Facturwise vs FreshBooks: EU E-Invoicing for Freelancers

Facturwise vs FreshBooks at a glance

Two different tools for two different jobs

FreshBooks is a complete accounting and invoicing platform for service-based businesses. It combines invoicing, double-entry accounting, time tracking, project management, expense tracking, and financial reporting in one polished product. The client portal lets clients view invoices, approve estimates, and pay online. The mobile apps are well-rated and include nearly full functionality on the go. For a UK or English-speaking European freelancer or small agency that does not yet face EU structured e-invoicing requirements from their clients, FreshBooks is a mature and well-supported platform.

Facturwise is a focused e-invoicing platform. It generates compliant structured e-invoices in ZUGFeRD 2.4, Factur-X 1.0.8, XRechnung 3.0, and Peppol BIS 3.0 at EN 16931 profile level. It does not offer double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, profit and loss reporting, or the project management depth of FreshBooks. The product is built specifically for the EU e-invoicing compliance layer covering the German, French, Belgian, and Dutch markets from one account.

The comparison below covers the situations where these tools diverge completely.

The EU e-invoicing gap in FreshBooks

FreshBooks does not support any structured EU e-invoicing format. ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, Factur-X, and Peppol BIS 3.0 are not mentioned anywhere in FreshBooks documentation, feature pages, help content, or marketing material. This is a product built for the accounting needs of English-speaking freelancers and small businesses. EU structured e-invoicing compliance was not a design requirement when the product was built and has not been added since.

This gap has real consequences for three markets right now.

Germany's B2B e-invoicing mandate has required all businesses to be able to receive structured e-invoices since January 2025. Sending obligations phase in from January 2027 for larger businesses and January 2028 for all businesses. German clients are increasingly requesting ZUGFeRD or XRechnung invoices. FreshBooks cannot generate either.

France's mandate became active for receipt in September 2026 and extends to sending for all businesses in September 2027. French business clients require Factur-X. FreshBooks does not support Factur-X.

Belgium's B2B Peppol mandate became active in January 2026. Belgian business clients require Peppol BIS 3.0. FreshBooks does not support Peppol BIS 3.0.

A FreshBooks user invoicing German or French clients today who receives a request for a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X invoice has no path to generate that invoice within FreshBooks. They need either a different tool or an additional tool alongside FreshBooks.

Where FreshBooks is stronger

FreshBooks has genuine advantages over Facturwise in accounting depth and it would not be honest to omit them.

Double-entry accounting is available from the Plus plan. This gives a complete picture of the business including assets, liabilities, and equity. Profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and trial balance reports are all included. Facturwise does not offer any of these.

Automatic bank reconciliation is included from the Plus plan. Transactions import directly from connected bank accounts and are matched automatically. Facturwise does not offer bank reconciliation.

Project management is more complete. FreshBooks includes task assignment, file sharing, team messaging, and project tracking built into the accounting workflow. Project profitability analysis is available on the Premium plan. Facturwise covers basic project billing but not the full project management layer.

The client portal is more capable. Clients can view invoices, approve estimates, make payments, and communicate directly within the portal. Facturwise provides shareable invoice links on all plans but not a full self-service client portal.

Recurring invoices with auto-charge are available from the Plus plan. Clients can have their saved payment methods charged automatically at each billing cycle. Facturwise offers automated recurring billing on the Professional plan.

FreshBooks has 100 or more integrations including Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, G Suite, Trello, and many others. This ecosystem makes it a natural fit for businesses already using other cloud tools. Facturwise focuses on the e-invoicing workflow and does not have a comparable integration ecosystem.

The mobile apps for iOS and Android are well-rated and include nearly full functionality on the go including receipt capture, time tracking, and invoicing. Facturwise works in the mobile browser but does not yet have native apps.

For UK users specifically, FreshBooks offers HMRC-approved Making Tax Digital for VAT, direct bank connections to major UK banks, and UK-specific compliance features. Facturwise does not offer any UK-specific accounting features.

Where Facturwise is stronger

The EU e-invoicing format gap is the decisive difference. FreshBooks cannot generate ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, Factur-X, or Peppol BIS 3.0 in any plan or configuration. If any client in Germany, France, Belgium, or the Netherlands requires a structured e-invoice, FreshBooks cannot produce it.

Facturwise generates all four formats on every plan including the free tier. The same account handles ZUGFeRD 2.4 for German clients, Factur-X 1.0.8 for French clients, and Peppol BIS 3.0 for Belgian clients without additional setup. The broader pattern of why this cross-border format gap exists in accounting tools built outside Europe is covered in our piece on the ERP outgoing invoice gap.

The DATEV-compatible CSV export on all Facturwise plans including the free tier gives German users a path to hand off invoice data to their Steuerberater. FreshBooks has no documented DATEV export, which makes the handoff to a German Steuerberater a manual or workaround process.

Facturwise's interface runs in English, German, and French with full UI localisation in all three. FreshBooks is primarily an English-language product. For European freelancers who prefer to work in German or French, Facturwise provides that interface natively.

Invoice output in 22 languages from one Facturwise account means each client receives their invoice in their own language. FreshBooks allows invoice language to be changed but the full range of supported languages is not documented in primary sources.

Facturwise's pricing is simpler. Advanced at €13.90 per month covers unlimited invoices and unlimited clients with all four EU e-invoicing formats and no per-user charges. FreshBooks charges $11 per additional team member per month on top of the base plan, and the base plans have client count limits on Lite and Plus.

Pricing comparison

FreshBooks pricing is in US dollars and varies by region. All plans are paid; there is no permanent free plan. The 30-day free trial gives full access without a credit card. Promotional discounts of 60-90% off are frequently available for the first 3-4 months, after which full pricing applies.

Lite at $19 per month (monthly) or $17.10 per month (annual) covers invoicing, time tracking, expense tracking, estimates, and a client portal with up to 5 billable clients. Bank reconciliation and double-entry accounting are not included on Lite, which is a meaningful limitation for anyone who wants complete bookkeeping.

Plus at $33 per month (monthly) or $29.70 per month (annual) adds double-entry accounting, automatic bank reconciliation, recurring invoices, and up to 50 billable clients. This is where FreshBooks becomes a complete small business accounting tool.

Premium at $60 per month (monthly) adds unlimited clients and project profitability tracking. Select is custom-priced and adds a dedicated account manager, data migration, and removal of FreshBooks branding from client emails.

Each additional team member costs $11 per month on any plan. A two-person team on Plus costs $33 plus $11 equals $44 per month.

Facturwise Advanced at €13.90 per month covers unlimited invoices, unlimited clients, all four EU e-invoicing formats, and a DATEV-compatible export. For a freelancer who needs EU e-invoicing compliance without full accounting features, this is a significantly lower cost than any FreshBooks paid plan.

When FreshBooks is the right choice

FreshBooks is the right choice if you are a freelancer or small service business primarily invoicing clients in the UK, North America, or other English-speaking markets where structured EU e-invoicing is not yet required, and you want a complete accounting and invoicing platform in one polished tool.

If you need double-entry accounting, automatic bank reconciliation, profit and loss reporting, and VAT compliance for HMRC Making Tax Digital, FreshBooks is purpose-built for that workflow in a way that Facturwise is not and does not aim to be.

If you bill clients by the hour on multiple projects, need to track team time, manage project budgets, and want to convert tracked time directly into invoices, FreshBooks's project management and time tracking layer is more complete than Facturwise's.

If you use Stripe, Shopify, PayPal, or other popular business tools and want deep integrations, FreshBooks's ecosystem of 100 or more integrations is significantly broader than Facturwise's.

When Facturwise is the right choice

Facturwise is the right choice if you need to send ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, Factur-X, or Peppol BIS 3.0 invoices to clients in Germany, France, Belgium, or the Netherlands, and do not want to switch your entire accounting workflow.

If you currently use FreshBooks and your German clients begin requesting ZUGFeRD invoices, your French clients now require Factur-X under France's September 2026 mandate, or your Belgian clients require Peppol BIS 3.0 since January 2026, FreshBooks cannot generate those formats. Facturwise generates all four from its free plan. If you also evaluated other tools, our easybill comparison, Lexoffice comparison, and Zoho Invoice comparison cover the same gap in each of those products.

If you work with a German Steuerberater and need monthly DATEV-compatible invoice data for handoff, Facturwise generates that on all plans including free. FreshBooks does not have a documented DATEV export path.

If you want a focused tool just for the EU e-invoicing compliance layer without paying for full accounting software you may not need, Facturwise Advanced at €13.90 per month covers exactly that scope. You can continue using FreshBooks for your accounting and run Facturwise alongside it for the clients who require structured EU e-invoicing formats.

What Facturwise does not do

This comparison would not be honest without stating clearly what Facturwise does not cover. Facturwise does not offer double-entry accounting, automatic bank reconciliation, profit and loss reporting, or balance sheet reports. There is no Making Tax Digital for HMRC. No project management beyond basic project billing. No automated receipt OCR scanning. No 100-plus integration ecosystem. No native mobile app yet. No permanent free accounting layer.

Facturwise assumes you already have an accounting solution in place, whether FreshBooks, Xero, QuickBooks, or a Steuerberater handling your books. Facturwise handles the outgoing invoice compliance layer for European markets. Everything else stays in your existing accounting workflow.

Frequently asked questions