FreshBooks vs Wave — Which One Wins?
Pick FreshBooks if: Freelancers and service businesses that want gorgeous invoicing and time tracking without accounting headaches
Pick Wave if: Solopreneurs and tiny businesses that want genuinely free accounting without the ‘free trial’ bait-and-switch
Our take: FreshBooks for simplicity, Wave for power users.
| FreshBooks | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | 30-day free trial | Lite $19/mo (5 clients) | Free accounting and invoicing | Payroll $20/mo + $6/person |
| Features | Client-friendly invoicing, Time tracking and project costing, Expense management, Double-entry accounting, Proposals and contracts | Free invoicing and accounting, Receipt scanning, Financial reports, Bank connections, Payroll services (paid add-on) |
| Best for | Freelancers and service businesses that want gorgeous invoicing and time tracking without accounting headaches | Solopreneurs and tiny businesses that want genuinely free accounting without the ‘free trial’ bait-and-switch |
| Learning Curve | Easy | Easy |
The Real Difference
Both offer free tiers, so the real question is what you get when you start paying.
FreshBooks stands out with Client-friendly invoicing and Time tracking and project costing. Wave counters with Free invoicing and accounting and Receipt scanning.
FreshBooks's Achilles heel: client limits on lower tiers are frustrating — lite caps you at 5 billable clients which is nothing. Wave's: no inventory tracking, no project costing, no time tracking — you get what you pay for (nothing). Pick whichever weakness you can live with.
Bottom Line
If you value client-friendly invoicing and freelancers and service businesses, go with FreshBooks. If solopreneurs and tiny businesses matters more, Wave is your pick. Neither is a bad choice — but one will fit your workflow better.