Brandwave

FreshBooks vs Wave:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, FreshBooks had more branded searches than Wave among small business accounting software in the United States. FreshBooks had about 33,100 branded searches, while Wave had 22,200. FreshBooks made up 2.8% of all small business accounting software searches we track, and Wave accounted for 1.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about small business accounting software, both FreshBooks and Wave appeared in all five answers. Wave was mentioned before FreshBooks in three out of five answers.

Among small business accounting software in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

FreshBooks, about 49% more searches than Wave

FreshBooks 33.1K searchesWave 22.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

FreshBooks in 5 of 5Wave in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Wave, named ahead of FreshBooks in 3 of 5 answers

Wave first in 3FreshBooks first in 2

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Top small business accounting software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both FreshBooks and Wave showed up in all five answers. Wave was listed before FreshBooks in three of them.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. QuickBooks Online1st
  2. Wave2nd
  3. Xero3rd
  4. FreshBooks4th
  5. Zoho Books5th
  6. Sage Accounting6th
  7. ZipBooks–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • FreshBooks5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Wave5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • QuickBooks Online4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Xero4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Zoho Books4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sage Accounting1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • ZipBooks0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about small business accounting software

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 27, 2026.

Is FreshBooks or Wave more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for FreshBooks and Wave by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven small business accounting software we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

FreshBooks and Wave among small business accounting software in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for FreshBooks, Wave. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthQuickBooks OnlineXeroFreshBooksZoho BooksWaveSage AccountingZipBooks
Oct 202582.9%7.5%4.1%2.2%2.7%0.2%0.36%
Nov 202581.2%8.9%4%2.7%2.7%0.19%0.36%
Dec 202580.7%8.9%4%2.7%3.2%0.19%0.35%
Jan 202680.1%8.8%4%2.7%4%0.19%0.35%
Feb 202683.6%7.6%2.8%2.8%2.8%0.2%0.3%
Mar 202683.6%7.6%2.8%2.8%2.8%0.2%0.3%
Apr 202683.7%7.6%2.8%2.8%2.8%0.16%0.3%
May 202682.7%9.1%2.7%2.7%2.2%0.19%0.29%
Jun 202682.6%7.4%4.1%2.7%2.7%0.24%0.19%
Jul 202684.9%7.7%2.8%2.3%1.9%0.2%0.16%
Aug 202685.4%7.7%2.3%2.3%1.9%0.16%0.2%
Sep 202685%7.7%2.8%2.3%1.9%0.16%0.16%

How has the FreshBooks and Wave comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States small business accounting software in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for FreshBooks in the United States fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 49.5K to 33.1K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Wave in the United States fell 32.9% over 12 measured months, from 33.1K to 22.2K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using FreshBooks’ and Wave’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

FreshBooks

1 branded search term

  • freshbooks

Wave

1 branded search term

  • wave accounting

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among small business accounting software

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