Comparison · Reviewed May 2026
Durvy vs FreshBooks
FreshBooks has 20+ years of accounting depth, real double-entry bookkeeping, and integrations with every payment processor under the sun. If you have an accountant who already knows it, it's the safe choice.
TL;DR
Pick FreshBooks if:
You're growing past solo freelancing into a small agency with payroll, you need real accountant-grade reports, and you're willing to pay $33-$60/mo for it.
Pick Durvy if:
You're a solo freelancer or small studio who wants the four apps that actually matter (receipts, invoices, time, clients) without paying for the rest of an accounting suite you'll never use.
FreshBooks: $19-$60/mo · Durvy: $0-$49/mo
Feature comparison
| Feature | Durvy | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes - 10 receipts/mo, 3 active invoices | No (30-day trial only) |
| Starting paid price | $15/mo (Pro) | $19/mo (Lite) |
| Billable clients (entry tier) | Unlimited | 5 (Lite) |
| Invoicing | Yes - recurring, payment links, branding | Yes - full-featured |
| Receipt scanning + OCR | Yes - Receiptly | Yes - built in |
| Time tracking | Yes - Timely (Suite tier) | Yes - built in |
| Project kanban + CRM | Yes - Clienty | Basic client list only |
| Cross-app data (hours → invoice) | Built in | Configurable |
| Double-entry bookkeeping | No (CSV export) | Yes |
| Payroll | No | Yes (via Gusto) |
| Multi-currency | Yes - every tier | Yes - Plus tier+ |
| Team / agency tier | Agency $49/mo (5 members) | Premium $60/mo (varies) |
| PWA / mobile install | Yes - install on iOS/Android | Native apps |
Pricing and feature data reviewed 2026-05-15. Both products ship updates regularly - verify on each vendor's site before purchasing.
The honest pitch for each
FreshBooks is the small-business accounting platform that decided to be friendlier than QuickBooks. It started as invoicing software in 2003, expanded into time tracking, then into full bookkeeping. Today it's a complete accounting suite: invoicing, expenses, time, projects, payroll add-on, and accountant export. If you're running a business that's heading toward needing a real accountant, FreshBooks fits the workflow your accountant already knows.
Durvy is four focused apps for solo freelancers and small studios - Receiptly (receipts), Invoicy (invoices), Timely (time), Clienty (CRM). One account, one price, the four apps share data instead of forcing you to stitch tools together. It's not a full accounting platform; it's the freelance-specific toolkit that handles the daily money-and-clients work and exports clean data when your accountant does need it.
Where FreshBooks is the right call
Three buyer profiles where we'd point you AT FreshBooks, not Durvy:
- You're an established small business with bookkeeping needs. FreshBooks has real double-entry accounting, chart of accounts, balance sheet - Durvy doesn't. We export everything to CSV and assume your accountant lives in QuickBooks or Xero.
- You have employees or contractors on regular payroll. FreshBooks' payroll add-on (via Gusto integration) is one click. Durvy has team workspaces (Agency plan) but no payroll.
- Your accountant already uses FreshBooks for other clients. Switching costs are real. If your accountant has a workflow they like, don't break it.
Where Durvy is the right call
Three buyer profiles where Durvy genuinely wins:
- You're a solo freelancer. FreshBooks' Lite tier ($19/mo) caps you at 5 billable clients. Bump to Plus ($33/mo) for 50. Durvy's free tier handles 3 active invoices + 10 receipts a month forever; Pro ($15/mo) is unlimited. If you have 8 clients and don't need bookkeeping, the math doesn't favor FreshBooks.
- You want the four apps to share data, not stitch via Zapier. In Durvy, time entries flow into invoices, receipts attach to projects, and Clienty rolls up everything per client - out of the box, no integration setup. In FreshBooks you can do this but it's per-feature configuration; we built it as one suite.
- You want a CRM as part of the package. FreshBooks has clients (basically contact records). Durvy has a real CRM with project kanban, health scores, contact log, and cross-app rollups - same price.
The receipt-tracking question
FreshBooks does receipt capture (photo, OCR, categorization) on every tier - fine for occasional expenses. Durvy's Receiptly is a more focused tool: faster scan-to-categorized workflow, multi-currency by default, project-level reimbursable-expense tagging that flows into the invoice as a billable line item.
For a freelancer logging 5-30 receipts a month, both work. For someone processing 50+ receipts a month (consultants who travel, designers who buy assets) the Receiptly UX matters more - you'll feel the difference in seconds-per-receipt.
TL;DR - pick FreshBooks if...
...you need real accounting and you're growing past solo. Pick Durvy if you're a freelancer who wants the four apps that handle the daily work, at a price that doesn't punish you for being small.
If you're unsure, try Durvy free first - it costs nothing and the migration to FreshBooks later is a CSV export.
Try Durvy free first.
No card. 10 receipts and 3 invoices a month free forever - enough to decide if the suite fits your workflow before you pay anything.
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