Invoicing, time tracking, and expense management built specifically for service-based freelancers — at a price that reflects the polish.
FreshBooks is designed for freelancers and small service businesses, and that focus shows in the product. The interface is cleaner and more intuitive than most accounting software, which tends to be built for accountants rather than the people actually running the business. Setting up an account, creating your first invoice, and getting paid can happen within an hour — there's no steep learning curve.
The core workflow — track time, convert to invoice, send to client, get paid — is handled smoothly. If you bill by the hour, FreshBooks is particularly well-suited: you can run timers directly in the app, assign time to specific clients and projects, and then generate an invoice that automatically pulls in all tracked time for a billing period. This eliminates the manual step of calculating hours and reduces the chance of billing errors.
FreshBooks starts at around $17/month for the Lite plan, which covers up to 5 billable clients. The Plus plan (around $30/month) raises this to 50 clients and adds features like proposals and recurring billing. The Premium plan removes client limits and adds more advanced reporting. Prices are often discounted for the first several months for new subscribers.
The client limit on lower tiers is the most significant constraint for growing freelancers. If you have more than 5 active clients, you'll need to upgrade from the entry plan. For freelancers with a small number of ongoing retainer clients, the Lite plan may be sufficient. For those with a larger, more varied client base, the Plus plan is more realistic.
FreshBooks includes a client portal where clients can log in to view their invoices, make payments, and see project history. This is a feature Wave doesn't offer, and it adds a layer of professionalism to client interactions. Rather than clients hunting through their email for invoice PDFs, they have a dedicated place to manage their account with you. For freelancers working with repeat clients on ongoing projects, this reduces administrative back-and-forth.
Expense categorization in FreshBooks is straightforward — you can connect bank accounts and credit cards, and transactions are imported automatically. The mobile app lets you photograph receipts and attach them to expense entries, which is useful for keeping records organized throughout the year rather than scrambling at tax time.
The mobile app is one of FreshBooks' stronger points. It's well-designed and covers the core tasks — logging time, sending invoices, recording expenses — without feeling like a stripped-down version of the desktop product. For freelancers who work across devices or need to invoice on the go, the app holds up well.
The honest comparison: if your invoicing needs are simple and you're comfortable with a less polished interface, Wave's free tier covers the basics. If you bill by the hour, have multiple active clients, want a client portal, or value a more refined experience, FreshBooks justifies the monthly cost. The time tracking integration alone can save enough administrative time to offset the subscription fee for hourly freelancers.