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Freshbooks vs Wave
March 15, 2025 | Author: Michael Stromann
13★
FreshBooks is an online invoicing software as a service for freelancers, small businesses, agencies, and professionals. The product includes a myriad of other related features, such as time tracking, expense tracking, recurring billing, online payment collection, the ability to mail invoices through the U.S. Post, and support tickets.
10★
Half a million customers use Wave's online small business software to do their invoicing, accounting and payroll. Smart cloud apps for smart business owners. Wave makes it easy to be your own boss. Just do what you're good at, and lean on Wave's smart online software for help with invoicing, accounting and payroll.
See also:
Top 10 Online Accounting software
Top 10 Online Accounting software
FreshBooks and Wave are both cloud-based accounting software solutions, which, if you think about it, is a bit like saying that both dolphins and accountants have an affinity for numbers—true, but not the full picture. They let small businesses and freelancers send invoices, track expenses and generally feel like they have a handle on their finances, even if that feeling is often fleeting. They also integrate with various payment systems, which means that, in theory, clients will pay you faster, though in reality, clients are still clients and software can only do so much.
FreshBooks, which emerged in 2003 from the vast and unknowable land of Canada, runs on a subscription model because, as we all know, the only thing more certain than death and taxes is software trying to get you on a monthly plan. It comes with project management tools, time tracking and enough automation to make you feel like you’re living in a futuristic utopia where numbers reconcile themselves. It even offers actual human support via phone and live chat, which is frankly a bit shocking in an era where customer service is usually outsourced to a void.
Wave, on the other hand, is also Canadian (something about all that cold weather must inspire financial clarity) and has been around since 2009, operating on the radical notion that small businesses would rather not pay for accounting software. It’s free—until you need payroll, at which point it remembers that money exists. Its business model is based on payment processing and optional add-ons, which is a bit like giving away a spaceship but charging extra for fuel. Customer support is largely limited to email, ensuring that if you ever have a problem, you will have plenty of time to reflect on it before receiving a response.
See also: Top 10 Online Accounting software
FreshBooks, which emerged in 2003 from the vast and unknowable land of Canada, runs on a subscription model because, as we all know, the only thing more certain than death and taxes is software trying to get you on a monthly plan. It comes with project management tools, time tracking and enough automation to make you feel like you’re living in a futuristic utopia where numbers reconcile themselves. It even offers actual human support via phone and live chat, which is frankly a bit shocking in an era where customer service is usually outsourced to a void.
Wave, on the other hand, is also Canadian (something about all that cold weather must inspire financial clarity) and has been around since 2009, operating on the radical notion that small businesses would rather not pay for accounting software. It’s free—until you need payroll, at which point it remembers that money exists. Its business model is based on payment processing and optional add-ons, which is a bit like giving away a spaceship but charging extra for fuel. Customer support is largely limited to email, ensuring that if you ever have a problem, you will have plenty of time to reflect on it before receiving a response.
See also: Top 10 Online Accounting software
