Compare FreshBooks and Wave 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (87.1% of reviews)
Small-Business (95.1% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $7.60 Per Month
$20-$35 per month
FreshBooks
Star Rating
(887)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (87.1% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $7.60 Per Month
Free Trial is available
Browse all 4 pricing plansWave
Star Rating
(295)4.3 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (95.1% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
$20-$35 per month
Browse all 3 pricing plansSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- Users report that FreshBooks excels in "Quality of Support" with a score of 9.2, while Wave's support quality is rated significantly lower at 7.7. Reviewers mention that FreshBooks provides timely and helpful responses, making it a better choice for those who prioritize customer service.
- Reviewers mention that FreshBooks offers superior "Ease of Use" with a score of 9.2 compared to Wave's 8.9. Users on G2 appreciate FreshBooks' intuitive interface, which simplifies navigation and task completion, making it ideal for small business owners who may not be tech-savvy.
- Users say that FreshBooks shines in "Expense Reports" with a score of 8.6 for ease of creating reports, while Wave's features in this area are less robust, particularly in "Smart Categorization" which scored only 7.5. Reviewers highlight FreshBooks' user-friendly tools that streamline expense tracking and reporting.
- G2 users report that FreshBooks has a more effective "Invoice Customization" feature, both scoring 8.7, but users mention that FreshBooks allows for more flexibility and personalization in invoice design, which is crucial for branding.
- Reviewers mention that FreshBooks' "Recurring Billing" feature is well-implemented, scoring 8.3, while Wave's performance in this area is on par but lacks the same level of user satisfaction. Users appreciate the ease of setting up automated billing cycles in FreshBooks.
- Users on G2 report that FreshBooks has a more comprehensive "Mobile Payments" feature, scoring 8.4, compared to Wave's 8.4. However, users mention that FreshBooks' mobile app is more reliable and user-friendly, making it easier to manage finances on the go.
Featured Products
Sponsored
Subscript
(17)
Accounting
Visit Website
Sponsored
Barawave
(0)
Accounting
Visit Website
Sponsored
actiTIME
(35)
Accounting
Visit Website
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
FreshBooks
Lite
Starting at $7.60
Per Month
For professionals with basic needs
- Send unlimited invoices to up to 5 clients
- Track unlimited expenses
- Send unlimited estimates
Wave
Pay your staff
$20-$35
per month
$20/month base fee in Canada + 44 states
$35/month base fee in California, Florida, New York, Texas, Illinois & Washington
$4 additional per employee added
- Includes direct deposit.
- Employee portal to check pay stubs and history.
- Perfect for salaried and hourly workers, full-time or part-time.
Free Trial
FreshBooks
Free Trial is available
Wave
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
8.8
743
8.6
238
Ease of Use
9.1
791
8.9
239
Ease of Setup
9.2
444
8.9
109
Ease of Admin
9.2
330
8.8
107
Quality of Support
9.2
694
7.7
157
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
9.2
325
8.6
99
Product Direction (% positive)
8.7
742
8.0
229
Features by Category
Expense Reports
8.6
94
Not enough data
7.9
88
Not enough data
7.5
87
Not enough data
8.0
86
Not enough data
7.0
69
Not enough data
7.1
76
Not enough data
7.8
78
Not enough data
Travel Management
6.7
68
Not enough data
6.3
65
Not enough data
5.9
60
Not enough data
6.3
61
Not enough data
Client Invoicing
9.0
122
Not enough data
8.4
106
Not enough data
8.1
112
Not enough data
Mobile
8.2
73
Not enough data
6.6
70
Not enough data
5.4
62
Not enough data
Platform
5.8
53
Not enough data
6.0
56
Not enough data
Administration
6.8
53
Not enough data
Administration
7.1
94
Not enough data
7.6
95
Not enough data
7.5
102
Not enough data
7.1
92
Not enough data
7.8
100
Not enough data
Platform
8.3
114
Not enough data
7.2
87
Not enough data
6.8
84
Not enough data
9.0
115
Not enough data
8.3
105
Not enough data
7.0
89
Not enough data
General Ledger
8.0
218
|
Verified
8.0
45
|
Verified
7.8
213
|
Verified
7.9
36
|
Verified
8.0
209
|
Verified
7.6
35
|
Verified
Accounts Receivable
8.7
384
|
Verified
8.7
63
8.5
292
|
Verified
8.2
44
|
Verified
8.3
259
|
Verified
8.1
38
|
Verified
Accounts Payable
8.2
256
|
Verified
7.8
27
8.7
311
|
Verified
8.2
42
|
Verified
7.5
127
7.2
23
|
Verified
Other Functionality
7.0
111
7.0
19
|
Verified
Feature Not Available
7.3
21
|
Verified
7.5
141
|
Verified
6.9
20
6.9
114
7.3
23
|
Verified
7.2
118
7.4
24
|
Verified
7.5
130
7.7
36
|
Verified
7.5
140
7.2
19
|
Verified
8.6
300
|
Verified
7.3
18
|
Verified
Reporting & Analytics
8.7
346
|
Verified
8.3
64
|
Verified
8.2
185
7.8
51
|
Verified
7.6
178
|
Verified
7.9
32
|
Verified
8.8
371
|
Verified
8.7
62
|
Verified
Platform
7.9
150
7.6
51
|
Verified
7.5
137
7.7
33
|
Verified
8.4
274
|
Verified
7.9
47
|
Verified
7.4
123
7.5
21
|
Verified
9.1
365
|
Verified
8.4
56
|
Verified
8.3
140
8.0
46
|
Verified
Integration
8.2
256
|
Verified
8.1
41
|
Verified
8.0
181
|
Verified
7.7
24
7.6
203
7.1
24
|
Verified
Cash Flow
8.3
189
|
Verified
8.1
24
|
Verified
8.9
275
|
Verified
8.4
27
|
Verified
8.4
232
|
Verified
7.8
20
|
Verified
Budgeting & Forecasting
7.6
178
|
Verified
7.9
32
|
Verified
8.0
154
|
Verified
7.5
17
|
Verified
7.5
125
|
Verified
7.1
11
|
Verified
8.2
192
|
Verified
7.5
19
|
Verified
Revenue
8.4
216
|
Verified
8.3
20
|
Verified
7.7
158
|
Verified
7.9
15
|
Verified
8.0
152
7.8
13
Payroll
7.8
101
|
Verified
7.7
13
|
Verified
7.2
95
|
Verified
6.8
10
7.7
103
|
Verified
7.2
13
|
Verified
8.2
113
|
Verified
7.9
17
|
Verified
AI
7.5
28
Not enough data
7.0
25
Not enough data
7.3
25
Not enough data
7.1
26
Not enough data
6.8
25
Not enough data
6.4
27
Not enough data
7.0
34
Not enough data
7.2
29
Not enough data
6.6
31
Not enough data
7.0
27
Not enough data
Mobile Applications - Accounting
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Employee Self Service
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Administration
8.5
12
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
9.3
12
Not enough data
8.3
8
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
7.7
10
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Taxes
8.1
13
Not enough data
8.0
10
Not enough data
8.0
10
Not enough data
Integration
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
8.0
10
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Platform
7.8
10
Not enough data
8.5
11
Not enough data
8.5
9
Not enough data
8.2
10
Not enough data
Payment Processing
8.2
73
Not enough data
8.5
80
Not enough data
8.2
72
Not enough data
7.4
61
Not enough data
Administration
8.4
78
Not enough data
6.8
62
Not enough data
6.7
78
Not enough data
7.0
58
Not enough data
7.2
61
Not enough data
7.0
62
Not enough data
7.1
62
Not enough data
Payment Options
7.3
60
Not enough data
8.4
72
Not enough data
Security
7.3
59
Not enough data
Platform
7.5
64
Not enough data
7.0
61
Not enough data
Bill Generation
8.4
139
8.1
30
8.5
142
8.5
33
8.3
131
8.3
29
Bill Processing
7.5
124
7.9
21
7.8
121
8.1
19
8.3
123
8.3
31
Integration
7.9
128
8.2
30
8.4
130
8.4
27
7.1
100
7.4
14
Time Tracking
8.8
66
Not enough data
9.0
71
Not enough data
8.9
72
Not enough data
Client Invoicing
9.0
122
Not enough data
8.4
106
Not enough data
8.1
112
Not enough data
Mobile Time Tracking
8.7
72
Not enough data
Administration
7.1
94
Not enough data
7.6
95
Not enough data
7.5
102
Not enough data
7.1
92
Not enough data
7.8
100
Not enough data
Platform
8.3
114
Not enough data
7.2
87
Not enough data
6.8
84
Not enough data
9.0
115
Not enough data
8.3
105
Not enough data
7.0
89
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
FreshBooks and Wave are categorized as Billing and Accounting
Unique Categories
Wave has no unique categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
FreshBooks
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Wave
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Marketing and Advertising
18.1%
Information Technology and Services
6.6%
Graphic Design
4.8%
Computer Software
4.2%
Management Consulting
3.9%
Other
62.5%
Marketing and Advertising
16.1%
Information Technology and Services
6.3%
Design
4.9%
Accounting
4.9%
Computer Software
3.5%
Other
64.3%
Most Helpful Reviews
FreshBooks
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Jackson R.
Verified User in Computer Software
An affordable time tracking and invoicing tool. Allows for tracking subcontractors time easily. A huge upgrade from Excel, or any other manual invoicing process that quickly gets out of hand as you add customers. Excellent customer support.
Most Helpful Critical Review
Steve S.
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
My reasons for leaving Freshbooks? Integration with banking or credit card accounts is not good at all - compared to the other services they compete with. In order to use Freshbooks, you have to have some other software or service for managing the...
Wave
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Paul J.
Verified User in Accounting
Wave is very simple and intuitive to use. It provides small business (they specifically focus on organizations with 0-9 employees) users with the main tools they need in order to effectively account for their business transactions. You can access multiple...
Most Helpful Critical Review
Josh W.
Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
Their customer service is horrible. If you can even get them, they have no problem lying right to your face. Read other review sites and you'll see!
Jackson R.
Verified User in Computer Software
An affordable time tracking and invoicing tool. Allows for tracking subcontractors time easily. A huge upgrade from Excel, or any other manual invoicing process that quickly gets out of hand as you add customers. Excellent customer support.
Paul J.
Verified User in Accounting
Wave is very simple and intuitive to use. It provides small business (they specifically focus on organizations with 0-9 employees) users with the main tools they need in order to effectively account for their business transactions. You can access multiple...
Steve S.
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
My reasons for leaving Freshbooks? Integration with banking or credit card accounts is not good at all - compared to the other services they compete with. In order to use Freshbooks, you have to have some other software or service for managing the...
Josh W.
Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
Their customer service is horrible. If you can even get them, they have no problem lying right to your face. Read other review sites and you'll see!
Discussions
Does FreshBooks support recurring billing?
3 comments
PM
I'm a long-time user, and yes. Freshbooks does recurring billing flawlessly. Your client can also have their credit card information stored so they don't...Read more
How do you like using Freshbooks
2 comments
ZB
Hi Rodney,
We have used Freshbooks since 2013, and are in no way affiliated with them.
For the most part, our experience overall has been positive,...Read more
What is the best way to manage deposits against future work as a consultant?
2 comments
DL
Hi Mark,
You most likely would benefit from the retainer feature in FB which allows you to track time against a retainer payment....Read more
Is wave a good accounting software?
2 comments
MM
Yeah. It has most of the features required by a small business. You can request the team if you need anything in particular Read more
What is Wave Software?
2 comments
MM
Wave software is an easy to use Payroll and Accounting software. You can create invoices, send billings, track expenses, and all normal transactions...Read more
Hunting for software insights?
With over 2.5 million reviews, we can provide the specific details that help you make an informed software buying decision for your business. Finding the right product is important, let us help.
or continue with
Gmail.com addresses not permitted. A business domain using Google is allowed.
By proceeding, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
