FreshBooks vs Stripdo (2026)

FreshBooks is one of the most user-friendly invoicing and accounting platforms on the market. It started as an invoicing tool for freelancers and has grown into a full small business platform with time tracking, project management, proposals, client portals, expense tracking, and accounting features.

For freelancers and agencies that bill by the hour, FreshBooks is genuinely excellent. The time-tracking-to-invoice workflow is one of the best in the industry. You log your hours, attach them to a project, and generate an invoice with a few clicks. Client communication, payment reminders, and late fees are all handled automatically.

If you use Stripe for payment processing, the question is whether FreshBooks fits your workflow. FreshBooks uses its own payment system (FreshBooks Payments) and does not have a native Stripe integration. This article compares FreshBooks and Stripdo to help you decide which tool works best for Stripe-based invoicing.

Stripdo is an invoicing tool built specifically for Stripe users. It connects to your Stripe account and automatically generates professional invoices every time a payment is made. It costs a flat $39/year with unlimited invoices and zero per-invoice fees.

FreshBooks has three main plans. Lite costs $19/month ($228/year) and supports 5 billable clients. Plus costs $33/month ($396/year) and supports 50 clients. Premium costs $60/month ($720/year) and supports up to 500 clients.

FreshBooks uses a client-based pricing model, which is different from most accounting tools. Instead of limiting features by plan, FreshBooks limits the number of clients you can bill. For freelancers and small agencies, this works well. For businesses with many Stripe customers (common in SaaS or e-commerce), you may need a higher plan just for client capacity.

Add-ons include team member access ($11/month per person), FreshBooks Payments (2.9% + $0.30 per card), and ACH payments ($1 each). Advanced reporting is available on the Premium plan.

Stripdo takes a different pricing approach: $39/year flat, no client limits, no per-invoice fees. It is a much narrower tool (Stripe invoicing only), but for businesses that just need that function, the price difference is notable.

FreshBooks does not offer a native Stripe integration. It is built around FreshBooks Payments (powered by WePay) for collecting payments on invoices. If you want to connect Stripe to FreshBooks, you would use Zapier or a similar automation tool, typically costing $20 to $50/month for multi-step workflows.

FreshBooks is designed for an invoice-first workflow: you create an invoice, send it to the client, and the client pays through the built-in payment link. This is a great experience for service businesses that bill clients directly.

Many Stripe users have the opposite workflow: payments are already collected through Stripe Checkout, Elements, or the API, and invoices need to be generated after the fact. FreshBooks was not built for this direction, so connecting the two requires manual work or automation tools.

Stripdo is designed for this payment-first workflow. It connects to Stripe via OAuth, watches for completed payments, and generates invoices automatically. If your invoicing need starts with a Stripe payment, Stripdo handles that natively.

FreshBooks and Stripdo are built for different types of businesses. FreshBooks shines for freelancers and service providers who track time, manage projects, and send invoices to clients. The user experience for that workflow is hard to beat.

For businesses that collect payments through Stripe first and need invoices generated from those payments, Stripdo is a more natural fit. It connects directly to Stripe and automates the invoice generation without requiring a separate payment system or automation tool.

The pricing models are also different. FreshBooks scales with your client count, which works well for service businesses but can get expensive for SaaS or e-commerce with many customers. Stripdo is a flat $39/year regardless of volume.

Both tools can coexist. If you use FreshBooks for time tracking, proposals, and client management, you can add Stripdo specifically for Stripe invoice generation without disrupting your existing workflow.

Stripdo is built for one specific workflow: turning your Stripe payments into professional invoices, automatically. Here's how it works:

FreshBooks is an excellent choice for freelancers and service-based businesses. The time tracking, project management, proposals, and automated payment reminders are genuinely best-in-class. If you bill clients by the hour and want an all-in-one platform, FreshBooks delivers.

For Stripe users who need invoices generated from payments, Stripdo offers a focused alternative. It costs $39/year, connects directly to Stripe, and automates the entire invoicing process. No client limits, no per-invoice fees.

If you are a freelancer or agency, FreshBooks is likely the better fit. If you run a SaaS, e-commerce, or subscription business on Stripe and need automatic invoicing, Stripdo is built for that workflow. You can also use both side by side.

Stripdo works alongside your existing tools. You can try it without changing anything about your current setup. The whole process takes less than a minute: