Freshbooks vs Shoeboxed

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Freshbooks vs Shoeboxed based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Accounting Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Shoeboxed Software Tool

Product Basics

Freshbooks is a cloud-based accounting software designed for freelancers and small businesses. Its core features include invoicing, expense tracking, online payments, project management, and basic reporting. It's user-friendly and integrates with popular tools like Stripe and PayPal. Freshbooks shines for solopreneurs and small teams seeking a simple, affordable solution to manage basic accounting tasks. Its intuitive interface and mobile app make it accessible even for non-accountants. Users appreciate its automated features like recurring invoices and expense categorization, saving them time and effort. Compared to some competitors, Freshbooks may lack advanced accounting functionalities like inventory management or double-entry bookkeeping. However, its focus on simplicity and ease of use makes it a popular choice for those starting out or needing a lightweight accounting solution. Pricing starts at a reasonable monthly fee and scales based on the number of clients and features needed. This pay-as-you-go model ensures users pay only for what they use, making it a cost-effective option for small businesses.

Pros
  • Easy to use
  • Mobile app access
  • Automated invoicing
  • Online payments
  • Affordable
Cons
  • Limited features
  • No double-entry
  • Price increases with clients
  • Basic reporting
  • Not for large businesses
read more...
Shoeboxed is a business document management and online receipt service that helps track expenses by scanning, organizing and categorizing receipts and business cards into a searchable cloud database. It helps small businesses focus more time on core objectives and less on paperwork by turning physical files into digital data. Available through the web app and mobile apps, it aids small businesses and entrepreneurs to get organized and maximize tax deductions.
read more...
$4.50 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
$18 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Improve Efficiency: Automate every routine task such as sending invoice reminders and collecting payments from patrons so users can redirect their attention to cultivating their organization.  
  • Elaborate Reports: Produce in-depth reports that provide critical KPIs, giving users a live snapshot of their business' health and enabling them to make wiser decisions. 
  • Quicker Payments: Initiate simple online payment methods so patrons can quickly make payments and users are compensated faster. 
  • Establish Due Dates: Swiftly inaugurate due dates for invoices with the invoicing module, ensuring patrons are always aware of their payment deadlines. 
  • E-Sign Estimates and Proposals: Permit customers to e-sign estimates and proposals so users may rapidly return to their important tasks.  
  • Increase Accuracy: Prompt bank reconciliations allow users to instantly scan bank accounts and correspond account activity with financial records. 
  • Mobile Availability: Scan receipts, develop sophisticated invoices, respond to customer feedback and more with FreshBooks' mobile app available on iOS and Android devices. 
read more...
  • Flexible Receipt Capture: Upload images from anywhere through mobile applications or drag and drop from the desktop and send the receipt through email. 
  • Human Verified Data: Use extracted information that gets double-checked by a team of experts. Organize fully searchable and editable data. 
  • Simplified Expense Reports: Export, share or print information with just a few clicks. Use the receipt images to make tax preparation and reimbursement easy and hassle-free. 
  • Better Audit Readiness: Scan and properly categorize documents to ensure they are always ready for the audit. 
  • Secure Data: Store all papers and documents. Use the Secure Socket Layer encryption to protect digital data. 
read more...
  • Invoicing: Personalize invoices and thank-you emails with company logos via the invoicing apparatus. Users may request deposits on invoices at the start of a project so they'll have the right amount of funds to financially sponsor a project in its preliminary stages. 
  • Expense Management: Link bank accounts and credit cards to FreshBooks instead of manually inputting data with the expense module. It displays data in real time so users will instantly know where their money is going. 
  • Time Tracking: Manage project and task durations through the time tracking feature. It's equipped with a timer that accurately records a time log of tasks that easily appears on invoices. Users may also see how their employees spend their time from completed responsibilities to arising issues to address before they become major problems. 
  • Project Management: Store files and vital attachments in the centralized project management accessory, enabling teams to efficiently find what they need so they can get right back to high-caliber tasks. Users may also allocate project deadlines, share images and files through FreshBooks and even designate rates or hours to particular projects.  
  • Estimates: Produce adjustable proposals in addition to outlining a project's extent, timeline and necessary deliverables. Users may quickly transform estimates into invoices and permit their clientele to validate estimates online. This tool also allows users to send invoices in different currencies and add discounts. 
  • Accounting: Receive precise profit and loss calculations and effortlessly share valuable financial data and reporting information with accountants. This module streamlines bank reconciliations by importing and arranging financial transactions, validating or revising automated matching recommendations and drafting and exporting Excel-friendly summary reports.  
  • Reports: Color-code spending breakdowns and obtain profit and loss reports with the reporting attribute. Users may save, export and even print financial reports for their accountants. This tool also enables users to have a headache-free tax season because it stores valuable data such as money earned to taxes that have already been paid off.  
  • Payments: Initiate various payment options such as VISA, MasterCard, AMEX and Apple Pay with the payment feature. This tool also instantly creates payments, collects reports, activates quick and painless bank deposits, requests deposits and provides payment schedules and partial payments for client flexibility. It also automatically sends receipts to patrons. 
read more...
  • OCR and Human Data Verification: Extract receipts and transform them into human-verified data. Digitize and archive them into a single secure location. Convert document digitally into any format and make it editable. Enable automation of specific tasks and get bulk data entry done in minutes. 
  • Online Organization: Ensure that all the images of the receipt are accepted by the Internal Revenue Service and the Canada Revenue Service and keep them audit ready. Ensure all the receipts get scanned, easy to locate and comprehensively categorized. 
  • Expense Report: Create comprehensive expense reports with receipt images from anywhere using the web or mobile app. Ensure accurate and timely expense reporting without paper receipts. 
  • Integration: Eliminate the worry of manual data entry or errors by seamlessly working with other accounting tools like QuickBooks, Evernote, Bench, Working Point, SkyClerk, Abbyy and more. 
  • Automatic Receipts Archive: Import receipts automatically from Gmail so that they are never lost. Archive receipts from any email by sending it to a unique, secure email address. 
  • Business Card Management: Free users from the worry of carrying piles of business cards with the possibility of losing them. Transform business cards into online contacts. Download the database as a CSV file or send it to a CRM program for further communication. 
  • Mobile Apps: Take receipt images from the phone with their free app with receipt and mileage tracker. Get accurate mileage tracking with its phone’s GPS capability. Keep track of business expenses, mileage and billable time. Pull in data automatically and create an expense report. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#2

among all
Accounting Software

#146

among all
Accounting Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

87
we're gathering data
94
we're gathering data
94
we're gathering data
73
we're gathering data
Show More Show More

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Freshbooks
Shoeboxed
+ Add Product + Add Product
Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Banking And Cash Management Budget And Expense Management Financial Statements And Revenue Management General Ledger And Chart Of Accounts Integration And Extensibility Inventory Management Journal Entries Mobile Support Multi-company Accounting And Asset Management Platform Capabilities Project Accounting Reporting And Analytics Tax Management 94 94 73 86 98 75 88 81 97 97 49 89 100 92 100 0 25 50 75 100
89%
0%
11%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
94%
0%
6%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
80%
0%
20%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
85%
0%
15%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
75%
0%
25%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
77%
0%
23%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
57%
0%
43%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
50%
0%
50%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
89%
0%
11%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
89%
0%
11%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

67%
0%
33%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
100%
0%
0%
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A
we're gathering data
N/A

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 4096 reviews
Great User Sentiment 435 reviews
90%
of users recommend this product

Freshbooks has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 4096 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

88%
of users recommend this product

Shoeboxed has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 435 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

4.8 (28)
n/a
4.6 (586)
n/a
n/a
4.38 (214)
4.5 (3332)
4.4 (221)
4.0 (150)
n/a

Awards

Freshbooks stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

we're gathering data

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Customer Support: Approximately 89% of users that mentioned it in their review said customer support is supportive, helpful and quick to respond to issues.
Appliances: Precisely 58% of users that discussed the system functionalities enjoyed this program's appliances because they can create clean reports, set up repeating invoices, and add and manage credit cards.
Simple and intuitive interface: Freshbooks' clean layout and straightforward navigation make it easy for even non-accountants to manage their finances.
Time-saving features: Automated invoicing, expense categorization, and online payments let users save time and effort on routine accounting tasks.
Mobile app for on-the-go management: Access invoices, track expenses, and manage clients from smartphones or tablets, ensuring flexibility and productivity.
Affordable plans for growing businesses: Choose a plan that scales with your needs and budget, with options starting at an accessible price point.
Seamless integrations with popular tools: Streamline workflows by connecting Freshbooks with tools like Stripe, PayPal, and Google Workspace, centralizing financial data.
Show more
Effortless Expense Tracking: Shoeboxed makes it easy to keep tabs on business expenses by converting receipts into digital data. This simplifies accounting by eliminating the need for manual data entry.
Mileage Deduction Calculation: The mileage tracking feature helps users maximize tax deductions by accurately logging business trips. This eliminates the hassle of manual mileage logs and ensures accurate records for tax purposes.
Organized Digital Records: Shoeboxed provides a central hub for storing receipts and invoices, making it easy to find documents when needed. This eliminates the need for physical storage and simplifies record keeping.
Show more
Limited features for complex accounting: Freshbooks may not handle advanced accounting needs like inventory management, double-entry bookkeeping, or fixed assets.
Not ideal for large businesses: As businesses grow, Freshbooks' scalability and feature set might become insufficient for complex financial operations.
Price increases with client base: The cost of Freshbooks can rise significantly as you add more clients, potentially exceeding initial budget expectations.
Basic reporting and analytics: Freshbooks' reporting capabilities may be insufficient for businesses requiring in-depth financial analysis and data insights.
Limited customer support for free plans: Free trial and Lite plan users might have limited access to customer support, potentially hindering troubleshooting and issue resolution.
Show more
Lack of Customization: Some users have expressed frustration with the lack of customization options for expense categorization. Shoeboxed automatically categorizes expenses, which may not always align with a business's specific accounting needs.
Limited Integrations: Shoeboxed's integrations with other accounting software can be limited, potentially requiring manual data entry for users who rely on specific accounting platforms.
Pricing: Some users find Shoeboxed's subscription plans to be expensive, particularly for businesses with low volumes of receipts.
Show more

Freshbooks emerges from user reviews as a reliable and user-friendly accounting solution for solopreneurs and small businesses. Its intuitive interface, mobile app access, and automated features like invoicing and online payments are consistently praised for saving time and streamlining workflows. Compared to competitors like QuickBooks, users appreciate Freshbooks' ease of use for non-accountants, while acknowledging its limitations in advanced functionalities like double-entry bookkeeping or inventory management. This makes it ideal for those starting out or needing a lightweight accounting solution, but potentially less suitable for complex financial needs as businesses grow. Another key differentiator for Freshbooks is its affordability, with tiered plans starting at an attractive price point. However, user reviews also highlight a potential drawback: as client bases expand, so does the cost, which can become a concern for some users. Additionally, while basic reporting and analytics are included, users seeking in-depth data analysis may find Freshbooks' capabilities limited compared to more robust competitors. Overall, user reviews paint a picture of Freshbooks as a user-friendly and affordable accounting solution for solopreneurs and small businesses seeking to simplify their financial management. Its strengths lie in ease of use, automation, and mobile access, while its limitations emerge in advanced features and scalability for larger businesses. Ultimately, the decision to choose Freshbooks hinges on individual needs and priorities, with users emphasizing the importance of weighing its strengths against its limitations to ensure a perfect fit.

Show more

Recent user reviews suggest that Shoeboxed can be a valuable tool for small businesses and individuals looking to streamline their accounting processes. Users praise Shoeboxed for its ability to effortlessly digitize receipts and documents, eliminating the need for bulky physical storage. This feature proves particularly useful for individuals who frequently travel or have limited office space. The ability to access financial records from any location with an internet connection is also highlighted as a major advantage. However, some users express concerns about the software's learning curve, finding the initial setup and navigation somewhat cumbersome. Others point out that the expense tracking functionality, while helpful, lacks the robust reporting capabilities of dedicated accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero. Shoeboxed's strength lies in its simplicity and ease of use for basic accounting tasks, making it ideal for freelancers, contractors, and small business owners who need a straightforward solution for managing receipts and generating expense reports. For users requiring more advanced accounting features, integrating Shoeboxed with dedicated accounting software might be a more suitable approach.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in Accounting Software


Accounting Seed

Acumatica

BQE Core

Dynamics 365 Finance

FreeAgent

Manager

Odoo Accounting

Oracle Financials Cloud

Patriot Accounting

QuickBooks Online

Sage 50cloud Accounting

Sage Intacct

SAP Business One

SAP S/4 HANA Finance

TallyPrime

Wave Accounting

Workday Financial Management

Xero

ZarMoney

Zoho Books

Related Categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings