Hiveage vs Wave (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Hiveage if

• Fits if you bill fewer than 5 clients and want invoices without a subscription
• Works for freelancers who want an invoice, a timer and a payment link

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you have more than 5 clients, as the free plan stops there
• Not for you if you need bookkeeping, since there is no general ledger
• Watch out: financial reports start on Basic, team members on Pro and the API on Plus
• Pricey if you bill monthly, at $19 on Basic against $16 annually

Pick Wave if

• Fits if you're a sole trader in the US or Canada who mostly sends invoices
• Works for owners who'd pay Wave's own bookkeepers, from $149 a month, to keep the books

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if your business is outside the US or Canada
• Skip it if you bill by the hour, as there's no time tracking, projects or inventory on the listing
• Tight if you stay free, since every bank transaction is typed in by hand and card fees are 2.9% plus $0.60
• Watch out: live chat and email support need Pro or a paid add-on, and run weekdays 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern only
• Pricey if you add payroll, at $40 a month in the US plus $6 per employee and per contractor paid

Hiveage

• The free plan stops at 5 clients, and financial reports are listed only from Basic upward.
• Team members start on Pro (5) and Plus (10); Basic has none listed.
• API access is limited to the Plus plan.
• The site says it has no accounting features; it covers invoicing, not a general ledger.

Wave

• Wave describes itself as serving businesses in the US and Canada, and its pricing page shows prices only in US and Canadian dollars.
• Payroll costs $40 a month in the US plus $6 per active employee and $6 per contractor paid (Canada: $25 CAD base).
• Bank feeds, automatic reminders and most third-party integrations need Pro; Starter has no bank import.
• Live chat and email support come only with Pro or a paid add-on, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern.

Hiveage

Invoices and estimates

Branded invoices and estimates with taxes, discounts and shipping, and estimates that clients accept online and convert to invoices.

Online payments

Clients can pay through more than a dozen gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Square and Braintree, with partial payments supported.

Recurring billing

Invoices can be scheduled daily, weekly, monthly or annually and sent automatically or after manual approval.

Time, expense and mileage tracking

Billable hours, expenses and trip mileage are logged and can be turned into invoices.

Financial reports

Reports cover income and expenses, invoice details and accounts aging, with CSV import and export of data.

Teams and multiple businesses

Pro and Plus allow team members with access levels, and the site says they can manage several businesses in one account.

Wave

Invoices and estimates

Unlimited invoices and estimates on the free plan. Pro removes Wave branding, adds reusable message templates and sends automatic late payment reminders.

Online payments

Customers pay invoices by card or bank payment once online payments are approved; deposits can be collected through estimates.

Bookkeeping and bank feeds

Unlimited bookkeeping records on every plan. Pro imports bank transactions through Plaid, then merges and categorizes them.

Receipt capture

Receipts uploaded from the mobile app, desktop or email become records by OCR. Included in Pro, or $8 a month on Starter.

Wave Payroll

Pays employees and contractors, with tax filing in all 50 US states and CRA remittances in Canada. A separate add-on.

Wave Advisors

Wave's in-house bookkeepers can keep the books for you or coach you to do them yourself, from $149 a month.

Hiveage

• Free$0

  5 clients with unlimited invoices, estimates, time and expense tracking and payment gateways.

• Basic$16

  per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)

  50 clients, plus recurring billing and financial reports.

• Pro$25

  per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)

  250 clients and 5 team members, with your own domain, email from your domain and automatic payment reminders.

• Plus$42

  per month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)

  1,000 clients and 10 team members, with API access and personalized help migrating data from other services.

Wave

• Starter$0

  Unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and records. Card payments cost 2.9% plus $0.60 each, and bank transactions are not imported automatically.

• Pro$19

  per month, billed monthly

  Bank feeds with auto-categorizing, unlimited receipt capture, late payment reminders, more users and card fees of 2.9% with no fixed fee on the first 10 a month.

• Wave Advisors$149

  per month and up

  Pro features plus a dedicated bookkeeper who keeps the books and prepares monthly financial statements. Mobile receipts are not included.

Hiveage

• Annual discount

  Save up to 17% with yearly billing

  The pricing page offers yearly billing at a lower monthly rate, for example Pro at $25 a month against $29 billed monthly.

Wave

• Annual discount

  Save $38 with annual Pro billing

  Pro costs $190 a year when billed annually, against $228 for twelve monthly payments of $19.

• Other savings

  Half off Pro for the first 3 months

  New Pro subscribers paying monthly on Wave's website pay $9.50 a month for the first three months, saving $28.50, then the listed $19 a month.

• Other savings

  Black Friday: Wave Advisors from $134 a month

  Bookkeeping plans bought from November 2 to November 30, 2026 start at $134 a month instead of $149, with up to 25% off two-year plans and $30 to $40 off coaching sessions.