Fee comparison · checked October 2, 2026
FreshBooks payment fees, next to a capped bank transfer
FreshBooks Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ on standard cards — the same as Stripe's own card rate — and 1% on bank transfers. The bank fee is only capped on FreshBooks Select, which is priced by quote. On Lite, Plus and Premium, a $5,000 bank-paid invoice costs $50; through your own Stripe account it costs $6.50.
FreshBooks Payments
- Card on an invoice
- 2.9% + 30¢
- Bank transfer (ACH)
- 1% (capped only on the Select plan)
Business · your own Stripe
- Card on an invoice
- 2.9% + 30¢
- Bank transfer (ACH)
- 0.8%, capped at $5, plus $1.50 to verify the bank
Stripe's published prices, billed to you by Stripe. We add 0% to either.
What one invoice costs to collect
The lower fee in each pair is bold, including the rows where it isn't ours. Bank transfers come first: they are where the two differ.
| Invoice | Bank · FreshBooks Payments | Bank · Stripe | Card · FreshBooks Payments | Card · Stripe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $5.00 | $5.50 | $14.80 | $14.80 |
| $1,500 | $15.00 | $6.50 | $43.80 | $43.80 |
| $5,000 | $50.00 | $6.50 | $145.30 | $145.30 |
- American Express and commercial cards are 3.5% + 30¢.
- List prices after the introductory discount: Lite $23/month for 5 billable clients, Plus $43/month for 50, Premium $70/month unlimited. Extra team members are $11/month each.
- Business has no client limit on any plan.
Questions people ask before switching
Are FreshBooks card fees higher than Stripe's?
No. On standard cards FreshBooks charges 2.9% + 30¢, which is Stripe's own US card rate, so a card-paid invoice costs the same either way. The difference is on bank transfers and on the plan price.
What does the FreshBooks client limit mean in practice?
Lite lets you bill 5 clients and Plus 50; past that you move up a plan. If you invoice a lot of one-off customers — common in trades — you reach the limit quickly. Business doesn't count clients.
Does FreshBooks ever cap the bank-transfer fee?
On its Select plan, which is priced by quote. FreshBooks doesn't publish the cap amount. On the three listed plans the published rate is 1% with no cap.
Send one real invoice and see.
Every account can send 3 invoices a month free. Invoicing — pay links and up to 500 invoices a month — is $14.88/month. Business adds QuickBooks and bill scanning for $49.88/month, with a free trial that needs no card.
Sources
- FreshBooks Payments transaction fees (USD)
- FreshBooks pricing
- Stripe pricing
- Stripe ACH Direct Debit pricing
Published US rates, read from each company's own pages on October 2, 2026. Rates change, and the rate on your own account may differ. Stripe's bank verification is charged when your customer links their bank. Bank transfer through Business is available to US businesses on Stripe accounts connected from October 2026. ScanThisText is not affiliated with FreshBooks.
Other comparisons: QuickBooks Payments · Wave Payments · Square Invoices