FreshBooks vs Relay Comparison 2026
Both cover accounting & tax and creator finance. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Invoicing built for freelancers, not accountants
Business banking with twenty checking accounts
At a glance
- FreshBooks starts cheaper, at $23.
- Only Relay has a free tier.
Side by side
FreshBooks | Relay | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $23 | From $30 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial (they differ) | 30 days | 14 days |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
FreshBooks
Invoicing built for freelancers, not accountants
FreshBooks is double-entry accounting wearing a friendly invoice app, which is the right shape for somebody who bills a handful of clients and dreads January. Time tracking and expenses feed the invoice directly. Client limits on the cheap plan are the thing that pushes people up a tier.
Our note
Wave does invoicing and bookkeeping free and is enough for most creators. Pay for FreshBooks when the client count, the retainers or the proposals are the reason, not because it looks more serious.
Relay
Business banking with twenty checking accounts
Relay's difference is that it hands you twenty checking accounts rather than one, which is what makes envelope budgeting work on a business rather than on a spreadsheet beside it. Income splits on arrival: tax here, contractors there, what is left is yours. It also issues a stack of cards and connects to the usual bookkeeping tools. The free plan is a real account rather than a trial.
Our note
The free tier is the one most creators should be on, because the paid features are approval workflows for teams and a better savings rate that only matters on a balance large enough to notice. If the interest rate is what tempts you, work out the difference on your actual balance before paying $360 a year for it.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.