Wave Accounting

Accounting, invoicing, and payroll management platform

About Wave Accounting

Wave is a fully integrated solution designed for small businesses with 9 employees or less. With our total focus on small business owners, you’ll never have to navigate inflated or cluttered to find what you need, right now. With an easy to navigate interface and single login, it’s never been easier to find what you need, when you need it.
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Use the 100% free accounting tools in Wave to gain the insights you need, without the legwork. With our automatic bank connections, your information flows seamlessly into Wave, without the manual entry. And even though it’s easy to navigate and understand, it’s still a real, double-entry application. Collaborate with your accountant or bookkeeper in real-time, and save both of you time!
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Use Wave’s invoicing tools to collect your money faster. Choose the template that best reflects your business, load your own logo, and choose a color for your invoices. Email invoices right from Wave, and collect credit card payments through our payment processing. Use Wave’s invoicing tools to stay professional, get paid faster, and keep track of where your money is.
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Everyone loves getting paid, but no one likes running payroll. Now, use Wave’s Payroll tools in America and Canada to take the headaches out of running your payroll. With guaranteed accuracy, direct deposit and employee self-service all included, at $5 per employee per month or less it’s never been more affordable for your employees to get paid.
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Use Wave’s personal finance tools to gain better insights into where your money goes. With simple budgeting tools, real time investment tracking, and more, Wave’s personal tools are the best way to master your personal finances.

Pricing starting from:

Not provided by vendor

  • Free Version
  • Free Trial
  • Subscription

Top 5 alternatives to Wave Accounting

Key benefits of Wave Accounting

Wave is 100% focused on the real small business owners, with nine employees or less. That means you’ll never see cluttered, complicated software that you can’t navigate, never mind understand.



What you will see is all the tools you need to gain better insights into your personal and business finances, all with one login. Whether it’s invoicing, payroll, or personal investment tracking, the days of multiple logins are in the past. And with free accounting and invoicing tools and totally affordable payroll, getting organized has never been more affordable.



Get paid faster, gain insights into your businesses financial health, know where your money goes and pay your employees, all with Wave.

Typical Customers

  • Freelancers
  • Small Businesses (2-50)
  • Mid-size Companies (51-500)
  • Large enterprises (500 and more)

Deployment

  • Cloud-based
  • On-premise

Markets

Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India and 3 others

Supported Languages

English

Pricing starting from:

Not provided by vendor

  • Free Version
  • Free Trial
  • Subscription

Top 5 alternatives to Wave Accounting

Images

Wave Accounting Software - Wave Dashboard
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Accounting
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Invoice Creation
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Invoice Schedule
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Invoice List
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Payments
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Wave Accounting video
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Dashboard
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Accounting
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Invoice Creation
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Invoice Schedule
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Invoice List
Wave Accounting Software - Wave Payments

Features

Total features of Wave Accounting: 76

  • ACH Payment Processing
  • Access Controls/Permissions
  • Account Reconciliation
  • Accounting Integration
  • Accounting Software
  • Accounts Payable Software
  • Accounts Receivable Software
  • Activity Dashboard
  • Activity Tracking
  • Alerts/Notifications
  • Automatic Billing
  • Bank Reconciliation
  • Billing & Invoicing
  • Budgeting/Forecasting
  • CPA Firms
  • Cash Flow Management
  • Cash Management
  • Collaboration Tools
  • Commission Management
  • Core Accounting
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Customer Statements
  • Customizable Branding
  • Customizable Templates
  • Data Import/Export
  • Data Security
  • Electronic Payments
  • Email Reminders
  • Estimating
  • Expense Tracking
  • Financial Analysis
  • Financial Management Software
  • Financial Reporting Software
  • Fixed Asset Management Software
  • For Government
  • For Real Estate
  • For Religious Organizations
  • For Small Businesses
  • Fund Accounting Software
  • General Ledger
  • Income & Balance Sheet
  • Inventory Management Software
  • Invoice Creation
  • Invoice History
  • Invoice Management
  • Invoice Processing
  • Mobile App
  • Multi-Currency
  • Nonprofits
  • Online Invoicing
  • PCI Compliance Software
  • Partial Payments
  • Payroll Management
  • Profit/Loss Statement
  • Project Accounting Software
  • Purchase Order Management
  • Real Time Notifications
  • Real-time Updates
  • Receipt Management
  • Receivables Ledger
  • Recurring Invoicing
  • Recurring/Subscription Billing
  • Reminders
  • Remote Access/Control
  • Reporting & Statistics
  • Reporting/Analytics
  • Revenue Recognition
  • SSL Security
  • Sales Tax Management
  • Spend Management Software
  • Status Tracking
  • Tax Management Software
  • Third Party Integrations
  • Time & Expense Tracking
  • Transaction History
  • Transaction Management

Alternatives

Kashoo

4.5
#1 Alternative to Wave Accounting
Kashoo is simple cloud accounting for small business owners who want the control and simplicity of doing their own...

AccountEdge

4.3
#2 Alternative to Wave Accounting
AccountingEdge Pro is an accounting and bookkeeping software that helps small businesses manage operations related to...

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise

4.5
#3 Alternative to Wave Accounting
QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise is an accounting software for small businesses which provides users with real-time access...

Zoho Expense

4.6
#4 Alternative to Wave Accounting
Zoho Expense has powerful features to manage business travel and booking, tighten control on spend, and customize and...

Reviews

Overall rating

4.4 /5
(1,399)
Value for Money
4.7/5
Features
4.2/5
Ease of Use
4.5/5
Customer Support Software
4.1/5

Already have Wave Accounting?

Software buyers need your help! Product reviews help the rest of us make great decisions.

Showing 5 reviews of 1,399
Proinsias
Overall rating
  • Industry: Online Media
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support Software
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Wave Accounting is great for a Startup Business

Reviewed on 03/03/2021

I was very happy with the invoicing, payments, and the Design and functionality. I was able to...

I was very happy with the invoicing, payments, and the Design and functionality. I was able to search past transactions very easily. I did not pay for premium support, but the support that I recieve is excellent.

Pros

It was free to use the accounting services
I was able to invoice customers using Stripe as a Payment Gateway which was great value
The Design and User Interface is very professional compared to others that I have seen
The Payment Gateway was also very professional when sent to customers, it added to the credibility of the business

Cons

My particular Bank would not allow me to sync my account with Wave, but that was a local issue not a general issue.
I was very very happy with the invoicing. but I always felt that the ledger views were not as robust.

Alternatives Considered

Sage 100 and Zoho Expense

Reasons for Choosing Wave Accounting

The functionality that I really needed was free and I was very happy with that.

Switched From

Sage 100 and Zoho Expense

Reasons for Switching to Wave Accounting

It was really cost, efficiency, and user interface. It looked good from the customer side and that was important for me.
Thierno Sadou
Overall rating
  • Industry: Human Resources
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support Software
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Wave Accounting Reviews: Simple and Effective Online Accounting Software for Small Businesses

Reviewed on 15/02/2023

Overall, Wave Accounting is a solid, free, and easy-to-use online accounting software for small...

Overall, Wave Accounting is a solid, free, and easy-to-use online accounting software for small businesses. It offers a full suite of features for managing accounting, including invoicing, payroll, expense and income tracking, and detailed financial reporting. The advantages of the software are its freeness, its ease of use, its completeness, its availability everywhere and its integration with third-party tools.However, there are drawbacks such as limited customer support, limited payroll management, limited document customization, no automatic bank reconciliation, and the presence of advertisements in the software. These limitations may not be suitable for all businesses, but they can be outweighed by the benefits of the software.Overall, Wave Accounting is a great choice for small businesses looking for free, full-featured accounting software with a user-friendly and intuitive interface. However, businesses that have more complex needs or require more customer support may need to seek a more advanced solution.

Pros

Wave Accounting is a great choice for small businesses looking for free, easy-to-use, and comprehensive accounting software. Here are some of its benefits:Free: Wave Accounting is free software, which is a big plus for small businesses looking to save money.Easy to use: the software is easy to use and does not require special accounting skills. The platform is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy to manage your finances.Comprehensive: Wave Accounting offers a full suite of features for managing accounting, including invoicing, payroll, expense and income tracking, and detailed financial reporting.Accessible anywhere: Wave Accounting is a cloud-based solution, which means you can access it anywhere with an internet connection.Integration with third parties: The software is integrated with many third-party tools such as PayPal, Shoeboxed, Etsy and many more, which makes it easier to manage your business.All in all, Wave Accounting is a great choice for small businesses looking for free, easy-to-use, and comprehensive accounting software.

Cons

Although Wave Accounting is a good choice for small businesses, there are some points that can be problematic for some businesses. Here are some of its drawbacks:Limited customer support: Wave Accounting offers email-only customer support, which can be a problem for businesses that need immediate assistance.Limitations in payroll management: Payroll management in Wave Accounting is limited to certain regions, which may not be suitable for companies that have employees in different regions or countries.Limited customization: Invoices and quotes in Wave Accounting are not very customizable, which can be a problem for companies that want to customize their documents to make them look more professional.No automatic bank reconciliation: Wave Accounting does not allow automatic bank reconciliation, which can be a cumbersome task for companies that have many transactions to manage.Advertising in the software: Wave Accounting displays advertisements in the software, which can be a distraction for some users.In sum, although Wave Accounting is free and easy to use accounting software, it has some limitations that may not be suitable for all businesses, including limited customer support, limited payroll management, limited document customization , the absence of automatic bank reconciliation and the presence of advertisements in the software.

Natascia
Overall rating
  • Industry: Writing & Editing
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Monthly for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support Software
  • Likelihood to recommend 3.0 /10

Overcomplicated System

Reviewed on 03/03/2023

I use this system for payments and find it overcomplicated. The customer service is slow and this...

I use this system for payments and find it overcomplicated. The customer service is slow and this makes it more frustrating.

Pros

I like how I can track my payments and it is easy to do so.

Cons

I don't like how the system is so complicated and needs a ton of information for payment processing. It can be very difficult to figure out or explain to someone. There is not great customer service either.

Jeremy
Overall rating
  • Industry: Media Production
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support Software
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Wave Accounting: Unmatched Free Invoicing and Accounting

Reviewed on 20/12/2022

I've been using Wave Accounting for almost a decade now, and I cannot imagine using anything else....

I've been using Wave Accounting for almost a decade now, and I cannot imagine using anything else. Wave Accounting meets all of my professional needs at the free tier, but I would be happy to pay for this invaluable software.

Pros

Wave Accounting allows you to easily design and send beautiful branded invoices that tell your clients "I'm a professional!" Everything is handled online, and the app works exactly as well as the desktop version. Oh: and did I mention you get everything you need for free? This is truly stellar software.

Cons

For some reason, Wave Accounting hides the invoice title in an accordion drop-down. For years I sent invoices named "Invoice 24...", until I found this one day.

Alternatives Considered

Invoiced

Reasons for Choosing Wave Accounting

Better interface and mobile support with Wave Accounting.

Switched From

Zoho Invoice

Reasons for Switching to Wave Accounting

I preferred the user experience with Wave Accounting.
Melanie
Overall rating
  • Industry: Professional Training & Coaching
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Weekly for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support Software
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Makes my life easier

Reviewed on 13/01/2023

Overall a fantastic experience and the software makes my business life easier.

Overall a fantastic experience and the software makes my business life easier.

Pros

I love Wave. It makes custom invoices very easy. They are easy to send, easy to create and it is easy to get paid online. Accounting reports are easy to create and easy to understand.

Cons

I used to have bank accounts and credit card accounts linked so they would automatically sync. Due to constantly changing security settings, I now have to manually export and then import the data. It all still works, but not as seamlessly as it used to.

Showing 5 reviews of 1,399 Read all reviews

Wave Accounting FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions for Wave Accounting.

Wave Accounting offers the following pricing plans:

  • Starting from:
  • Pricing model: Free Version, Subscription
  • Free Trial: Available

Accounting & Invoicing - Free Receipt Management - Free Credit card processing - $0.30 + 2.9% per transaction Bank payment/ACH processing - 1% per transaction ($1 minimum fee) Payroll (tax service states): $35/month base fee + $4/active employee + $4/independent contractor paid Payroll (self service states): $20/month base fee + $4/active employee + $4/independent contractor paid

Wave Accounting has the following typical customers:

Self Employed, 2–10, 11–50, 51–200

Wave Accounting supports the following languages:

English

Wave Accounting supports the following devices:

Android (Mobile), iPhone (Mobile)

Wave Accounting integrates with the following applications:

Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, PayPal, Shoeboxed, Zapier

Wave Accounting offers the following support options:

Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base Software, Chat

Related categories

See all software categories found for Wave Accounting.