How to switch from QuickBooks Online to FreshBooks

A plain-English plan for moving your books from QuickBooks Online to FreshBooks. Everything below comes from FreshBooks's and Intuit's own help and migration pages, checked October 23, 2026. Steps we added ourselves are labeled as our suggestions.

The short version

• There are two routes. FreshBooks' help center describes a free do-it-yourself import using CSV files, and a done-for-you service called Easy Switch.
• The free CSV import covers lists, not history. You can import clients, items, expenses, vendors and bank transactions yourself. FreshBooks' import article doesn't list invoices among the CSV imports, so old invoices need Easy Switch or re-entry.
• Easy Switch is run by MMC Convert, which FreshBooks calls its conversion partner. FreshBooks says it's free on some Select plans and discounted on Plus, Premium and other Select plans. It doesn't publish a price, so you have to ask a specialist.
• Watch the client limit. FreshBooks plans cap billable clients (Lite 5, Plus 50, Premium and Select unlimited). If your import has more clients than your plan allows, FreshBooks asks you to upgrade.
• Export from QuickBooks before you cancel. Intuit gives paid subscribers read-only access for one year after canceling.

Two ways to move your books

The do-it-yourself CSV import

First export your lists from QuickBooks Online (customers, vendors, products and services, and your trial balance as of the cutover date) using Intuit's export instructions. Then shape each file to the headers FreshBooks asks for and import it:

1. Clients. In the Clients section, choose More Actions, then Import Clients. Each row needs a first and last name, a company name, or both. Email, phone and address are optional. FreshBooks imports duplicates as-is, so clean the file first, and secondary contacts have to be added by hand afterwards.
2. Items. In Items and Services, choose Import Items. The required headers are Name, Description and Rate, and item names must be unique.
3. Vendors. In Expenses, Vendors, choose More Actions, then Import Vendors. FreshBooks notes that bills and vendors (accounts payable) are only on Premium and Select plans, plus some specific users.
4. Bank and card transactions. Connect accounts through Bank Connections, which FreshBooks says pulls in 30 to 365 days of activity depending on the bank. For anything older, import a CSV from your bank.
5. Expenses from a file. The required headers are Amount, Category, Date, Description and Merchant. FreshBooks imports only negative amounts (money out) when a file mixes positives and negatives, and it doesn't skip duplicates.
6. Taxes and other income. Fill in FreshBooks' example CSVs and send them to its support team, who import them for you.

FreshBooks' file imports have limits: vendor files can't be larger than 2MB or have more than 500 rows, and item files can't be larger than 2MB. Split big files before you start. Menu names follow FreshBooks' help center as of October 23, 2026.

Easy Switch: what MMC Convert moves

FreshBooks' help center says Easy Switch is provided through MMC Convert and can move data from QuickBooks, Xero, Wave and HoneyBook. To start, FreshBooks says to go to the Select plan page and choose Talk to a Specialist for pricing and coordination. Its switch page has the same Talk to a Specialist button.

MMC Convert's own QuickBooks Online to FreshBooks FAQ is the most detailed list we found. It's the converter's description, not FreshBooks', so confirm the scope for your file before you pay.

• It says it converts: chart of accounts, customer details, supplier names only, opening balances, aged receivables and payables, bank, credit card and PayPal transactions, items, sales invoices and credit notes, purchase bills and credit notes, manual journals, and repeating invoices.
• It says it doesn't convert: classes, purchase orders and estimates, multi-currency files, budgets, inventory tracking, fixed assets, payroll, expense claims, payment terms, invoice templates, time sheets, deleted or void transactions, customer jobs and attachments, among others.
• Workarounds it lists: all sales invoices are coded to FreshBooks' "Sales" account, sales receipts become invoices, credit notes come over as journal entries, purchase bills become expenses, and QuickBooks sub-accounts become separate accounts.

What moves and what doesn't

Cutover checklist

1. Pick a cutover date, ideally the start of a month, quarter or financial year.
2. Reconcile bank and card accounts in QuickBooks up to that date, and save the trial balance and A/R and A/P aging reports as PDFs.
3. Export lists, reports and attachments from QuickBooks using Intuit's export instructions.
4. Count your active and archived billable clients and pick a FreshBooks plan that fits them.
5. Decide between the CSV import and Easy Switch. If you want invoice history or opening balances, ask a FreshBooks specialist for an Easy Switch quote.
6. Import clients, items and vendors, then connect your bank and card accounts.
7. Our suggestion: re-create open invoices by hand if you used the CSV route, so customers get one statement from one system.
8. Set up payroll separately.
9. Run both systems side by side for a short period if you can, then cancel QuickBooks.

Before you cancel QuickBooks Online

• Intuit says paid subscribers get read-only access for one year after canceling. During that time you can still export your data.
• On a free trial, your data is kept for only 90 days after you cancel or the trial ends.
• Don't just let your card lapse. Intuit says a declined card gives you 14 days to update billing before the account is suspended.

Is FreshBooks the right place to land?

FreshBooks is built around invoicing, and its plans are priced by billable clients. On its US pricing page (checked October 23, 2026), Lite is $23/mo for 5 billable clients, Plus is $43/mo for 50, Premium is $70/mo with no client limit, and Select is custom-priced. Team members are $11/mo each, and Payroll is $40/mo plus $6/mo per user. The page was also showing 80% off for 4 months. If you need inventory, purchase orders or heavy accounts payable, compare it with Xero and Zoho Books first. Our QuickBooks alternatives by business type page puts them side by side, and we also have guides for moving to Xero and Zoho Books.

Sources

We used only official vendor documentation. Menus and policies change, so confirm anything important on the vendor's page.

• FreshBooks Support: How do I import data into my account? (checked October 23, 2026)
• FreshBooks Support: How do I import clients from a file? (checked October 23, 2026)
• FreshBooks Support: How do I import items from a file? (checked October 23, 2026)
• FreshBooks Support: How do I import vendors from a file? (checked October 23, 2026)
• FreshBooks Support: How do I import expenses from a file? (checked October 23, 2026)
• FreshBooks Support: How can I import transactions from my bank account? (checked October 23, 2026)
• FreshBooks: Switch to FreshBooks (Easy Switch) (checked October 23, 2026)
• FreshBooks (US): Pricing (checked October 23, 2026)
• MMC Convert: QuickBooks Online to FreshBooks conversion FAQ (checked October 23, 2026)
• Intuit QuickBooks Help: Export your QuickBooks Online data (checked October 23, 2026)
• Intuit QuickBooks Help: What happens to my QuickBooks Online data after I cancel? (checked October 23, 2026)

Last checked: October 23, 2026. Not tax, legal or accounting advice.

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