If you invoice clients for a living, the software you pick affects how fast you get paid and how many hours you lose to bookkeeping every month. QuickBooks, Wave, and FreshBooks are the three names freelancers compare most often, and each one takes a genuinely different approach to price and features.
Table of Contents
This guide breaks down what each platform actually costs, who its invoicing tools are built for, and which one fits your situation — whether you’re just starting out and want something free, or you’ve outgrown spreadsheets and need real accounting alongside your invoices.
Quick Answer
For most freelancers just starting out, Wave is the best choice because its invoicing and accounting are free, with fees only on payment processing. FreshBooks is the better pick once you want more polished client-facing invoices and built-in time tracking, starting around $23/month for the Lite plan. QuickBooks makes sense if you expect to grow into a larger business, need payroll, or already work with an accountant who uses it — its cheapest relevant plan for freelancers, Simple Start, runs about $38/month.
What Each Platform Actually Offers
Wave gives you unlimited invoicing, income and expense tracking, and basic reporting for $0/month on its Starter plan. You only pay when you process a payment (around 2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction) or if you upgrade to Wave Pro (about $19/month) for automatic bank imports, transaction auto-categorization, and priority support. There’s no cap on the number of clients or invoices, which makes it a low-risk starting point if you’re not sure how much invoicing volume you’ll have.
FreshBooks is built around client-facing polish: customizable invoice templates, proposals, time tracking tied directly to invoices, and mileage tracking, plus solid mobile apps. Pricing runs in tiers based on how many billable clients you have — the Lite plan (around $23/month) covers up to 5 clients, Plus (around $43/month) covers up to 50, and Premium (around $70/month) is unlimited. Every plan is single-user by default; adding team members costs extra per person.
QuickBooks Online is the most full-featured of the three, with deeper accounting, inventory, and reporting tools plus the widest network of bookkeepers and accountants already trained on it. Its entry-level Simple Start plan (around $38/month) covers one user with basic invoicing, expense tracking, and tax categorization. Higher tiers like Essentials and Plus add multiple users, bill management, and project profitability tracking, but push the price well past what most solo freelancers need. Payroll is always a separate add-on cost on every plan.
How to Choose Between Them
Start with your budget and client volume. If cash is tight or you’re testing whether freelancing is sustainable, Wave’s free tier removes the cost barrier entirely — you only pay when money comes in. If you bill more than a handful of recurring clients and want invoices that look more professional with built-in time tracking, FreshBooks’ Lite or Plus plan is usually worth the monthly cost.
Think about where your business is headed, not just where it is now. QuickBooks costs more upfront, but if you plan to hire, need payroll, or expect to hand things off to an accountant or bookkeeper eventually, it’s the platform most professionals already know how to use — switching later means re-entering historical data.
Also weigh payment processing fees, not just the subscription price. All three charge a percentage plus a small fixed fee on card payments, so if you invoice large amounts frequently, those fees matter more than the monthly subscription difference between platforms.
Tips / Common Mistakes
Don’t pick a plan based on subscription price alone — factor in payment processing fees and any add-ons (payroll, extra users, receipt scanning) you’ll actually need, since these can double the real monthly cost.
Set up automatic payment reminders and late fees from day one on whichever platform you choose; freelancers who skip this step chase overdue invoices manually far more often.
If you’re switching from spreadsheets or another tool, export your client list before canceling anything. All three platforms let you import clients via CSV, but invoice-history support differs: QuickBooks Online has a native invoice importer (CSV or Excel, capped at 100 invoices per upload), and Wave can bring in past invoices through its Wave Connect Google Sheets add-on, while FreshBooks’ CSV import only covers clients, expenses, items, bank transactions, and vendors — not invoices — so past invoices there need manual entry or a third-party tool.
Watch for promotional pricing. FreshBooks and other platforms sometimes advertise steep introductory discounts that jump to the regular price after a few months — check the standard rate before committing long-term.
Explore more: more small business software guides.
QuickBooks vs Wave vs FreshBooks FAQs
Which is cheapest for a freelancer just starting out?
Wave, since its core invoicing and accounting features are free and you only pay transaction fees when a client pays by card.
Can I switch between these platforms later without losing data?
Client and expense records move fairly easily via CSV on all three platforms. Invoice history is trickier: QuickBooks Online has a built-in CSV/Excel invoice importer, and Wave can import invoices through its Wave Connect add-on, but FreshBooks’ CSV import only supports clients, expenses, items, bank transactions, and vendors — not invoices — so past invoices need to be entered manually or moved with a third-party tool.
Does any of these include payroll for freelancers who hire subcontractors?
QuickBooks offers payroll as a paid add-on on top of any plan. Wave also offers payroll as an add-on in supported states. FreshBooks offers a payroll add-on as well, but none of the three include it in the base subscription price.
Which one has the best mobile app for invoicing on the go?
FreshBooks is generally considered the strongest for mobile invoicing and time tracking, since its app was built around letting freelancers send invoices and log billable hours from a phone.
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Photo by Lauren Mancke on Unsplash.