Frelo vs FreshBooks
FreshBooks is invoicing-led accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, with time tracking, expenses and reporting. It is an accounting product first, which makes it a different shape from Frelo rather than a straight substitute.
What each one costs
Every FreshBooks figure below is quoted from their own pricing page, read on August 21, 2026. Prices change — check theirs before deciding, and tell us if this page has gone stale.
| Frelo | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's billed | Per account, monthly. One person, one price. | Per account, with billable-client limits by tier and $11/month for each extra team member. FreshBooks was running a heavy introductory discount when these figures were checked; the list prices are what you pay once it ends. |
| Entry plan | Free — $0/month, 2 clients and 3 projects, no card, no time limit | Lite — $23/month list, capped at 5 billable clients |
| Portal + contracts + invoicing | Pro — $19/month, unlimited clients and projects, including the branded client portal, contracts with e-signatures, Stripe invoicing and payments, time tracking, expenses and the finance dashboard | Plus — $43/month list, capped at 50 billable clients. Plus is the cheapest tier that accepts e-signatures; Lite does not. |
| Also charges | Nothing on top. Card and ACH payments run through your own Stripe account at your own Stripe rates; Frelo takes no cut. |
|
- Real accounting: double-entry books, accounts payable, financial reports and accountant access, none of which Frelo does
- Receipt scanning and bank reconciliation
- Mobile apps and a large integration ecosystem
- Proposals and estimates
- A long track record as the system of record for a small business's books
- You want a client portal that shows project status and files, not just invoices. That is the centre of Frelo and an accounting tool is not built for it.
- You have more than 5 clients but do not want to pay $43/month for the tier that lifts the cap and adds e-signatures.
- You want contracts and e-signatures included rather than gated behind a mid-tier plan.
What Frelo does not do
Frelo starts once you have the client. It has no client-facing scheduling or booking pages, proposals or lead-capture forms, a CRM pipeline, native mobile apps and no full bookkeeping or accounting. If those are the parts of your week you want software for, FreshBooks is the more complete product and you should buy it.
What Frelo does instead is the stretch after the deal is signed: one link your client opens without an account, invoices built from tracked hours, and a finance view that tells you what you are owed. See the full feature list.
Common questions
- Is Frelo cheaper than FreshBooks?
- At list price, yes. FreshBooks Lite is $23/month for up to 5 billable clients, and Plus — the cheapest tier with e-signatures, for up to 50 clients — is $43/month. Frelo Pro is $19/month with no client cap. FreshBooks was advertising a steep introductory discount when we checked; those rates do not continue. Figures are from FreshBooks' pricing page, checked on the date shown on this page.
- Can Frelo replace my accounting software?
- No, and it is not trying to. Frelo tracks income and expenses and produces a profit-and-loss view and a year-end tax summary for your accountant, but it does not do double-entry bookkeeping, bank reconciliation or accounts payable. Plenty of people run Frelo for client work and something else for the books.
- Does FreshBooks have a client portal?
- Yes — clients can view and pay invoices and see projects. It is oriented around billing rather than around sharing project status, files and approvals, which is where Frelo's portal is aimed.
FreshBooks is a trademark of its owner. Frelo is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by FreshBooks. The figures on this page were read from https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing on August 21, 2026 and may since have changed.
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