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Accounting & Finance · head to head

ADP vs FreshBooks

ADP logo

ADP

Accounting & Finance

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FreshBooks logo

FreshBooks

Professional Services

Accounting software that makes you look good

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only FreshBooks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ADP no pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken; FreshBooks lite tier limited to 5 clients maximum
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, FreshBooks covers Invoicing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and FreshBooks actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and FreshBooks differ
AttributeADPFreshBooks
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
CategoryAccounting & FinanceProfessional Services
Founded19492003

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ADP

  • Payroll
  • Tax services
  • HR management
  • Time & attendance
  • Benefits administration
  • QuickBooks
  • Sage
  • Oracle

Only in FreshBooks

  • Invoicing
  • Expense tracking
  • Time tracking
  • Project management
  • Payments
  • Financial reporting
  • Proposals
  • Mileage tracking

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ADP

  • Payroll processing and tax filingnot FreshBooks
  • HR administration and employee recordsnot FreshBooks
  • Time and attendance trackingnot FreshBooks
  • Benefits administrationnot FreshBooks
  • Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot FreshBooks

FreshBooks

  • Invoicing and payment processingnot ADP
  • Time tracking and expense managementnot ADP
  • Multi-client project accountingnot ADP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ADP

  • No pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken
  • Split into three separate products by company size, RUN for 1 to 49 employees, Workforce Now for 50 and above, and Lyric HCM for enterprise, so growing across a threshold means changing product rather than plan

FreshBooks

  • Lite tier limited to 5 clients maximum
  • E-signatures, proposals, and client retainers unavailable on Lite and Plus tiers
  • Advanced payment processing fee of £20/month on Plus tier (extra cost)
  • Email customization and project profitability tracking restricted to Premium tier and above
  • Offline mode not available; web-based only

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

$29/month
  • Essential$79/month
    • Payroll
    • Tax filing
    • Direct deposit
  • Enhanced$139/month
    • HR tools
    • Background checks
    • Job posting

FreshBooks

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the FreshBooks review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

  • You need payroll.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want tax services.
ADP review

Choose FreshBooks if

  • You need invoicing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want expense tracking.
FreshBooks review

Questions people ask

Is ADP or FreshBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and FreshBooks at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or FreshBooks?
FreshBooks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for ADP and Free for FreshBooks.
Does ADP or FreshBooks run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. FreshBooks runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use FreshBooks for free?
Yes. FreshBooks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ADP starts at $29/month.
What is ADP best used for?
ADP is most often used for payroll processing and tax filing, hr administration and employee records, time and attendance tracking, benefits administration. Of those, payroll processing and tax filing and hr administration and employee records are not what FreshBooks is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that FreshBooks cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. FreshBooks covers Invoicing, Expense tracking, Time tracking, Project management.
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