Everything you know in FreshBooks, mapped to Atlas
Everything you know in FreshBooks, mapped to Atlas. Reading time: 6 minutes
| FreshBooks Term | Atlas Equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clients | Customers | Same concept — contacts you invoice |
| Invoices | Invoices | Same — with line items, due dates, payment tracking |
| Recurring Templates | Recurring Invoices | Auto-generated on schedule |
| Estimates | (coming soon) | Use draft invoices as a workaround |
| Expenses | Bills or Journal Entries | FreshBooks "Expenses" covers both vendor bills and direct expenses |
| Bills (Expenses > Bills) | Bills | Same concept |
| Payments | Payments Received / Payments Made | Split by AR (received) and AP (made) |
| Bank Connections | Banking | Bank account management and reconciliation |
| Chart of Accounts | Chart of Accounts | FreshBooks has a simplified version; Atlas is full hierarchical COA |
| Reports | Reports | Atlas has 15+ report types vs FreshBooks' core set |
| Projects | Projects | Same — with time tracking and profitability |
| Time Tracking | Time Tracking | Log billable/non-billable hours |
| Team Members | Settings > Users | User management with roles |
| Accountant (invite) | Accountant role | Invite with Accountant permissions |
| Retainers | (manual) | Record as prepayment via Journal Entry |
| Proposals | (not supported) | Outside accounting scope |
| Dashboard | Dashboard | KPI overview with action items |
| Late Payment Reminders | Dunning | Automated collection reminders |
| Client Portal | Portal | Client-facing document and report access |
| What You Want to Do | In FreshBooks | In Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Create an invoice | Invoices > New Invoice | Invoices > New Invoice |
| Create a recurring invoice | Recurring Templates > New | Invoices > Recurring tab |
| Record a payment | Invoices > [invoice] > Record Payment | Payments > New Payment |
| Log an expense | Expenses > New Expense | Bills > New Bill or Journal Entries |
| Enter a vendor bill | Expenses > Bills | Bills > New Bill |
| Track time | Time Tracking > New Entry | Time Tracking (sidebar) |
| Manage a project | Projects > [project] | Projects (sidebar) |
| Bank reconciliation | Banking > Reconciliation | Banking > [Account] > Reconcile |
| Run Profit & Loss | Reports > Profit & Loss | Reports > Profit & Loss |
| Run Balance Sheet | Reports > Balance Sheet | Reports > Balance Sheet |
| View expense report | Reports > Expense Report | Reports > Profit & Loss (expense section) |
| Manage clients | Clients list | Customers (sidebar) |
| Invite accountant | Settings > invite accountant | Settings > Organization > Users (Accountant role) |
| Set up payment reminders | Settings > Late Payment Reminders | Dunning (sidebar) |
| View dashboard | Dashboard | Dashboard |
FreshBooks is designed for invoicing-first businesses (freelancers, agencies). Its accounting features are simplified — many users outgrow it. Atlas is a complete double-entry bookkeeping system with:
FreshBooks' bill management is basic. Atlas provides full AP workflows:
FreshBooks supports "multiple businesses" but each is a separate account with no consolidated view. Atlas provides:
FreshBooks has basic bank categorization. Atlas uses a 4-tier AI engine:
As your business grows, Atlas scales with you:
| Data | How to Export from FreshBooks |
|---|---|
| Clients | Clients > Export (CSV) |
| Invoices | Invoices > Export (CSV) |
| Expenses | Expenses > Export (CSV) |
| Payments | Reports > Payments Collected > Export |
| Items / Services | Settings > Import/Export > Export Items |
| Chart of Accounts | Reports > Chart of Accounts > Export |
| Feature | FreshBooks | Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | Core strength | Full invoicing + recurring + credit notes |
| Double-entry bookkeeping | Simplified | Full (JEs, GL, TB) |
| Chart of Accounts | Basic | Hierarchical, templated, importable |
| Bills & AP | Basic | Full AP with POs, approvals, aging |
| Bank reconciliation | Yes | Yes + AI auto-matching |
| AI categorization | Basic | 4-tier with confidence scoring |
| Multi-company | Separate accounts | Multiple per organization |
| Consolidated reporting | No | Yes (BS, P&L, CF, TB) |
| Users | Plan-gated | Unlimited |
| Payroll | No (US add-on via Gusto) | Built-in (5 countries) |
| Multi-currency | Per-client | 150+ currencies |
| FX revaluation | No | Yes |
| Inventory | No | Yes (3 costing methods) |
| Fixed assets | No | Yes (3 depreciation methods) |
| Projects / time tracking | Yes (core strength) | Yes |
| Budgets | No | Yes + variance analysis |
| Approval workflows | Simple roles | Multi-step with conditions |
| Audit trail | Limited | Field-level, unlimited retention |
| Tax compliance | US/CA basic | US, UK, CA, AU, EU, PK |
| API | JSON API | REST (~485 endpoints) |
| Mobile app | Yes (strong) | Responsive web (native planned) |
| Proposals / Estimates | Yes | Coming soon |
Q: FreshBooks was simple. Is Atlas too complex for my business? A: Atlas has a clean, modern interface with progressive disclosure — you see what you need. Simple tasks (invoicing, expenses, bank reconciliation) work just like FreshBooks. Advanced features (consolidation, payroll, fixed assets) are there when you need them. The command palette (Cmd+K) lets you jump to anything instantly.
Q: Where do I log expenses? A: In Atlas, direct expenses are recorded as Bills (for vendor purchases) or Journal Entries (for direct expense booking). For receipt-based expenses, attach the receipt to the bill or transaction.
Q: I use FreshBooks for time tracking. Does Atlas have it? A: Yes. Atlas includes Projects with built-in Time Tracking for billable and non-billable hours, plus project profitability reporting.
Q: What about FreshBooks' late payment reminders? A: Atlas has a Dunning system — automated collection workflows with escalation for overdue invoices. More powerful than FreshBooks' basic reminders.
Q: Can my accountant still access my books? A: Yes. Invite them via Settings > Organization > Users with the Accountant role. They get access to journal entries, period close, reports, and audit trail.
Q: I'm a freelancer. Is Atlas overkill? A: Atlas works well for freelancers who need real accounting (not just invoicing). If you need a P&L, Balance Sheet, or multi-currency support, Atlas provides that with a clean interface. If you only need to send invoices and track payments, FreshBooks may be simpler.
See also: Migration Checklist | QuickBooks Guide | All Guides