Softwr

Accounting · head to head

freee vs Orb

freee logo

freee

Accounting

Japanese integrated cloud accounting software for sole proprietors and corporations

From
980/month
Rated
-
Orb logo

Orb

Accounting

Revenue design platform automating usage-based billing and pricing strategy

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: freee pricing varies significantly across multiple product categories and tiers; Orb custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which freee and Orb actually diverge.

Attributes where freee and Orb differ
AttributefreeeOrb
Starting price980/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionCustom pricing based on billing volume and events
PlatformsWebWeb, API

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 freee

Nothing recorded that Orb does not also cover.

Only in Orb

  • Usage metering
  • Automated billing
  • Pricing modeling
  • Revenue recognition
  • Spend controls
  • Pricing calculator
  • NetSuite integration
  • Data warehouse sync

What people use each for

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

freee

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

Orb

  • Implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providersnot freee
  • Modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launchnot freee
  • Automating revenue recognition for financial reportingnot freee
  • Managing complex hybrid pricing (seats plus usage) at scalenot freee
  • Providing customers real-time spend controls and usage visibilitynot freee

Where each one falls short

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

freee

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

Orb

  • Custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing
  • Pricing based on both events and billing volume adds complexity to cost estimation
  • Enterprise-focused positioning may be overkill for simple subscription use cases
  • Requires integration with existing accounting systems for full value
  • Limited information on free tier or trial availability

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Orb

On request
  • Core$undefined/custom
    • Real-time event ingestion (up to 250K+ events/second)
    • Real-time alerting
    • Hybrid and usage-based billing
  • Advanced$undefined/custom
    • All Core features
    • Data warehouse sync
    • Salesforce integration
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • All Advanced features
    • Enterprise-grade SLAs
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose freee if

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

Choose Orb if

  • You need usage metering.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want automated billing.

Questions people ask

Is freee or Orb better?
Neither clearly leads. freee starts at 980/month and Orb at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, freee or Orb?
freee starts at 980/month and Orb at On request.
Does freee or Orb run on more platforms?
freee runs on Web. Orb runs on Web, API.
What is freee best used for?
freee is most often used for filing japanese tax documents electronically each year, calculating payroll and year-end adjustments automatically, creating opening documents without visiting tax office, tracking company expenses across departments centrally. Of those, filing japanese tax documents electronically each year and calculating payroll and year-end adjustments automatically are not what Orb is typically brought in for.
What can freee do that Orb cannot?
Orb covers Usage metering, Automated billing, Pricing modeling, Revenue recognition.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Orb: How does Orb pricing work?

Orb uses custom pricing based on your billing volume (total value of invoices) and events (raw data records ingested). Specific costs must be discussed with their sales team.

Source
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
Orb: What is the difference between Core, Advanced, and Enterprise plans?

Core includes event ingestion and basic billing automation. Advanced adds data warehouse sync and Salesforce/NetSuite integrations. Enterprise adds SLAs, dedicated support, and mission-critical guarantees.

Source
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
Orb: Can Orb handle hybrid pricing models?

Yes. Orb supports hybrid pricing combining seat-based, usage-based, and flat-rate components, making it suitable for complex monetization strategies.

Source
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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