Comparison guide
Handl vs FreshBooks: Built for Agencies, Not Bookkeepers
FreshBooks has been around since 2003 and is one of the most recognisable names in freelance invoicing. It does time tracking, expenses, and simple invoicing well. Handl is a newer tool built specifically for project-based agencies and freelancers who need milestone billing, automated payment chasing, and a client-facing portal — without paying per seat. If you run a digital agency or freelance business and you're evaluating both, here's an honest breakdown of where each tool wins and where it falls short.
Quick verdict
FreshBooks is solid for solo freelancers who need simple invoicing and time tracking. Handl is the better fit if you run project-based work, deal with scope changes, or are tired of manually chasing late payments.
Side by side
How they stack up
Handl
$10–$50
per month, per user
Best for: Agencies and freelancers doing project-based, milestone-driven work who want AI-automated payment collection.
- Milestone-based billing — tie invoices to project phases
- AI-driven payment reminders — automated follow-up sequences
- Client payment portal — clients pay without an account
- Change order management — log and bill scope creep
- PM integrations — Jira, Asana, Monday, ClickUp, Trello
- Accounting integrations — Xero and MYOB
- Flat pricing — $29/month for your whole team
FreshBooks
$15–$55+
per month, per user
Best for: Solo freelancers or small service businesses who need clean, simple invoicing with solid time tracking and expense management.
- Lite: 5 billable clients
- Plus: 50 billable clients
- Premium: 500+ clients
- Extra users cost more per seat
- Built-in time tracking
- Expense tracking + receipt scanning
Feature by feature
Handl vs FreshBooks: feature comparison
Feature | Handl | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
Milestone-based billing | ✅ | ❌ |
Automated payment reminders | ✅ | ⚠️ Basic scheduled reminders, manual setup |
AI-native (not bolt-on) | ✅ | ❌ |
Client portal | ✅ | ❌ |
Quote / proposal builder | ✅ | ⚠️ Basic estimates only |
Digital signatures | ✅ | ❌ |
Change order management | ✅ | ❌ |
Revenue forecasting | ✅ | ❌ |
PM tool integrations (Jira, Asana, Monday) | ✅ | ❌ |
Xero / MYOB integration | ✅ | ⚠️ Xero only (via third-party) |
Time tracking integrations | ✅ | ✅ Built-in time tracking |
Multi-currency | ✅ | ✅ |
Project health scoring (AI) | ✅ | ❌ |
Free trial | ✅ 14 days, no credit card | ✅ 30 days |
Starting price | $29/mo flat | From $15/mo |
Per-seat pricing | ❌ Flat rate | ⚠️ Extra charge per team member added |
A closer look at FreshBooks
FreshBooks is one of the most mature invoicing tools on the market, launched in 2003 and rebuilt from scratch in 2017. It targets freelancers and small service businesses with a clean interface that makes invoicing and time tracking genuinely easy. The mobile app is well-regarded, and it supports expense tracking, mileage logging, and basic reporting out of the box.
The pricing model is tiered by billable client count — the $15/month Lite plan caps you at 5 active clients, which is a real constraint for growing freelancers. The Plus plan at $25/month raises that to 50 clients, and Premium at $50/month removes the cap. There's a custom Select plan for larger teams.
FreshBooks handles the basics of invoicing well. Where it falls short for project-based work: there's no milestone billing, no change order management, no PM tool integrations, and no client portal. Payment reminders exist but are manual — you still have to remember to send them, or set up a basic schedule. There's no AI layer doing the thinking for you. For a freelancer billing simple hourly work, that's probably fine. For an agency managing complex projects with multiple deliverables and clients who stretch payment terms... it starts to feel thin.
FreshBooks also charges per additional team member, which adds up quickly once you're more than one person.
Strengths
What are our strengths?
- Milestone billing built in. You can tie invoices to project phases — not just time logged. That's how most agencies actually get paid, and FreshBooks simply doesn't do it.
- AI-driven payment reminders. Handl figures out when to nudge clients and does it automatically. No more manually scheduling follow-ups or being the awkward one who has to send the third reminder.
- Client portal. Clients can see their quotes, invoices, and project status in one place. FreshBooks has no equivalent.
- Digital signatures on proposals. Send a quote, get it signed, kick off the work. No PDF ping-pong.
- Change order management. Scope creep is a fact of life. Handl lets you create and get sign-off on change orders without leaving the platform.
- PM tool integrations. Jira, Asana, Monday.com — Handl sits on top of your existing workflow instead of competing with it.
- Flat pricing. $29/month for your whole team. FreshBooks charges extra per user, which adds up.
- Revenue forecasting and project health scoring. Actual insight into whether your pipeline is healthy — not just a list of unpaid invoices.
- 30-day free trial. More time to evaluate before committing — twice as long as most competitors.
- Built-in time tracking. If you bill hourly and want everything in one app, FreshBooks has solid native time tracking — no integration needed.
- Expense tracking. Snap a photo of a receipt, done. Useful for freelancers tracking business costs.
- Mature, polished product. 20+ years in the market. The core invoicing and reporting is genuinely solid and well-refined.
- Mobile app. One of the better mobile invoicing apps available — good for people who work on the go.
- Accountant-friendly. Your accountant probably knows FreshBooks. Tax time is easier when they are already familiar with the export format.
- Lower entry price. $15/month Lite plan is cheaper than Handl if you are just starting out with a handful of clients.
- Strong reporting. Profit and loss, expense reports, tax summaries — FreshBooks covers the accounting basics well for small businesses.
Which one is for you?
When to choose each tool
Choose Handl if your work is project-based rather than purely hourly. If you're sending proposals, managing milestones, dealing with scope changes, or spending too much time chasing late payments — Handl is built for exactly that.
The AI-driven reminders alone are worth it for most agencies. The system figures out when clients are overdue and follows up without you having to be the one to send the awkward email. After 13 years running a digital agency, Darren built Handl specifically because that problem — the payment chasing, the uncomfortable conversations, the scope creep with no paper trail — was never solved by any tool he tried.
If you've got a team, the flat $29/month pricing also makes more sense than FreshBooks' per-user model once you're past one person.
And if you're already using Jira, Asana, Monday, Xero, Harvest, or Toggl — Handl integrates with all of them instead of trying to replace them.
FreshBooks wins if you are a solo freelancer billing simple hourly work and you want one app to handle time tracking, expenses, and invoicing without much setup. The 30-day trial, strong mobile app, and lower entry price make it a reasonable choice if project complexity is not your problem.
It is also worth considering if your accountant is already on FreshBooks — switching accounting tools mid-year is never fun. And if you are primarily billing by the hour rather than by milestone or deliverable, FreshBooks handles that workflow cleanly without the overhead of project-based billing features you would not use.
For freelancers just starting out who need to look professional and get invoices out the door quickly, FreshBooks is a solid, reliable choice that has been battle-tested by millions of users over two decades.
Frequently asked questions
Can I migrate my data from FreshBooks to Handl?
Yes — you can import your client list, outstanding invoices, and project data. The onboarding team can help walk you through the process during your free trial.
Does Handl replace FreshBooks entirely?
It depends on your workflow. Handl handles billing, invoicing, and client-facing payment ops. If you need FreshBooks for time tracking or expense management, you can use both. If milestone billing is your primary need, Handl replaces the invoicing side.
Is Handl more expensive than FreshBooks?
Handl starts at $29/month flat for your whole team. FreshBooks starts at $15/month but charges extra per team member and caps billable clients on lower plans. For teams of 2+, Handl is often cheaper.
Does Handl have time tracking?
Handl integrates with Harvest, Hubstaff, and Toggl for time tracking rather than building it in. This lets you keep your existing time tracking tool and connect it to billing.
Do my clients need to create an account to pay?
No. Clients receive a payment link and can pay directly without creating an account. The optional client portal shows project status and all invoices in one place.
The verdict
FreshBooks is a well-built invoicing tool. It's just not built for how most agencies actually work. If your projects have phases, deliverables, change requests, and clients who occasionally go quiet when an invoice arrives — FreshBooks starts to show its limits.
Handl fills the gap FreshBooks leaves. Milestone billing, automated payment chasing, client portal, proposal signing, change orders — it's the financial ops layer that sits between you and your clients and handles the money conversation so you can focus on the actual work.
At $29/month flat with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required, it's worth an honest test. If you're currently spending more than 30 minutes a week chasing payments or managing scope in email threads... that's time you're not getting back.
Try Handl free at handl.works — no credit card, no commitment.
Reclaim your time
Stop being your own debt collector.
Get paid faster with automated invoicing and reminders.
