FreshBooks vs Fathom HQ
Side-by-side comparison for accounting professionals.
FreshBooks
AI-powered invoicing and accounting for small firms
$23/mo
★4.5/ 5
30-day free
Fathom HQ
AI management reporting and KPI dashboards
$46/mo
★4.7/ 5
14-day free
| Feature | FreshBooks | Fathom HQ |
|---|---|---|
| Core accounting | ||
| Bank reconciliation | LimitedPlus+ only Basic bank feed matching. Not available on Lite ($23/mo). Lacks the AI-driven reconciliation depth of Xero or QuickBooks. | Not available Not an accounting platform. Requires connected Xero, QuickBooks, or MYOB to function. |
| Invoicing | AvailableAll plans Fastest invoicing tested — under 60 seconds. Unlimited invoices on all plans. Recurring invoices, estimates, proposals. | Not available No invoicing features. |
| Expense categorisation | AvailableAll plans 94% accuracy on standard transactions. Learns from corrections. Late payment prediction flags at-risk invoices 7 days early. | Not available Not available. Reads data from your accounting platform — does not manage transactions. |
| Receipt capture | LimitedPlus+ only Mobile OCR on Plus+. Bill receipt capture with automatic line item extraction on Premium+. | Not available Not available. |
| AI & reporting | ||
| Cash flow forecasting | Not available Not available. Consider adding Fathom HQ for advisory cash flow reporting. | AvailableAll plans Three-way forecasting (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) with scenario modelling on all plans. Goalseek tool for decision modelling. |
| Management reporting | LimitedPlus+ only P&L, balance sheet, expense reports on Plus+. Limited customisation. No AI narrative generation. | AvailableAll plans Core product. AI Commentary Writer, KPI dashboards, white-label reports, industry benchmarking. All features on every plan. |
| Business features | ||
| Multi-currency | Not available Not supported. Not suitable for clients with international transactions. | AvailableAll plans Multi-currency consolidations included on all plans at no extra cost. |
| Time tracking | AvailableAll plans Native time tracking converts directly to invoice line items. Best-in-class for hourly billing workflows. | Not available Not available. |
| Payroll | LimitedUS add-on only FreshBooks Payroll available in the US as an add-on. Covers W-2 and 1099. Not available outside US. | Not available Not available. |
| Multi-entity consolidation | Not available Not designed for multi-entity consolidation. One business per account. | AvailableAll plans Consolidated reporting across multiple entities. Intercompany eliminations. Unlimited consolidated groups at no extra cost. |
| Sales tax automation | LimitedAll plans Basic tax-time reports. No automated multi-state sales tax calculation. | Not available Not available. |
| Support & pricing | ||
| Client portal | AvailableAll plans Clients view invoices, approve estimates, and pay online through a branded portal. | Not available No client portal. Clients receive branded report exports or dashboard links. |
| Phone support | AvailableAll plans Phone and live chat on all plans. Key differentiator over Xero and QuickBooks. | AvailableAll plans Multi-channel support. Reviewers consistently note ~10 minute response times. |
| User seats | Limited$11/mo per user Additional team members charged separately on all plans. Costs compound with team size. | AvailableAll plans Unlimited users on all plans. Priced per company connected, not per user. |
Which should you choose?
Choose FreshBooks if…
Sole practitioners and accountants managing up to 50 small business clients who prioritise fast invoicing and clean client experience.
Not ideal: Large firms needing multi-entity consolidation or complex inventory accounting.
Choose Fathom HQ if…
Accounting firms that provide monthly advisory reporting to SMB clients and want to produce board-quality reports in under 30 minutes.
Not ideal: Firms that only need basic P&L and balance sheet reports — Xero/QuickBooks native reporting may be sufficient.