# MacBusinessSuite and FreshBooks compared

> FreshBooks and MacBusinessSuite side by side: invoicing, accounting, time tracking, projects, CRM, currencies, languages and data storage, from official sources.

FreshBooks is a cloud service for invoicing and accounting, used in the browser and on phones, with time tracking, projects, online payments, bank reconciliation and payroll. MacBusinessSuite is a native Mac app with local data that puts projects, a CRM with pipeline and mailbox, time tracking and invoicing in one place. FreshBooks goes further in accounting and online payments, MacBusinessSuite in CRM, boards and e-invoices.

As of October 2026. https://macbusinesssuite.app/compare/freshbooks/

## The short answer

- **Choose FreshBooks** if you want invoicing with double-entry accounting, online payments and payroll in one cloud service, used from any browser.
- **Choose MacBusinessSuite** if you want a CRM with pipeline and mailbox, Kanban boards and European e-invoices next to invoicing, in a native Mac app with local data.
- A native Mac app for FreshBooks is not documented on its official pages.

## MacBusinessSuite and FreshBooks side by side

As of October 2026. FreshBooks from its vendor's official pages (see sources), MacBusinessSuite from its documentation. Not documented means the vendor's pages do not say, not that the feature is missing.

|  | MacBusinessSuite | FreshBooks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type of product | Native macOS app, one app for projects, CRM, time tracking and invoicing | Cloud invoicing and accounting with web and mobile apps |
| Where the data lives | On your Mac, in the app's container. No account, no sync between devices | Cloud; account required |
| Projects and tasks | Projects with status, budget, profitability and a project log; Kanban boards with tickets, subtasks and recurring tickets | Project management and collaboration tools |
| CRM | Customers and contact persons, sales pipeline, customer and project log, IMAP mailbox, mail to ticket | Client management; pipeline, mailbox and tickets not documented |
| Time tracking | Built-in menu bar timer, manual entries, suggestions from the calendar, open hours to invoice | Time tracking that feeds invoices |
| Quotes and invoices | Quotes with optional items, order confirmations, delivery notes, partial, final and recurring invoices, credit notes, dunning | Estimates and proposals, invoices, recurring billing, payment reminders, online payments |
| E-invoices | ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, XRechnung and EN 16931 as UBL or CII, Peppol BIS as a file. No sending through the Peppol network | Not documented |
| Accounting and taxes | OSS, reverse charge, US sales tax per state (one combined rate you maintain, only where you confirmed nexus), data for the German UStVA and ZM, DATEV batches, GoBD export. No direct filing | Double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, financial and tax reports, payroll, mileage |
| Languages and currencies | Interface and documents in 15 languages, document language per customer, several currencies with ECB rates | Hundreds of currencies; 16 languages (FreshBooks article of October 2021) |
| Pricing model | Annual subscription in the Mac App Store, handled by Apple. Data stays readable and exportable after it ends | Subscription in several plans with a 30 day trial |

## Where FreshBooks is ahead

- **Double-entry accounting** with bank reconciliation and financial reports.
- **Online payments** by card and bank transfer.
- **Payroll** and mileage.
- **Access from anywhere** through the browser and mobile apps.

## Where MacBusinessSuite is ahead

- **A CRM with sales pipeline,** activity log and your own IMAP mailbox with tickets.
- **Kanban boards** for each project.
- **E-invoices** as ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, XRechnung, EN 16931 and Peppol BIS file, which are not documented for FreshBooks.
- **EU tax logic** with OSS and reverse charge next to US sales tax.
- **A native Mac app with local data,** no account.

## For companies working in several countries

FreshBooks says it is used in more than 160 countries and supports hundreds of currencies.

For companies with EU customers, MacBusinessSuite adds e-invoice formats such as XRechnung and ZUGFeRD, OSS and reverse charge with VIES-checked VAT IDs, documents in the customer's language, and several companies in different countries in one app. Read more on the [international features](https://macbusinesssuite.app/#international).

## Questions and answers

### Is MacBusinessSuite a FreshBooks alternative?

For quotes, invoices, time tracking and projects, yes, and it adds a CRM, boards and European e-invoices. For double-entry accounting, online payments and payroll, FreshBooks goes further.

### Does FreshBooks support XRechnung or ZUGFeRD?

E-invoice formats such as XRechnung, ZUGFeRD or Peppol are not documented as FreshBooks features on its official pages. MacBusinessSuite writes them.

### Is there a FreshBooks app for Mac?

A native Mac app is not documented on FreshBooks' official pages; FreshBooks is used in the browser and with mobile apps.

## Sources

- [FreshBooks, features (freshbooks.com)](https://www.freshbooks.com/features)
- [FreshBooks, multi-currency accounting (article of October 2021)](https://www.freshbooks.com/hub/feature-news/bring-clarity-to-your-multi-currency-accounting)

FreshBooks is a trademark of its owner and is offered by FreshBooks. The name is used here only to identify the product. MacBusinessSuite and DigitalFreedom Global LLC are not affiliated with FreshBooks, and FreshBooks has not reviewed or endorsed this page.