# FreshBooks vs Xero

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Xero

| Attribute | FreshBooks | Xero |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 71.5 (54% (medium)) | 76 (50% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | All-in-one cloud-based platform for invoicing, expenses, time tracking, payroll, and accounting. Designed for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small businesses to manage clients, billing, and financial reporting. | Cloud-based accounting software for small businesses. Manage finances in real time with invoicing, expense tracking, VAT returns, and payroll capabilities. |
| features.capabilities | `{"inventory":false,"api_access":"full","bank_feeds":"aggregator","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"ap_automation":true,"tax_compliance":"Tax-time reports and tax calculation integration","double_entry_gl":true,"payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true,"project_accounting":true}` | `{"deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"ap_automation":true,"multi_currency":true,"tax_compliance":"VAT returns, MTD for Income Tax, subcontractor CIS calculations","payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true,"project_accounting":true}` |
| integrations.count | 100 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Pidj"},{"name":"NiceJob"},{"name":"Acuity Scheduling"},{"name":"ReviewNudger"},{"name":"EasyCSV"},{"name":"AvaTax"},{"name":"Trophy Jar"},{"name":"Paystorm: Chase Late Payments"},{"name":"InvoiceSherpa"}]` | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","CA"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"GB","primaryMarkets":["GB"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":["GB"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Lite","summary":"$2.30/mo (regularly $23.00/mo, currently 90% off for 3 months)","features":["Send invoices to 5 clients","Track expenses in real time","Create and send estimates","Get paid with credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Buy Now Pay Later","Generate tax-time reports"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Essential invoicing and expense tracking","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"5"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$4.30/mo (regularly $43.00/mo, currently 90% off for 3 months)","features":["Send invoices to 50 clients","Track expenses in real time","Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers","Get paid with credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Buy Now Pay Later","Generate tax-time reports","Run financial and accounting reports","Expense receipt scanning","Give your accountant access"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":4.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Enhanced reporting and accountant collaboration","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"50"}},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$7.00/mo (regularly $70.00/mo, currently 90% off for 3 months)","features":["Send invoices to unlimited clients","Track expenses in real time","Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers","Get paid with credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Buy Now Pay Later","Generate tax-time reports","Run financial and accounting reports","Bill receipt scanning with ability to add line items","Give your accountant access","Check project profitability","Customize your email templates"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":7,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Unlimited clients with project profitability and customization","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Select","summary":"Custom pricing, contact for quote","features":["Send invoices to unlimited clients","Track expenses in real time","Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers","Access lower credit card transaction fees and capped ACH fees","Generate tax-time reports","Run financial and accounting reports","Bill receipt scanning with automatic multi-line item capture","Give your accountant access","Check project profitability","Customize email templates and remove FreshBooks branding","Import data via Easy Switch","Dedicated phone support","2 Team Member accounts included"],"description":"Enterprise plan with dedicated support and included team members","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"unlimited","included_team_members":"2"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Team Members","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":11,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Advanced Payments","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"FreshBooks Payroll","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":40,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":6,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $2.30/mo. No free tier; 30-day free trial. Premium add-ons from $11/mo per user.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.freshbooks.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:09:43.427Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Ignite","summary":"£3.20/mo for first 6 months, then £16/mo","features":["Send quotes and 20 invoices","Accept online invoice payments","MTD for Income Tax ready","Reconcile transactions (optional)","Auto-reconcile transactions (optional)"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":3.2,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"An easy financial foundation - track cash flow with the essentials.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"invoices":"20"}},{"free":false,"name":"Grow","summary":"£7.40/mo for first 6 months, then £37/mo","features":["Send invoices and quotes","Accept online invoice payments","MTD for Income Tax ready","Reconcile transactions","Auto-reconcile transactions (Beta)","Smart document capture","View real-time reports","Automate bill entry and track bills","Submit VAT returns to HMRC","Automate subcontractor CIS calculations and reports","Make online bill and payroll payments (domestic) for up to 5 payments","Payroll for 1 person","60 day cash flow forecast","Visualise performance with graphs","Customise performance dashboards","Claim expenses and mileage for 1 user","Use multiple currencies","Tailored financial health scorecards"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":7.4,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Go beyond the basics - automate tasks and access performance dashboards.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"payroll_users":"1","payments_domestic":"5","expense_claim_users":"1","cash_flow_forecast_days":"60"}},{"free":false,"name":"Comprehensive","summary":"£10/mo for first 6 months, then £50/mo","features":["Send invoices and quotes","Accept online invoice payments","MTD for Income Tax ready","Reconcile transactions","Auto-reconcile transactions (Beta)","Smart document capture","View real-time reports","Automate bill entry and track bills","Submit VAT returns to HMRC","Automate subcontractor CIS calculations and reports","Make online bill and payroll payments (domestic) for up to 10 payments","Payroll for 5 people","90 day cash flow forecast","Visualise performance with graphs","Customise performance dashboards","Claim expenses and mileage for 5 users","Use multiple currencies","Tailored financial health scorecards"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Optimise profitability - tailor your insights for greater control.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"payroll_users":"5","payments_domestic":"10","expense_claim_users":"5","cash_flow_forecast_days":"90"}},{"free":false,"name":"Ultimate","summary":"£13/mo for first 6 months, then £65/mo","features":["Send invoices and quotes","Accept online invoice payments","MTD for Income Tax ready","Reconcile transactions","Auto-reconcile transactions (Beta)","Smart document capture","View real-time reports","Automate bill entry and track bills","Submit VAT returns to HMRC","Automate subcontractor CIS calculations and reports","Make online bill and payroll payments (domestic) for up to 15 payments","Payroll for 10 people","180 day cash flow forecast","Visualise performance with graphs","Customise performance dashboards","Claim expenses and mileage for 10 users","Use multiple currencies","Tailored financial health scorecards","Track time and costs for projects for 10 users","Analyse KPIs and ratios","Benchmark against the industry"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":13,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"}],"description":"Future proof your scaling business - with advanced tools and analytics.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"payroll_users":"10","payments_domestic":"15","expense_claim_users":"10","project_tracking_users":"10","cash_flow_forecast_days":"180"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Make online bill payments (International)"},{"name":"Submit contractor CIS returns"}],"summary":"From £3.20/mo (first 6 months). 1 month free trial.","currency":"GBP","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.xero.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:27:06.933Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":3.2,"period":"month","currency":"GBP"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | no |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.starting_gbp | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |

## Capabilities (Accounting Software)

| Capability | FreshBooks | Xero |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Double-entry GL | ✓ | - |
| Multi-entity | - | - |
| Multi-currency | - | ✓ |
| Bank feeds | Aggregator | - |
| **Modules** |  |  |
| AP automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| AR / invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory | ✗ | - |
| Fixed assets | - | - |
| Project accounting | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Tax compliance | Tax-time reports and tax calculation integration | VAT returns, MTD for Income Tax, subcontractor CIS calculations |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Accountant collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payments capture | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| API access | Full | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-08-07T00:02:15.821Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*