FreshBooks wins on more features overall (6 vs 3, 10 tied). Below is the full feature-by-feature breakdown.
| Feature | FreshBooks | Square Invoices |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan |
✗ No
30-day trial only
|
✓ Yes
Free creation; 2.2% on payments
|
| Entry paid plan |
— Paid add-on
AU$17/mo Lite, AU$30/mo Plus
|
✓ Yes
Per-transaction fees only
|
| Download PDF without signup |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | Square Invoices |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited invoices |
— Limited
Lite plan caps at 5 clients
|
— Limited
|
| Custom logo & branding |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Recurring invoices |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Email invoices to clients |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Multi-currency |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Client management |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | Square Invoices |
|---|---|---|
| ATO-compliant GST invoices |
— Limited
Configurable but not ATO-formatted by default
|
— Limited
|
| ABN field built in |
— Limited
Manual setup via custom fields
|
✗ No
|
| Australian-focused support |
✗ No
|
— Limited
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | Square Invoices |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation |
✓ Yes
Plus plan and above
|
✗ No
|
| Expense tracking |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
|
| Payroll |
— Limited
US-only via Gusto integration
|
✗ No
|
| Inventory tracking |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | Square Invoices |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe payments |
✓ Yes
|
✗ No
Square payments only
|
| Mobile app |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
|
| Feature | FreshBooks | Square Invoices |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time |
— Limited
~15 min onboarding
|
— Limited
Account signup 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); Square Invoices starts at Free (2.2% per paid invoice). FreshBooks offers 30-day free trial. Square Invoices offers free to create — fees on card payments.
For ATO-compliant GST: FreshBooks = limited, Square Invoices = limited. For native ABN field: FreshBooks = limited, Square Invoices = 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 Square Invoices 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.