FreshBooks vs Wave
A source-aware comparison of pricing, documented capabilities and workflow fit.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — FreshBooks is pricing not verified, Wave is free tier available.
- How to start: FreshBooks is pricing not verified, Wave is free tier available.
- Where they differ: only FreshBooks has public api; both offer mobile app.
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. How we score tools.
What FreshBooks is
FreshBooks handles invoicing, expenses and time tracking for freelancers and small service businesses.
What Wave is
Wave offers free accounting and invoicing for very small businesses, making money on payments and payroll instead.
Side by side
| FreshBooks | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Finance Tools | Finance Tools |
| How to start | Not verifiednot a monthly price | Free tiernot a monthly price |
| Public API | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Open source / self-hostable | No | No |
| SSO (SAML) | No | No |
| Visit | FreshBooks ↗ | Wave ↗ |
Choose FreshBooks if
- Freelancers and service businesses who bill by project or hour.
Choose Wave if
- Freelancers and micro businesses with simple books.
Evidence and freshness
Where a claim on this page comes from a vendor page, it is linked here.
FreshBooks: pros & cons
- Invoicing is quick and looks professional
- Time tracking built in
- Simple enough to use without an accountant
- Client limits on lower plans
- Weaker for inventory or product businesses
- Payroll requires a separate service
Wave: pros & cons
- Accounting and invoicing at no cost
- Simple enough to use without training
- Payments integrated
- Feature depth is limited
- Support is limited on the free product
- Availability varies by country
Our verdict on FreshBooks
Well suited to service billing. Product businesses need proper accounting instead.
Our verdict on Wave
Hard to argue with free for simple needs. Growth will push you to paid accounting.