FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a cloud accounting platform designed for service-based freelancers and small business owners. For indie authors who also work as editors, ghostwriters, writing coaches, or consultants, it offers a polished combination of professional invoicing, built-in time tracking, and project management — all in one place. The invoicing system is widely regarded as the best in its class for solo service providers: you can convert estimates to invoices in one click, set up recurring billing, and send automatic payment reminders.

Expense tracking imports bank transactions automatically, and the mobile app handles receipt capture and mileage logging. At tax time, FreshBooks generates Profit & Loss, expense, and accounts aging reports that you can hand directly to your accountant or use to prepare your Schedule C — though FreshBooks itself does not file taxes with the IRS.

Best for: Authors who combine self-publishing income with active client work (editing, coaching, ghostwriting) and need to track both streams, send professional invoices, and log billable hours.

Key features:

• Professional invoicing with custom templates, estimates, and recurring billing
• Time tracking built into every plan (not gated to higher tiers)
• Project management with per-project profitability reporting
• Expense tracking with automatic bank transaction import
• Mileage tracking via mobile app
• Receipt capture (Plus and above)
• Accountant access with free CPA seat (Plus and above)
• 30-day free trial with full feature access

Pricing (as of early 2026):

• Lite — $23/month (5 billable clients; no bank reconciliation, no accountant access)
• Plus — $43/month (50 clients; adds bank reconciliation, accountant access, proposals)
• Premium — $70/month (unlimited clients; adds advanced reporting)
• Select — custom pricing for larger teams

Note: FreshBooks has raised prices three times since early 2025. Annual billing saves approximately 10%. Additional team members cost $11/month each on any plan. An optional FreshBooks Payroll add-on (powered by Gusto, US businesses only) runs $40/month plus $6/month per person.

Limitations for solo authors:

• The Lite plan's 5-client cap is tight for authors juggling multiple ongoing clients
• No tax filing — FreshBooks organizes your finances but does not submit returns to the IRS
• Payroll is not built into any base plan — the FreshBooks Payroll add-on (powered by Gusto) runs $40/month plus $6/month per person and covers both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors
• Pricing is higher than alternatives like Wave (free) or QuickBooks Solopreneur (~$20/mo)

Who should skip it: Authors who purely self-publish and do not invoice clients will find FreshBooks overkill. A simpler tool like Found or Wave handles royalty income and self-pub expense tracking at lower or no cost.