FreshBooks vs Sage 50
FreshBooks
freshbooks.comSage 50
sage.comSide by side
| Figure | FreshBooks | Sage 50 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $4.60/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 11 |
| Spec score · Accounting & Finance Software | 9.1 (#2) | 8.7 (#8) |
| Spec score · Bookkeeper Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.7 (#10) |
| Spec score · Bookkeeping Software | 9.2 (#7) | 9.3 (#3) |
| Spec score · Core Financial Management | 9.1 (#3) | 8.7 (#11) |
| Spec score · Salon Accounting Software | 9.1 (#6) | 8.7 (#14) |
| Founded | 2003 | 1981 |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Canada | Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
| Invoicing | The product creates branded invoices, recurring invoices, reminders and online payment requests. | Users can create and send invoices, send invoices in batches, schedule recurring invoices, track payments and add reminders or late fees. |
| Limit: pricing | Reviewers report that costs rise with additional clients, users and add-ons, making the service expensive as a business grows. | Independent reviewers repeatedly complain that prices and renewals are high for small businesses and can rise without proportionate new functionality. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings | 1.0 out of 5 from 11 ratings |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.5 out of 5 from 4,529 reviews | 4.0 out of 5 from 628 reviews |
| Rating on G2 | 4.5 out of 5 from 981 reviews | 3.9 out of 5 from 163 reviews |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.5 out of 5 from 4,529 reviews | 4.0 out of 5 from 624 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.7 out of 5 from 1,047 reviews | 4.0 out of 5 from 20,199 reviews |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 9.2 out of 10 from 214 reviews and ratings | 7.6 out of 10 from 188 reviews and ratings |
| 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 2026 US edition requires a 2.0 GHz processor, 8 GB RAM, Windows 10 21H1 or later or Windows 11 23H2 or later, 1 GB disk space and .NET Framework 4.8. |
| What it does | FreshBooks is cloud accounting software for small businesses that combines invoicing, payments, expenses, time tracking, projects and reports. | Sage 50 is accounting software for small and midsized businesses covering invoicing, bills, expenses, payments, payroll-related work and financial reporting. |
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
Sage 50
- Pro AccountingPrice not published
- Pro AccountingPriced on request
- Premium AccountingPriced on request
- Premium AccountingPrice not published
- Quantum AccountingPriced on request
- Quantum AccountingPrice not published
- Pro Accounting$132.17 a month
- Premium Accounting$182.50 a month
- Quantum Accounting$271.17 a month
- Pro Accounting with Payroll$1,155 a year
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.