If you're a freelancer or solo business owner searching for the right tool to manage your finances, you've probably come across FreshBooks. It's one of the most recognized names in small business accounting. But recognition doesn't always mean it's the right fit — especially if you're watching every dollar or need something that works without an internet connection.
Stintly and FreshBooks approach the same problem from very different angles. FreshBooks is a full-featured cloud accounting platform built for small businesses with employees, multiple clients, and complex billing needs. Stintly is a free, offline-first app designed specifically for solo operators who need to track time, send invoices, and manage their money without the overhead of a subscription or a learning curve.
This comparison breaks down exactly where each app shines — and where it falls short — so you can make the right call for your business.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Stintly | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $19–$60/month |
| Works Offline | Yes — 100% offline | No — requires internet |
| Account Required | No | Yes |
| Best For | Solo freelancers & small operators | Small businesses with teams |
| Platform | iOS (iPhone & iPad) | Web, iOS, Android |
| Key Features | Time tracking, invoicing, expense tracking, financial reports | Accounting, invoicing, payroll, expense tracking, time tracking, project management |
| Data Privacy | All data stays on your device | Cloud-stored on FreshBooks servers |
Pricing
This is the most significant difference between the two apps, and for many freelancers, it's the deciding factor.
FreshBooks offers three main plans. The Lite plan starts at $19/month and limits you to 5 billable clients. The Plus plan runs $33/month and increases that to 50 clients. The Premium plan costs $60/month for unlimited clients and adds features like automated late payment reminders and project profitability tracking. FreshBooks does offer a free trial, but there is no permanent free tier.
Stintly is completely free. No trial period, no feature gates, no client limits. You download it, open it, and start using it. There's nothing to upgrade because every feature is included from day one.
Here's what that looks like over time:
| Cost | Stintly | FreshBooks Lite | FreshBooks Plus | FreshBooks Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 | $19 | $33 | $60 |
| 1 Year | $0 | $228 | $396 | $720 |
| 3 Years | $0 | $684 | $1,188 | $2,160 |
For a solo freelancer billing 10–15 clients per year, the FreshBooks Lite plan might seem reasonable at $19/month. But that's $228 per year that goes straight to software overhead — money that could go toward your emergency fund, your retirement savings, or simply back into your pocket. Over three years, you're looking at nearly $700 for features you may not fully use.
Save money. Try Stintly free today. Download Stintly for Free — no account needed, works 100% offline.
Features
FreshBooks has a broader feature set — there's no getting around that. It offers double-entry accounting, bank reconciliation, payroll integration, project management, team collaboration tools, and a robust reporting suite. If you run a business with employees, need to reconcile bank feeds automatically, or require integration with dozens of third-party tools, FreshBooks delivers.
But for many solo freelancers, that breadth is the problem. You're paying for payroll when you have no employees. You're navigating project management dashboards when you just need to track hours and send an invoice. The interface, while well-designed, is built for a more complex business than what most independent workers actually run.
Stintly focuses on what solo operators need most:
- Time tracking — Start and stop timers, log hours manually, and categorize time by project or client. No complicated project setup required.
- Invoicing — Create professional invoices directly from tracked time. Send them on your schedule, track payment status, and follow up on outstanding balances.
- Expense tracking — Log business expenses as they happen, categorize them for tax time, and keep a clear picture of where your money goes.
- Financial reports — See income, expenses, and profitability at a glance without wading through accounting jargon.
FreshBooks excels at:
- Full accounting — Chart of accounts, journal entries, balance sheets, and profit & loss statements that your accountant will appreciate.
- Automated bank feeds — Connect your bank account and credit cards for automatic transaction import and reconciliation.
- Payroll — Run payroll for employees and contractors (available on higher-tier plans).
- Integrations — Connect with Stripe, Gusto, Shopify, and hundreds of other business tools.
- Multi-platform access — Web, iOS, and Android apps with real-time syncing across devices.
If you need to manage a growing team or handle complex accounting, FreshBooks is a strong choice. If you need to track your time, send invoices, and keep your finances organized without paying for features you'll never touch, Stintly does exactly that.
Want to try Stintly for free? Download Stintly for Free — no subscription required.
Offline & Privacy
This is where Stintly offers something FreshBooks simply cannot match.
FreshBooks is a cloud-based platform. Every action you take — logging time, creating an invoice, recording an expense — requires an active internet connection. If you're working from a coffee shop with spotty Wi-Fi, on a flight, at a job site with no signal, or just somewhere with unreliable connectivity, FreshBooks stops working. Your data lives on their servers, which means you're trusting a third party with your complete financial history, client details, and business records.
Stintly works 100% offline. Your data never leaves your device unless you choose to export it. You can track time on a remote job site, create invoices during a commute, or review your finances anywhere — no internet required. This matters more than people think. Freelancers who work in the field know that connectivity is never guaranteed. Whether you're a contractor estimating a job, a landscaper between properties, or a consultant traveling to client sites, offline access isn't a luxury — it's a necessity.
The privacy angle is equally important. With Stintly, your client names, rates, income figures, and business details never hit a cloud server. There's no account to hack, no data breach to worry about, and no terms of service granting a company access to your financial information. For freelancers who value data ownership, this is a meaningful difference.
If you work in specialized trades — say you manage a lawn care route with LawnBook, run a cleaning business with ShineBook, handle rental properties through KeyLoft, or manage construction projects with TrestleBook — Stintly fits right alongside these tools as the financial backbone that works wherever you do, no internet required.
Who Should Use FreshBooks
FreshBooks is a solid product, and it's the better choice in several scenarios:
- You have employees or contractors to pay. FreshBooks handles payroll and 1099 management, which Stintly does not.
- You need full double-entry accounting. If your business requires balance sheets, journal entries, or bank reconciliation, FreshBooks provides proper accounting tools.
- You rely on integrations. If your workflow depends on connecting to Stripe, Shopify, Gusto, or other platforms, FreshBooks has an extensive integration library.
- You work across multiple devices. FreshBooks syncs seamlessly between web, desktop, and mobile across iOS and Android.
- Your accountant requires it. Some accountants prefer FreshBooks for client collaboration, and switching away could create friction at tax time.
- You're scaling beyond solo. If you're hiring, taking on partners, or growing into a multi-person operation, FreshBooks is built for that trajectory.
FreshBooks has earned its reputation for a reason. The interface is clean, customer support is responsive, and the feature set covers nearly every small business need. If you're willing to pay $19–$60 per month and you'll use the features that come with it, FreshBooks is a reliable choice.
Who Should Use Stintly
Stintly is built for a different kind of user — the independent worker who needs something lean, fast, and free:
- You're a solo freelancer or self-employed. If it's just you — no employees, no payroll, no complex accounting — Stintly gives you what you need without what you don't.
- You want to stop paying for software. Spending $228–$720 a year on accounting software eats into margins. Stintly eliminates that line item entirely.
- You need offline access. Whether you're in the field, on the road, or in an area with unreliable internet, Stintly never stops working.
- You value simplicity. No onboarding tutorials needed. Open the app, start tracking time, create invoices. That's it.
- You care about data privacy. Your financial data stays on your device. No cloud servers, no third-party access, no account to protect.
- You're just starting out. When you're building a freelance business, every dollar matters. Stintly lets you operate professionally without taking on a recurring software cost.
Stintly doesn't try to be an all-in-one business platform. It does time tracking, invoicing, expense management, and financial reporting — the core tasks that keep a solo operation running — and it does them well, for free, on your device.
The Bottom Line
FreshBooks and Stintly serve different needs at different price points. FreshBooks is a mature, full-featured accounting platform best suited for small businesses that are growing, hiring, and need deep financial tooling. It's worth the cost if you'll use the features.
Stintly is for the freelancer, the side hustler, the solo contractor who needs to track time, invoice clients, and manage expenses without signing up for another monthly subscription. It's free, it works offline, it doesn't require an account, and it keeps your data on your device.
If you've been paying $19–$60 a month for FreshBooks and mostly just use it to track hours and send invoices, it's worth asking: am I paying for features I don't use? If the answer is yes, Stintly might be exactly what you need.
The best tool isn't the one with the most features — it's the one that fits how you actually work.
Ready to switch? Download Stintly for Free — it takes 30 seconds and costs nothing.