What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about accounting software for freelancers — measured on a rolling 4-week window across 5 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-09-17 · 40 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology
Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.
Measured by Orbatormethodology owner Henrik Tellewindow ends Sep 17, 2026
Sample: 40 AI answers · Window: Aug 20, 2026 – Sep 17, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (72 answers)
Samples by engine: GROK 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026) · GEMINI 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026) · CHATGPT 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026) · CLAUDE 8 (last run Aug 29, 2026) · PERPLEXITY 8 (last run Aug 28, 2026 — stalest)
How these numbers are made: sampling design · prompt provenance · what counts as a mention · what we cannot see
On the record: This ranking is frozen as a dated snapshot every day. View this category's history to see what entered and left the ranking and when, or read what the engines actually said on a given day.
Across 40 sampled AI answers from 5 engines, Wave is recommended most often — appearing in 77.5% of recommendations, followed by FreshBooks (77.5%) and QuickBooks (72.5%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 5 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
Orbator asked Grok, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity buyer questions about accounting software for freelancers and sampled 40 answers between Aug 20, 2026 and Sep 17, 2026. Recommendation share counts the answers that recommended or listed a product, so a passing mention or a warning adds nothing to it. A category publishes once it holds at least 20 independently sampled answers in the window. Read the full methodology or download this ranking as CSV.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | wave.com | 77.5% 95% CI 62.5–87.7% 31 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 32.3% | — | GROK 87.5%GEMINI 87.5%CHATGPT 62.5%CLAUDE 87.5%PERPLEXITY 62.5% | Claim |
| 2 | freshbooks.com | 77.5% 95% CI 62.5–87.7% 31 mentions · avg pos 5.6 first pick 12.9% | — | GROK 100%GEMINI 87.5%CHATGPT 50%CLAUDE 87.5%PERPLEXITY 62.5% | Claim |
| 3 | quickbooks.intuit.com | 72.5% 95% CI 57.2–83.9% 29 mentions · avg pos 5.2 first pick 17.2% | — | GROK 87.5%GEMINI 87.5%CHATGPT 50%CLAUDE 75%PERPLEXITY 62.5% | Claim |
| 4 | zoho.com | 52.5% 95% CI 37.5–67.1% 21 mentions · avg pos 5.4 first pick 9.5% | — | GROK 75%GEMINI 75%CHATGPT 37.5%CLAUDE 50%PERPLEXITY 25% | Claim |
| 5 | xero.com | 30% 95% CI 18.1–45.4% 12 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 0% | — | GROK 50%GEMINI 50%CLAUDE 37.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 6 | TurboTax | 27.5% 95% CI 16.1–42.8% 11 mentions · avg pos 7.8 first pick 27.3% | — | GROK 37.5%GEMINI 62.5%CHATGPT 25%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 7 | hurdlr.com | 25% 95% CI 14.2–40.2% 10 mentions · avg pos 10.8 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25%GEMINI 37.5%CHATGPT 12.5%CLAUDE 25%PERPLEXITY 25% | Claim |
| 8 | Bonsai | 20% 95% CI 10.5–34.8% 8 mentions · avg pos 7.3 first pick 0% | — | GROK 37.5%GEMINI 50%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 9 | zipbooks.com | 17.5% 95% CI 8.7–32% 7 mentions · avg pos 4.4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 50%CLAUDE 25%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 10 | waveapps.com | 15% 95% CI 7.1–29.1% 6 mentions · avg pos 3.2 first pick 33.3% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 12.5%CHATGPT 50% | Claim |
| 11 | Excel | 15% 95% CI 7.1–29.1% 6 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 50% | — | GROK 37.5%GEMINI 12.5%CHATGPT 12.5%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 12 | sheets.google.com | 12.5% 95% CI 5.5–26.1% 5 mentions · avg pos 10.6 first pick 40% | — | GROK 37.5%CHATGPT 12.5%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 13 | keepertax.com | 12.5% 95% CI 5.5–26.1% 5 mentions · avg pos 14.5 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 37.5%CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 14 | irs.gov | 10% 95% CI 4–23.1% 4 mentions · avg pos 3.3 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%CHATGPT 25%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 15 | paypal.com | 10% 95% CI 4–23.1% 4 mentions · avg pos 8.3 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25%GEMINI 25% | Claim |
| 16 | bench.co | 10% 95% CI 4–23.1% 4 mentions · avg pos 8.7 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 12.5%CLAUDE 12.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 17 | gnucash.org | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 12.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 18 | stripe.com | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25%GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 19 | akaunting.com | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 10.3 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 25% | Claim |
| 20 | expensify.com | 7.5% 95% CI 2.6–19.9% 3 mentions · avg pos 13.7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5%CLAUDE 12.5%PERPLEXITY 12.5% | Claim |
| 21 | turbotax.intuit.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 50% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 22 | bankreconciler.app | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 7.5 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25% | Claim |
| 23 | honeybook.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25% | Claim |
| 24 | invoiceninja.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%CHATGPT 12.5% | Claim |
| 25 | Manager | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 11.5 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5%GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 26 | freetaxusa.com | 5% 95% CI 1.4–16.5% 2 mentions · avg pos 18 first pick 0% | — | GROK 25% | Claim |
| 27 | Brightbook | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 28 | techradar.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 12.5% | Claim |
| 29 | EFTPS | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 30 | IRS2Go | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 7 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 31 | getharvest.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 32 | squareup.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 33 | hrblock.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 34 | taxcaster.turbotax.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 10 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 35 | TrulySmall Accounting | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 12 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 12.5% | Claim |
| 36 | forbes.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 17 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 37 | manager.io | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions · avg pos 17 first pick 0% | — | GROK 12.5% | Claim |
| 38 | Found | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
| 39 | sage.com | 2.5% 95% CI 0.4–12.9% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CLAUDE 12.5% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 40 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.
Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.
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Head-to-head pages for products ranked in Accounting software for freelancers. Each one sets out sourced facts side by side, plus which product AI assistants recommend more, engine by engine.
Every number on this page is measured from sampled answers, and those answers are kept. The archive holds dated excerpts of what each engine answered, never full answers. Read the answer archive for accounting software for freelancers to see the excerpts by date and engine, or view the ranking history to see what entered and left this ranking and when.
Across 40 sampled AI answers from 5 engines (Aug 20, 2026 to Sep 17, 2026), Wave is recommended most often for accounting software for freelancers, appearing in 77.5% of recommendations, followed by FreshBooks (77.5%). This is a measurement of what AI assistants recommend, not an editorial verdict.
ChatGPT recommends Wave most often for accounting software for freelancers. It appears as a recommendation in 62.5% of ChatGPT's sampled answers in this window (Aug 20, 2026 to Sep 17, 2026). Other engines answer differently. The per-engine breakdown in the ranking shows each one.
Orbator samples AI answers to buyer questions across 5 engines and counts how often each product is recommended. No product pays for placement. The accounting software for freelancers ranking is based on 40 answers in the current 4-week window (Aug 20, 2026 to Sep 17, 2026). Full methodology is published at https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology.
Verified facts for the most-recommended products — each sourced and dated. No editorial scoring, just the data side by side.
| Wavewave.com | FreshBooksfreshbooks.com | QuickBooksquickbooks.intuit.com | Xeroxero.com | ZipBookszipbooks.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | — | Premium: $7 a month, $70 a year ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Simple Start: $19 a month ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Established: $9 a month ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Smarter: $15 a month (free tier available) ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Features | Call our toll-free number for instant customer support ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Invoicing ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Automated bookkeeping ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Send invoices and quotes ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Bank Connect ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Platforms | — | API ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Mobile app ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | — | Mobile ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
| Integrations | — | Afterpay ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | PayPal ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Gusto ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 | Square ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026 |
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