — you pay from €9 a month, done. And instead of forms, you write invoices from an AI prompt: the assistant creates invoices, quotes and payment reminders from one sentence and executes after your confirmation. FreshBooks markets no AI features at all.
Full transparency, since Billy is our product: there is no time tracking like FreshBooks has — you track hours elsewhere and bill them via a prompt. Bookkeeping, US tax features and built-in payment processing are also deliberately absent; you get paid by bank transfer or your own processor.
Strengths
- No client cap and no per-user surcharge
- Prompt-to-invoice as a mature core feature — FreshBooks markets no AI at all
- The AI executes after your confirmation (send, update) instead of only drafting
- Germany, Austria and the US compliant in one account (§14 UStG / §11 öUStG)
- From €9 instead of from $23 — less than half, cancel monthly
Weaknesses
- No time tracking — you track hours outside the tool
- No bookkeeping, no US tax features, no built-in payment processing
- No permanent free plan (7-day trial, no credit card)
- Web app rather than a native mobile app; prices in euros
QuickBooks
The accounting heavyweightQuickBooks is the step up rather than sideways: if you are outgrowing FreshBooks and want full US accounting — bank feeds, tax categories, payroll integration, a huge ecosystem — this is the complete package. QuickBooks can also draft invoices from a prompt these days: as a beta or via a connector, capped at 25 prompts a month.
The price for that is the price: Simple Start is $38 a month, Essentials $75, Plus $115 — and Intuit announced price changes for renewals from August 2026 without publishing amounts. Foreign currencies need Essentials and up, and German is not among the six supported languages.
Strengths
- Full US accounting: bank feeds, tax categories, payroll integration
- Huge ecosystem — the standard of US accounting
- Prompt invoicing at least exists (beta/connector, 25 prompts/month)
- Automatic payment reminders (up to 3) on all plans
Weaknesses
- From $38/month; Essentials $75, Plus $115 — price changes announced for renewals from August 2026
- Prompt-to-invoice only as a beta/connector capped at 25 prompts a month
- Foreign currencies only from Essentials ($75)
- Six languages, German not among them; no §14 UStG compliance
Zoho Invoice
The free tool in the Zoho ecosystemZoho Invoice is the answer to FreshBooks caps that costs nothing: not $23 for 5 clients, but $0 — with the deepest free template customization of the five US tools, recurring invoices and automatic payment reminders included. Notably, Zoho documents no client cap.
The real limits sit elsewhere: per Zoho you bill only in your base currency — a hard blocker for international clients — caps of 500 invoices a year and 2 users apply (Zoho says its limits are updated yearly), and creating invoices from a prompt requires the paid Zoho Books.
Strengths
- Permanently free — and no documented client cap
- Deepest free template customization of the five US tools
- Recurring invoices and automatic payment reminders free
- A sensible pick if you already use Zoho CRM or Books
Weaknesses
- Base currency only — per the vendor; a hard limit for international clients
- 500 invoices/year and 2 users (Zoho says limits are updated yearly)
- Prompt-created invoices need paid Zoho Books, not Zoho Invoice
- Free as the on-ramp into the Zoho ecosystem — the upsell path is built in
Wave
The free accounting tool (US/Canada)Wave removes not just FreshBooks’ client caps but the subscription price altogether: invoice creation is free and unlimited, and simple accounting is included. It is monetized through payment fees — 2.9% + $0.60 per card payment, 1% ACH with a $1 minimum — and the Pro plan ($19/month).
The catches: on the free plan you cannot send invoices from Wave — per the vendor that needs Pro, enabled online payments or payroll. Wave exists only in the US and Canada and only in English — permanently, per the vendor; FreshBooks’ 16 invoice languages have no counterpart here.
Strengths
- Invoice creation is genuinely free and unlimited — no client cap
- Simple free accounting included
- Your own logo and color on invoices
- Bank payments (ACH) at just 1%
Weaknesses
- The free plan cannot send invoices from the tool — that needs Pro ($19), online payments or payroll
- US and Canada only; support discontinued elsewhere
- English only — permanently, per the vendor
- Card fees of 2.9% + $0.60; Pro only waives the $0.60 on the first 10 payments/month
Square Invoices
Invoicing inside the payments ecosystemSquare Invoices is the FreshBooks alternative for anyone who takes payments in person: creating and sending invoices is free — with no client cap — automatic payment reminders included, and clients pay directly through the invoice, seamlessly next to the Square terminal and register.
The business model is card fees, and the free plan charges the higher rate: 3.3% + 30¢ per card payment instead of 2.9% + 30¢ with a subscription. The unified plans are Free ($0), Plus ($49) and Premium ($149) per location; the old standalone "Invoices Plus" at $20 is legacy. One currency per account, no availability in Germany or Austria — and the AI only answers questions, without being able to take actions.
Strengths
- Creating and sending invoices is free, automatic payment reminders included
- No client cap on the free plan
- Seamless if you already use Square POS or terminals
- Your own logo and color, even on the free plan
Weaknesses
- The free plan pays the higher card rate: 3.3% + 30¢ versus 2.9% + 30¢ with a subscription
- Not available in Germany or Austria; one currency per account
- The AI only answers questions about your data and cannot take actions
- Unified plans: Plus $49, Premium $149 per location (the old $20 Invoices Plus is legacy)
How we evaluated
All pricing and feature claims come from the vendors’ own pricing and help pages, last verified on 31 July 2026 — including the inconvenient details like client caps, per-user surcharges and card fees. Where a vendor does not document something, we do not claim it. Billy is our own product: we rank it #1 for the use case it is built for, and we state its weaknesses as plainly as everyone else’s.