Xero vs QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks

Written head to head: QuickBooks Online vs Xero · QuickBooks Online vs FreshBooks · Xero vs FreshBooks, with when to choose each side.

Compared on	Xero From $27/mo VisitRemove	QuickBooks Online Free plan · from $38/mo VisitRemove	FreshBooks Free trial · from $20.70/mo VisitRemove
What it is	Cloud accounting with three US plans, no per-user fees, Gusto payroll and the JAX AI assistant	Intuit's cloud accounting for US small businesses, from a free tier to plans with AI bookkeeping	Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses, priced by number of billable clients
Free plan	No	1 user, no accountant access, up to 2 invoices a month (unlimited if you qualify for and enable QuickBooks Payments), the top 3 reports (profit and loss, balance sheet, account quick report), 1 bank connection, chat support. No credit card required. Mobile app access and third-party integrations are not available on Free.	No
Cheapest paid plan	$27/mo (Early)Xero pricing	$38/mo (Simple Start)QuickBooks Online pricing	$20.70/mo billed annually (Lite)FreshBooks pricing
What it covers	Per organization, no per-user licence fees; send quotes and 20 invoices, enter 5 bills; auto-reconcile is a $5/month add-on. Promotion: 90% off ($2.70/month) for the first 6 months for new US customers, until 2 November 2026.	1 user plus access for 2 accountants. Promotion: 50% off ($19/month) for the first 3 months. No annual contract; the pricing page shows no annual price.	Invoice up to 5 billable clients; extra team members $11/month each; $248.40 billed yearly. Promotion: 80% off ($4.60/month) for the first 4 months.
Free trial	One month free on any Xero plan	30-day free trial, shown alongside the 50%-off offer on the pricing page	30-day free trial, no credit card required
Platforms	Web	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations (vendor's figure)	Integrate with 1000+ apps	800+ integrations	100+ apps in the FreshBooks AppStore
Open source	No	No	No
Good for	Small businesses that want several people in the books without per-user fees Businesses that work closely with an accountant or bookkeeper Companies that bill or pay in foreign currencies	US small businesses that want accounting, invoicing and payroll from one vendor Sole owners starting on a free plan with a few invoices a month Growing teams that need inventory, project profitability and up to 25 users	Freelancers and consultants who bill a small number of clients Service businesses that invoice for tracked time and project work Owners who want their accountant working in the same books
Watch out for	Early caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills, and auto-reconcile costs $5 a month extra Multi-currency, projects and expense claims need Established ($97/mo) Payroll costs $36 a month plus $6 per person through Gusto	Free plan: 1 user, 2 invoices a month unless QuickBooks Payments is enabled, 1 bank connection, no mobile app or third-party integrations User caps: 1 on Simple Start, 3 on Essentials, 5 on Plus, 25 on Advanced Inventory, budgets and project profitability need Plus ($140/mo); workflow automation and custom permissions need Advanced ($340/mo)	Lite invoices only 5 clients and Plus 50; unlimited clients need Premium ($70/mo) Each team member costs $11 a month on top of the plan Bank reconciliation, receipt scanning and accountant access are not on Lite
Made by	Xero Limited	Intuit Inc.	2NDSITE Inc.

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in accounting and invoicing software is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.