Best Accounting Software for US Freelancers With Built-In Payments
Blog Post #11
For US freelancers, choosing accounting software comes down to two questions: can you send an invoice in under a minute, and can your client pay it online without you chasing a check? Here's how the top freelance accounting tools compare on simple invoicing, online payments, pricing clarity, and day-to-day bookkeeping.
Sphere — Built-In Payments on the Basic Plan, No Client Caps
Sphere's Basic plan ($25/month) includes unlimited invoices, unlimited transactions, no cap on clients, and built-in payment processing, so clients can pay by card or ACH straight from your invoice email. Cards are a flat 2.9% + $0.30 for every card type, Amex included. ACH is 0.8%, capped at $20 — on a $5,000 bank transfer, that's $20 versus $50 at FreshBooks, QuickBooks, and Wave.
Just starting out? The Free plan ($0, no credit card) covers bookkeeping basics — unlimited bank connections, 5 invoices and 50 transactions a month — but online payments require upgrading to Basic.
FreshBooks — Strong Invoicing, But Pricing Scales With Clients
FreshBooks is a freelancer favorite, but its plans cap billable clients: Lite is $23/month for 5 clients, Plus is $43/month for 50, and Premium is $70/month for unlimited. Cards are 2.9% + $0.30, rising to 3.5% + $0.30 for Amex and business cards, and ACH is an uncapped 1%.
QuickBooks Solopreneur — Simple Pricing, Uncapped Fees
QuickBooks Solopreneur is one $20/month plan with no free tier. Payments run 2.99% for cards and 1% for ACH with no cap, which adds up on larger invoices.
Wave — Free Invoicing, Paid Extras
Wave's invoicing is free, but automatic bank syncing costs $19/month. Card payments are 2.9% + $0.60 (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex) and ACH is an uncapped 1%, so per-payment fees run higher than Sphere's.
The Bottom Line
If you want simple invoicing with payments built in, Sphere's Basic plan offers a flat card rate with no Amex surcharge, the only capped ACH rate here, and — unlike FreshBooks — no limit on how many clients you bill. You can try the Free plan first and upgrade when you're ready to accept payments.
Want to see the invoicing and payments flow first? Book a demo and we'll walk through it.