FreshBooks alternative
A FreshBooks alternative for when invoicing is no longer enough
FreshBooks is good at sending invoices. This page is for the business that started there and now needs the rest: a proper ledger the accountant can close, inventory, payroll, more than one person in the books without paying per head, or simply the records on a computer it owns.
AcboBooks is a Windows desktop program with a one-time price. It is double-entry from the first transaction, includes inventory, jobs, payroll and multi-user, and keeps the company file on your own PC, encrypted with your password.
No card, no account. Windows 10 and 11. FreshBooks prices and features checked October 2026.
FreshBooks pricing, October 2026
Lite
5 billable clients; no double-entry reports
$23 a month
Plus
50 billable clients
$43 a month
Premium
unlimited clients
$70 a month
Extra team member
on every plan
$11 a month each
Payroll add-on
on every plan
$40 a month plus $6 per user
AcboBooks Pro
$399.99 once
Why people leave
What FreshBooks users tell us, and what changes
The entry plan is not accounting
Lite has no double-entry reports; a balance sheet and general ledger start on Plus. AcboBooks is enforced double-entry on every file, with a closing date and audit trail.
Every extra person costs $11 a month
A bookkeeper, a partner and an assistant add $33 a month for ever. An AcboBooks licence covers two computers with as many user logins as you like, and your accountant is free.
Clients are counted
Five on Lite, fifty on Plus. AcboBooks has no customer, invoice or transaction limits.
Inventory, jobs and real payroll are missing or extra
FreshBooks has no inventory accounting and payroll is a $40-a-month add-on. AcboBooks includes inventory with cost of goods, job costing, and payroll with W-2, 1099, T4 and direct deposit.
Your records live on their servers
Leaving means exporting reports and spreadsheets before the account closes. The AcboBooks company file is on your drive from day one and a backup is a copy.
Side by side
AcboBooks and FreshBooks, row by row
FreshBooks answers are from its own published plans and documentation, checked October 2026.
| AcboBooks Pro | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Your data | ||
| Where your books live | A file on your computer | FreshBooks' servers |
| Works without internet | Yes, fully | No |
| Account or sign-up required | None | Yes |
| Take your data with you | It is a file, encrypted with your password | Exports and reports |
| Doing the books | ||
| Enforced double-entry | Yes, enforced | Reports on Plus and above |
| Closing date and audit trail | Closing date, password, audit trail | Limited |
| Bank feeds | OFX/QFX and statement import | Live connections (bank permitting) |
| Payroll | Included: W-2, 1099, T4, direct deposit | Add-on: $40 a month plus $6 per user |
| Multi-currency | Included, dated rates | Invoicing in other currencies |
| Inventory, jobs and classes | Included: inventory, jobs, classes | Projects; no inventory accounting |
| Customer and invoice limits | None | 5 or 50 billable clients by plan |
| Working together | ||
| Multi-user | Office network, record locking, 2 computers per licence | $11 a month per extra person |
| Accountant access | Free: copy the file or add a user | Accountant seat included |
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 | Any browser; phone apps |
| Cost | ||
| How you pay | Once, $399.99 | Monthly, by plan, plus per user |
| Price can rise next year | No, you own it | Yes |
| Updates and support | 12 months included, then optional renewal | Included while subscribed |
Three years
What the same three years cost
Lite has no double-entry reports and allows five clients, so a growing business is on Plus at $43 plus $11 for each additional person. Payroll is $40 a month plus $6 per user on top.
| FreshBooks (Plus with one extra team member) | AcboBooks Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $648.00 | $399.99 |
| Year 2 | $648.00 | $0.00 (updates renewal optional) |
| Year 3 | $648.00 | $0.00 (updates renewal optional) |
| Total | $1,944.00 | $399.99 |
At FreshBooks's list price as of October 2026, before any add-ons, and assuming no price rise. AcboBooks includes 12 months of updates and support; renewing updates after that is optional and the software keeps working either way.
Being fair
Who should stay with FreshBooks
Stay with FreshBooks if invoicing and time tracking from a phone is most of what you do, if you bill hourly from the field and want clients to pay by card inside the invoice, or if you are on a Mac. AcboBooks is a Windows program built around the whole set of books, and card payments go through a Stripe payment link rather than an in-app processor.
What AcboBooks does not do
· No phone app and no Mac version; it is a Windows desktop program.
· No live bank connection; it imports the OFX, QFX or CSV statement your bank provides.
· Card payments go through a Stripe payment link on the invoice, not a built-in processor.
Moving your books
From FreshBooks to AcboBooks
FreshBooks exports clients, items, invoices and expenses as spreadsheets. AcboBooks builds the chart of accounts for you and imports the lists; the new books start at a date you choose.
In FreshBooks, export clients, items and services, expenses, and a profit and loss and balance sheet as of your start date.
In AcboBooks: create the company, then File → Import for clients and items; the starter chart of accounts is ready to use.
Enter opening balances and recreate any open invoices so receivables age correctly.
Import bank statements (OFX, QFX or CSV) for the history you want to keep and categorise them once.
If your accountant has been rebuilding the books from FreshBooks reports each year, ask them for the last closing trial balance; it is the cleanest starting point.
Invoices as simple as before; the ledger behind them is the difference.
Payroll is included: pay stubs, direct deposit files, W-2 and T4.
Questions people ask
Leaving FreshBooks: the practical questions
How much does FreshBooks cost over three years?
At the October 2026 list prices, Plus with one extra team member is $54 a month, or $1,944 over three years, before payroll at $40 a month plus $6 per user. AcboBooks Pro is $399.99 once, with optional update renewals after the first year.
Is AcboBooks harder to use than FreshBooks?
The invoicing is as simple: pick the customer, add lines, send. Behind it is a real ledger, so your accountant gets a balance sheet, a general ledger and a closing date without rebuilding anything at year end.
Can several people use it?
Yes. User logins are unlimited; the licence covers two computers, with more seats available. Each user has a role, and records lock while someone is editing them.
Does it track time?
Billable time and expenses can be entered against a customer or job and pulled onto an invoice. There is no phone timer; it is a desktop program.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The trial runs for 15 days with every feature, no card and no account. If you buy, nothing is re-entered; the file you were working in simply stops counting down.
What does the licence cover?
$399.99 buys AcboBooks Pro for one business on two computers, for as long as you like, with 12 months of updates and email support. After that the software keeps working; renewing updates is optional.
Is my data safe on my own computer?
Each company file is encrypted inside the database with your password (AES-256), so a copied or stolen file cannot be read. Back it up like any file; the app can do that automatically each time it closes.
Can my accountant get in?
Yes, without paying for a seat. Give them a backup copy, or add them as a user on your network, or use the accountant invite from inside the app. Their adjusting entries import back without double-posting.
Other comparisons
Leaving something else?
Get started
Try it against your real FreshBooks books.
Download the 15-day trial, bring your lists across, and run one month-end in both. Then decide.
No card. No account. Nothing to cancel.
FreshBooks is a trademark of 2ndSite Inc. AcboBooks is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FreshBooks. Prices and features are quoted from FreshBooks' pricing page as of the date shown and may have changed.