Cloud accounting for freelancers
FreshBooks is a polished, US-built invoicing-and-accounting tool that started focused on freelancers. It is well-designed but pricey and AU-localisation is weaker than local options. InvoiceSonic is free, AU-first, and lets you generate ATO-compliant tax invoices without signup or subscription.
| Feature | InvoiceSonic | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan |
✓ Yes
Unlimited free invoice generator, no signup required
|
✗ No
30-day trial only
|
| Entry paid plan |
✓ Yes
$12/month for Pro features
|
— Paid add-on
AU$17/mo Lite, AU$30/mo Plus
|
| Download PDF without signup |
✓ Yes
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | InvoiceSonic | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited invoices |
✓ Yes
No monthly cap on the free generator
|
— Limited
Lite plan caps at 5 clients
|
| Custom logo & branding |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Recurring invoices |
✓ Yes
Pro plan
|
✓ Yes
|
| Email invoices to clients |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Multi-currency |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Client management |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | InvoiceSonic | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| ATO-compliant GST invoices |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
Configurable but not ATO-formatted by default
|
| ABN field built in |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
Manual setup via custom fields
|
| Australian-focused support |
✓ Yes
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | InvoiceSonic | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation |
✗ No
We focus on invoicing, not bookkeeping
|
✓ Yes
Plus plan and above
|
| Expense tracking |
✗ No
|
✓ Yes
|
| Payroll |
✗ No
|
— Limited
US-only via Gusto integration
|
| Inventory tracking |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | InvoiceSonic | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe payments |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Mobile app |
— Limited
Mobile-optimised web app, no native app yet
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | InvoiceSonic | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time |
✓ Yes
Under 2 minutes
|
— Limited
~15 min onboarding
|
Create a professional ATO-compliant tax invoice in under 2 minutes. Download as PDF and send to your client today.
Create a free invoice now →Yes. InvoiceSonic is free for unlimited invoices; FreshBooks Lite is AU$17/month and caps you at 5 clients. You save over AU$200/year for invoicing-only needs.
Yes. FreshBooks has built-in time tracking and project management. InvoiceSonic focuses purely on invoicing — if billable hours tracking is core to your workflow, FreshBooks is a better fit.
Not really. FreshBooks works in Australia but does not have native ABN, BAS, or ATO Tax Invoice formatting like InvoiceSonic.
You can configure 10% tax, but it does not auto-format invoices to ATO standards. InvoiceSonic does this by default.
Depends on your workflow. If you bill by hours and track projects, FreshBooks. If you just send fixed-fee invoices, InvoiceSonic — free vs AU$200+/year.
No, only a 30-day trial. After that you pay AU$17/month minimum.