Automate Basics

Wave vs FreshBooks

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 21 October 2026.

Compared on
Wave

Free plan · from $15.83/mo

FreshBooks

Free trial · from $20.70/mo

What it isFree invoicing and double-entry bookkeeping for small businesses, with a $19 Pro plan for bank syncInvoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses, priced by number of billable clients
Free planStarter: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records; mobile invoicing; optional online payments at 2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex). No automatic bank import or auto-categorisation; receipt capture is an $8/month add-on; collaborators limited to payroll manager or Block Advisors tax pro access.No
Cheapest paid plan$15.83/mo billed annually (Pro)Wave pricing$20.70/mo billed annually (Lite)FreshBooks pricing
What it coversPer business; $190 billed yearly. Card fees drop to 2.9% + $0 on the first 10 transactions each month. Canadian price CA$25/month or CA$250/year.Invoice up to 5 billable clients; extra team members $11/month each; $248.40 billed yearly. Promotion: 80% off ($4.60/month) for the first 4 months.
Free trialNone stated30-day free trial, no credit card required
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
Integrations (vendor's figure)Not stated100+ apps in the FreshBooks AppStore
Open sourceNoNo
Good for
  • Freelancers and sole owners who want free invoicing and bookkeeping
  • Small businesses in the US or Canada that invoice often on a small budget
  • Owners who want a bookkeeper to keep the books for them
  • Freelancers and consultants who bill a small number of clients
  • Service businesses that invoice for tracked time and project work
  • Owners who want their accountant working in the same books
Watch out for
  • Automatic bank imports and transaction categorisation need the Pro plan
  • Receipt capture costs $8 a month on the free plan
  • Its pages do not describe AI features, multi-currency or inventory tracking
  • Lite invoices only 5 clients and Plus 50; unlimited clients need Premium ($70/mo)
  • Each team member costs $11 a month on top of the plan
  • Bank reconciliation, receipt scanning and accountant access are not on Lite
Made byWave Financial Inc.2NDSITE Inc.

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in accounting and invoicing software is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.