Wave Accounting Review: Pros, Cons, Alternatives

FreshBooks has four paid options that range in price from $17 to $55+ per month (Lite, Plus, Premium, and Select). FreshBooks includes one user in all plans, except the Select plan, which supports two users; extra members can be added at $11 per person per month. FreshBooks also offers other services, such as advanced payments ($20/month) and Gusto Payroll (starts at $39/month + $6/month per person). Has a strong invoicing feature; app lets users send invoices on the go; offers significantly fewer reports than competitors; no inventory tracking. Includes project tracking tools in higher tier plans; has transaction tracking tags; lacks industry-specific reports; users with multiple businesses must pay for separate subscriptions.

  • All the products on this list are free (like Wave Accounting), offer a free plan (Zoho Books) or include a 30-day free trial (QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks).
  • If you pay the same expenses monthly, such as rent or a utility payment, auto-payments save time and ensure that you never incur a late fee because you missed an important bill.
  • Converting or Implementation can be a blocker, luckily we have migration-specific automation tools at low costs.
  • QuickBooks’ inventory features are available only in Plus and Advanced plans.
  • FreshBooks is the best accounting solution for retail, while Wave is the best for side businesses on a budget.
  • Wave Payroll is a native full-service payroll solution offered in 14 states and Canada.

The highest-tier Advanced plan, for example, lets you add up to 25 users. FreshBooks, on the other hand, charges $11 per month per additional user and is better suited for contractors and freelancers. Each FreshBooks plan comes with just one user with the exception of the custom Select plan, which includes two.

Accounting software increases efficiency by allowing companies to track their taxes, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and other details automatically. FreshBooks provides great customer service, where users can seek support through email or talk with a representative via a chatbot. One of the best things is that you can speak with a real person over the phone. Some companies, such as QuickBooks Online, offer a similar service, but you cannot initiate the conversation.

Plus, the right plan (QuickBooks Advanced) will net you 24/7 email and phone support, making it easy to solve any problems. The main difference between Wave and FreshBooks lies in their target audience and pricing structure. While both platforms cater to freelancers, micro-businesses, and sole proprietors, FreshBooks offers scalability with its four plans, making it suitable for growing businesses as well. Both solutions support double-entry accounting but lack inventory management.

Customer support

So, even if you’ve never used accounting software before, you’ll find it effortless to navigate the system. An additional benefit is that FreshBooks offers in-app assistance that guides you through the software’s features and how to use them properly. The top products based on usability and customer satisfaction, as rated by user reviews. Being free software, Wave is one of the easiest-to-use accounting programs on the market. When setting up your account in Wave, you’ll start with the Wave Launchpad, where you can choose one of the displayed options and then set up the entire process.

The downside for Zoho is its poor customer support, which earns a low score of 3.4/5 due to a lack of live chat or phone help. However, FreshBooks Premium and its Select plans add project accounting tools that include employee labor calculations and project-specific expensing, which Wave doesn’t offer. Businesses with limited needs should pick Wave, while those that can benefit from an expanded set of features should opt for FreshBooks Premium. Wave uses its native Wave Payments service for payment processing that lets your customers pay with major credit cards directly from the invoice.

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How Do FreshBooks & Wave Compare With Alternatives?

ET from Monday to Friday; offers email support, but not live chat support with a human. Only ideal for very small service-based businesses, freelancers or contractors; allows an unlimited number of users. All plans include 24/7 live chat support; phone support is available 5 a.m.

Wave

However, like most free products, Wave has its limitations, especially compared to more scalable small-business accounting software. One of its biggest drawbacks is its lack of higher-tier plan options for growing businesses that require a richer selection of features. FreshBooks follows the three-tiered monthly pricing plan that so many of its rivals use. The lowest monthly plan, Lite, lets five users access the program for $15 per month. Collecting on monies owed is central to any business’s survival.

FreshBooks vs WAVE

The only way to manage projects, fixed assets or inventory in Wave is if you sign up and pay for an additional program that integrates with it. If you’re looking for a program which does integrate payroll processing, we suggest reading our Xero review. No competitor is going to beat Wave’s pricing because it is free. It gives you all the features that we’ve discussed without charging a monthly fee. It does charge for payroll and merchant processing, though, and the company claims that enough from those to allow it to give users everything else.

Once you’re done with a project, you can convert it into an invoice easily. That said, Wave’s reports give business owners more tracking and decision-making tools and its price can’t be beat. If you’re willing to manually enter recurring bills every month and want to cut costs, it’s worth a look. Though FreshBooks doesn’t offer complex inventory or fixed assets functions, it does include projects.

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Wave is available on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, and FreshBooks is also available on Opera. With the free Wave software, you’ll receive self-service support through their Help Center and assistance from their chatbot, Mave. For users of Wave’s Payroll, Payments, Advisors, or Banking services, email support and live chat with Mave are available on weekdays from 9 a.m. We’ve put together a straightforward comparison chart for FreshBooks vs Wave. This chart presents their features side-by-side to make it easy for you to pinpoint the accounting solution that aligns best with your business requirements. On the other hand, you can’t trust Wave to help you with serious or immediate technical problems.

In Wave, you have to add a new line item to an existing invoice if you want to charge a late fee. FreshBooks “make recurring” feature appears after every invoice you enter and save or you can select it when inputting an invoice. The time-saving function also ensures that your clients get billed, even if your bookkeeper calls in sick or forgets. The safety of your private data is our top priority, that’s why it’s protected by 256-bit SSL encryption—the gold standard in Internet security.

When deciding between FreshBooks and Wave accounting software, it’s important to think about how they track and handle expenses. FreshBooks has a simple interface that makes it easy to add costs and put them in the right category. The platform makes it easy to track both work and personal expenses and makes it easy to upload receipts.

FreshBooks vs Wave: Customer service

Sage Accounting offers some of the least expensive accounting plans available and stands out for its in-depth inventory tracking. FinancesOnline is available for free for all business professionals interested in an efficient way to find top-notch SaaS solutions. We are able to keep our service free of charge thanks to cooperation with some of the vendors, who are willing to pay us for traffic and sales opportunities provided by our website.