This lets you quickly see the big picture of your business’ finances without having to dig into individual reports or invoices. We set all of our clients what are general and administrative expenses up with Xero because we think it’s the perfect balance of features and benefits. We recognize, however, that it might not be the right option for you.

It also lacks multicurrency support for all but its most expensive plan. So if you’re selling products outside of the United States, FreshBooks or Zoho (which do have multicurrency support) will make your life a little easier. Apart from FreshBooks’ user-friendliness for those who aren’t accounting experts, it also appeals to freelancers through its time tracking and client management tools. All plans offer unlimited time tracking and allow you to bill clients for the time you track. If you’re in the market for accounting software, you might be feeling overwhelmed by all the options out there. While Xero and QuickBooks are wildly popular, they’re not the only options available.

FreshBooks

When setting up a project estimate in both FreshBooks and Xero, you have the option to add sales taxes, inventories, and labor. You can also compare cost estimates to actual costs, which is useful for contractors. The only project accounting feature lacking in FreshBooks is the ability to assign actual inventory cost to a project, which is expected since FreshBooks doesn’t provide inventory accounting. You’ll find both FreshBooks and Xero useful if you’re a service-based business that works on projects or bills clients by the hour. You’ll have the option to set up hourly or flat-rate projects and assign them to your employees or customers.

  • Not only does FreshBooks allow small businesses to add their accountant to their account, but FreshBooks also has an Accountant Partner Program that pairs small business owners with accountants.
  • FreshBooks and Xero aren’t at the same level of difficulty in terms of ease of use.
  • The Growing plan steps this up and allows more bills for larger businesses.

These features will allow you to produce a financial forecast from seven to 90 days in the future. You can also easily glimpse your business’s financial health through a data dashboard projecting essential details about your business. At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don’t guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services. Check out our other picks for the year’s best small-business accounting software. Of course, even though Xero is more comprehensive than similar accounting products, you should make sure it has the right features for you before committing to a plan.

What are the Top Three Accounting Software Packages for freelancers and the self-employed?

FreshBooks is best equipped to serve freelancers without much accounting experience. The larger your business is, the better equipped Xero becomes to meet your needs. Katherine Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. For over a decade, she’s helped small business owners make money online. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel.

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Regularly occurring invoices can be established on a predictable schedule where the customer has their credit card information saved to be regularly processed. Automated processes assign a stakeholder to the workflow so that someone is overseeing the process to ensure accuracy and accountability. Rather than manually create an invoice every single time, FreshBooks pulls the necessary data from your contacts and creates a template for quick and easy processing. While it is automated, the user never loses the ability to control the process. Next, setting up Xero is a bit more complicated than setting up FreshBooks. Because of the numerous customizing and importing options, you may not get up and go as quickly.

FreshBooks vs Xero: How They Compare

At the end of this article, you should have a good idea of which Shopify accounting software is the best fit for your needs. When you are looking at Xero vs Quickbooks vs Freshbooks, it’s important to ask what you actually need so you don’t pay for unnecessary features. Like Quickbooks, Xero takes over payroll management through Gusto Payroll integration. Xero also tracks sales taxes, one of the most difficult ones to track because of its sensitivity to change. Xero isn’t simply more affordable than either FreshBooks or QuickBooks Online. It also has more comprehensive accounting features—though there are a few notable exceptions.

Best Small Business Accounting Tools: Xero vs Quickbooks vs Freshbooks vs MYOB.

And they supply all the features that your small business may need for day-to-day operations. For a small business with a lot of accounting demands, the Plus plan may be the only way to go. At $60 a month, you receive the same basic features as the Simple Start and Essentials plans with a few key differences. FreshBooks makes it simple to track billable time, expenses, and due dates. Keep on top of project details and export billable information directly into a client’s invoice. FreshBooks gives you a fresh look at complicated accounting software.

Xero – Small Business Accounting Tools

Mobile apps are evaluated based on their ability to perform certain tasks like invoicing, online payment processing, and expense receipt capture. FreshBooks doesn’t offer assisted bookkeeping services directly. Instead, it has partnered with Bench, an online bookkeeping service that helps you find a bookkeeper.

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