Is FreshBooks free in Canada?

No. As of October 2026, FreshBooks' Canadian pricing page lists four paid plans and no free plan. There's a 30-day free trial.

How much does FreshBooks cost in Canada?

As of October 2026, Lite is $26 a month, Plus $42 and Premium $72, in Canadian dollars. Select is priced on request. Each extra team member is $13 a month. Introductory discounts were showing when we checked, so see freshbooks.com/en-ca/pricing for today's prices.

Is FreshBooks a Canadian company?

Yes. FreshBooks' head office is in Toronto.

Does FreshBooks handle GST/HST?

FreshBooks adds sales tax to invoices, and its Sales Tax Summary report shows the tax you charged on invoices and the tax you paid on expenses and bills. Spark Books works out the figures for your GST/HST return itself, regular or quick method, with the date it's due. With either, you or your accountant file the return with the CRA.

Is Spark Books a good FreshBooks alternative?

If you mostly need your books kept, yes: Spark sorts your transactions into a Canadian chart of accounts, splits out GST/HST and produces a year-end package for your accountant, for free. If you bill by the hour, want clients to pay invoices by card, or need a live bank feed, FreshBooks does things Spark doesn't.

Can I move from FreshBooks to Spark?

There's no one-click move: Spark's import is built for QuickBooks and Xero exports. Pick a start date, such as the start of your fiscal year, and upload your bank statements from that date. Keep your FreshBooks reports for anything before it.

A free FreshBooks alternative

FreshBooks is a Toronto company, and it's strong on invoicing. Its Canadian plans start at $26 a month, with no free plan. Spark Books is free bookkeeping for Canadian small businesses. Here's an honest comparison.

What FreshBooks costs in Canada

Checked on freshbooks.com/en-ca in October 2026. Regular monthly prices in Canadian dollars. There’s a 30-day free trial, and extra team members are $13 a month each.

Lite

$26 a month

Invoices and estimates for up to 5 billable clients, automated bank import, expenses, time tracking and mileage.

Plus

$42 a month

Up to 50 billable clients. Adds double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation, accountant access and receipt capture.

Premium

$72 a month

Unlimited billable clients. Adds bill capture, accounts payable and project profitability.

Select

Price on request

Two team members included, lower transaction rates, dedicated phone support and data migration.

When we checked, Lite was $1 a month for the first year, and Plus and Premium were 80% off for the first 3 months. Offers change; FreshBooks’ Canadian pricing page has today’s.

Side by side

Spark Books and FreshBooks Canada, October 2026
	Spark Books	FreshBooks (Canada)
Free plan	Yes, $0 with no card	No; 30-day free trial
Paid option	$350 a month, with a Spark bookkeeper doing your books	$26, $42 or $72 a month; Select on request
Getting transactions in	Upload bank and card statements (CSV, OFX/QFX/QBO, PDF)	Automated bank import, all plans
Sorting transactions	AI sorts each one into a Canadian chart of accounts and asks you when it's unsure	See FreshBooks' site
Double-entry books	Yes	Double-entry accounting reports from Plus
Invoices	Yes, in your business name, with payments matched	Yes; Lite allows 5 billable clients, Plus 50, Premium unlimited
GST/HST	Return figures, regular or quick method, with due dates. You file.	Sales Tax Summary report of tax charged and tax paid
Receipts	Photo, read and matched to the transaction	Receipt data capture from Plus
Time tracking	No	Yes, all plans
Payroll	No	Add-on, details on request
For your accountant	Year-end package mapped to GIFI (corporations) or T2125 (sole proprietors)	Accountant access from Plus

FreshBooks details are from freshbooks.com/en-ca as of October 2026. “See FreshBooks’ site” means we didn’t confirm the detail there, not that it’s missing.

What FreshBooks does that Spark doesn’t

FreshBooks is built around billing clients. If that’s most of your work, it may suit you better.

Live bank import

FreshBooks lists automated bank import on every plan. Spark doesn't connect to banks yet: you download statements from your bank's website and upload them.

Getting paid by card

FreshBooks lets clients pay invoices by credit or debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and pre-authorized debit. Spark's invoices don't take payments. Your customer pays the way they do now, and Spark marks the invoice paid when the deposit shows up.

Time tracking and proposals

FreshBooks tracks billable hours, and from Plus it sends proposals with e-signatures and takes retainers. Spark does none of these.

Payroll

FreshBooks lists payroll as an add-on, with details on request. Spark doesn't run payroll.

Which one suits you

You bill clients by the hour or by the project. FreshBooks is built for that: time tracking, estimates, proposals and card payments on invoices.
You want your books kept, for free. Spark Books sorts every transaction, splits out the GST/HST, works out your GST/HST return figures and hands your accountant a year-end package. You upload statements once a month. How Spark Books works.
You’re in Quebec, or you run payroll. Spark isn’t available in Quebec yet and doesn’t do payroll.

Questions

Is FreshBooks free in Canada?: No. As of October 2026, FreshBooks' Canadian pricing page lists four paid plans and no free plan. There's a 30-day free trial.
How much does FreshBooks cost in Canada?: As of October 2026, Lite is $26 a month, Plus $42 and Premium $72, in Canadian dollars. Select is priced on request. Each extra team member is $13 a month. Introductory discounts were showing when we checked, so see freshbooks.com/en-ca/pricing for today's prices.
Is FreshBooks a Canadian company?: Yes. FreshBooks' head office is in Toronto.
Does FreshBooks handle GST/HST?: FreshBooks adds sales tax to invoices, and its Sales Tax Summary report shows the tax you charged on invoices and the tax you paid on expenses and bills. Spark Books works out the figures for your GST/HST return itself, regular or quick method, with the date it's due. With either, you or your accountant file the return with the CRA.
Is Spark Books a good FreshBooks alternative?: If you mostly need your books kept, yes: Spark sorts your transactions into a Canadian chart of accounts, splits out GST/HST and produces a year-end package for your accountant, for free. If you bill by the hour, want clients to pay invoices by card, or need a live bank feed, FreshBooks does things Spark doesn't.
Can I move from FreshBooks to Spark?: There's no one-click move: Spark's import is built for QuickBooks and Xero exports. Pick a start date, such as the start of your fiscal year, and upload your bank statements from that date. Keep your FreshBooks reports for anything before it.

More comparisons

Free software

Spark BooksEverything Spark Books does, and the two plans.
Free bookkeeping software in CanadaWhat's actually free, and the catch with each.
Free accounting software in CanadaWhat it has to do for the CRA, and when you still need an accountant.
AI bookkeepingWhat it gets right, what it gets wrong, and why Spark asks.

Switching from

A free QuickBooks alternativeWhat Spark does and doesn't do next to QuickBooks Online.
A free Xero alternativeHow Spark compares with Xero for a Canadian business.
A Wave alternativeWhat changed on Wave's free plan, and your options.

Head to head

QuickBooks Online vs XeroPlans, prices, GST/HST and payroll in Canada.
Wave vs QuickBooks OnlineFree with manual work, or paid with a bank feed.

FreshBooks is a trademark of its owner. Spark Finance isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by FreshBooks.

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