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BambooHR vs FreshBooks

BambooHR logo

BambooHR

All industries

HR software with heart

From
$10/month per employee
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: BambooHR organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price; FreshBooks lite tier limited to 5 clients maximum
  • They diverge on capability: BambooHR covers Employee database, FreshBooks covers Invoicing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BambooHR and FreshBooks actually diverge.

Attributes where BambooHR and FreshBooks differ
AttributeBambooHRFreshBooks
Starting price$10/month per employeeFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryAll industriesProfessional Services
Founded20082003

Identical on both: 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 BambooHR

  • Employee database
  • Time-off management
  • Benefits tracking
  • Performance reviews
  • Onboarding
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Mobile access
  • Document management

Only in FreshBooks

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

Both cover

  • Slack

What people use each for

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

BambooHR

  • HR system of record with employee data and documentsnot FreshBooks
  • Time off tracking and approvalsnot FreshBooks
  • Applicant tracking and onboardingnot FreshBooks
  • Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot FreshBooks
  • Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot FreshBooks

FreshBooks

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

Where each one falls short

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

BambooHR

  • Organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
  • Per-employee pricing starts at 26 employees, from $10 on Core
  • Performance management, 360 reviews and recognition all require Pro at $17 per employee per month
  • Compensation management, salary benchmarking and advanced analytics are Elite only at $25 per employee per month
  • Compliance training is rationed by tier, at 1 course on Core against 300 on Elite

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

BambooHR

$10/month per employee

No published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.

FreshBooks

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the FreshBooks review.

Which should you pick?

Choose BambooHR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want time-off management.
BambooHR 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 BambooHR or FreshBooks better?
Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and FreshBooks at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BambooHR or FreshBooks?
FreshBooks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $10/month per employee for BambooHR and Free for FreshBooks.
Does BambooHR or FreshBooks run on more platforms?
BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. 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. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee.
What is BambooHR best used for?
BambooHR is most often used for hr system of record with employee data and documents, time off tracking and approvals, applicant tracking and onboarding, performance reviews and 1:1s on the pro tier. Of those, hr system of record with employee data and documents and time off tracking and approvals are not what FreshBooks is typically brought in for.
What can BambooHR do that FreshBooks cannot?
BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. FreshBooks covers Invoicing, Expense tracking, Time tracking, Project management. Both handle Slack.
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