Accounting · head to head
Empower vs freee

freee
Accounting
Japanese integrated cloud accounting software for sole proprietors and corporations
- From
- 980/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Empower specific advisory fees not published; Form ADV consultation required; freee pricing varies significantly across multiple product categories and tiers
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Empower and freee actually diverge.
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 Empower
- Net worth tracking
- Investment tracking
- Retirement planner
- Cash flow
- 401k fee analyzer
- Bank connections
- Brokerage accounts
- SOC 2
Only in freee
Nothing recorded that Empower does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Empower
- Wealth trackingnot freee
- Retirement planningnot freee
- Investment analysisnot freee
freee
- Filing Japanese tax documents electronically each yearnot Empower
- Calculating payroll and year-end adjustments automaticallynot Empower
- Creating opening documents without visiting tax officenot Empower
- Tracking company expenses across departments centrallynot Empower
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Empower
- Specific advisory fees not published; Form ADV consultation required
- High minimum investment thresholds ($100,000 for Personal Strategy)
- Detailed fee structure available only in Form ADV documents
freee
- Pricing varies significantly across multiple product categories and tiers
- Some corporate tiers (Advance) reach ¥39,780+/month
Pricing, plan by plan
Empower
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Empower review.
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 Empower if
- You need net worth tracking.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want investment tracking.
Choose freee if
Nothing in the data separates freee from Empower on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Empower or freee better?
- Neither clearly leads. Empower 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, Empower or freee?
- Empower starts at On request and freee at 980/month.
- Does Empower or freee run on more platforms?
- Empower runs on Web, Ios, Android. freee runs on Web.
- What is Empower best used for?
- Empower is most often used for wealth tracking, retirement planning, investment analysis. Of those, wealth tracking and retirement planning are not what freee is typically brought in for.
- What can Empower do that freee cannot?
- Empower covers Net worth tracking, Investment tracking, Retirement planner, Cash flow.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Empower: Does Empower have a minimum investment requirement?
Empower's advisory services require different minimums based on service level. Personal Strategy advisory requires a minimum of $100,000 in investable assets. Private Client services require $1,000,000 or more.
Sourcefreee: 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.
SourceEmpower: How are Empower's advisory fees calculated?
Advisory fees are calculated based on the amount of assets being managed under advice. Specific fee rates are not disclosed on the homepage.
Sourcefreee: 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.
SourceEmpower: Is the high-yield cash account free?
Yes. Empower's high-yield cash account has no account fees and no minimum balance required.
Sourcefreee: 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.
SourceEmpower: Are there fees for stock and ETF trading?
Empower offers commission-free trading for stocks and ETFs with low fees.
Sourcefreee: 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.
SourceRelated pages
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- freee vs Ramp
- freee vs QuickBooks
- freee vs Airbase
- freee vs Melio
- freee vs Payoneer
- freee vs Bench
- freee vs Plaid
- freee vs Brex
- freee vs Fyle
- freee vs Microsoft Excel
- freee vs Navan
- freee vs Bill.com
- freee vs Ottimate
- freee vs Pennylane
- freee vs Recurly
- freee vs Spendbase
- freee vs TaxAct
- freee vs TaxJar
- freee vs SAP Concur
- freee vs Fiken
- freee vs Netvisor
- freee vs Invoicely
- freee vs Stigg
- freee vs Tropic
- freee vs Vena Solutions
- freee vs ADP
- freee vs Avalara
- freee vs BlackLine

