FreshBooks vs Manager.io

- ✦ Expense Tracking
- ✦ Time Tracking
- ✦ Project Management

- ✦ General Ledger
- ✦ Expense Claims
- ✦ Fixed Assets
FreshBooks and Manager.io are both Accounting tools. FreshBooks starts at $23/mo, Manager.io at $9/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose FreshBooks vs Manager.io
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Time Tracking logs hours per project and auto-populates invoice line items at configured rates, with records attached to each bill to reduce client disputes.
Estimates & Proposals convert to invoices in one click - preserving line items, rates, and client details - cutting the proposal-to-payment cycle by up to 40%.
Fixed Assets logs purchases, depreciation schedules, and disposals across all locations in one ledger, cutting quarterly reconciliation from 8 hours to 2 hours.
Payroll calculates gross pay and withholdings in USD, EUR, and GBP, posting each to the General Ledger automatically for real-time bank-feed verification.
Advance payments sit in a General Ledger liability account until work ships, giving managers clean earned-versus-unearned revenue reports per client.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified May 30, 2026
Lite
$23/moBest for: This plan is ideal for freelancers or very small businesses needing basic invoicing and expense tracking
- ✓Send invoices to 5 clients
- ✓Track expenses in real time
- ✓Create and send estimates
- ✓Generate tax summaries
- ✓Generate expense reports
Plus
$43/moBest for: Suited for growing businesses with multiple clients, this plan adds double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, and client retainers
- ✓Send invoices to 50 clients
- ✓Track expenses in real time
- ✓Create and send estimates, proposals
- ✓Project tracking
- ✓Accounting reports
Premium
$70/moBest for: established businesses managing numerous clients and projects, this plan includes advanced reporting and project profitability tracking
- ✓Send invoices to unlimited clients
- ✓Track expenses in real time
- ✓Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers
- ✓Automated late payment reminders
- ✓Multi-user access
Select
Contact SalesBest for: Designed for larger businesses or those with specific needs, this custom plan offers personalized features and dedicated account management
- ✓Customized pricing
- ✓Dedicated account manager
- ✓Lower credit card transaction fees
- ✓Capped bank transfer (ACH) fees
- ✓Assisted data migration
Desktop Edition
Free- ✓Install on your computer
- ✓No internet connection required
- ✓Data stored locally
- ✓Unlimited businesses
- ✓Unlimited users
Cloud Edition
$9/org/mo- ✓Access from anywhere
- ✓Automatic backups
- ✓Collaboration features
- ✓Unlimited users
- ✓All features included
Capability Breakdown
2 differences found across 16 standardized features
- •Invoicing
- •Expense Tracking
- •Time Tracking
- •Project Management
- •Estimates & Proposals
- •Online Payments
- •Bank Reconciliation
- •Double-entry Accounting
- •Financial Reports
- •Receipt Capture
- •Automated Late Reminders
- •Client Portal
- •Mobile App
- •200+ Integrations
- •Multi-currency
- •Customizable Invoice Templates
- •Sales Tax Calculations
- •Automated Billing Schedules
- •Credit Note Management
- •Inventory Tracking System
- •Vendor Management Tools
- •Budgeting and Forecasting
- •Cash Flow Analysis
- •Audit Trail Logs
- •User Permission Controls
- •Recurring Invoice Options
- •Transaction Matching
- •General Ledger
- •Invoicing
- •Expense Claims
- •Bank Reconciliation
- •Fixed Assets
- •Payroll
- •Inventory
- •Multi-currency
- •Purchase Orders
- •Quotes & Estimates
- •Financial Reports
- •Tax Codes
- •Custom Fields
- •Multi-business
- •Audit Trail
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Excellent time tracking integrated directly into invoices
- +Professional, customizable invoice templates are easy to create
- +Client portal allows customers to view and pay invoices online
- +Strong project profitability tracking features for service businesses
- +Simple, intuitive interface designed for non-accountants
- −Limited inventory management, not suitable for product-based businesses
- −No built-in payroll; requires integration with Gusto (US only)
- −Lower-tier plans have restrictive client limits (5 on Lite plan)
- −Mobile app has fewer features than the desktop version
- −Lacks advanced accounting features like accounts payable aging
- +Unlimited features in the free, full-featured desktop version
- +One-time fee for self-hosted Server Edition, no recurring costs
- +Highly customizable with custom fields, reports, and themes
- +Strong multi-currency and multi-language support out of the box
- +Localizations feature adapts tax codes and reports by country
- −No mobile app for on-the-go invoicing or expense tracking
- −Lacks direct payroll integration; requires manual entry or separate system
- −No third-party app marketplace for integrations (e.g., CRM, payments)
- −Cloud version has a 10GB storage limit per business
- −User interface is functional but feels dated compared to modern rivals
At a Glance
Recent Price History
FreshBooks raised "Lite" from $19/mo to $23/mo (+21%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
FreshBooks raised "Premium" from $60/mo to $70/mo (+17%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
FreshBooks raised "Plus" from $33/mo to $43/mo (+30%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Manager.io removed the "Server" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Manager.io removed the "Cloud" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Manager.io removed the "Desktop" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Manager.io added a new "Cloud Edition" plan at $9/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Manager.io added a new "Desktop Edition" plan at $0/mo (Free)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
FreshBooks lowered "Premium" from $76 to $60/mo (21%)
Price change · May 21, 2026
FreshBooks lowered "Plus" from $40 to $33/mo (18%)
Price change · May 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Data Trail · FreshBooks
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-30)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
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Sources & Data Trail · Manager.io
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-30)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.2/5 · 17 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.3/5
