FreshBooks vs Wave Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| FreshBooks | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $23/mo | $19/mo |
| Number of plans | 4 | 2 |
| Free plan | — | |
| Free trial | — | |
| Pricing model | flat-rate | flat-rate |
Lite
- Send invoices to 5 clients
- Track expenses in real time
- Create and send estimates
- Get paid with credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Buy Now, Pay Later
- Generate tax-time reports
Plus
Popular- Send invoices to 50 clients
- Track expenses in real time
- Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers
- Get paid with credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Buy Now, Pay Later
- Generate tax-time reports
- Run financial and accounting reports
- Expense receipt scanning
- Give your accountant access
Premium
- Send invoices to unlimited clients
- Track expenses in real time
- Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers
- Get paid with credit and debit cards, ACH bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Buy Now, Pay Later
- Generate tax-time reports
- Run financial and accounting reports
- Bill receipt scanning with the ability to add line items
- Give your accountant access
- Check project profitability
- Customize your email templates
Select
- Send invoices to unlimited clients
- Track expenses in real time
- Create estimates, proposals, and client retainers
- Access lower credit card transaction fees and capped bank transfer (ACH) fees
- Generate tax-time reports
- Run financial and accounting reports
- Bill receipt scanning with automatic capture of multi-line items
- Give your accountant access
- Check project profitability
- Customize email templates and remove FreshBooks branding
- Import your data via Easy Switch
- Gain access to dedicated phone support
- Add 2 Team Member accounts for no extra charge
STARTER Plan
- Create unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records
- Option to accept online payments
- Invoice on-the-go with the mobile app
- Manage cash flow and customers in one dashboard
Pro Plan
Popular- Option to accept online payments at a discounted rate
- Auto-import bank transactions
- Auto-merge and categorize bank transactions
- Digitally capture unlimited receipts and track expenses
- Automate late payment reminders
FreshBooks vs Wave FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Wave is the cheaper option, starting at $19/mo vs $23/mo for FreshBooks.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Wave has a free plan. FreshBooks doesn't — though they do offer a free trial.
- How do they charge?
- Both use a flat-rate model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. FreshBooks: Sitting mid-pack against QuickBooks and Xero, FreshBooks leans on the aggressive 90%-off-for-3-months hook to look cheap upfront, but the sticker prices are actually on the higher side once the promo expires. They're chasing freelancers and small agencies who want something simpler and friendlier than QuickBooks, not enterprises. Wave: This is a budget play through and through, undercutting QuickBooks and Xero by a wide margin — those run $30-90+/mo before add-ons. Wave's betting that freelancers and micro-businesses will trade some polish and depth for a near-free (or literally free) tool, then get sticky enough to pay $19 once cash flow allows.
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