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FreshBooks vs Wave pricing
FreshBooks and Wave both target freelancers and very small businesses. This page compares them using StackScope's accounting report, last verified October 2026.
Wave is cheaper: Starter is $0 and includes unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, and Pro is $19 per month or $190 per year, against $23 per month for FreshBooks Lite. The gap grows with team size. FreshBooks includes 1 user and charges $11 per month for each additional Team Member, which StackScope estimates at $67 per month for 5 users, while Wave Pro includes unlimited users at the same price. FreshBooks has no ongoing free plan, only a 30-day trial, and its page still shows a 90%-off promotion that its own offer terms previously said ended August 18, 2026, a conflict StackScope has not resolved. Wave's payments, receipt scanning and payroll are paid add-ons.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry tier | Mid tier | Highest public price | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreshBooks | 30-day free trial; no ongoing free version. [VENDOR / 3P — Capterra] | $23/mo standardLite · MONTHLY: $23 standard. FreshBooks' current pricing page still displays 90% off for 3 months ($2.30/mo), while FreshBooks' own formal offer terms previously stated that version of the promotion ended August 18, 2026 — this conflict has not been cleanly resolved; the current page keeps showing 90% off despite that stated expiration, so don't treat the promo as definitely verified. [VENDOR — source conflict] ANNUAL: $248.40/year — now vendor-published in FreshBooks' 2026 price-change FAQ (includes a stated 10% discount vs. monthly), not a derived figure. [VENDOR] 1 included user; additional Team Members are $11/mo each. Other published add-ons: Advanced Payments $20/mo, FreshBooks Payroll $40/mo + $6/mo per user. 5-user equivalent: $67/mo, assuming 1 included user + 4 paid Team Members [DERIVED — VENDOR: $23 + 4×$11]. Lite supports 5 billable clients. | $43/moPlus · [VENDOR] 50 billable clients; adds receipt scanning and accounting reports. ANNUAL: $464.40/year, vendor-published (10% discount vs. monthly). [VENDOR] | $70/moPremium · [VENDOR] unlimited clients. ANNUAL: $756.00/year, vendor-published (10% discount vs. monthly). [VENDOR] Select tier above this is Contact Sales/custom, not publicly priced. | Catch: client caps and paid team-member add-ons can raise the real cost as a business grows. [3P — G2; 3P — Capterra] Praise is dominated by ease of use, invoicing, quick setup, and customer support. Reporting limitations and per-client pricing recur as complaints. Capterra currently lists Lite $21/Plus $38/Premium $65, and G2 shows the promotional $2.30/$4.30/$7.00 figures plus a separate G2 Deals 90%-off-for-4-months offer — none of these match FreshBooks' current $23/$43/$70 standard prices; flagged, not used. [3P — G2/Capterra] Users: 1 included, additional Team Members $11/mo each. Invoices/bills/clients: Lite 5 billable clients; Plus 50; Premium and Select unlimited. Upgrade trigger: exceeding 5 clients, or needing more than 1 user without paying per-seat. AI: no separate AI add-on price found; recurring invoices and automated bank import are bundled into the tier, with receipt scanning bundled starting on Plus. [VENDOR] |
| Wave | Ongoing Starter plan: $0. [VENDOR]Includes unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records. Online payments, receipt scanning, and payroll are separate paid add-ons — not part of the free plan's limitations, but genuinely optional extras. [VENDOR] | $19/mo standardPro · MONTHLY: $19 standard; $9.50/mo current promo for first 3 months — not the standard price [VENDOR]. ANNUAL: $190/year — vendor-published annual-billing price [VENDOR]; annual promo price not publicly specified. Pro is priced per business profile, not per owner or per seat, and includes unlimited user access — 1-user and 5-user prices are identical. [VENDOR] | — (by design)No public mid tier exists — this is not a research gap. Wave currently presents Pro as its only paid subscription tier; there is no distinct mid-tier product to price. [VENDOR] | $19/moPro · $19/mo monthly or $190/year annual. [VENDOR] Publicly priced; no Contact Sales tier exists above it. | Catch: payment processing fees are where Wave's real cost lives, not the subscription price. Starter charges 2.9% + $0.60 per Visa/Mastercard/Discover transaction and 3.4% + $0.60 for Amex; Pro waives the fixed $0.60 fee for the first 10 qualifying transactions in each monthly subscription period, then reverts to the same rate as Starter for the rest [VENDOR — Wave's own payments pages]. On high-volume invoicing this adds up fast and is easy to miss when comparing Wave's low subscription price against competitors. [3P — G2] Users consistently praise the free core, simple interface, and invoicing/bookkeeping value. Capterra currently confirms Pro $19 and the free tier; G2's current pricing page is stale and focuses on older Wave payroll products rather than the current Starter/Pro accounting subscription — its review data still supports the free-tier/value sentiment theme. [3P — G2/Capterra] Users: unlimited on both Starter and Pro, priced per business profile not per seat. Invoices/bills/clients: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records on both tiers. Upgrade trigger: wanting bank import automation, receipt capture bundled in, the first-10-transaction fee waiver, or online payments/payroll access. AI: no separate AI add-on price found; automatic bank import, transaction categorization, and unlimited receipt capture are bundled into Pro. Receipt scanning alone is also available standalone on Starter at $8/month or $72/year for those who don't want the full Pro upgrade. [VENDOR] |
Figures are aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party pricing research as of October 2026 and reflect published list prices. This page shows two of the four tools in the full Accounting Software report, which carries the complete footnotes and every source conflict we flagged. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Wave cheaper than FreshBooks?
Yes: Wave Starter is $0 and Pro is $19 per month, against $23 per month for FreshBooks Lite. For 5 users StackScope estimates FreshBooks at $67 per month, while Wave Pro stays at $19.
Does FreshBooks charge per user?
It includes 1 user and charges $11 per month for each additional Team Member. Wave Pro includes unlimited users.
Is the FreshBooks promotion real?
Unresolved. The page shows 90% off, but FreshBooks' own offer terms previously said that promotion ended August 18, 2026.
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Vendor pricing: FreshBooks pricing · Wave pricing