Making the best business invoicing choice requires an understanding of FreshBooks and Simple Invoices’ features, pricing and target markets.
Simple Invoices appeals to small businesses and independent contractors on a tight budget because it provides a free plan with unlimited usage. From $8.40/month to $26/month, FreshBooks offers a tiered subscription model with stringent client limits. For all plans, Simple Invoices provides an infinite number of clients.
For service-based businesses that need to monitor time, expenses and project profitability. FreshBooks provides a complete business management solution with sophisticated features like time tracking, expense tracking and automated payment reminders.
While Simple Invoices provides basic integrations, FreshBooks offers superior integration with major payment gateways and CRM systems, connecting to over 11,000 banks for automatic data synchronization.
Simple Invoices lacks data encryption and GDPR compliance which FreshBooks prioritizes. This could present problems for companies in regulated industries or for clients in Europe.
While Simple Invoices depends on community forums and documentation for customer support, FreshBooks provides extensive mobile app functionality, time tracking and expense management.
Simple Invoices provides a free plan for new businesses and independent contractors while FreshBooks offers complete financial management for well-established companies. Both provide professional presentation, security compliance and cutting-edge features.
| FreshBooks | Simple Invoices | |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features | ||
| Custom Templates | 50+ professional invoice templates | Yes |
| Send Estimates/Quotations | Yes | Information not available |
| Recurring Billing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| Expense Tracking | Yes | No |
| Time Tracking | Yes | No |
| Mileage Tracking | Yes | No |
| Automated Payment Reminders | Yes | No |
| Project-Based Billing | Yes | Yes |
| Tax Handling | Yes, automatic tax calculations | Yes |
| User Permissions/Role Management | Yes | Yes |
| File Uploads | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing and Plans | ||
| Free Plan Availability | No | Yes |
| Pricing Range | Lite: $8.40/month Plus: $15.20/month Premium: $26/month Select: Custom |
Web: $15/month Mobile App: $6.99–$15/month Hosted: $99/month or $999/year |
| Trial Period | 30 days | 14 days |
| User Limits | Lite/Plus/Premium: 1 user (+$11/additional) Select: 2 users |
Hosted Platform: Unlimited users Other plans: Not specified |
| Client Limits | Lite: 5 clients Plus: 50 clients Premium: 500 clients Select: 500 clients |
Unlimited clients |
| Storage Limits | Unlimited | Information is not available |
| Payment Processing Fees | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction | Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 PayPal: 3.49% + $0.49 |
| Ease of Use | ||
| User Interface | Simple to Moderate | Simple |
| Onboarding Experience | Yes | Forums, Guides, Setup Documentation |
| Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
| Mobile App Functionality | Invoicing, time tracking, expense & mileage management | Invoice creation, estimates, receipts, expense tracking |
| Integration | ||
| Payment Gateways Supported | Stripe, PayPal, WePay, Square | Credit cards, PayPal |
| Accounting Software Compatibility | QuickBooks, Xero (via third-party) | QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks |
| CRM Integration | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive | HoneyBook, Pipedrive, Salesforce |
| API Availability | Yes | Invoice Ninja (via alternatives) |
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Bank Connections | Yes (11,000+ bank connections) | No |
| Pre-Built Financial Reports | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Report Creation | Yes | Yes |
| Security & Compliance | ||
| Dashboard Metrics | Yes | Yes |
| Data Encryption | Yes | No |
| GDPR Compliance | Yes | No |
| Backup Options | Automatic | Manual backups |
| Customer Support | ||
| Support Channels | Email, Phone, Live Chat | Community Forums, Documentation |
| Help Center/Knowledge Base | Yes | Yes |
| 24/7 Support | No | No |
| Adaptability | ||
| Multi-Currency Support | Yes | Yes |
| Localization | Multiple languages | English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese |
| Industry-Specific Customization | Limited | No |
| Scalability | Freelancers to SMBs | Freelancers/Small Businesses |
| Read FreshBooks Review | Read Simple Invoices Review |
