FreshBooks vs QuickBooks Online vs Wave vs Xero
4 products, side by side · prices checked
FreshBooks
Consider FreshBooks if…
Best for: Canadian freelancers and service businesses that invoice clients and want accounting in CAD.
- Starting price
- From C$26 per month
- Current promo
- $1/month for your first year (Solopreneur offer)
- Category
- Accounting
- Verified
- Vendor
- www.freshbooks.com
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | C$26 | per month | Up to 5 billable clients. |
| Plus | C$42 | per month | Up to 50 billable clients; proposals and retainers. |
| Premium | C$72 | per month | Unlimited billable clients; advanced features. |
Always confirm on the vendor's pricing page before purchasing — plans and prices change.
What users report
Commonly praised
- Designed to be usable by non-accountants; ease of use is its most-cited pro.
- Customer support is repeatedly praised for responsiveness.
- Invoicing is simple and fast, including recurring invoices.
- Built-in time tracking lets freelancers log hours and convert them to invoices.
Commonly criticized
- Payment-processing fees over 3% are called high relative to alternatives.
- Reporting and customization are limited versus more advanced accounting platforms.
Summarized from user reviews on G2 and Capterra; not a PlanPrice rating.
Review scores
Scores are aggregate user ratings from third-party review sites, checked 2026-09-30. They are not PlanPrice ratings.
QuickBooks Online
Consider QuickBooks Online if…
Best for: Small businesses that want an accountant-compatible accounting platform priced in CAD.
- Starting price
- From C$30 per month
- Current promo
- 90% off for 6 months for new subscribers (as low as C$3/month on EasyStart)
- Category
- Accounting
- Verified
- Vendor
- quickbooks.intuit.com
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EasyStart | C$30 | per month | 1 user; invoicing and expense basics. |
| Essentials | C$70 | per month | 3 users; bill management and time tracking. |
| Plus | C$110 | per month | 5 users; inventory and project profitability. |
| Advanced | C$220 | per month | 25 users; advanced reporting and roles. |
Always confirm on the vendor's pricing page before purchasing — plans and prices change.
What users report
Commonly praised
- Widely considered intuitive; ease of use among its most-cited pros.
- Large integration ecosystem for payroll, payments, and industry apps.
- Cloud-based anywhere access from any device.
- Invoice creation, sending, and tracking is a core praised capability.
Commonly criticized
- Users report missing features versus expectations, especially advanced reporting and inventory.
- Pricing called too expensive, with complaints about rising subscription costs.
- Customer support frequently described as poor or hard to reach.
- Processing fees considered high; report customization has a steep learning curve.
Summarized from user reviews on G2 and Capterra; not a PlanPrice rating.
Review scores
- G2: 4/5 (3,879 reviews)
Scores are aggregate user ratings from third-party review sites, checked 2026-09-30. They are not PlanPrice ratings.
Wave
Consider Wave if…
Best for: Canadian sole proprietors and micro-businesses that want free bookkeeping and invoicing.
- Starting price
- From $0 free
- Current promo
- No public promo — standard list prices
- Category
- Accounting
- Verified
- Vendor
- www.waveapps.com
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | free | Free accounting and invoicing. |
| Pro | $19 | per month | $190/year if billed annually; receipt scanning, no ads. |
| Payments | 2.9% + 60¢ | per transaction | Online card processing rate when you accept payments through Wave. |
Always confirm on the vendor's pricing page before purchasing — plans and prices change.
What users report
Commonly praised
- Quick, easy-to-navigate interface for small-business owners.
- Recurring invoicing and automated payment reminders.
- Long-term users praise the genuinely useful free plan.
- Bank transaction syncing automates bookkeeping data entry.
Commonly criticized
- Customer support is poor — users report being unable to reach a human.
- Lacks growth features: no 1099 filing without year-round payroll, no inventory, no time tracking.
- Paid add-ons are priced high for businesses outgrowing the free tier.
Summarized from user reviews on G2 and Capterra; not a PlanPrice rating.
Review scores
- G2: 4.3/5 (328 reviews)
Scores are aggregate user ratings from third-party review sites, checked 2026-09-30. They are not PlanPrice ratings.
Xero
Consider Xero if…
Best for: Small businesses that want unlimited users and strong bank-feed reconciliation.
- Starting price
- From $25 per month
- Current promo
- No public promo — standard list prices
- Category
- Accounting
- Verified
- Vendor
- www.xero.com
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Cadence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early | $25 | per month | Unlimited users; 20 invoices/quotes and 5 bills per month; USD. |
| Growing | $55 | per month | Unlimited users; unlimited invoices and bills; USD. |
| Established | $90 | per month | Unlimited users; multi-currency and project tracking; USD. |
Always confirm on the vendor's pricing page before purchasing — plans and prices change.
What users report
Commonly praised
- Clean, easy-to-use interface with a dashboard that presents financial reports clearly.
- Bank reconciliation is heavily automated through bank feeds.
- Connects to many third-party tools including Stripe, PayPal, and payroll apps.
Commonly criticized
- Support is ticket/email-only with no phone line.
- Pricing is seen as expensive for micro-businesses.
Summarized from user reviews on G2 and Capterra; not a PlanPrice rating.
Review scores
- G2: 4.4/5 (1,832 reviews)
Scores are aggregate user ratings from third-party review sites, checked 2026-09-30. They are not PlanPrice ratings.