Franz vs Wavebox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Franz and Wavebox share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan, and Franz starts cheaper, at $5 a month against $8.33 a month.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Franz grades higher on value for money. Wavebox grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Franz
Desktop app that combines messengers, email and Signal in one window
Wavebox
Desktop browser that keeps many web apps and accounts signed in
Which one is for you
Pick Franz if
- Fits if you keep 3 or fewer messaging accounts and want them in one place
- Works for people who would pay $5 a month for unlimited services
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3 services and 1 workspace
- Pricey if you want hosted AI, which needs Max at $10 a month or a $4 add-on
- Watch out: on Pro and Lifetime the AI runs on your own model and your provider bills you
- Skip it if you want a phone app, as it is desktop only
Pick Wavebox if
- Fits if you're a virtual assistant or agency working across lots of client accounts
- Works for people signed in to several Gmail, Slack or Teams accounts at the same time
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, with 2 groups of 2 apps, a single extension and one dashboard
- Skip it if you want it on your phone, since no mobile app is listed
- Not for you if you want to pay month by month and see the price first, as only annual rates are shown
- Pricey if you're a team, at $150 a seat a year against $99 for Pro on your own
- Watch out: the Mac version needs macOS 12 Monterey or later
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAFranzFair | 2.2GPAWaveboxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $5 a month billed yearly, inside the category's cheaper quarter of $7. Lifetime is $199, under two years of a typical $10 a month. | CPro is $8.33 a month paid annually, $99 for the year by the help centre's reckoning, which is dead on the middle of this category. Rambox does the same job for $70 a year, Shift charges $19.99 a month, so Wavebox sits between them. The pricing page won't tell you what monthly billing costs. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free Starter plan, but only 3 services and 1 workspace, and no Smart Translate, Privacy Shield or app lock. | CBasic gives you 2 groups with 2 apps in each, one extension and one dashboard, so four apps in total. Anyone with the problem Wavebox solves is over that on the first morning. New accounts get 7 days of Pro, no card. |
| Features | COne window for many services, unified notifications, mail and AI snippets. The listing shows AI needs your own model on Pro, and hosted AI needs Max. | CIt covers its job: apps grouped in a sidebar, Spaces per client, several accounts of one service signed in together, unread badges, split panes, a tab strip per group, Chrome extensions and an AI assistant you can switch off. But keeping web apps signed in is a narrower job than a browser's. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you add each account yourself. | BNo rating on record, and not much asked of you: install the desktop app and the web apps group themselves rather like the ones on your phone, with a Mini menu listing what's new across accounts and Focus Mode to shut it all up for a while. |
| Platforms and integrations | CDesktop only: macOS, Windows and Linux. The listing names WhatsApp, Slack, Gmail, Signal, Discord and Telegram. | CDesktop only, on Mac, Windows and Linux, with no mobile app listed anywhere, so what you set up never leaves the machine. Chrome Web Store extensions work, and 20-odd come built in. The Mac build wants macOS 12 or later. |
| Best for | messengers and email in one desktop window | staying signed in to many accounts at once |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Franz and Wavebox. How we grade
Price against what you get
Franz starts at $5 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wavebox starts at $8.33 a month and scores 2.3.
Wavebox scores higher, and starts $3.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other browsers on the chart, 26 score higher than Franz for less, and 17 score higher than Wavebox for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Franz can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Franz also covers email client.
- Wavebox also covers web browser.
At a glance
| Franz | Wavebox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) | $8.33 per month, paid annually (Wavebox Pro) |
| Free plan | Starter: 3 messaging services and 1 workspace, with AI that runs locally only. | Wavebox Basic: Work and Home spaces, 2 groups with 2 apps in each, 1 Chrome extension and 1 dashboard, with limited features. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of Wavebox Pro on every new account, no credit card required |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Franz App | Bookry Ltd |
| Price read from | meetfranz.com | wavebox.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Franz
- The free Starter plan stops at 3 services and 1 workspace.
- On Pro and Lifetime the AI uses your own model or provider, which bills you separately; hosted Franz Cloud AI needs Max or a $4 a month add-on.
- Each license covers one person; sharing one account between people is not allowed, and Franz for Teams manages billing for several people.
- It is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with no mobile version listed.
Wavebox
- The free Basic plan stops at 2 groups with 2 apps in each, 1 extension and 1 dashboard.
- The pricing page shows annual-billing rates only; monthly billing is offered, but its price is not listed there.
- Wavebox is a desktop browser for macOS, Windows and Linux; no mobile app is listed.
- The Mac version requires macOS 12 Monterey or later.
Key features
Franz
- One window for many services
- WhatsApp, Slack, Gmail, Signal, Discord and Telegram are among the 75+ services listed, each in its own isolated container, and any website can be added as a custom service.
- Unified notifications
- Unread badges and notifications from all services show in one place.
- Franz Mail
- A mail view with priority sorting, sender intelligence and semantic search; sender intelligence is a Max feature.
- Magic Bar
- One shortcut finds messages, services and workspaces, or asks Franz for help.
- AI assistant and snippets
- Pro uses an AI model you configure, on your provider or machine. Max adds smart snippets that fill in the person, topic and date from the open conversation.
- Privacy controls
- Privacy Shield and app lock are paid features, and 1Password autofill is listed for macOS and Windows.
Wavebox
- Apps, groups and Spaces
- Web apps sit in a sidebar and are grouped much like apps on a phone, and Spaces keep separate setups for work, home or individual clients.
- Several accounts signed in at once
- Multiple accounts of the same service, such as Gmail, Slack, Microsoft Teams or Asana, stay signed in side by side without switching browsers or profiles.
- Unread badges and notifications
- Apps show unread badges and desktop notifications, the Wavebox Mini menu lists what is new across accounts, and Focus Mode silences them for a while.
- Split screen and tab strips
- Any app or tab can be split into resizable panes, including two accounts of the same type, and every group has its own tab strip.
- AI assistant on the page
- A chosen AI engine works in the context of the current app or tab, with ready-made skills in the right-click menu and custom skills. It can be disabled.
- Chrome extensions and team setups
- Extensions install from the Chrome Web Store, with 20 or more built in. Teams can share an app setup with encrypted passwords and manage the browser remotely.
Plans
Franz
Starter$0
3 messaging services and 1 workspace; Smart Translate, Privacy Shield, app lock and snippets are not included.
Pro$5
per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
Unlimited services and workspaces, plain snippets, Smart Translate, Privacy Shield and app lock. AI runs on a model you set up, and your provider bills you. $60 billed yearly.
Max$10
per month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Everything in Pro, plus smart snippets, email sender intelligence, 50 web research runs a month and Franz Cloud AI with 5M tokens a month. $120 billed yearly.
Lifetime$199
one-time
One payment for unlimited services, workspaces and all future updates, on your own supported AI model. Shown as a launch price against $239. Franz Cloud AI costs $4 a month extra.
Wavebox
Basic$0
Work and Home spaces, 2 groups with 2 apps in each, 1 extension and one dashboard.
Wavebox Pro$8.33
per month, paid annually
For individuals: unlimited spaces, groups and apps, all extensions, cloud sync and unlimited dashboards. The help center puts the annual charge at $99.
Teams$12.50
per user / month; $150 per seat when paid annually
Everything in Pro plus Connect, shared dashboards, Wavebox Live, consolidated billing and an admin portal. Monthly billing is offered at a rate not shown.
Ways to pay less
Franz
- Annual discount
Annual billing saves $12 on Pro and $24 on Max
The pricing page shows a yearly price below twelve months at the monthly rate: Pro $60 a year, Max $120 a year.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license
A one-time $199 payment is shown as a limited launch price, returning to $239 when the launch period ends; no end date is given.
Wavebox
- Education
70% discount for education
People in full-time education or working in education can claim 70% off by starting a 7-day trial with an education email address and then emailing support.
- Nonprofit
70% discount for non-profits
Non-profit teams and people working in the non-profit sector can claim 70% off by starting a 7-day trial with a .org email address and then emailing support.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Franz or Wavebox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Franz is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $8.33 a month for Wavebox. Franz starts at $5 per month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly), and Wavebox starts at $8.33 per month, paid annually (Wavebox Pro).
Which has a free plan, Franz or Wavebox?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Franz and Wavebox have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.