FreshBooks wins on more features overall (7 vs 4, 8 tied). Below is the full feature-by-feature breakdown.
| Feature | FreshBooks | PayPal Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan |
✗ No
30-day trial only
|
✓ Yes
Free to create — fees on paid invoices
|
| Entry paid plan |
— Paid add-on
AU$17/mo Lite, AU$30/mo Plus
|
✓ Yes
No subscription, only per-transaction fees
|
| Download PDF without signup |
✗ No
|
✗ No
PayPal account required
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | PayPal Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited invoices |
— Limited
Lite plan caps at 5 clients
|
✓ Yes
|
| Custom logo & branding |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
Logo only — minimal template control
|
| Recurring invoices |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Email invoices to clients |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Multi-currency |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Client management |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | PayPal Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| ATO-compliant GST invoices |
— Limited
Configurable but not ATO-formatted by default
|
— Limited
Configurable but not auto-formatted
|
| ABN field built in |
— Limited
Manual setup via custom fields
|
✗ No
Manual workaround via custom fields
|
| Australian-focused support |
✗ No
|
— Limited
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | PayPal Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation |
✓ Yes
Plus plan and above
|
✗ No
|
| Expense tracking |
✓ Yes
|
✗ No
|
| Payroll |
— Limited
US-only via Gusto integration
|
✗ No
|
| Inventory tracking |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | PayPal Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe payments |
✓ Yes
|
✗ No
PayPal locks you to its own processor
|
| Mobile app |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | PayPal Invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time |
— Limited
~15 min onboarding
|
— Limited
PayPal Business account required
|
Neither tool fits your invoicing-only workflow? Try InvoiceSonic — free for unlimited ATO-compliant tax invoices, no signup required.
Create a free invoice now →FreshBooks starts at AU$17/mo (Lite); PayPal Invoicing starts at Free (2.6% + AU$0.30 per paid invoice). FreshBooks offers 30-day free trial. PayPal Invoicing offers free invoicing — fees apply to payments.
For ATO-compliant GST: FreshBooks = limited, PayPal Invoicing = limited. For native ABN field: FreshBooks = limited, PayPal Invoicing = no. If you operate in Australia and either tool falls short here, InvoiceSonic handles both natively — and it's free.
Most freelancers want fast invoicing without paying for full accounting. Between these two, FreshBooks wins more categories overall. But if you're a freelancer who just wants ATO-compliant tax invoices for free, InvoiceSonic is purpose-built for that workflow.
Both FreshBooks and PayPal Invoicing let you export client lists and invoice history (usually as CSV). Migration takes an afternoon for most small businesses. If you're considering switching anyway, it might be worth evaluating InvoiceSonic as a free alternative for invoicing while keeping your accountant's tool of choice for bookkeeping.
Both tools are accounting-first platforms; their invoicing modules are a subset of what they do. If invoicing is your only need, a free dedicated invoice generator like InvoiceSonic is usually faster, cheaper, and more focused — without paying for bookkeeping, payroll, or inventory features you won't use.
Yes — InvoiceSonic is free for unlimited Australian-compliant invoices with no signup required for PDF download. You can run it alongside or instead of paid accounting platforms.