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It's a split decision.
Choose FreshBooks for small-business accounting, invoicing and expense tracking: Lite starts at $23/month and includes invoices for five clients. Choose Paycom for HR and payroll in a shared employee-data system; its price is quote-only, based on workforce size and selected modules. Neither lists a free plan. These are different tools, not direct substitutes, so compare them by the job you need covered. FreshBooks is easier to price upfront; Paycom's total cost is not published.
01Side by side
| FreshBooks | Paycom | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $23/month for Lite | Not published; request a quote |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Best for | Small-business accounting and invoicing | HR and payroll organizations |
| Core strength | Invoicing, expenses and accounting reports | Unified HR and payroll data |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 8/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 7/10 |
| Integrations/data | Select includes Easy Switch data import | Single database; import details not published |
| Team/seat costs | $11/user/month; payroll extra | Not published |
| Support | Dedicated phone support on Select | Dedicated implementation and ongoing support team |
FreshBooks Choose FreshBooks if
- Choose FreshBooks if you need invoicing and small-business accounting.
- Choose FreshBooks if you want published monthly plan prices.
- Choose FreshBooks if its client limits fit your business.
Paycom Choose Paycom if
- Choose Paycom if you need HR and payroll in one system.
- Choose Paycom if employees should manage their HR information.
- Choose Paycom if you want dedicated implementation and ongoing support.
02Pricing compared
FreshBooks lists Lite at $23/month for invoices to five clients, Plus at $43/month for up to 50 clients, and Premium at $70/month for unlimited clients. Select pricing is not published. The pricing page mentions an extra 10% off yearly billing but does not list annual rates. A 30-day free trial is available; neither product lists a free plan.
Add-ons can change FreshBooks’ cost: Team Members are $11 per user/month, Advanced Payments is $20/month, and FreshBooks Payroll is $40/month plus $6/month per user. Advanced Payments is included with Select.
Paycom does not publish rates. Its price is customized by workforce size and selected modules, so you need a quote to compare total cost. Payroll and other modules are also quote-only.
03Features and depth
These products cover different work. FreshBooks is cloud accounting software for small businesses, with invoicing, expense tracking, payments, time tracking and accounting reports. It can add tracked time and expenses to invoices, send payment reminders, scan receipts, import bank transactions and run double-entry reports and balance sheets.
Plan limits matter: Lite covers five invoiced clients, Plus covers 50, and Premium includes unlimited clients. Select also includes unlimited clients and two team accounts. FreshBooks Payroll is a paid add-on, except its price is not specified separately for Select.
Paycom is built around HR and payroll in a shared employee-data system, not small-business bookkeeping. Its features include automated payroll with Beti, employee self-service, automated time-off decisions through GONE, and IWant AI for questions about employee profiles, applicants, policies and dashboards. Its payroll and HR modules are priced by quote. Choose based on the job: accounting and client billing, or workforce administration and payroll.
04Ease of use and learning curve
FreshBooks works in a browser and has iPhone and Android apps. Its review scores ease of use at 8, compared with 7 for Paycom; those scores are review ratings, not a guarantee of setup time. FreshBooks’ client caps are straightforward to compare, but moving up a plan or adding users can affect cost.
Paycom offers employee self-service and a dedicated team for implementation, payroll processing and ongoing support. That may suit organizations centralizing HR tasks, but the published information does not detail setup steps or training. With custom pricing and selected modules, expect to clarify the configuration and quote before comparing it with FreshBooks.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between FreshBooks and QuickBooks?
The published details describe FreshBooks as small-business accounting software for invoicing, expenses, payments, time tracking and reports. They do not include QuickBooks features or pricing, so we can’t make a grounded side-by-side comparison here. Compare the plans, client limits and accounting features you need before switching.
Is FreshBooks a legitimate software?
FreshBooks is described as cloud accounting software for small businesses, available in web browsers and through iPhone and Android apps. The published information covers its features and pricing, but does not provide independent verification or security details. Check its current terms and security information if those are central to your decision.
Who makes FreshBooks?
The published product information does not identify FreshBooks’ parent company or maker. It describes FreshBooks as cloud accounting software for small businesses, but we can’t name the company behind it from these details. Check FreshBooks’ official company information for a current answer.
Does FreshBooks offer payroll?
Yes. The published pricing details list FreshBooks Payroll at $40/month plus $6/month per user. The product information says it can run payroll, track expenses and calculate taxes for you and your team. Advanced Payments is a separate $20/month add-on, while Select includes Advanced Payments.