FreshBooks vs LedgerSMB
FreshBooks
freshbooks.comLedgerSMB
ledgersmb.orgSide by side
| Figure | FreshBooks | LedgerSMB |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $4.60/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 2 |
| Spec score · Financial Management | 9.1 (#2) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Spec score · Bookkeeper Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Spec score · Bookkeeping Software | 9.2 (#7) | 8.8 (#18) |
| Spec score · Gym Accounting Software | 9.1 (#3) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Spec score · Core Financial Management | 9.1 (#3) | 8.8 (#7) |
| API | The public API exposes FreshBooks data as JSON for web and desktop integrations and uses OAuth2 access tokens. | LedgerSMB exposes a language-independent web-services API documented with versioned OpenAPI files. |
| Founded | 2003 | 2006 |
| Licence | The service is proprietary: its terms grant limited access and prohibit modifying, redistributing or creating derivatives of FreshBooks content. | The source repository identifies LedgerSMB as GPLv2-licensed. |
| Purpose | FreshBooks describes itself as accounting software for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small businesses. | LedgerSMB is open source ERP and accounting software for small and mid-size businesses, combining accounting, invoicing, order processing, and related operations. |
| Security | FreshBooks states that browser traffic uses 256-bit SSL, data is firewalled and servers undergo regular vulnerability scans. | Official release tarballs are GPG signed so users can verify their integrity. |
| Self-hosting | FreshBooks is delivered as a hosted cloud service and its official materials provide no self-hosted deployment option. | Official downloads provide tarballs, Docker images and installers, allowing deployment on the operator's infrastructure. |
| Support | The Help Center organizes guidance for invoices, payments, expenses, projects, reports, payroll, integrations and mobile use, with FreshBot routing support options. | Free community help is offered through mailing lists and Matrix, while paid providers offer hosting, installation, training and customization. |
| System requirements | Supported browsers are the latest two Chrome, Firefox and Safari major versions and the latest Edge and Opera versions; current macOS or Windows is recommended. | The documented server stack uses PostgreSQL, Perl, a PSGI server such as Starman and a reverse proxy such as Apache or Nginx; LaTeX is used for PDF output. |
| Time tracking | Users can track time against clients and projects and generate invoices from tracked time. | Time tracking records billable hours and can generate invoices. |
| What it does | FreshBooks is cloud accounting software for small businesses that combines invoicing, payments, expenses, time tracking, projects and reports. | LedgerSMB is a web-based, open-source ERP and accounting system for small and midsize businesses. |
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.
LedgerSMB
LedgerSMB is free, open-source ERP and accounting software for small and mid-size businesses. It combines double-entry general ledger functions with quotations, sales and purchase orders, invoices, receivables, payables, and cash management. The application also supports inventory, light manufacturing, and fixed-asset depreciation and disposal. Transactions can use multiple currencies, while budgets can be tracked by project or department with variance reports. LedgerSMB produces PDF, HTML, CSV, and Office documents, can email documents from inside the application, and includes 45 languages. A web services API enables programmatic interaction; connecting an online store is not available out of the box and requires custom integration. The web application is intended for installation on the user’s own infrastructure, with Linux installers and production Docker images available. Official release tarballs are GPG signed. Free volunteer support is available through a users mailing list and Matrix, with paid professional support also offered. The project began in 2006 as a fork of SQL-Ledger.