MYOB vs FreshBooks — Australia 2026
MYOB vs FreshBooks for Australian business. Compare BAS lodgement, STP compliance, Modern Award support, data hosting & AU pricing.
Quick Verdict
MYOB for AU compliance, FreshBooks for simple invoicing
FreshBooks suits freelancers who mostly need invoicing and time tracking, but it lacks BAS lodgement, Modern Award payroll, and AU-hosted data. MYOB covers full AU compliance including STP Phase 2, BAS via SBR, and integrated payroll with award interpretation. For any GST-registered Australian business, MYOB is the clear choice.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MYOB | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Melbourne, VIC | Toronto, Canada |
| Entry Price | $35/mo inc GST | $29/mo inc GST |
| BAS Lodgement | Official plan comparison: Lite, Pro and AccountRight Plus list Track GST and lodge BAS. Solo is Track GST only. AI BAS is a beta add-on on Lite/Pro, not the lodgement channel itself. | AU pricing page lists tax-time reports and double-entry reports from Plus up. No e-lodge BAS or SBR. You export and lodge elsewhere. |
| STP Phase 2 | compliant | not_supported |
| Payday Super | ready | n/a |
| Modern Awards | MYOB still does not document native auto award interpretation on the pages opened this check. Award-rate libraries and employee pay items are configured by the employer; deep penalty-rate automation is a third-party marketplace add-on (QuokkaWorks) in prior copy. Do not treat that add-on as a MYOB certification. | No Australian payroll features — Modern Award interpretation is not available in FreshBooks. |
| Bank Feeds | Big 4 + 130+ banks | limited banks |
| Data Hosting | AU | US and EU |
| AU Support Hours | Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST | Limited — approximately 7pm-3am AEDT (corresponds to North American business hours) |
| Phone Support | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 350+ apps | 100+ apps |
Pricing Comparison (AUD, Mar 2026)
MYOB Plans
Lite
$35/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: basic
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Bank Accounts: 2
- ✓Users: unlimited
Most Popular
Pro
$70/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Bank Accounts: unlimited
- ✓Users: unlimited
AccountRight Plus
$165/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Inventory: Yes
- ✓Time Billing: Yes
- ✓Users: unlimited
AccountRight Premier
$210/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bills: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Inventory: Yes
- ✓Multi Currency: Yes
- ✓Users: unlimited
FreshBooks Plans
Lite
$29/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Clients: 5
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: No
- ✓Accountant Access: No
Most Popular
Plus
$43/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Clients: 50
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Accountant Access: Yes
Premium
$60/mo
AUD inc GST
- ✓Clients: unlimited
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Accountant Access: Yes
- ✓Project Profitability: Yes
Select
Quote
AUD inc GST
- ✓Clients: unlimited
- ✓Invoices: unlimited
- ✓Bank Reconciliation: Yes
- ✓Accountant Access: Yes
AU Compliance Scores
How we scoreScores are out of 5 and reflect depth of compliance support, ease of setup, and ongoing reliability for Australian businesses. Assessed March 2026.
MYOB
BAS Lodgement5/5
STP Phase 25/5
Payday Super5/5
Modern Awards3/5
GST Handling5/5
Bank Feeds5/5
FreshBooks
BAS Lodgement2/5
STP Phase 21/5
Payday Super0/5
Modern Awards0/5
GST Handling3/5
Bank Feeds2/5
Pros & Cons
MYOB
Pros
- Australian phone support at 1300 555 666 (Mon-Fri 7am-7pm AEST) — Xero doesn't offer this
- Share Lite/Pro/Plus with an advisor, accountant or bookkeeper at no extra cost
- Unlimited quotes and invoices on Lite, Pro and Plus
- Track GST and lodge BAS on Lite, Pro and Plus
- Cloud platforms hosted in Australia on Azure and AWS (MYOB security practices page)
- Pro connects unlimited bank accounts (Lite is capped at two)
- 14-day free trial on Pro and AccountRight Plus
- Annual billing on Lite ($315/year after offer = $26.25/mo equivalent)
Cons
- Pro does not include payroll — $3/employee/month extra (max 2 employees on Lite)
- Smaller app marketplace (350+ vs Xero's 1,000+)
- Modern Award interpretation still needs a third-party add-on for full automation
- AccountRight Plus is $165/mo; Premier $210/mo for multi-currency
- UI feels less modern than Xero
- Shorter free trial on some paths (14 days vs Xero's 30 days)
- Public cancel path is conflicting: pricing FAQ copy vs 10-day terms notice vs help that says call 1300 940 281; in-app cancel was not opened
FreshBooks
Pros
- Best invoicing experience in the market — professional templates, automated reminders, online payments via Stripe/PayPal
- Easiest accounting platform to learn — intuitive interface designed for non-accountants
- Built-in time tracking with one-click conversion to invoices — ideal for hourly billing
- Phone support available at +61 1800 595452 (during North American business hours)
- 30-day free trial with full feature access, no credit card required
- Unlimited clients on Premium plan — scales well for growing freelancers
- Multi-currency invoicing for international freelancers
Cons
- No direct BAS lodgement to the ATO — a major gap for Australian compliance
- No Australian payroll, STP Phase 2, or superannuation features — not for employers
- Limited Australian bank feed coverage — relies on third-party aggregators
- Data hosted in US and EU (Google Cloud) — not AU data sovereign
- Support operates during North American hours (7pm-3am AEDT) — poor for AU daytime issues
- Prices have increased three times since early 2025 — ongoing cost uncertainty
- Lite plan has no bank reconciliation — limiting for actual bookkeeping
Who Should Choose MYOB
MYOB is best suited for businesses that need employer with payroll, phone support needed, au owned preference.
Choose MYOB if you are:
- Employer With Payroll
- Phone Support Needed
- Au Owned Preference
- Hospitality
- Retail
Who Should Choose FreshBooks
FreshBooks is best suited for businesses that need freelancer, sole trader invoicing, consultant.
Choose FreshBooks if you are:
- Freelancer
- Sole Trader Invoicing
- Consultant
- International Freelancer
- Simple Invoicing