FreshBooks vs Wave Comparison 2026
FreshBooks charges $23 a month for five billable clients once its 30-day trial ends, and adds retainers, proposals and accountant access as the client list grows. Wave does invoicing and double-entry bookkeeping for free with no client cap at all, then $19 a month on Pro for automation and receipt scanning. For a handful of clients Wave is the cheaper honest answer; FreshBooks earns its price once client count or proposals become the actual job.
Invoicing built for freelancers, not accountants
Invoicing and bookkeeping that costs nothing
At a glance
- Wave starts cheaper, at $19.
- Only Wave has a free tier.
Side by side
FreshBooks | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $23 | From $19 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial (they differ) | 30 days | None |
FreshBooks
Invoicing built for freelancers, not accountants
FreshBooks is double-entry accounting wearing a friendly invoice app, which is the right shape for somebody who bills a handful of clients and dreads January. Time tracking and expenses feed the invoice directly. Client limits on the cheap plan are the thing that pushes people up a tier.
Our note
Wave does invoicing and bookkeeping free and is enough for most creators. Pay for FreshBooks when the client count, the retainers or the proposals are the reason, not because it looks more serious.
Wave
Invoicing and bookkeeping that costs nothing
Wave does invoices, receipts and double-entry bookkeeping for free, and earns on card payments and on a paid tier that automates the parts you would otherwise do by hand. For a sole trader sending a dozen invoices a year it is the cheapest honest answer. Payroll and the advisor service exist in some countries only, which is worth checking before a whole tax year lives in it.
Our note
Free accounting that is genuinely accounting, which is rare enough to be worth the check it needs: confirm that payments and payroll are supported where you live before a tax year is built on it.
Why people weigh these two
- Wave instead of FreshBooks
- Wave covers the same invoicing and bookkeeping ground for nothing, the obvious swap for a creator paid by platforms rather than clients.
- FreshBooks instead of Wave
- FreshBooks is invoicing built for freelancers rather than accountants, at $23 with no free tier, a paid-from-day-one alternative to Wave's free start.
Which one should you pick
Pick FreshBooks if client count, retainers or proposals are the reason you need a heavier tool, not because it looks more professional than a free one. Lite is $23 a month for five billable clients, and accountant access from the Plus plan up is useful once a bookkeeper needs their own login.
Pick Wave if you are a sole trader sending a modest number of invoices and want the books tidy without a monthly bill. Starter is free with no invoice cap and real double-entry accounts underneath, not a stripped demo. Card payments cost 2.9 percent plus 60 cents on either plan, and Pro at $19 a month waives that per-transaction fee on the first ten card payments each month.
Common questions
- Is Wave really free, or is that just a trial?
- Genuinely free. Starter has no invoice cap and no expiry, with real double-entry bookkeeping underneath, not a demo. FreshBooks has no free plan at all, only a 30-day trial before Lite bills at $23 a month.
- When does FreshBooks earn its price over Wave?
- When client count, retainers or proposals are the actual job, by FreshBooks' own comparison note against Wave. Lite covers five billable clients at $23 a month, and accountant access from Plus up matters once a bookkeeper needs a separate login.
- What does Wave charge for card payments?
- 2.9 percent plus 60 cents on both plans, 3.4 percent for Amex, with the per-transaction part waived on Pro's first ten payments a month. FreshBooks' card processing terms are not detailed in the listing beyond accepting card, ACH and wallet payments.
- Does Wave handle payroll and bookkeeper support?
- Wave Advisors, with real bookkeepers, starts at $149 a month, and payroll exists only in some countries, worth checking before a full tax year depends on it. FreshBooks offers payroll as a $40 add-on instead.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.