Freshbooks vs Heard
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Quick verdict: Pick FreshBooks if you're a freelancer or small business that invoices clients; pick Heard if you're a US therapist who wants bookkeeping and taxes done for you.
Best for: Freelancers who bill clients for time and expenses, Solopreneurs who want bookkeeping handled without hiring help
Read the full Freshbooks reviewBest for: Solo therapists (LLC or sole prop) who want bookkeeping and taxes off their plate, S corp owners and group practices that need payroll bundled in
Read the full Heard reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Freshbooks vs Heard: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Freshbooks if
- You invoice clients and want tracked time billed automatically
- You need 100+ integrations, including Zapier, Gusto, and Square
Choose Heard if
- You're a US therapist wanting bookkeeping and taxes done for you
- You want federal and state returns filed by practice specialists
- You'll pay annually to never touch a spreadsheet
Freshbooks vs Heard: pros and cons
Freshbooks
FreshBooks bundles invoicing, expenses, and payroll with automation that keeps billing fast and cash flow steady. Third-party reviewers rate it 4.4 to 4.5 out of 5, though client caps on lower plans and a steep post-promo price jump deserve a closer look. Overall, it's a strong pick for freelancers and small service businesses that bill by time or project.
Pros
- Tracked time and expenses flow into invoices automatically, with taxes calculated for you — billing hourly or per project takes minutes instead of an evening of manual typing.
- Automated recurring invoices plus built-in payment reminders handle the awkward follow-up for late payers, keeping cash flow predictable without you chasing anyone.
- Expenses stay current with three low-effort inputs — phone-based receipt scanning, bank transaction imports, and automatic categorization.
Cons
- Billable-client caps bite early — Lite allows just 5 clients and Plus 50, so a growing roster forces you onto Premium at the full $70/month standard rate.
- There's no free plan — only a 30-day trial — and the advertised 90%-off promo applies to just the first 3 months, after which prices jump tenfold ($2.30 becomes $23, $4.30 becomes $43, $7 becomes $70).
- The Select plan has no listed price at all; you have to contact sales for a custom quote, which makes budgeting for high-volume billing impossible upfront.
Heard
Heard pairs therapists with bookkeepers and tax pros who work only with private practices, bundling monthly bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, and full tax filing in one dashboard. Support is human and responsive, though annual plans are billed upfront and non-refundable. Overall, it's a strong fit for solo US practices that want taxes handled, provided you're comfortable committing a year.
Pros
- Specialist tax knowledge — Heard's team files returns only for mental health and wellness private practices, so therapy-specific deductions are tracked automatically instead of you hunting for them.
- Documented savings — providers using Heard save an average of 60 hours a year and $5,000 in taxes, per company figures.
- True all-in-one — monthly done-for-you bookkeeping, quarterly estimates, federal and state filing, banking, payroll, and S corp support run under a single login with plain-language reports.
Cons
- Narrow eligibility — only US-based, single-owner health and wellness practices (sole props, single-member LLCs, S corps) are supported — no C corps, multi-owner practices, or non-US businesses.
- Annual plans are billed upfront and non-refundable; Premium members can't downgrade, and Essential downgrades are only allowed if you haven't filed taxes with Heard yet.
- Extra costs stack up — a one-time catch-up bookkeeping fee of $99 per month in business this year applies at signup, Lite's annual tax filing is a $750 add-on, payroll runs $39/mo plus $6 per person via Gusto, and government and license filing fees are excluded.
Freshbooks and Heard in detail
Freshbooks
FreshBooks is all-in-one accounting and invoicing software for small businesses. It covers invoicing, billing and payments, expenses, payroll, reporting, proposals, estimates, and time tracking. The site targets freelancers, solopreneurs, and businesses with employees or contractors, and says over 30 million small businesses have used it. You can work from desktop or mobile and collaborate with clients, your team, and your accountant.
Standout features
- Invoices in Minutes, Not Evenings
- Getting Paid Without the Chase
- Expense Tracking on Autopilot
- Payroll Under One Roof
- The Extras That Tie It Together
Use cases
- Freelancers who bill by the hour
- Small businesses tired of chasing payments
- Owners with a team to pay
- Businesses working with contractors
Heard
Heard is a financial platform built for therapists and wellness practitioners in private practice. It combines bookkeeping, tax filing, business banking, payroll, and S corp support in one dashboard. A dedicated team reviews your books monthly, and experts answer questions with no per-question fees. It serves solo practices, LLCs, sole proprietors, S corps, and group practices—more than 5,000 therapists use it.
Standout features
- Monthly bookkeeping, done for you
- Taxes without the overwhelm
- S corp and payroll, made simple
- Real humans who know therapists
- One dashboard, plain-language reports
Use cases
- New practice, clean books from day one
- Tax season without the dread
- Group practice payroll, handled
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Freshbooks | Heard |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $23/mo Lite | $129/mo Lite |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 30 days | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | $23/moCheaper Lite plan, billed monthly | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | $67/mo Lite plan, billed monthly | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 10 users | $122/mo Lite plan, billed monthly | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 25 users | $287/mo Lite plan, billed monthly | $129/mo Lite plan, billed monthly · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | 4 | 3 |
| Prices checked | Vendor page checked Oct 12, 2026 | Checked Oct 13, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Oct 1, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 1 user (billed monthly), Freshbooks costs $23/mo vs Heard at $129/mo.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
More comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Do either offer a free trial?
FreshBooks offers a 30-day free trial plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. Heard doesn't list a trial; you can book a free demo, but annual fees are non-refundable.