Kanakku vs FreshBooks
FreshBooks is an invoicing-led cloud platform built for freelancers and service businesses. Kanakku is the self-hosted, source-included alternative for teams that want full double-entry accounting they own.
FreshBooks is a cloud subscription with excellent invoicing, time tracking and a strong mobile experience, billed per organisation with per-additional-user fees. Kanakku is a one-time, source-included app you host on your own PostgreSQL and Docker, and can rebrand and resell. The decision is between a polished hosted service for service businesses and an owned, self-hosted ledger.
Feature comparison
| Capability | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted / own database | ✓ | — |
| Source code included | ✓ | — |
| White-label & resell rights | ✓ | — |
| Pricing model | One-time purchase | Monthly subscription (trial only) |
| Per-seat user fees | None | Per additional user |
| Double-entry ledger | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-currency | ✓ | Higher tiers |
| GST / VAT tax | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live bank feeds | Manual CSV import | ✓ |
| Built-in time tracking | — | ✓ |
| Tier feature gating | None | Lite / Plus / Premium / Select |
| AI bill extraction | Bring your own key | Receipt scanning |
Comparison is provided in good faith for information. FreshBooks and its logo are trademarks of their respective owner.
Where Kanakku pulls ahead
- Self-host on your own PostgreSQL — FreshBooks is cloud-only with no self-hosted edition.
- Full source included; build the features you need instead of waiting for a tier upgrade.
- Genuine white-label and resale rights — FreshBooks offers no white-labelling.
- One-time purchase rather than a subscription with compounding per-additional-user fees.
- No tier gating — every capability is in the box, not split across plan levels.
Where FreshBooks is stronger
Straight answer, so you can choose well.
- Best-in-class invoicing UX and built-in time tracking for service businesses — Kanakku has no native time tracking.
- Live bank feeds across thousands of institutions via aggregators; Kanakku imports statements by CSV.
- Mature mobile apps and expense / receipt scanning.
- Fully managed, zero-ops hosting with a recognised compliance posture (SOC 2 Type 1).
Frequently asked questions
Is Kanakku a FreshBooks alternative?
Does Kanakku include time tracking like FreshBooks?
Does Kanakku have live bank feeds like FreshBooks?
Can I rebrand Kanakku as my own product?
Own your accounting stack — start today.
Self-hosted, source-included, white-label ready. No per-seat SaaS lock-in.