Simple accounting software for US freelance developers

My pick: Wave

For a typical freelance developer—one person, a few clients, invoices, business expenses, and a Schedule C—I’d start with Wave.

Its free Starter plan includes unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records. The $19/month Pro plan adds automatic bank transaction imports, categorization, receipt capture and expense tracking.www.waveapps.com

That is basically the level of complexity you want: connect bank → categorize expenses → send invoices → periodically reconcile → give your tax preparer the reports.

When I'd choose QuickBooks instead

Choose QuickBooks Solopreneur if you particularly care about tax categorization, mileage, receipts, and self-employment tax workflows. Its free tier is quite limited—e.g. two invoices/month, two receipt uploads/month and five mileage trips/month—so you'd likely want a paid tier for serious use.quickbooks.intuit.com

When I'd choose FreshBooks

If your freelance development business revolves around hourly billing, projects, and client-facing invoicing, FreshBooks is worth the extra money. It emphasizes invoicing and project/time tracking rather than feeling like traditional accounting software.support.freshbooks.com

Bottom line:
Wave → simplest/cheapest
QuickBooks Solopreneur → best tax-oriented choice
FreshBooks → best client-billing experience

I would not pay for full QuickBooks Online, Xero, etc. unless your business is getting more complicated (employees, inventory, multiple entities, substantial accountant involvement). QuickBooks Online Simple Start currently lists at $38/month before its promotional pricing.quickbooks.intuit.com

If you tell me roughly how many clients you have, whether you bill hourly, and whether you're a sole proprietor or LLC, I can narrow this to one choice.