- FreshBooks: Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70 a month; billable clients capped at 5 and 50 on the first two plans.
- QuickBooks Online: free plan, then $38, $85, $140 and $340 a month, with 1 to 25 users.
- Card fees: FreshBooks 2.9% + 30¢; QuickBooks 2.99% on invoices. Both 1% for ACH.
- Koira syncs with QuickBooks Online on Grow, not with FreshBooks.
The short answer
FreshBooks is invoicing first, with accounting added: simple to send a bill, track time and expenses, and get paid. QuickBooks Online is accounting first: double-entry books, reports your accountant expects, and plans that grow to 25 users.
For a contractor, the question is usually who keeps the books. If you do it yourself and mostly bill by the job or the hour, FreshBooks is easier to live with. If you have a bookkeeper or accountant, or need job profitability and inventory, QuickBooks is the one they will ask for.
At a glance
| FreshBooks | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Solo owners and small service businesses that bill clients and track time and expenses | Small businesses that need full bookkeeping and accounting |
| Published prices | Lite $23 a month, Plus $43, Premium $70, Select on request; first-year offers when we checked | A free plan, then Simple Start $38 a month, Essentials $85, Plus $140, Advanced $340 (50% off 3 months when we checked) |
| Free plan or trial | 30 days free | 30 days free on paid plans; the free plan needs no card |
| People | The owner; team members $11 a month each | Free and Simple Start 1 user, Essentials 3, Plus 5, Advanced 25 |
| Limits | Billable clients: 5 on Lite, 50 on Plus, unlimited on Premium and Select | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Card payments | 2.9% + 30¢ a card, ACH 1% | 2.99% on invoices, 2.5% in person, 3.5% keyed in, ACH 1% |
| Add-ons | Advanced Payments $20 a month, Payroll $40 a month plus $6 per person | Payroll, sold separately |
From FreshBooks pricing and QuickBooks Online pricing, checked October 9, 2026. A cell names the lowest plan that lists the feature; "Not listed" means we did not see it, so ask. Prices change often, so check the page before you buy.
Every plan, both companies
Both companies in the same columns, with Koira's for reference, since Koira syncs with QuickBooks Online on Grow and does not replace either one.
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | People included | Usage or credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koira | ||||
| Office | $0, free | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | None charged on Office |
| Grow | $249 a month | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | Texts, call minutes and emails at cost, nothing added |
| Front Office | $499 a month, flat | Monthly, no contract | One or fifteen, the same price | Included in the $499 |
| FreshBooks | ||||
| Lite | $23 a month | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | The owner | 5 billable clients |
| Plus | $43 a month | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | The owner | 50 billable clients |
| Premium | $70 a month | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | The owner | Unlimited billable clients |
| Select | Priced on request | No yearly price published; the page showed a first-year offer | 2 team members included | Unlimited billable clients |
| QuickBooks Online | ||||
| Free | $0 | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 1 user | 2 invoices a month unless QuickBooks Payments is on |
| Simple Start | $38 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 1 user, 2 accountants | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Essentials | $85 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 3 users | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Plus | $140 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 5 users | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
| Advanced | $340 a month | Monthly prices; the page showed 50% off for 3 months | 25 users | Free plan: 2 invoices a month unless you use QuickBooks Payments |
What comes on top: people, card payments and add-ons
| Company | Each extra person | Card payments | Add-ons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koira | No per-person fee on any plan | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) plus 2% on Office, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Front Office (Koira); on Office that share replaces a monthly fee | None; postcards are a flat price per card |
| FreshBooks | $11 a month per team member | 2.9% + 30¢ a card, ACH 1% | Advanced Payments $20 a month, Payroll $40 a month plus $6 per person |
| QuickBooks Online | Move up a plan | 2.99% on invoices, 2.5% in person, 3.5% keyed in, ACH 1% | Payroll, sold separately |
From FreshBooks pricing and QuickBooks Online pricing, checked October 9, 2026. A cell names the lowest plan that lists the feature; "Not listed" means we did not see it, so ask. Prices change often, so check the page before you buy.
Card rates as each company publishes them (also QuickBooks Payments rates), checked October 9, 2026. Koira's is Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ for a US card plus Koira's share, which pays for Office in place of a monthly fee.
What matters to a contractor
- Client limits. FreshBooks caps billable clients: 5 on Lite and 50 on Plus. A trade business with many one-time customers reaches 50 quickly, so most land on Premium at $70 a month. QuickBooks does not cap customers.
- Job profitability. FreshBooks shows project profitability on Premium. QuickBooks shows project profitability on Plus at $140 a month.
- Your team. FreshBooks charges $11 a month per team member. QuickBooks includes 3 users on Essentials and 5 on Plus.
- Card fees. FreshBooks lists 2.9% + 30¢ per card and 1% for ACH. QuickBooks lists 2.99% on invoices, 2.5% in person and 1% for ACH.
- Your accountant. QuickBooks gives 2 accountant seats from Simple Start up. FreshBooks adds accountant access from Plus.
When FreshBooks is the better pick
You keep your own books, you bill a modest number of repeat clients, and you want time tracking, proposals and retainers without learning accounting. Lite at $23 a month covers invoices, expenses and estimates for up to 5 clients, and Plus at $43 covers 50.
- Lite is $23 a month and covers invoices, expenses and estimates.
- Time tracking and project profitability suit jobs billed by the hour.
- Card rates are published: 2.9% + 30¢, ACH 1%.
When QuickBooks is the better pick
You have a bookkeeper or accountant, many one-time customers, or you need inventory, budgets and project profitability. Simple Start at $38 a month is enough for most solo trades; Plus at $140 adds the job-level reports.
- Full double-entry accounting, with the reports most accountants ask for.
- A free plan for one user, and plans up to 25 users.
- Project profitability and inventory come in on Plus.
- Most bookkeepers and accountants already know it.
Where Koira fits
Neither one runs the front of a trade business: answering calls, booking jobs, sending estimates with options and getting them signed. Koira does that, free on Office, and on Grow it syncs with QuickBooks Online so invoices, payments and deposits post as they happen.
Koira does not sync with FreshBooks. If you plan to use Koira with your books, QuickBooks Online is the one that connects. How the QuickBooks sync works.
Sources, each checked October 9, 2026: FreshBooks pricing, QuickBooks Online pricing, QuickBooks Payments rates, Stripe pricing, and Koira pricing. We read each page's own text; we did not use summaries or third-party price lists.