Wave vs FreshBooks
Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.
FreshBooks
Invoicing first accounting for people who bill for their time
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension. Wave against FreshBooks, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
13Wave 1, FreshBooks 3
Wave vs FreshBooks, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0.9
FreshBooks leads on customer service
Verified reviews
239
143 for Wave, 96 for FreshBooks
Wave143 verified reviews
FreshBooks96 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Wave
- FreshBooks
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- Wave143
- FreshBooks96
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
At least one of these is quoted rather than published, so compare the ratings above and get a real number from each vendor.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Wave | FreshBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.3 |
| Reviews | 143 | 96 |
| Ease of use | 4.5 | 4.6 |
| Value for money | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| Customer service | 3.7 | 4.6 |
| Functionality | 3.8 | 4.0 |
| Starting price | Free | $21/mo |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
| Free version | Yes | No |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Wave | FreshBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Free double entry accounting | ||
| Unlimited invoicing | ||
| Unlimited estimates | ||
| Receipt scanning | ||
| Recurring invoices | ||
| Online card payments | ||
| Canadian payroll with T4 and ROE | ||
| US payroll in supported states | ||
| Multi business support | ||
| Invoicing and recurring billing | ||
| Automatic late payment reminders | ||
| Client retainers and deposits | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Project profitability | ||
| Expense tracking and receipt capture | ||
| Online card and bank payments | ||
| Double entry accounting | ||
| Mileage tracking | ||
| Client portal | ||
| Proposals and estimates |
Pricing
Both price lists, side by side
Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.
Wave plans
Starter
The accounting and invoicing, at no cost. Not a trial.
Free
no card required
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Double entry accounting
- Unlimited customers
- Receipt scanning
- Email support
Pro
Adds bank feeds, reduced card fees and live support.
$16/mo
per month
- Everything in Starter
- Automatic bank feeds
- Lower card processing rate
- Auto categorization
- Live chat support
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Wave Financial for the figure you will actually pay.
FreshBooks plans
Lite
Up to 5 billable clients.
$21/mo
per month
- 5 billable clients
- Unlimited invoices
- Expense tracking
- Online payments
- Sales tax on invoices
Plus
Up to 50 billable clients. Adds recurring billing and retainers.
$38/mo
per month
- 50 billable clients
- Recurring invoices
- Client retainers
- Double entry accounting
- Accountant access
Premium
Unlimited clients and project profitability.
$65/mo
per month
- Unlimited billable clients
- Project profitability
- Accounts payable
- Customized email templates
- Advanced reporting
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with FreshBooks for the figure you will actually pay.
Verdict
Our verdict
Wave is free and FreshBooks gets you paid faster. For a sole proprietor with simple books, Wave is the right answer and paying for FreshBooks is optional. If you bill clients for time and chasing invoices is costing you real cash flow, FreshBooks earns its fee through automatic late payment reminders alone. Neither carries inventory. Both stop where your growth begins.
Written from the reviews on both products. No vendor saw this before publication.