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BillGrid vs FreshBooks
Two good invoicing tools built for different jobs: FreshBooks is accounting software that invoices; BillGrid is invoicing software that stays out of your books.
The short answer
Choose FreshBooks if you want your accounting in the same app: double-entry reports, bank reconciliation, payroll and a mobile app. Choose BillGrid if you mainly need to bill clients and get paid: every BillGrid plan has unlimited clients for $8 a month, while FreshBooks Lite costs $23 a month and counts 5 billable clients, archived ones included.
Price and limits
| BillGrid | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $8 a month (Professional) | $23 a month (Lite, list price) |
| Clients on the starting plan | Unlimited | 5 billable clients, active and archived |
| Other plans | Company, $20 a month, with staff logins | Plus $43 (50 clients), Premium $70 (unlimited), Select (custom) |
| Adding your team | $5 a month per extra person (Company) | $11 a month per team member, any plan |
| Invoices and estimates | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card | 30 days, no card |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Card payment fees | Stripe's standard rate, 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards; BillGrid adds nothing | 2.9% + 30¢ (FreshBooks Payments, standard cards) |
Features on the starting plans
BillGrid Professional ($8) against FreshBooks Lite ($23). Where FreshBooks needs a higher plan, the row says which.
| BillGrid | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring invoices | Yes, weekly to yearly | Yes |
| Automatic payment reminders | Yes, before and after the due date | Yes |
| Estimates | Yes; clients approve online and it becomes an invoice in one click | Yes |
| Time tracking | Yes; billable hours go onto invoices | Yes |
| Expenses | Yes, with CSV import | Yes, with automatic bank import |
| Retainers | Yes | Plus plan and up |
| Proposals and e-signatures | No | Plus plan and up |
| Scheduled late fees | No | Yes |
| Double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation | No | Plus plan and up |
| Payroll | No | Add-on, $40 a month + $6 per person |
| Mobile app | No, BillGrid runs in the browser | Yes |
Which fits you
FreshBooks is the better choice if
- you want accounting, bank reconciliation and an accountant's view in the same app
- you need payroll, proposals with e-signatures or automatic late fees
- you invoice from your phone and want a native app
BillGrid is the better choice if
- you bill more than 5 clients and don't want to pay $43 a month to do it
- you want retainers, recurring invoices and time tracking on the cheapest plan
- you keep your books elsewhere, or have an accountant who does
Switching to BillGrid
There's no import for clients or past invoices yet, so most people add clients as they next bill them and keep their old tool for history. Expenses can be imported from a CSV file. Card payments go through your own Stripe account, which you connect in a few minutes; BillGrid adds no fee on top of Stripe's.
Both BillGrid plans are free for 30 days, with no card needed. Start free See pricing
Sources: FreshBooks pricing and FreshBooks Payments fees, Stripe pricing. FreshBooks prices are US list prices billed monthly; FreshBooks often runs introductory discounts. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.