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Xero vs FreshBooks pricing
Xero and FreshBooks both target small businesses, and Xero raised its prices on October 1, 2026. This page compares their published tiers using StackScope's accounting report, last verified October 2026.
FreshBooks is cheaper at every matched tier on standard monthly prices: Lite is $23 per month against $27 for Xero Early, Plus is $43 against $59 for Xero Growing, and Premium is $70 against $97 for Xero Established. The tiers differ in what limits them, though: FreshBooks Plus covers 50 billable clients and Premium is unlimited, and paid team-member add-ons can raise the real cost as a business grows, while Xero includes accountant and bookkeeper access at no extra cost. Neither has an ongoing free plan, only a 30-day trial. FreshBooks' pricing page still shows a 90%-off promotion that its own offer terms previously said ended August 18, 2026, and StackScope has not resolved that conflict.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry tier | Mid tier | Highest public price | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero | 30-day free trial; no ongoing free plan. [VENDOR]Accountant/bookkeeper access included at no extra cost. [VENDOR] | [PRICE INCREASE — Oct 1, 2026] $27/mo standardEarly · MONTHLY: $27 standard, up from $25, effective October 1, 2026; applies to new and existing US subscribers, excludes add-ons and sales tax [VENDOR]. Xero's current main US pricing page advertises 80% off for the first 3 months (code DC80325309US) = $5.40/mo for 3 months, then $27 — other current Xero pages still display the prior 90%-off-for-6-months offer, a live vendor-source conflict; verify the active offer at checkout. [VENDOR — source conflict] ANNUAL: not publicly offered — monthly-only public pricing. Xero states no per-user license fees, so 1-user and 5-user prices are identical. [VENDOR] Early remains capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills. | [PRICE INCREASE — Oct 1, 2026] $59/mo standardGrowing · MONTHLY: $59 standard, up from $55, effective October 1, 2026 [VENDOR]. Current main page promo = $11.80/mo for first 3 months, then $59 — see Early's cell for the promo source conflict. ANNUAL: not publicly offered. Removes Early's invoice/bill caps. JAX automated reconciliation available starting here, not on Early. | [PRICE INCREASE — Oct 1, 2026] $97/mo standardEstablished · MONTHLY: $97 standard, up from $90, effective October 1, 2026 [VENDOR]. Current main page promo = $19.40/mo for first 3 months, then $97 — see Early's cell for the promo source conflict. ANNUAL: not publicly offered. Publicly priced, not Contact Sales. | Catch: advanced reporting/customization and occasional bank-feed issues are recurring complaints. [3P — G2] Reviewers consistently praise the clean interface, ease of use, invoicing, and reconciliation. Capterra currently shows stale pre-increase figures ($25/$55) and G2 shows even older figures ($13/$37/$70) — both conflict with Xero's current Oct. 1 pricing and are flagged, not used. [3P — G2/Capterra] Users: unlimited on every tier, no per-user fee. Invoices/bills/clients: Early capped at 20 invoices and 5 bills/month; Growing and Established remove that cap. Upgrade trigger: exceeding Early's invoice/bill volume, or needing JAX automated reconciliation. AI: JAX (Xero's AI finance partner) carries no additional charge; JAX automated reconciliation is bundled starting on Growing, not available on Early. [VENDOR] |
| FreshBooks | 30-day free trial; no ongoing free version. [VENDOR / 3P — Capterra] | $23/mo standardLite · MONTHLY: $23 standard. FreshBooks' current pricing page still displays 90% off for 3 months ($2.30/mo), while FreshBooks' own formal offer terms previously stated that version of the promotion ended August 18, 2026 — this conflict has not been cleanly resolved; the current page keeps showing 90% off despite that stated expiration, so don't treat the promo as definitely verified. [VENDOR — source conflict] ANNUAL: $248.40/year — now vendor-published in FreshBooks' 2026 price-change FAQ (includes a stated 10% discount vs. monthly), not a derived figure. [VENDOR] 1 included user; additional Team Members are $11/mo each. Other published add-ons: Advanced Payments $20/mo, FreshBooks Payroll $40/mo + $6/mo per user. 5-user equivalent: $67/mo, assuming 1 included user + 4 paid Team Members [DERIVED — VENDOR: $23 + 4×$11]. Lite supports 5 billable clients. | $43/moPlus · [VENDOR] 50 billable clients; adds receipt scanning and accounting reports. ANNUAL: $464.40/year, vendor-published (10% discount vs. monthly). [VENDOR] | $70/moPremium · [VENDOR] unlimited clients. ANNUAL: $756.00/year, vendor-published (10% discount vs. monthly). [VENDOR] Select tier above this is Contact Sales/custom, not publicly priced. | Catch: client caps and paid team-member add-ons can raise the real cost as a business grows. [3P — G2; 3P — Capterra] Praise is dominated by ease of use, invoicing, quick setup, and customer support. Reporting limitations and per-client pricing recur as complaints. Capterra currently lists Lite $21/Plus $38/Premium $65, and G2 shows the promotional $2.30/$4.30/$7.00 figures plus a separate G2 Deals 90%-off-for-4-months offer — none of these match FreshBooks' current $23/$43/$70 standard prices; flagged, not used. [3P — G2/Capterra] Users: 1 included, additional Team Members $11/mo each. Invoices/bills/clients: Lite 5 billable clients; Plus 50; Premium and Select unlimited. Upgrade trigger: exceeding 5 clients, or needing more than 1 user without paying per-seat. AI: no separate AI add-on price found; recurring invoices and automated bank import are bundled into the tier, with receipt scanning bundled starting on Plus. [VENDOR] |
Figures are aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party pricing research as of October 2026 and reflect published list prices. This page shows two of the four tools in the full Accounting Software report, which carries the complete footnotes and every source conflict we flagged. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product.
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FAQ
Common questions
Is FreshBooks cheaper than Xero?
On standard monthly prices, yes: FreshBooks Lite is $23, Plus is $43 and Premium is $70, versus Xero's Early at $27, Growing at $59 and Established at $97 since October 1, 2026. FreshBooks tiers are limited by client count, so check the caps before comparing.
Do Xero and FreshBooks have free plans?
Neither has an ongoing free plan. Both offer a 30-day free trial.
Does FreshBooks limit clients?
Yes. Plus covers 50 billable clients and Premium is unlimited. Paid team-member add-ons can also raise the cost as a business grows.
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Vendor pricing: Xero pricing · FreshBooks pricing