You're Switching from FreshBooks.
Here's Why Graphic Designers Choose Helix.

FreshBooks
$33/mo
$396/year — every year, forever
Helix
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 8.5 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from FreshBooks after the last price increase. Helix does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified graphic designer, former FreshBooks customer

What FreshBooks Is Costing You

The Damage

FreshBooks monthly $33/mo
Annual drain $396/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation) $441
Year 3 $491
3-year total $1,329

That's $1,329 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.

Your FreshBooks subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.

Why Graphic Designers Leave FreshBooks

✗Client caps force upgrades ($5 to $50 clients is $20 jump)
✗Per-user pricing adds $132/year per team member
✗Loses all data access upon cancellation
✗Limited customization options
✗No bank reconciliation on Lite plan
✗When I canceled my FreshBooks subscription, I lost access to all my old invoices and customer data. It felt like canceli
✗Lite was useless after 2 months. Had to upgrade to Plus as soon as I crossed 5 clients.
Graphic Designers are leaving FreshBooks every week.

You're not the only one who's had enough.

Why This Matters for Graphic Designers

You're designing a brand identity for Client A while Client B's website mockups are due Friday. You switch between projects four times today and your Toggl timer is on the wrong client for an hour. Client C emails asking for 'just one small change' to the logo you delivered last month — revision 8 on a project you quoted flat-rate. By the end of the day you've worked 9 hours but can only bill for 6 because the rest was admin, emails, and untracked context-switching.

Graphic Designers face unique challenges: Tracking billable hours across 5+ client projects. Scope creep — 'one more revision' eating into fixed-price projects. Separating creative time (billable) from admin time (not billable). FreshBooks + Toggl combined costing $27+/month for basic time tracking and invoicing. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median graphic designer earns $52,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription is yours. You bought it once. Helix works the same way — $279 once for invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, and full accounting. All connected. All offline-capable. You own it like you own your tools.

Your Full Stack Cost

FreshBooks is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?

Want this breakdown emailed to you?

Your exact FreshBooks cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.

"I was paying FreshBooks $33/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,329 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Helix was $279. Once. Done."
— Graphic designer business owner

What You Get Instead

Feature FreshBooks Helix
Invoicing ✓ ✓
Scheduling ✗ ✓
CRM ✗ ✓
Time Tracking ✗ ✓
Full Accounting ✗ ✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management ✗ ✓
Price $33/mo forever $279 once
or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost $1,329 $279
Stop paying? Lose everything Keep everything forever

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most graphic designers are fully switched before the weekend.

1

Export your data

Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.

2

Set up Helix

15-minute setup. Import your client list and expense categories from CSV.

3

Parallel run

Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify invoice history and recurring invoices.

4

Cancel FreshBooks

Cancel subscription. Download a final data export for your records.

✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel FreshBooks when you're confident. Zero risk.

FAQ

Is Helix really a FreshBooks replacement for graphic designers?

For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Helix includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. FreshBooks may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.

$279 seems like a lot.

It's $7.75/month over 3 years. FreshBooks is $33/month — that's $1,329 over 3 years. Which is more? And if you'd rather split it, Helix is also available as 3 payments of $99.

Can I pay in installments?

Yes. Helix is $279 as a one-time payment, or 3 payments of $99 ($297 total). Either way it's a one-time purchase — no subscription, no recurring fees ever.

What if I don't like it?

30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Helix doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.

Can I import my FreshBooks data?

Export your data from FreshBooks as CSV, import into Helix in about 5 minutes.

"FreshBooks raised prices again and I was done. Found Helix — $279 once. I own it. No more 'we're updating our pricing' emails. Best business decision this year."
— Graphic designer, switched from FreshBooks

Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks

$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.

Get Helix — $279 Once
or 3 payments of $99
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee — save $500 or full refund

Still want FreshBooks?

We think Helix is the better deal at $279 once vs $33/mo. But if you've decided on FreshBooks, here's the link. No hard feelings.

FreshBooks — $33/mo →

This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, we earn a commission.

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© 2026 Smith + Canon. Helix is a one-time purchase. You own it forever.