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Accounting · head to head

Basware vs freee

Basware logo

Basware

Accounting

Invoice automation and e-invoicing compliance across a large number of national mandates

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
freee logo

freee

Accounting

Japanese integrated cloud accounting software for sole proprietors and corporations

From
980/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Basware the e-invoicing compliance breadth that justifies the price is worthless to a company operating in a single country, where cheaper AP automation tools will do the same work.; freee pricing varies significantly across multiple product categories and tiers
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basware and freee actually diverge.

Attributes where Basware and freee differ
AttributeBaswarefreee
Starting priceOn request980/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Accounting).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Basware

  • Invoice capture
  • Matching
  • Approval workflow
  • E-invoicing compliance
  • Supplier network
  • Payment execution
  • Spend analytics
  • ERP integration

Only in freee

Nothing recorded that Basware does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Basware

  • A multinational needing compliant electronic invoicing across Italy, Poland, France and Mexico without building each mandate itselfnot freee
  • A shared service centre processing hundreds of thousands of invoices a year that needs touchless processing rates measured and improvednot freee
  • A group standardising accounts payable across subsidiaries running different ERP systemsnot freee
  • A finance function trying to capture early payment discounts that are currently lost to slow approval cyclesnot freee

freee

  • Filing Japanese tax documents electronically each yearnot Basware
  • Calculating payroll and year-end adjustments automaticallynot Basware
  • Creating opening documents without visiting tax officenot Basware
  • Tracking company expenses across departments centrallynot Basware

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Basware

  • The e-invoicing compliance breadth that justifies the price is worthless to a company operating in a single country, where cheaper AP automation tools will do the same work.
  • Implementation is a substantial integration project involving ERP connectors, supplier onboarding and country-by-country compliance configuration, and it is priced and timed accordingly.
  • The user interface is dated next to newer accounts payable products, and approvers outside finance find it unintuitive, which slows the very cycle times the system is bought to improve.
  • Supplier onboarding onto the network is the hidden effort: the touchless processing rate depends on how many suppliers actually send electronic invoices, and that is a change management programme, not a software setting.
  • Growth by acquisition, including Glantus, has left overlapping analytics capability and integration work still in progress, so buyers should check which components share a data model today.

freee

  • Pricing varies significantly across multiple product categories and tiers
  • Some corporate tiers (Advance) reach ¥39,780+/month

Pricing, plan by plan

Basware

On request
  • Basware$undefined/year
    • Invoice automation, matching and approval
    • E-invoicing compliance across national mandates
    • Supplier network connectivity

freee

980/month
  • freee會計 Starter$980/month
    • Individual business owner accounting tier
  • freee會計 Corporate Solo$2980/month
    • Corporate accounting tier
  • freee人事労務$400/month per employee
    • HR and payroll module per-employee pricing
  • freee勤怠管理$300/month per employee
    • Attendance tracking per-employee

Which should you pick?

Choose Basware if

  • You need invoice capture.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want matching.
Basware review

Choose freee if

Nothing in the data separates freee from Basware on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

freee review

Questions people ask

Is Basware or freee better?
Neither clearly leads. Basware starts at On request and freee at 980/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basware or freee?
Basware starts at On request and freee at 980/month.
Does Basware or freee run on more platforms?
Basware runs on Web, iOS, Android. freee runs on Web.
What is Basware best used for?
Basware is most often used for a multinational needing compliant electronic invoicing across italy, poland, france and mexico without building each mandate itself, a shared service centre processing hundreds of thousands of invoices a year that needs touchless processing rates measured and improved, a group standardising accounts payable across subsidiaries running different erp systems, a finance function trying to capture early payment discounts that are currently lost to slow approval cycles. Of those, a multinational needing compliant electronic invoicing across italy, poland, france and mexico without building each mandate itself and a shared service centre processing hundreds of thousands of invoices a year that needs touchless processing rates measured and improved are not what freee is typically brought in for.
What can Basware do that freee cannot?
Basware covers Invoice capture, Matching, Approval workflow, E-invoicing compliance.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Basware: Should we buy Basware if we only operate in one country?

Probably not. Its main advantage is multi-country e-invoicing compliance. In a single jurisdiction, cheaper AP automation gives you the same result.

freee: What is freee's accounting software pricing?

Individual business owners start at ¥980/month for Starter, while corporate accounting begins at ¥2,980/month for Solo Corp, with prices extending to ¥39,780+/month for Advance plans.

Source
Basware: Does it handle mandatory e-invoicing regimes?

Yes, and that is the core reason to choose it. It covers a wide set of national mandates as a service rather than an integration project you run yourself.

freee: Does freee charge per employee for HR and payroll?

Yes, freee人事労務 (HR/Payroll) costs ¥400-¥1,100 per employee per month, and freee勤怠管理 (Attendance) costs ¥300 per employee per month.

Source
Basware: What drives the price?

Invoice volume, number of countries and modules. It is quoted, and implementation with ERP connectors and supplier onboarding is separate.

freee: Are there free freee products?

Several freee products are completely free, including freee開業 (Business Opening), freee請求書 (Invoicing), freeeカード (Card), and certain features like payroll rules creation.

Source
Basware: What determines the return?

The share of invoices arriving electronically. Touchless rates depend on supplier adoption, so budget for a supplier onboarding programme, not just the software.

freee: Does freee offer a free trial?

Freee offers a 30-day free trial for its accounting software and provides annual payment discounts on most plans.

Source
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