FreshBooks vs Recurly — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
FreshBooks starts at $23/mo. Recurly uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
See price history: FreshBooks · Recurly
SMB accounting positioned as the alternative to QuickBooks for service-based businesses and freelancers. Distinctive for its focus on invoicing UX and time-tracking-to-invoice workflow (unusual in accounting software). Priced $21-$65/mo. Owned by JMI Equity (private equity) since 2015 — expect steady annual price increases. Popular with consultants, agencies, and service businesses that need to invoice clients more than manage inventory.
Subscription billing platform positioned as the alternative to Chargebee for teams that want dunning + retention analytics as the core value prop, not just billing infrastructure. Distinctive for its focus on reducing involuntary churn (failed payment recovery) which historically claims 3-8% of MRR. Core $249/mo + Professional $1K+/mo + Elite custom. Popular with subscription businesses where churn recovery ROI is measurable and material.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | FreshBooks monthly | FreshBooks annual | Recurly monthly | Recurly annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Starter | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Lite / — | $23 | $20.7 | — | — |
| Mid tier | Plus / — | $43 | $38.7 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Premium / — | $70 | $63 | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
FreshBooks is worth it if… freelancers and small service businesses (1-15 people) that need invoicing + expense tracking + light bookkeeping — particularly if QuickBooks feels like overkill and Wave is too basic. Lite covers up to 5 billable clients; Plus adds recurring billing and proposals; Premium removes client limits.
Recurly is worth it if… mid-market consumer subscription businesses (streaming, media, publishing) that need recurring billing + dunning + revenue recognition at scale — particularly for teams that outgrew Stripe Billing. Core covers small SaaS; Professional adds revenue recognition and multi-entity; Elite for enterprise scale.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose FreshBooks over Recurly if…
Choose FreshBooks if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $23/mo).
- You match the profile FreshBooks is built for: freelancers and small service businesses (1-15 people) that need invoicing + expense tracking + light bookkeeping — particularly if QuickBooks feels like overkill and Wave is too basic.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Recurly if…
- You're comfortable with Recurly's a free entry tier entry point.
- You match the profile Recurly is built for: mid-market consumer subscription businesses (streaming, media, publishing) that need recurring billing + dunning + revenue recognition at scale — particularly for teams that outgrew Stripe Billing.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| FreshBooks | Recurly | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | $23/mo | Custom pricing |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | — |
| Verification | Checked October 3, 2026 | Pricing under review |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified October 3, 2026. Tracked daily.