FreshBooks vs Wave
Both ladders below were read from the vendors’ own pricing pages, in this market, on the dates shown. Nothing is converted: what you see is what each page showed a reader here.
What each one is
FreshBookssite ↗pricing ↗
Accounting software aimed at freelancers and service businesses, organised around invoicing and time tracking. Paid plans start at $23/mo (Lite); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 3 paid tiers, topping out at $70/mo (Premium). We read the same $23/mo in every market we check, so this vendor does not price by country. Its published prices moved on 2026-10-18 — the change log holds the rows.
Wavesite ↗pricing ↗
Free accounting and invoicing software for very small businesses, which makes its money on payments and payroll. Paid plans start at $19/mo (Pro); a free plan exists.
The two ladders
FreshBookssite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-10-18 · USD
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Lite | $23/mo |
| Plus | $43/mo |
| Premium | $70/mo |
Wavesite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-09-03 · USD
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Starter | Free |
| Pro | $19/mo |
Where they differ
- Cheapest way in: Wave at $19/mo, against FreshBooks at $23/mo. That is the entry price in this market on the dates shown, not a judgement about which suits you.
- Free plans: only Wave publishes one — a plan priced at zero, not a trial.
- How far each ladder goes: FreshBooks tops out at $70/mo, Wave at $19/mo. A deeper ladder is not a worse deal — it is a bill that keeps climbing if you keep growing.
- Recently moved: FreshBooks (2026-10-18). A change only counts once a second clean read agrees.
- FreshBooks: We read the same $23/mo in every market we check, so this vendor does not price by country.
How to choose in this category
- Almost every vendor leads with a limited-time discount; the standing price after it is the real comparison.
- Plans differ in users and features more than in price — read the rows, not just the header.
- Several of these vendors charge different amounts by country; the table shows what each market pays.