Comparison
Marchant vs FreshBooks
FreshBooks is a beautifully designed invoicing and time-tracking platform. Here's where it wins, where full accounting matters, and how Marchant compares for UK and cross-border teams.
Our honest take
FreshBooks is an excellent invoicing tool for freelancers and project-based businesses who bill by time. Its UI is genuinely beautiful, time tracking is a core feature at every plan level, and the client portal makes payment collection smooth. If your main accounting need is sending invoices and getting paid, FreshBooks is worth evaluating.
Marchant is the stronger fit if you need full accounting — double-entry bookkeeping, UK VAT filing and payroll. FreshBooks is invoice-first; its double-entry accounting capabilities were added later and remain lighter than a purpose-built accounting platform. UK MTD VAT submission also requires a third-party bridge, which adds cost and friction.
The clearest gap is tax filing. FreshBooks does not natively submit MTD VAT returns to HMRC — you need an additional bridge tool — and it has no double-entry ledger. Marchant is built on HMRC's MTD APIs on every plan, with rollout pending HMRC production approval, and keeps a full P&L, balance sheet and trial balance. Both products are UK-facing today; neither files in France or Germany.
FreshBooks built its reputation on making invoicing effortless — a beautifully designed product that freelancers and service businesses genuinely enjoy using. If you are comparing Marchant vs FreshBooks because your business has grown beyond invoicing, you need proper VAT filing, or you now operate in more than one country, this page is written for you.
FreshBooks wins on the experience of sending invoices, tracking time against projects, and collecting payment from clients. Its client portal and time-tracking features are class-leading at its price point. But it is not a full accounting platform — double-entry accounting was added to FreshBooks in 2019 and remains lighter than purpose-built tools, and UK MTD VAT filing requires a third-party bridge.
Below you will find an honest split of strengths, a full feature table, a pricing comparison, a migration guide, and answers to the questions we hear most before teams make the switch.
FreshBooks
Where FreshBooks genuinely wins
- ✓Best-in-class invoicing UX: professional templates, automatic payment reminders, and a client portal where customers can view and pay invoices online.
- ✓Built-in time tracking on all plans — log hours against clients and projects, then invoice directly from the time sheet without re-keying.
- ✓Project billing and expense tracking make FreshBooks a natural fit for agencies, consultants, and tradespeople who bill by deliverable.
- ✓A genuinely beautiful mobile app — one of the strongest in the SMB accounting category for on-the-go invoice creation and expense capture.
- ✓Simple, intuitive UI with a shallow learning curve — most users are productive on day one without formal onboarding.
Where FreshBooks is weaker for growing businesses
- ✗UK MTD VAT filing is not native — you need a third-party bridge tool to submit Making Tax Digital returns to HMRC, adding friction and cost.
- ✗No French or German tax compliance — businesses expanding into France or Germany need a separate accounting or compliance tool.
- ✗Double-entry accounting is available on higher plans but lighter than purpose-built platforms — P&L, balance sheet and trial balance are present but not the product's strength.
- ✗No payroll — UK, French or German payroll requires a separate integration with a payroll provider.
- ✗Client limits on lower tiers: Lite caps at 5 active clients, Plus at 50 — teams billing more clients need to upgrade or manage client archiving.
Marchant
Why Marchant is the stronger fit for compliance-led businesses
- ✓Native UK MTD VAT — no bridge tool required. Direct submission on every plan, pending HMRC production approval.
- ✓Full double-entry accounting: proper P&L, balance sheet, trial balance, and chart of accounts from the start.
- ✓Open banking (coming soon) across 2,400+ UK and EU institutions — German and French accounts sit alongside UK ones in one ledger.
Where Marchant is still catching up
- ~Marchant is a UK product until the French and German launches in 2028 — if you need filing in either market now, neither Marchant nor FreshBooks's UK plan covers it.
- ~There is no time tracking — projects track costs and profitability but have no timesheets, so if you bill by the hour FreshBooks has the edge.
- ~Mobile apps are rolling out — FreshBooks already has well-rated iOS and Android apps available today.
- ~FreshBooks' invoicing UX is a genuine design strength — Marchant's invoicing is functional but less polished at the client-facing layer.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Marchant | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From £15/mo — full accounting and MTD included | From £11/mo Lite (5 active clients) — invoicing-focused |
| UK VAT (MTD) | All plans — direct MTD submission | Not natively supported — requires a third-party bridge |
| French TVA (DGFiP) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Not supported |
| German VAT (ELSTER) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Not supported |
| UK Payroll | BrightPay sync (coming soon) | Not included — integration via third-party payroll tools |
| French Payroll (DSN) | Planned — French launch 2028 | Not supported |
| German Payroll (DATEV) | Planned — German launch 2028 | Not supported |
| Open banking / bank reconciliation | 2,400+ UK & EU banks — daily sync (coming soon) | Bank import via CSV and limited direct connections |
| Multi-currency invoicing | 50+ currencies on all plans — daily FX rates | Available on Premium (£30/mo) — invoice display only |
| SEPA batch payments | Coming soon — not available yet | Not supported |
| Time tracking & project billing | Not available — projects without timesheets | Excellent — built-in time tracking and project billing on all plans |
| Full double-entry accounting | Complete ledger — P&L, balance sheet, trial balance | Limited — primarily invoice and cash-flow focused |
| Mobile app | iOS + Android (coming soon) | iOS + Android — well-rated |
| Free trial | 30 days — no card required | 30 days — no card required |
| Accountant access | Included on all plans | Included — accountant can be added as a team member |
Pricing comparison (verify before you buy)
FreshBooks prices by active client count, which can increase cost as you grow. Marchant prices by plan tier with no client limits. Use this table as a planning snapshot, then verify live numbers on each website.
| What you are comparing | Marchant | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price (public list, UK) | Starter from £15/mo — full accounting, MTD included | Lite from £11/mo — 5 active clients, invoicing-focused |
| UK MTD VAT filing | Included on all plans — direct HMRC submission | Not included — third-party bridge required (additional cost) |
| French + German compliance | Planned for 2028 — UK MTD and CIS today | Not available |
| Accountant access | Included on every plan | Included — accountant as team member |
| Free trial | 30 days, card not required | 30 days, card not required |
FreshBooks pricing is based on active client count and plan tier — costs scale as your client list grows. Check freshbooks.com for current UK pricing and any promotional rates before budgeting.
Switching from FreshBooks to Marchant
Migration ships in 2027. The steps below are how the move will work when it does — the rest of Marchant is live today.
FreshBooks exports cover invoices, expenses and contacts well. Because FreshBooks is invoice-focused rather than full-ledger, you may also need opening balances from your accountant to set up a clean chart of accounts in Marchant. Most businesses complete the data move in a day.
Export invoices, expenses and contacts from FreshBooks
In FreshBooks, go to Reports and export your invoice list, expense list and client contacts to CSV. Also export any outstanding (unpaid) invoices separately — these become open receivables in Marchant.
Get opening balances from your accountant
Because FreshBooks is not a full double-entry ledger, ask your accountant for a trial balance at the migration date. This sets your opening balance sheet in Marchant correctly and ensures your P&L and VAT calculations start from the right place.
Reconnect bank feeds in Marchant
Import the last 90 days of statements from each UK and EU account as CSV to create a clean reconciliation window before you cut over completely. Open banking feeds are coming soon.
Set up VAT and payroll registrations
Add your HMRC VAT registration number and MTD credentials in Marchant settings. If you are adding French or German entities, add those registrations before the next filing deadline — your accountant can review in a shared workspace.
Run one invoicing cycle in Marchant, then cut over
Send the next batch of invoices from Marchant and reconcile against bank transactions. Once you are confident the workflow is right, archive FreshBooks and set Marchant as your active system. Keep FreshBooks read-only for 90 days in case you need historical invoice references.
Need help? Marchant support can review your FreshBooks export package and help map invoice data to the correct ledger accounts. The goal is a clean opening balance and zero surprises on your first MTD return.
Common questions: Marchant vs FreshBooks
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