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Side-by-side record

FreshBooks vs. PayPal Payments Pro

A side-by-side view of the product records we have today. Use it to narrow the question, then confirm current pricing, limits, and security details with each vendor.

The short version

PayPal Payments Pro starts at $0 per seat, versus FreshBooks at $21. PayPal Payments Pro carries the higher aggregate rating (9.5/5 vs 4.5/5).

Full comparison

FreshBooksfrom $21 per month
PayPal Payments Profrom $0 per month
Audyense Score74ASStrong29AS*Low
PositioningInvoicing, payments, and accounting built for small business ownersPayPal Payments Pro is a payment processing solution built on PayPal’s technology that enables online merchants and businesses to accept credit card payments online as well a
Free tierNoYes
DeploymentCloud / SaaSCloud / SaaS
Best fitStartup, SMBStartup, SMB, Mid-market
Pricing plans
  • Lite$21
  • Plus$39
  • Premium$63
  • SelectCustom pricing
  • Free or entry planFree
  • Higher tiersCustom pricing
General ledger & accountingPartialDouble-entry accounting (general ledger, trial balance, chart of accounts) only on Plus plans and above—
Accounts payable & bill payPartialAccounts payable and bill receipt scanning are Premium/Select features only—
AI featuresPartialReceipt OCR scanning and automated expense categorization; no broad AI assistant—
Bank reconciliationYesAutomated bank reconciliation workflows with bank feed imports—
Corporate cardsNoNo corporate card product; card payments accepted via FreshBooks Payments/Stripe—
Expense managementYesUnlimited expense tracking on all plans with receipt capture and categorization—
Financial reportingYesP&L, balance sheet, trial balance, and tax-ready reports; deeper reports require Plus and above—
Invoicing & billingYesCore strength: customizable invoices, estimates, retainers, recurring billing, late fees, payment reminders—
Multi-currencyYesInvoice and track expenses in hundreds of currencies with per-currency dashboards—
Public APIYesREST API with OAuth2, webhooks, and SDKs at freshbooks.com/api—
Accept PayPal payments—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Accept Visa—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Mastercard and American Express—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Virtual Terminal—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Accept payments in 25 currencies from 202 countries—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Payment Gateway—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Options to simplify PCI compliance.—YesDocumented in the independently researched profile.
Integrations verified12+—
Aggregate rating4.5 · 4.5k reviews9.5 · No reviews yet
Integrations
GustoStripePayPalZapierSquareHubSpot+6 more
—
Security & compliance
PCI DSS Level 1SOC 2 Type 1GDPR
—
Pros
  • Very easy to use — reviewers on G2 and Capterra consistently call the invoicing and interface more intuitive than QuickBooks
  • Built-in time tracking tied to clients, projects, and hourly rates flows straight into invoices
  • Automated recurring/retainer billing, payment reminders, and late fees reduce chasing unpaid invoices
  • Responsive customer support with quick, human responses
  • Independent review documents a concrete business workflow
  • Documented capability: Accept PayPal payments
  • Documented capability: Accept Visa
  • Documented capability: Mastercard and American Express
  • Documented capability: Virtual Terminal
Cons
  • Costs climb quickly: Lite caps billable clients at 5, and every extra team member is $11/month
  • Advanced reporting and accounting depth are limited compared to full accounting suites, with no inventory management
  • Recurring bank connection and sync issues reported on both G2 and Capterra
  • Some long-time users describe the UI as clunky and note feature bloat, with some outgrowing it for lighter alternatives
  • Pricing and usage limits should be checked against the exact plan
  • Implementation effort depends on the team's data and process maturity
  • Reported outcomes should be validated with the buyer's own data
Visit FreshBooks ↗Visit PayPal Payments Pro ↗

Editorial read of this comparison

The table summarizes structured facts; this section explains what the differences mean for a real buying decision.

Where each tool fits, and where it may not

FreshBooks

FreshBooks is cloud accounting and invoicing software built for small business owners, freelancers, and self-employed professionals. It combines invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, project profitability, payments, and double-entry accounting reports in one app, serving customers in over 160 countries.

A particularly good fit for: Freelancers and solo consultants who bill by time and need invoicing, estimates, and e-signature proposals in one place Small service businesses running recurring retainer or subscription billing with a handful of clients Owners without an accounting background who want simple books they can hand off to an accountant at tax time

May be a poor fit if: Product or inventory-based businesses — FreshBooks has no inventory management Larger teams or companies needing deep accounting, advanced reporting, or many seats (per-user fees add up fast)

PayPal Payments Pro

PayPal Payments Pro is a payment processing solution built on PayPal’s technology that enables online merchants and businesses to accept credit card payments online as well as process mobile and retail credit card. On top of that, users can create and host their own checkout pages for full control. With PayPal Payments Pro, users are charged with a flat rate of 2.90 percent along with a $0.30 per-transaction fee, which is beneficial for companies with large tickets. The flat fee remains the same whether the cards used are debit, credit, corporate or rewards. PayPal Payments Pro doesn’t require buyers to have a PayPal account to complete the purchase. Aside from accepting payments online, users of PayPal Payments Pro are able to process credit card payments via phone, fax, and mail (Virtual Terminal).

A particularly good fit for: B2B teams evaluating finance and accounting software Teams that need documented workflow capabilities and fit guidance Organizations willing to validate implementation and plan limits

May be a poor fit if: Teams seeking a workflow outside the product's documented focus Teams needing unlimited usage without plan limits

Pricing and plan structure

FreshBooks: Published starting price $21 per month

  • Lite$21 per month, billed yearly
  • Plus$39 per month, billed yearly
  • Premium$63 per month, billed yearly
  • SelectCustom pricing

PayPal Payments Pro: Published starting price $0 per month

  • Free or entry planFree
  • Higher tiersCustom pricing

Capabilities worth validating

  • FreshBooks: General ledger & accounting, Accounts payable & bill pay, AI features, Bank reconciliation, Expense management Integrations include Gusto, Stripe, PayPal, Zapier.
  • PayPal Payments Pro: Accept PayPal payments, Accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express, Virtual Terminal, Accept payments in 25 currencies from 202 countries

Questions to answer before switching

  • Does FreshBooks's selected plan include the features and limits we need?
  • Does PayPal Payments Pro's selected plan include the features and limits we need?
  • Does the exact integration path for Gusto, Stripe, PayPal support the sync direction, permissions, and volume we need?
  • Is a hosted-only deployment acceptable for the team and customers who will use this system?

How to evaluate this shortlist

A useful comparison turns the differences between Finance tools into a concrete test. Use these steps to avoid choosing from a feature table or the lowest headline price alone.

  1. Start with a representative Finance workflow, not a feature checklist. Define who will use it, what data goes in, and what outcome the team needs.
  2. Test the complete path through Gusto, Stripe, PayPal: permissions, sync direction, failure handling, and volume limits often matter more than the integration name.
  3. Compare the cost of the real scenario, including users, usage, storage, support, and contract requirements. The entry price alone does not measure adoption cost.
  4. Before switching, list the evidence gaps, request a demo of the critical workflow, and confirm security, data residency, export, and support with each vendor.

Structured signals help narrow the shortlist, but a trial with a real workflow is still the best way to validate the decision.

Research basis

Last checked: 2026-08-18. Pricing, integrations, feature support, and review signals can change, so treat this as a research snapshot and verify the final decision with the vendor.

Sources consulted: FreshBooks product site, Capterra, G2; PayPal Payments Pro product site, FinancesOnline review, Vendor website