FreshBooks
Paylocity
| Feature | FreshBooks | Paylocity |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $19/mo | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | freelancers, consultants, solopreneurs, service-businesses | mid-size-businesses, hr-teams, payroll-managers, growing-companies |
| Founded | 2003 | 1997 |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Expense Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Time Tracking | ✓ | ✗ |
| Estimates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reports | ✓ | ✗ |
| Payments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project Profitability | ✓ | ✗ |
| Payroll | ✗ | ✓ |
| Benefits Administration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Talent Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Attendance | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hr Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Employee Experience | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ FreshBooks Pros
- Easiest invoicing tool for freelancers
- Beautiful invoice templates
- Built-in time tracking for billable hours
- Excellent mobile app for on-the-go
✗ FreshBooks Cons
- Limited to 5 clients on Lite plan
- Less powerful than QuickBooks for complex accounting
- No inventory management
✓ Paylocity Pros
- Strong payroll processing
- Good employee self-service
- Modern community features
- Comprehensive benefits admin
✗ Paylocity Cons
- Implementation can be lengthy
- Pricing not transparent
- Customer support varies
The Verdict
FreshBooks is built for freelancers and consultants, with a focus on invoicing and expense-tracking. Paylocity targets mid size businesses and hr teams and leads with payroll and benefits-administration.
Paylocity uses custom enterprise pricing, while FreshBooks starts at $19/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
Feature-wise, FreshBooks offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Paylocity takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.