FreshBooks handles the invoice. We connect everything else your service business runs on.

FreshBooks is built for freelancers and small service businesses: track time, send a professional invoice, get paid online, done. We connect FreshBooks to the CRM, project tool, and payment systems you're already running, so invoices go out, time gets billed, and payments get recorded without anyone copying numbers between tabs.

What we build on top of FreshBooks

FreshBooks is built to be simple: track time, send an invoice, get paid. That simplicity is exactly why it doesn't try to be your CRM, your project tool, or your payment gateway, which means those systems usually need a bridge to FreshBooks instead of a native one.

The most common pattern we build: something finishes in another tool, a project wraps, a retainer period ends, a signed contract comes in, and FreshBooks generates and sends the matching invoice automatically instead of someone remembering to build one by hand.

The second most common: a new client gets created in your CRM or project tool, and a matching client record appears in FreshBooks automatically, so nobody's retyping a name, email, and billing address a second time.

For businesses running FreshBooks alongside a payment processor it doesn't reconcile with out of the box, we build the sync that posts payments back to the right invoice the moment they clear.

A few specific things we build

Time tracked elsewhere, billed automatically

Hours logged in a separate project or time-tracking tool get pulled into FreshBooks and turned into invoice line items, with no one re-entering the same hours twice.

CRM deal closes, invoice goes out

A deal marked won in your CRM creates the client in FreshBooks if they are not already there, then generates the first invoice or retainer schedule automatically.

Payments reconciled without the manual match

Payments collected through a processor FreshBooks doesn't natively support get matched back to the right invoice and marked paid, instead of someone cross-checking two systems by hand.

More on FreshBooks

Deeper write-ups on specific parts of FreshBooks and what we build around each one.

Running your business on FreshBooks and still copying numbers between tabs?

Tell us what's manual right now, time tracking, client setup, payment matching, and we'll tell you what's realistic to automate. And if FreshBooks isn't actually where the friction is, that's fine too. We automate whatever's eating your team's time, in FreshBooks or anywhere else.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does FreshBooks cost?+
FreshBooks prices by plan tier rather than per user, with higher tiers raising how many billable clients you can have and including more automation and reporting. FreshBooks runs promotions fairly often, so it's worth checking its current pricing page rather than assuming a fixed number.
What is FreshBooks used for?+
FreshBooks is cloud-based invoicing and accounting software built mainly for freelancers, contractors, and small service businesses. Its core strengths are time tracking, professional invoices, and getting paid online. It's lighter than full double-entry platforms like QuickBooks, which fits businesses that don't need inventory, payroll, or multi-entity accounting.
Is FreshBooks better than QuickBooks?+
It depends on what the business needs. FreshBooks is simpler and friendlier for a freelancer or small service business focused on time tracking and invoicing. QuickBooks handles more complexity, inventory, payroll, multi-user access at scale, which makes it the better fit once a business outgrows FreshBooks' lighter feature set.
Is FreshBooks or Xero better for a small business?+
Xero is built for a business that expects to grow into more complex accounting, with stronger multi-currency and inventory support. FreshBooks stays simpler on purpose, which usually makes it the easier choice for a solo freelancer or very small team that mainly needs to track time and invoice clients.
Does FreshBooks do payroll?+
Not natively. FreshBooks integrates with Gusto to handle payroll, so a growing service business that needs to run payroll alongside its FreshBooks invoicing usually goes that route rather than finding it built in.
How do I mark an invoice as paid in FreshBooks?+
Open the invoice and record the payment against it directly, or let FreshBooks mark it automatically when a client pays online through a connected payment processor. For payments that arrive outside FreshBooks, a check or a bank transfer, you record them manually so the invoice status updates.

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Tell us the one thing your team does manually that eats up time. We read every message and reply within a day.