Ballpark
Simple invoicing and time tracking for freelancers.
About Ballpark
Ballpark handles the estimate-to-payment cycle for solo freelancers: you build an estimate, client approves it, you track hours against the project, then convert everything into an invoice and collect payment via Stripe or PayPal. The interface strips out ledger accounts, chart of accounts, bank reconciliation, and every other concept that belongs in accounting software. If your day-to-day is writing proposals, logging hours, and chasing invoice payments, that focus works in your favor. It fits independent consultants, designers, copywriters, and developers billing fewer than 20 active clients at a time. It is not a fit for firms with employees, anyone who needs job costing tied to a general ledger, or practices that bill through a CPA's QuickBooks Online file. There is no native QuickBooks, Xero, or Gusto connection, so revenue still needs to land in your accounting system manually or through a Zapier workaround. The ceiling arrives fast. Reporting tops out at payment status and basic revenue summaries. You cannot run aged receivables, track expenses against projects, or produce anything a tax preparer would call a financial statement. Freelancers who grow past a handful of clients and a single service line will outgrow Ballpark before they outgrow the billing problem it solves.
Best for
Freelancers wanting beautiful, minimal invoicing without the complexity of full accounting
Key Features
- Time tracking with project categorization
- Professional invoice generation and customization
- Estimate creation and approval workflow
- Payment status tracking and reminders
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Estimate approval workflow lets clients sign off digitally before work starts, creating a clear paper trail without a separate e-signature tool
- Time entries attach directly to projects and roll into invoices automatically, eliminating manual hour reconciliation before billing
- Invoice customization covers logo, colors, and line-item detail without requiring a design background
- Stripe and PayPal collection built in, so clients pay on the invoice page rather than triggering a separate payment request
- Payment reminders send automatically on a schedule you set, removing the awkward manual follow-up on overdue invoices
- Clean single-screen project view shows hours logged, amount billed, and outstanding balance without navigating multiple reports
Cons
- No free tier and no stated trial period on the public pricing page, so you are committing $12 before testing it against your actual client volume
- No direct integration with QuickBooks, Xero, or any accounting platform, meaning revenue must be entered into your books separately every time
- Reporting is limited to invoice and payment status; there are no expense tracking, profit margin, or cash flow views
- Zapier is the only automation bridge, and multi-step zaps add maintenance overhead that defeats the simplicity pitch
- No multi-currency billing, which rules it out for freelancers with international clients paying in foreign currencies
- Smaller user base than FreshBooks or Invoice Ninja means fewer community resources, third-party tutorials, and accountant familiarity when handing off books
Ledger Brief Take
Strips away the feature bloat that weighs down QuickBooks and FreshBooks, focusing purely on the estimate-to-payment workflow that solo practitioners actually need. The minimal approach means you'll hit integration walls quickly if you need robust reporting or accounting system connectivity, but that's precisely the point for freelancers who just want clean invoices out the door.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions accountants ask about Ballpark.
What does Ballpark cost and is there a free trial?
Ballpark starts at $12 per month. The public pricing page does not advertise a free tier or a stated trial period. If evaluating against FreshBooks Lite at $19/mo or Wave's free invoicing, factor in that you are paying from day one with no documented refund window.
Does Ballpark integrate with QuickBooks or Xero?
No. Ballpark has no native connection to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero. Revenue recorded in Ballpark must be entered into your accounting system manually or routed through a Zapier workflow. If your bookkeeper works in QBO, expect a manual sync step every billing cycle.
How does Ballpark compare to FreshBooks for freelancers?
FreshBooks includes expense tracking, double-entry accounting reports, and a QBO-comparable feature set. Ballpark drops all of that and focuses only on estimates, time tracking, and invoicing. Ballpark is cheaper and faster to learn; FreshBooks gives accountants something useful at tax time without extra data entry.
Who is Ballpark not suitable for?
Ballpark does not fit agencies with multiple staff billing clients, freelancers with international clients needing multi-currency invoices, or anyone whose accountant expects a reconciled set of books. It also does not work for project-based businesses that need expense tracking against jobs to calculate actual profit margins.
How is payment collected through Ballpark?
Clients pay directly on the invoice page via Stripe or PayPal. You connect your existing Stripe or PayPal account during setup. Funds settle to your connected account on each processor's normal schedule. Ballpark does not hold funds or act as a payment processor itself.
Is client data stored securely in Ballpark?
Ballpark uses HTTPS encryption for data in transit and stores data on hosted cloud infrastructure, which is standard for SaaS invoicing tools. The company does not publish a SOC 2 report or detailed security whitepaper publicly. For freelancers handling sensitive client contracts, verify current data handling terms directly with Ballpark before storing confidential project details.