# FreshBooks vs Wave

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Wave

| Attribute | FreshBooks | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 71.5 (54% (medium)) | 77.7 (40% (low)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | All-in-one cloud-based platform for invoicing, expenses, time tracking, payroll, and accounting. Designed for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small businesses to manage clients, billing, and financial reporting. | Wave is free accounting software for small businesses, offering invoicing, expense tracking, receipts management, and optional payroll and hands-on bookkeeping services. Free tier includes unlimited invoicing and basic bookkeeping, with paid Pro tier adding bank feed automation and discounted payment processing. |
| features.capabilities | `{"inventory":false,"api_access":"full","bank_feeds":"aggregator","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"ap_automation":true,"tax_compliance":"Tax-time reports and tax calculation integration","double_entry_gl":true,"payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true,"project_accounting":true}` | `{"bank_feeds":"aggregator","deployment":"cloud","ar_invoicing":true,"tax_compliance":"Tax-ready bookkeeping and tax season preparation","payments_capture":true,"accountant_collab":true}` |
| integrations.count | 100 | - |
| 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"}]` | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","CA"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","CA"],"availabilityScope":"regional","availableCountries":["US","CA"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Lite","summary":"$2.30/mo (regularly $23.00/mo, currently 90% off for 3 months)","features":["Send invoices to 5 clients","Track expenses in real time","Create and send estimates","Get paid with credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Buy Now Pay Later","Generate tax-time reports"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Essential invoicing and expense tracking","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"5"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$4.30/mo (regularly $43.00/mo, currently 90% off for 3 months)","features":["Send invoices to 50 clients","Track expenses in real time","Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers","Get paid with credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Buy Now Pay Later","Generate tax-time reports","Run financial and accounting reports","Expense receipt scanning","Give your accountant access"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":4.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Enhanced reporting and accountant collaboration","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"50"}},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$7.00/mo (regularly $70.00/mo, currently 90% off for 3 months)","features":["Send invoices to unlimited clients","Track expenses in real time","Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers","Get paid with credit cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Buy Now Pay Later","Generate tax-time reports","Run financial and accounting reports","Bill receipt scanning with ability to add line items","Give your accountant access","Check project profitability","Customize your email templates"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":7,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Unlimited clients with project profitability and customization","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Select","summary":"Custom pricing, contact for quote","features":["Send invoices to unlimited clients","Track expenses in real time","Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers","Access lower credit card transaction fees and capped ACH fees","Generate tax-time reports","Run financial and accounting reports","Bill receipt scanning with automatic multi-line item capture","Give your accountant access","Check project profitability","Customize email templates and remove FreshBooks branding","Import data via Easy Switch","Dedicated phone support","2 Team Member accounts included"],"description":"Enterprise plan with dedicated support and included team members","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"billable_clients":"unlimited","included_team_members":"2"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Team Members","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":11,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Advanced Payments","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"FreshBooks Payroll","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":40,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":6,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $2.30/mo. No free tier; 30-day free trial. Premium add-ons from $11/mo per user.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.freshbooks.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:09:43.427Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":2.3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"free","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Starter","summary":"Free","features":["Create unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records","Option to accept online payments","2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction","3.4% + $0.60 per Amex transaction","Invoice on-the-go with mobile app","Manage cash flow and customers in one dashboard"],"description":"Just starting your business or looking for the basics","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$19/month USD or $190/year USD (promo: $9.50/month for first 3 months)","features":["Everything in Starter, plus","Online payments at discounted rate","2.9% + $0 per credit card transaction","3.4% + $0 per Amex transaction","Auto-import bank transactions","Auto-merge and categorize bank transactions","Digitally capture unlimited receipts and track expenses","Automate late payment reminders"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":19,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Look polished, save time, conquer cash flow","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Wave Advisors","summary":"Starting at $149/month USD","features":["Includes Pro Plan features","Dedicated bookkeeper","Monthly financial statements prepared","Expert bookkeeping support","Onboarding assistance when switching from other software","Optional one-on-one accounting coach packages"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":149,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Hands-off bookkeeping and financial guidance with in-house experts","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free Starter plan with unlimited invoicing. Pro from $19/month USD or $190/year USD. Wave Advisors from $149/month USD.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.waveapps.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:29:50.329Z","startingPrice":{"amount":19,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.starting_gbp | 2.3 | 19 |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |

## Capabilities (Accounting Software)

| Capability | FreshBooks | Wave |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Double-entry GL | ✓ | - |
| Multi-entity | - | - |
| Multi-currency | - | - |
| Bank feeds | Aggregator | Aggregator |
| **Modules** |  |  |
| AP automation | ✓ | - |
| AR / invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inventory | ✗ | - |
| Fixed assets | - | - |
| Project accounting | ✓ | - |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Tax compliance | Tax-time reports and tax calculation integration | Tax-ready bookkeeping and tax season preparation |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Accountant collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payments capture | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| API access | Full | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-08-07T00:01:44.342Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*