Kibble vs FreshBooks

FreshBooks is cloud invoicing and accounting software popular with freelancers, with online payments, time tracking, team members and accountant access. Kibble is a Windows app that does invoices, time tracking, expenses and tax estimates on your own computer, alongside your personal budget. FreshBooks wins on online payments, mobile apps and collaboration. Kibble wins on price, privacy and keeping your personal and business money in one place.

Facts about FreshBooks come from its own website, checked October 29, 2026. Links are at the bottom.

At a glance

	Kibble	FreshBooks
Where it runs	Windows app	Web, iPhone, Android
Where your books live	On your PC, works offline	FreshBooks’ cloud
Client limit	None	5 on Lite, 50 on Plus, unlimited on Premium
Invoices and estimates	Yes	Yes
Retainers	Yes, drafted on the 1st	Plus and up
Online payments	No	Yes, with fees
Time tracking	Yes, including Clockify import	Yes, unlimited
Quarterly tax estimates	Yes, federal and state	Not listed on the pages we checked
Bank sync	No, by design	Yes
Personal budget	Yes, in the same app	No
Price	Free during early access	Lite $23, Plus $43, Premium $70 a month

Price and client limits

FreshBooks raised prices on March 5, 2026. Lite is $23 a month for up to 5 billable clients, Plus is $43 for up to 50, and Premium is $70 for unlimited clients. Yearly billing saves 10%. There’s a 30-day free trial, and FreshBooks often runs a discount for new customers. Extra team members, advanced payments and payroll cost extra.

Kibble is free during early access, with no limits on clients or invoices.

Invoices and getting paid

Both make professional invoices and estimates, track time against clients, and handle retainers. FreshBooks lets clients pay online by card or bank transfer, with fees such as 2.9% plus $0.30 for standard cards.

Kibble sends PDF invoices from your own email, drafts friendly reminders at 5, 15 and 30 days late (nothing is sent until you approve it), and marks an invoice paid when the matching payment shows up in your account or inbox. It doesn’t process payments, so you share your usual bank or payment details with clients. See Send your first invoice.

Taxes

Kibble’s Taxes screen estimates quarterly federal and state payments, adds up home office and mileage deductions, flags 1099s, and builds a year-end ZIP for your accountant. FreshBooks tracks expenses and mileage and gives accountants access on Plus and up. We didn’t find built-in quarterly tax estimates on FreshBooks’ pages.

Where FreshBooks wins

Pick FreshBooks if:

• Clients pay online and you want that built into the invoice.
• You work with a team or want your accountant inside the software.
• You want mobile apps, or use a Mac.
• You want bank feeds and payroll.

Where Kibble wins

Pick Kibble if:

• You don’t want client limits or a monthly bill.
• You want quarterly tax estimates built in.
• You want your personal budget next to your business books.
• You’d rather keep your books on your own PC.

Switching from FreshBooks?

Export your clients, invoices, time and expenses from FreshBooks and import them into Kibble. See Import from QuickBooks, which also covers FreshBooks.

Sources

Checked October 29, 2026. Prices and features change, so check FreshBooks’ site for the latest.

• FreshBooks pricing
• FreshBooks 2026 price change FAQ
• FreshBooks payment fees
• FreshBooks for PC (browser-based)

FreshBooks is a trademark of its owner. Soggy Dog Studios isn’t affiliated with FreshBooks. This comparison is based on public information as of the date above.