FreshBooks vs QuickBooks for contractors: honest comparison

Every contractor eventually faces this choice: FreshBooks or QuickBooks? Your accountant probably already told you "just get QuickBooks." And honestly? They might be right — but not for the reasons they think.

I've watched contractors struggle with both platforms, and the right choice depends on something most comparison articles ignore: how much accounting you actually want to do yourself, versus handing it off at tax time.

Pricing breakdown

FreshBooks is cheaper at every tier. But price isn't why you should choose one over the other.

Where FreshBooks wins

FreshBooks was built for people who send invoices, not for accountants. And that difference shows up everywhere:

• Invoicing is genuinely easier. You can build and send a professional invoice in under 2 minutes from your phone. The interface just makes sense
• Time tracking is built in. If you bill hourly (handyman, electrical side jobs), you can track time and convert directly to invoices
• Client portal is clean. Customers can view invoices, pay online, and approve estimates without creating an account
• Expense tracking with receipt photos. Snap a photo of a receipt, it gets attached to the expense. Done
• Late payment reminders are automatic. You don't have to chase people — FreshBooks does it for you

If you're a solo contractor or small crew that mostly needs to invoice customers and track expenses, FreshBooks is going to feel much less like homework.

Where QuickBooks wins

QuickBooks Online is real accounting software. It's more complex, but that complexity matters when your business grows:

• Your accountant already knows it. This is genuinely the biggest advantage. 90%+ of accountants use QuickBooks. Sharing books at tax time is seamless
• Job costing is better. Tracking profitability per project, including materials, labor, and subs — QuickBooks handles this natively
• Inventory tracking. If you stock materials (plumbing fittings, electrical supplies), QuickBooks tracks inventory. FreshBooks doesn't
• Class and location tracking. Run multiple crews or service areas? QuickBooks lets you track P&L by class or location
• Integrations ecosystem. QuickBooks connects to basically everything — Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, payroll services, you name it
• Multi-user is more robust. Role-based permissions so your office manager sees different stuff than your accountant

The honest downsides

FreshBooks problems

• Client limits on lower plans. 5 clients on Lite is restrictive for most contractors
• No real job costing. You can't easily track profit per project with materials and labor
• No inventory management. Period. If you stock materials, this is a dealbreaker
• Some accountants won't work with it. Not a dealbreaker, but it can be annoying at tax time
• Double-entry accounting is limited. It's more of a bookkeeping tool than a full accounting platform

QuickBooks problems

• The interface is intimidating. If you're not an accountant, the learning curve is real
• Constant upselling. Intuit will try to sell you payroll, payments, TurboTax, and everything else every time you log in
• Price increases. QuickBooks has raised prices multiple times. What starts at $35 today may be $50 next year
• Invoice design is clunky. FreshBooks invoices look better out of the box. QuickBooks invoices look like they were designed in 2008
• Customer support is rough. Long wait times, outsourced reps who read scripts

Best for: the real answer

What I actually tell people

Here's the truth that nobody selling software wants you to hear: for most small contractors, the difference between these two matters way less than actually using one consistently.

The contractors who struggle financially aren't struggling because they picked FreshBooks instead of QuickBooks. They're struggling because they have a shoebox full of receipts and haven't sent invoices in three weeks.

Pick the one you'll actually use. If FreshBooks feels easier and you'll log in daily, use FreshBooks. If your accountant insists on QuickBooks and handles your books anyway, use QuickBooks.

And while you're sorting out your accounting software, make sure you're not leaving money on the table with your pricing. Most contractors undercharge by 15-25% because they don't calculate their actual costs correctly.