Zoho Books vs FreshBooks
Verified ratings, real UK pricing and the compliance detail, weighed side by side — with a written verdict at the end.
Zoho Books
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- India
- Phone
- Live Chat
- Knowledge Base
- Forum
FreshBooks
Accounting Software
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Phone
- Knowledge Base
Evenly matched on verified reviews — 4.1 against 4.1. Price and fit will decide this one, not the score.
The short version
What each one costs and how each one rates, side by side. Only the rows where leading means something are marked; vendor and availability are in the overview above.
| Detail | Zoho Books | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| What it costs | ||
| Starting priceLowest paid tier, excluding VAT | Free | £16/mo |
| Free version | YesYes | NoNo |
| Free trial | YesYes | YesYes |
| How it rates | ||
| Overall ratingMean of verified Assaylist reviews | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Verified reviewsVolume is evidence, not a score — this row is not a contest | 240 reviews | 261 reviews |
Highlighted where one clearly leads. Rows without a highlight are not a contest.
How reviewers score them
Across the four dimensions we ask every reviewer about — and, below, the star split each average is built from.
- Zoho Books
- FreshBooks
| Dimension | Zoho Books | FreshBooks | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
| Value for money | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Customer support | 4.0 | 4.0 | Level |
| Functionality | 4.1 | 4.0 | 0.1 to Zoho Books |
What each average is made of
Two products can share an average and not share a reputation. These bars show the star split behind each score.
| Product | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | 2 star | 1 star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books | 48% (114 reviews) | 29% (69 reviews) | 15% (36 reviews) | 7% (17 reviews) | 2% (4 reviews) |
| FreshBooks | 42% (109 reviews) | 36% (95 reviews) | 14% (36 reviews) | 7% (18 reviews) | 1% (3 reviews) |
Feature by feature
Everything either vendor publishes, split into what separates them and what they share.
- Both products
- 14%
- Only Zoho Books
- 1560%
- Only FreshBooks
- 936%
25 features listed across both products.
What only one of them does
Zoho Books
15- 50+ reports
- API access
- Bank reconciliation
- CIS contractor tracking
+ 11 more in the table below
FreshBooks
9- Automated payment reminders
- Client portal
- Expense and mileage tracking
- Making Tax Digital for VAT
+ 5 more in the table below
Showing 25 of 25 features
| Detail | Zoho Books | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Where they differ · 24 | ||
| 50+ reports | YesYes | NoNo |
| API access | YesYes | NoNo |
| Bank reconciliation | YesYes | NoNo |
| CIS contractor tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Customer portal | YesYes | NoNo |
| File CT600 Corporation Tax | YesYes | NoNo |
| File SA100 Self Assessment | YesYes | NoNo |
| Final Accounts filing | YesYes | NoNo |
| Inventory management | YesYes | NoNo |
| Mileage tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| MTD for Income Tax | YesYes | NoNo |
| MTD for VAT | YesYes | NoNo |
| Projects and time tracking | YesYes | NoNo |
| Property tracking for landlords | YesYes | NoNo |
| Receipt autoscans | YesYes | NoNo |
| Automated payment reminders | NoNo | YesYes |
| Client portal | NoNo | YesYes |
| Expense and mileage tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Making Tax Digital for VAT | NoNo | YesYes |
| Mobile app | NoNo | YesYes |
| Online payments | NoNo | YesYes |
| Professional invoicing | NoNo | YesYes |
| Project profitability | NoNo | YesYes |
| Time tracking | NoNo | YesYes |
| Where they match · 1 | ||
| Recurring invoices | YesYes | YesYes |
A dash means the vendor has not published a feature list — which is not the same as the feature being unavailable.
How they handle UK obligations
Checked against the vendor's own documentation or HMRC's published list. A dash means we have not verified it — never that it is missing.
| Detail | Zoho Books | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Verified against vendor documentation | ||
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for VAT | YesYes | YesYes |
| HMRC-recognised for MTD for ITSA | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Making Tax Digital ready | YesYes | YesYes |
| CIS support | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
| Open Banking bank feeds | YesYes | Not listedNot listed |
What each tier costs
Both line-ups on one ladder, so the middle tier on one side sits next to the middle tier on the other.
Zoho Books
FreshBooks
Free
FreeLower
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- File SA100 with HMRC
- MTD for Income Tax
Lite
£16/mo
- Unlimited invoices
- Up to 5 billable clients
- Expense tracking
Standard
£12/moLower
- 3 users
- Connect bank feeds
- Final Accounts filing
Plus
£30/mo
- Up to 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Project profitability
Professional
£24/moLower
- Projects and time tracking
- Inventory management
- Purchase orders
Premium
£42/mo
- Unlimited billable clients
- Advanced reporting
- Everything in Plus
Rungs are matched by position in each vendor’s own line-up, not by what the tiers include — an entry plan on one side may cover more than the other. Prices exclude VAT unless stated, and per-seat plans are quoted per seat. Always confirm on the vendor’s own site.
Which should you choose?
Two answers, because there are two right ones depending on what you need.
Choose Zoho Books if
- It costs less to get started — Free against £16/mo.
- There is a free tier you can stay on, which FreshBooks does not offer.
- It lists 15 features FreshBooks does not, including 50+ reports.
- It covers more of the UK obligations we check — 4 of them against 1.
Choose FreshBooks if
- It lists 9 features Zoho Books does not, including automated payment reminders.
On verified Assaylist reviews, Zoho Books currently rates 4.1 against 4.1 for FreshBooks. That gap is not the whole story: Zoho Books starts at Free and FreshBooks at £16/mo, so the right answer depends on the tier you actually need and on which one handles your UK obligations. Read both profiles before you commit, and confirm current pricing on the vendor's own site.
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