# FreshBooks vs Wave

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** FreshBooks

| Attribute | FreshBooks | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 64 (75% (high)) | 57.4 (75% (high)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A web-based accounting platform that streamlines invoicing, payment collection, expense tracking, and financial reporting for small businesses and independent professionals. It is indexed under Accounting Software.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"What is FreshBooks?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"FreshBooks is a paid product; published pricing starts at $2.30 per month. It is sold across 3 plans (Lite, Plus and Premium). There is no free tier. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"How much does FreshBooks cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to FreshBooks. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"What platforms does FreshBooks support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for FreshBooks, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","question":"Can FreshBooks be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 9 integrations for FreshBooks, including Pidj, NiceJob, Acuity Scheduling, ReviewNudger, EasyCSV, AvaTax, Trophy Jar and Paystorm: Chase Late Payments, plus 1 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com","question":"What does FreshBooks integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for FreshBooks. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as FreshBooks not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.freshbooks.com/policies/security-safeguards","question":"What security certifications does FreshBooks have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"A unified platform combining bookkeeping, invoicing, payment processing, and reporting in one dashboard. Helps small business owners track income and expenses, manage cash flow, and maintain organized financial records year-round. It is indexed under Accounting Software.","source":"https://www.waveapps.com","question":"What is Wave?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Wave offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $16 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.waveapps.com/pricing","question":"Is Wave free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Wave. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.waveapps.com","question":"What platforms does Wave support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Wave, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.waveapps.com","question":"Can Wave be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 8 integrations for Wave, including Plaid, Zapier, Shopify, Square, ADP, RBC, Block Advisors and Apple Pay. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.waveapps.com","question":"What does Wave integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Wave is available worldwide. Its primary markets are the United States and Canada.","source":"https://www.waveapps.com","question":"Where is Wave available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A web-based accounting platform that streamlines invoicing, payment collection, expense tracking, and financial reporting for small businesses and independent professionals. | A unified platform combining bookkeeping, invoicing, payment processing, and reporting in one dashboard. Helps small business owners track income and expenses, manage cash flow, and maintain organized financial records year-round. |
| features.capabilities | `{"api_access":"full","bank_feeds":"manual_import","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"tax_compliance":"Automatic tax calculation on invoices and payroll","double_entry_gl":true,"payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true}` | `{"api_access":"full","bank_feeds":"aggregator","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"tax_compliance":"Tax-ready bookkeeping with organized records and reporting","double_entry_gl":true,"payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true,"project_accounting":true}` |
| integrations.count | 100 | 5 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Pidj"},{"name":"NiceJob"},{"name":"Acuity Scheduling"},{"name":"ReviewNudger"},{"name":"EasyCSV"},{"name":"AvaTax"},{"name":"Trophy Jar"},{"name":"Paystorm: Chase Late Payments"},{"name":"InvoiceSherpa"}]` | `[{"name":"Plaid"},{"name":"Zapier"},{"name":"Shopify"},{"name":"Square"},{"name":"ADP"},{"name":"RBC"},{"name":"Block Advisors"},{"name":"Apple Pay"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","CA"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Lite","summary":"$2.30/mo (promotional: 90% off for 3 months, regular $23.00/mo)","features":["Track and organize client info","5 billable clients","Automated recurring invoices"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"5"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$4.30/mo (regular price $43.00/mo)","features":["Track and organize client info","50 billable clients","Automated recurring invoices","Client payment options","Email receipts to account"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":4.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Most Popular","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"50"}},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$7.00/mo (regular price $70.00/mo)","features":["Track and organize client info","Unlimited billable clients","Automated recurring invoices","Client payment options","Email receipts to account"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":7,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"Unlimited"}}],"summary":"From $2.30/mo (introductory) or $23.00/mo (regular). Free 30-day trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.freshbooks.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-09-04T13:24:37.903Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Starter","summary":"Free","features":["Unlimited invoices, estimates, bills","Unlimited bookkeeping records","Mobile app access","Dashboard and reports","Payment processing available"],"description":"Basic accounting and invoicing for new businesses","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$16/month billed monthly, or $190/year billed annually","features":["Everything in Starter","Auto-import bank transactions via Plaid","Auto-merge and auto-categorize transactions","Unlimited receipt capture and tracking","Add multiple users/collaborators","Payment processing at discounted rates"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":16,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Enhanced accounting with bank automation and transaction categorization","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Wave Advisors","summary":"$149/month or $199/month depending on tier","features":["Everything in Pro","Dedicated bookkeeper management","Monthly financial statements","Expert bookkeeping support","Transition assistance from other software","Optional one-on-one accounting coaching"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":149,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Hands-off bookkeeping with dedicated bookkeeper and financial expert support","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Payment Processing","components":[{"of":"transaction","kind":"percentage","plus":{"amount":0.6,"currency":"USD"},"rate":2.9}]},{"name":"Payroll"},{"name":"Receipts"}],"summary":"Free Starter plan with unlimited invoicing and bookkeeping. Pro from $16/month includes bank automation. Wave Advisors from $149/month for managed bookkeeping. Payment processing fees: 2.9% + $0.60 per Visa/Mastercard transaction.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.waveapps.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:29:13.788Z","startingPrice":{"amount":16,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | mid |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":2.3,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | yes |

## Capabilities (Accounting Software)

| Capability | FreshBooks | Wave |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Double-entry GL | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-entity | - | - |
| Multi-currency | - | - |
| Bank feeds | Manual import | Aggregator |
| **Modules** |  |  |
| AP automation | - | - |
| AR / invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory | - | - |
| Fixed assets | - | - |
| Project accounting | - | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Tax compliance | Automatic tax calculation on invoices and payroll | Tax-ready bookkeeping with organized records and reporting |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Accountant collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payments capture | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| API access | Full | Full |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-09-21T02:34:43.845Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*