FreshBooks vs. Wave Accounting — What is Better for Cybersecurity

Compare FreshBooks vs Wave Accounting in cybersecurity. Discover which platform offers stronger protection for your business finances.

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Jeff Harms

Reviewed by Jeff Harms

Director, Advisory Services at OCD tech

Updated September, 18

Usability & Integration: FreshBooks vs Wave Accounting

Discover how FreshBooks and Wave Accounting compare on usability and integration for business productivity.

FreshBooks Usability and Integration for Business

FreshBooks offers a highly intuitive user experience that simultaneously emphasizes cybersecurity best practices, incorporating features like MFA prompts, secure logins, and role-based access to facilitate ease of use for employees while ensuring robust protection. Administration and setup are pragmatic and streamlined, with security configurations such as conditional access policies and encryption defaults accessible through a clear dashboard, making it simple to enforce comprehensive security measures. The platform integrates seamlessly with essential tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack/Teams, CRM systems, SSO solutions, and various APIs, thereby ensuring that these connections do not create security vulnerabilities and support smooth automation workflows. Additionally, users benefit from practical migration, data portability, and secure mobile/desktop access, rendering FreshBooks a leading secure cloud accounting solution for modern businesses.

Wave Accounting Usability and Integration for Business

Wave Accounting presents an intuitive interface that ensures employees enjoy a seamless experience while still benefiting from stringent cybersecurity best practices such as MFA prompts, secure logins, and role-based access controls. Its administration and setup processes are straightforward, allowing IT teams to efficiently manage security configurations like conditional access policies and encryption defaults without complex overhead. The platform integrates smoothly with widely used tools including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack/Teams, and various CRMs along with robust SSO, APIs, and automation tools, ensuring that no security gaps are introduced during data exchange. Additionally, practical considerations such as secure data migration, reliable data portability, and secure mobile/desktop access further reinforce Wave Accounting as a secure, user-friendly solution that aligns with modern cybersecurity and IT integration needs.

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Security and Compliance: FreshBooks vs Wave Accounting

See how FreshBooks and Wave Accounting compare on security and compliance, including data protection, regulations, and business trust.

FreshBooks

Data Security & Encryption

FreshBooks employs robust data protection measures by using advanced encryption protocols to safeguard sensitive financial records both at rest and in transit. The platform’s encryption ensures that data remains unreadable to unauthorized parties, thereby reducing the risk of data breaches. By implementing industry-standard encryption, FreshBooks maintains a high level of security for all client information.

Wave Accounting

Data Security & Encryption

Wave Accounting employs industry-standard encryption protocols to secure data both in transit and at rest, ensuring that sensitive financial information is protected from unauthorized access. The robust encryption measures minimize the risk of data breaches and maintain integrity across network channels. These practices are essential for safeguarding client data in a constantly evolving threat landscape.

FreshBooks

Authentication & Access Control

FreshBooks enforces strict authentication and access control policies that limit access to critical data through multi-factor authentication and role-based permissions. This approach guarantees that only authorized users can view or modify sensitive information, thereby mitigating potential insider threats. The platform’s authentication mechanisms are continuously updated to protect against evolving security challenges.

Wave Accounting

Authentication & Access Control

Wave Accounting enforces multi-factor authentication and role-based access control to ensure that only authorized users can access sensitive areas of the platform. This approach limits the potential for unauthorized credential use and narrows the attack surface. The strong authentication measures provide an additional layer of security fundamental for preserving user trust.

FreshBooks

Compliance & Certifications

FreshBooks adheres to comprehensive regulatory compliance and certification standards to meet legal and industry-specific requirements such as GDPR and PCI-DSS. Compliance with these standards is crucial for protecting customer data and ensuring trust among users. Regular audits and updates help FreshBooks stay aligned with current regulatory frameworks and certification benchmarks.

Wave Accounting

Compliance & Certifications

Wave Accounting aligns its practices with global regulatory compliance requirements, including GDPR and other relevant standards, ensuring that data handling meets rigorous legal benchmarks. Regular audits and certifications provide transparency and validate the platform’s commitment to maintaining high security standards. This regulatory adherence not only builds customer confidence but also minimizes legal and compliance risks.

FreshBooks

Incident Response & Reliability

FreshBooks maintains a proactive stance on incident response and risk management by employing strategies designed to quickly detect, contain, and remediate security incidents. The defined processes ensure that risks are assessed and managed continuously, which minimizes downtime and limits potential impacts. Ongoing monitoring and incident preparedness exercises enable FreshBooks to effectively safeguard user data in the event of a security threat.

Wave Accounting

Incident Response & Reliability

Wave Accounting has implemented a proactive incident response framework that includes detailed risk management strategies to rapidly detect, analyze, and remediate security threats. The structured response protocols enable timely communication and effective mitigation of incidents, thereby protecting financial data and system integrity. Regular monitoring and risk assessments further strengthen the resilience of the platform against emerging cyber threats.

Cost and Value: FreshBooks vs Wave Accounting

Compare the cost and value of FreshBooks and Wave Accounting to see which offers better pricing, affordability, and long-term benefits.

FreshBooks offers a subscription-based pricing model with licensing fees generally ranging from $15 to $50 per month depending on the tier, so business owners can choose a level that fits their needs while paying only for the features they require. It is important to factor in hidden costs such as initial setup, staff training, and additional security add-ons like multi-factor authentication; even a modest training or configuration cost of $200 can be an upfront investment toward improved data protection and compliance.

Investing in robust cybersecurity features can lead to significant long-term savings, as preventing a data breach with costs that can exceed $4M is crucial for business sustainability. The enhanced security measures in FreshBooks, such as built-in encryption and continuous monitoring, contribute to a strong overall return on investment by reducing the risk of expensive compliance fines and unplanned downtime—making it a smart and economical solution for mitigating cyber threats.

Wave Accounting presents a compelling proposition from a cybersecurity perspective, with its **licensing and subscription costs** typically ranging from **free for core features** up to **approximately $70 per month** for premium add-ons. Users should be mindful of **hidden costs** such as system setup, employee training, and necessary security add-ons that might be required to ensure compliance and data protection.

When weighing investments, the platform’s robust security features contribute to potential savings by mitigating risks—consider that an average **data breach cost can exceed $4M** according to industry studies, making strong built-in encryption and monitoring not only effective but also cost-saving over time. The **overall return on investment** from Wave Accounting, especially regarding its cybersecurity framework, can be substantial, as reducing downtime and preventing non-compliance fines helps safeguard both the financial and operational stability of a business.

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Final Recommendation: FreshBooks vs Wave Accounting for Cybersecurity

 

Final Recommendation

 

In our analysis, FreshBooks stands out for its intuitive user interface and robust integration capabilities, making it ideal for service-based small to medium enterprises looking to streamline their project management alongside financial tasks. Wave Accounting shines with its free pricing model and straightforward financial reporting, which is especially beneficial for startups and small businesses managing tight budgets. Both platforms exhibit strong security and compliance standards, ensuring that cybersecurity requirements are met effectively. When comparing FreshBooks vs Wave Accounting for cybersecurity, it becomes clear that the choice hinges on whether a business prioritizes advanced features and scalability over minimal financial overhead. Enterprises seeking a versatile and feature-rich tool may find FreshBooks more appealing, while those requiring basic functionality without additional costs might lean towards Wave Accounting. Ultimately, careful consideration of business priorities and budget constraints should guide the decision-making process. This balanced evaluation underscores the strengths of each platform, allowing businesses to choose the solution that best aligns with their operational and cybersecurity needs.

 

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Read How to Enable MFA on these tools

Enabling MFA is one of the most effective ways to strengthen account security. We’ll walk through how to turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA), making it clear which steps are required and how the user experience compares across the two tools.

How to enable 2FA/MFA on a FreshBooks account?

Learn how to enable 2FA/MFA on your FreshBooks account for stronger security. Step-by-step guide to protect your financial data with two-factor authentication.

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IT Audit | Cybersecurity | IT Assurance | IT Security Consultants – OCD Tech is a technology consulting firm serving the IT security and consulting needs of businesses in Boston (MA), Braintree (MA) and across New England. We primarily serve Fortune 500 companies including auto dealers, financial institutions, higher education, government contractors, and not-for-profit organizations with SOC 2 reporting, CMMC readiness, IT Security Audits, Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessments. We also provide dark web monitoring, DFARS compliance, and IT general controls review.

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