17Hats vs. Freshbooks: Which Accounting Software is Best?

If you’re reading this 17Hats vs. Freshbooks article, chances are that you’re on a search for the most capable accounting software application to use. Chances also are that you’ve stumbled upon 17Hats and Freshbooks.

Whether it’s to run monetary reports, create brand billings, or do automated job prioritization, you’ll want to know which between 17Hats vs. Freshbooks is more worth it.

Keep reading our detailed breakdown below for more information on these award-winning financing tools.

Overview of 17Hats

17Hats was created with one main goal: To simplify the bookkeeping process and its endless paperwork.

Many small company owners started using 17Hats to streamline their business activities and requirements.

Apart from its numerous features for bookkeeping, 17Hats also allowed users to create online schedules, to-do lists, and other task management processes.

That’s why the application has grown to be one of the most popular accounting programs today.

Standout Features of 17Hats

All-In-One Dashboard

The first thing you’ll encounter when you open 17Hats is its main dashboard. You’ll get to access all of the options from there.

The Dashboard will allow you to set a billing schedule, payments schedule, and other automated payments.

We also think that it’s interesting that you can even view the weather on a certain day using the calendar on 17Hats.

Transactions

Apart from being a scheduling software, 17Hats is also an invoicing software application. This means that users can start developing professional-looking billings whenever they transact with clients.

17Hats allows you to produce invoices immediately for any previous payment collected as well. This is since the application stores your data for any future invoice payments.

Plus, you can even send out automatic payment reminders to your clients. That way, you can avoid having postponed payments.

17Hats can accept payments online via PayPal, Authorize.net, and Square. It also caters to all the major credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard for debit card payments.

Scheduling

Apart from being able to schedule payments, 17Hats also allows its users to sync their 3rd-party schedules to the application.

If you have your own Google Calendar or iCal, then you can integrate your plans to your 17Hats account. Most users tend to use Google Calendar since it’s more accessible.

In turn, the software will also allow your customers to schedule any important appointments with you. They can do this via the online application.

Contact Storage

Another one of the online tools that 17Hats offers is the option to store contact details. You can easily compile all of your customers’ payment and contact information on the app.

You can match invoice statuses to a certain client as well. That way, you’ll have everything consolidated in one place whenever you need to double-check.

Time-Tracking

In relation to scheduling, 17Hats has really efficient time management tools. It boasts time-tracking tools so that you can also track billing for your clients.

This is since most accounting professionals get paid per hour of work rendered for their clients’ books.

And in conjunction with 17Hats transaction tools, you can automatically create a invoice payments for your customer based on how many hours you worked.

The app then auto bills charges to your customer’s card immediately or depending on your agreed-upon payment scheme.

Accounting and Bookkeeping

It’s a given that 17Hats is a very capable bookkeeping service.

There’s the option to label each transaction for each client. Accounting employees can easily filter through all their spreadsheets and data in one click.

Other documents like sales tax summaries and accounts aging and expense reports can also be classified on 17Hats.

You’ll also get to keep track of any currently active projects you have on the Dashboard.

Contracts and Email Templates

17Hats can help you navigate legal markets with its built-in contract templates. You can personalize these to your own liking by adding your branding and personal details.

Once you’ve done that, you can then easily send them to your customers. Each contract made on 17Hats can be signed electronically, so it lessens the hassle of having to meet each other in person to finish a transaction.

The same goes for the free email templates right on the app. You can create email letterheads or lead inquiry forms that match your company and then send it to your clients at your own pace.

Client Management

Finally, 17Hats gives you the option to enroll your clients in its Client Portal. It’s basically a dashboard but for your customers.

You can let them access certain contracts, invoices, and financial reports when they’re on the portal.

17Hats Pricing

Like all other accounting programs, 17Hats offers a free trial to its basic features when you first sign up. Once it’s over, you can then choose from different payment schemes:

Monthly Plan

This plan will require you to pay $45 per month for access to 17Hats full features.

Annual Plan

This plan will require you to pay $295 per year (which is approximately $25 per month when broken down) for access to 17Hats full features.

2-Year Plan

This plan will require you to pay $395 per 2 years (which is approximately $17 per month when broken down) for access to 17Hats full features.

You’ll also be glad to know that with any of the payment schemes, you’re entitled to a 30-day money-back guarantee. That means if you’re not satisfied with the service, you can instantly ask for a refund.

And if you’re planning to share your account, you can simply add to the total bill per month. 17Hats will charge you $5 per user per month.

Overview of Freshbooks

An accounting software that can easily rival 17Hats in terms of features and benefits is Freshbooks. With over 24 million active users, it’s a very competent accounting and financial management application.

Freshbooks lets its users create invoces, accept payments, and send out personalized invoices to their customers. And like 17Hats, it also relies on its own dashboard for access to all the available tools.

You can easily record your expenses, liabilities, and profits on this efficient accounting tool. Multi-currency expenditures are also compatible with the application.

Business and e-commerce owners will also be interested in the inventory options that Freshbooks provides. These include supplier management and costs organization for your on-hand products.

This also has its own mobile app that you can use to view your records from virtually anywhere in the world!

We actually reviewed this software on our Harvest vs. Freshbooks article as well.

Standout Features of Freshbooks

Accounting and Bookkeeping

When you create an account with Freshbooks, you can grant your certified accountant access to all your financial records uploaded to the app.

Your accountant can view your sales tax summary sheets, invoice records, and balance sheets. A profit and loss report and payment schedule straight on the software can also be accessed.

Other documents that Freshbooks can create for you are bank reconciliation records, expense-tracking reports, and multicurrency billing forms.

Transactions

As mentioned, Freshbooks gives you access to all your financial records. You can also create these right on the app.

Freshbooks lets you personalize your invoices with your company’s specific colors, logos, and letterheads. These can be sent virtually or printed out for your clients.

Automated payment suggestions and notifications can be sent to your customers when it’s near their payment due date. They’ll be able to access their invoice details immediately upon payment as well.

In case of unforeseen mishaps or emergencies, Freshbooks also allows its users to issue instant refunds to their clients. There is an option that you just have to click on your Dashboard.

Other automated accounting tasks that you can set are recurring invoices and monthly deposits. It also automates tasks and is good at prioritizing tasks.

Time-Tracking

Like 17Hats, Freshbooks allows you track time on the application. This means that you can easily record your rendered work hours as proof for your clients.

Project and Client Management

Freshbooks allows you to handle multiple projects and clients through its project management options. You can upload files and schedule specific deadlines for each customer on Freshbooks.

Plus, you can include personal notes for each of your clients. Some users like to indicate at what stage of the sales cycle a certain client is already at.

Expense Recording

You can record and keep track of your expenses with the virtual receipts on Freshbooks. There are ready-made ones that you can generate and then save to your books.

The nice thing about it is that you can also create receipts in different currencies as well.

Freshbooks Pricing

The thing about Freshbooks is that, unlike 17Hats, it doesn’t offer a free trial when you sign up for an account. You’re required to choose a payment plan and send payment to access its features.

The silver lining to this is that there are discounts that you can avail of, depending on the plan you choose. You can get up to a 10% discount if you opt to pay annually too.

The different Freshbooks payments and pricing plans are:

Lite Plan

Due to an ongoing promo, this plan will require you to pay $6 per month instead of the usual $15. When paid annually, it’ll only cost $108.

Plus Plan

This plan will require you to pay $10 per month instead of the usual $25, again, due to the ongoing promo. When paid annually, it’ll only cost $180.

Premium Plan

This plan will require you to pay $20 per month instead of the usual $50. When paid annually, it’ll only cost $360.

Select Plan

When you avail of the Select Plan, the price is completely customizable. It will depend on the specific features you want to avail of.

For a breakdown of the prices, you can read through our article on Freshbooks Pricing.

17Hats vs. Freshbooks FAQs

#1 Do 17Hats and Freshbooks offer customer support?

Yes, when comparing 17Hats vs. Freshbooks, each have their own customer support teams.

17Hats has a live chat feature that lets users talk to agents in real-time. It’s very helpful if you need help troubleshooting your account or just have a question you want answered.

There’s also a knowledge base right on the 17Hats website that you can explore for How-To articles and guides.

Freshbooks has phone support agents that its users can call starting 8am until 8pm EST. It’s great if you need urgent help.

Also, if you’re subscribed to the Select Plan, you will have your own dedicated account manager that you can forward your concerns to.

Like 17Hats, there is also a knowledge base on Freshbooks’ website that you can explore for answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).

#2 Can there be multiple users on my 17Hats and Freshbooks accounts?

As mentioned earlier, 17Hats lets you add up to 5 users to your account. You just have to pay an extra $5 per user per month.

Freshbooks also allows you to add users to your account. The price depends on the plan you’re subscribed to.

For the Lite, Plus, and Premium plans, you have to pay $10 per extra user. With the Plus plan, you can also add your own accountant.

If you’re subscribed to the Select Plan, then 2 extra users are already included.

Conclusion on 17Hats vs. Freshbooks

When putting 17Hats vs. Freshbooks, we think that Freshbooks wins.

The main reason is that Freshbooks is far more affordable than 17Hats. When comparing 17Hats vs. Freshbooks, you can get the same tools and options at a much lower price with Freshbooks.

The only downside is that it has no free trial. And so when comparing 17Hats vs. Freshbooks, 17Hats is still a pretty good option, especially if you need a freelance process cheat sheet or if you’re just starting out.

In just a few clicks, you can get your trial account set up and gain access to how accounting tools function.

Further comparing 17Hats vs. Freshbooks, we found that both programs have a dedicated mobile app that you can use anywhere. It’s how most midmarket accounting programs included in every round-up list do business these days.

In the end, the choice between 17Hats vs. Freshbooks is still up to you. But we’d highly recommend Freshbooks if you want more value for money.

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