Clerq vs FreshBooks
Clerq
useclerq.net
FreshBooks
freshbooks.comSide by side
| Figure | Clerq | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $4.60/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 7 |
| Spec score · Time Billing Software | 8.7 (#9) | 9.0 (#5) |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech Republic | Toronto, Canada |
| Invoicing | Users can generate invoices from unbilled time, use multiple currencies with live exchange rates, apply three VAT treatments, and create branded PDFs and signed links. | The product creates branded invoices, recurring invoices, reminders and online payment requests. |
| Licence | The home page identifies the self-hosted source as AGPL-3.0 licensed. | The service is proprietary: its terms grant limited access and prohibit modifying, redistributing or creating derivatives of FreshBooks content. |
| Purpose | Clerq is an open-source back-office suite for freelancers and small dev studios, covering clients, projects, time tracking, invoicing and expenses. | FreshBooks describes itself as accounting software for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small businesses. |
| Rating on G2 | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews on the unrelated patent-software Clerq listing. | 4.5 out of 5 from 981 reviews |
| Security | The privacy policy says Cloud passwords are stored as secure hashes and traffic is encrypted in transit using HTTPS. | FreshBooks states that browser traffic uses 256-bit SSL, data is firewalled and servers undergo regular vulnerability scans. |
| Support | Cloud pricing lists small-team support with roles; self-hosted users receive community support on GitHub. | The Help Center organizes guidance for invoices, payments, expenses, projects, reports, payroll, integrations and mobile use, with FreshBot routing support options. |
| Time and projects | The product includes Kanban and list views, a live task timer, weekly timesheets, and billable flags. | FreshBooks links billable time, project management, retainers and invoicing so tracked work can flow into billing. |
| Time tracking | Users can run a live task timer or enter time manually with billable flags and weekly timesheets. | Users can track time against clients and projects and generate invoices from tracked time. |
| What it does | Clerq is an open-source back-office system for freelancers and small development studios covering clients, projects, time, invoices and expenses. | FreshBooks is cloud accounting software for small businesses that combines invoicing, payments, expenses, time tracking, projects and reports. |
Plans
FreshBooks
- Lite$23 a month
- Plus$43 a month
- Premium$70 a month
- Lite$4.60 a month
- Plus$8.60 a month
- Premium$14 a month
- SelectPriced on request
In their own words
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is accounting software for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small businesses. It creates invoices with tracked time and expenses, calculates taxes, and offers configurable payment options. Users can track time against clients and projects, then generate invoices from those records. Projects organize client work, team members, time, invoices, and expenses, and include profitability views. Listed payment options include card and ACH payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and buy now, pay later options. FreshBooks also offers recurring invoices, expense tracking, and a client portal. Its API uses OAuth2 for integrations and account automation. The service runs on the web and has iOS and Android apps, but some features, including reporting, are desktop-only. Mobile apps require iOS 15 or later or Android 7.0 or later. Lite costs $23 a month and includes five billable clients; Plus costs $43 a month and includes 50. Premium costs $70 a month and includes unlimited clients. Double-entry accounting is available on Plus, Premium, and Select. There is no free plan, and the listed trial lasts 30 days.