Patriot Accounting vs Wave
We give Patriot Accounting a 2.0 GPA and Wave a 2.4, out of 4.0. Wave grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Patriot Accounting
Low-cost US small business accounting that pairs with Patriot Payroll
Wave
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAPatriot AccountingFair | 2.4GPAWaveFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $20 a month once the 3 months at $10 are over, between the cheaper quarter of accounting tools at $15 and the middle at $23. Users and invoices are unlimited, but estimates and recurring invoices take you to Premium at $30. | CPro is $19 a month, or $190 a year, between the cheaper quarter of accounting tools at $15 and the middle at $23. It buys bank feeds, receipt capture, late reminders and lower card fees. Fair, not a steal. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 30-day free trial, and the listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. There's no free plan, and the 3 months at half price after it is a discount, not more free time. | BStarter is free with unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records, plus a dashboard and reports. One person could live on that. The catch is typing in bank transactions by hand, because bank feeds need Pro. |
| Features | CInvoices paid by card, Apple Pay or ACH, bank imports and reconciliation, cash and accrual views side by side, checks, 1099s and payroll that posts itself. But estimates and repeat invoices need Premium, and the listing shows no time tracking, projects or inventory. | CInvoices, online payments, bookkeeping, bank feeds, receipt scanning and payroll as an add-on. The basics are there, but the listing shows no time tracking, projects or inventory, and Wave serves only US and Canadian businesses. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and no app. There are bank and card accounts to connect and statements to reconcile each month before the books look after themselves. | C4.37 from 6,664 App Store ratings, which is decent but below most accounting apps here. Live chat and email support come only with Pro or a paid add-on, on weekdays. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only: Patriot says its site is built to work in a phone browser instead of an app. Stripe is the only outside connection on the listing, beside bank imports and its own payroll. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with connections to Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Google Sheets, Capsule CRM and Make. Most third-party integrations need Pro, and there's no desktop app. |
| Best for | low-cost US books with payroll from the same company | free invoicing and books in the US or Canada |
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: Patriot Accounting and Wave. How we grade
Price against what you get
Patriot Accounting starts at $10 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3.
Wave scores higher, and starts $9 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 4 score higher than Patriot Accounting for less, and 5 score higher than Wave 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
- Patriot Accounting starts at $20 per month, billed monthly, after $10 a month for the first 3 months. Wave starts at $19 per month, billed monthly.
- Wave has a free plan. Patriot Accounting does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Wave lists iOS and Android apps.
At a glance
| Patriot Accounting | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month, billed monthly, after $10 a month for the first 3 months | $19 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | Starter plan: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, a dashboard and reports, and invoicing in the mobile app. Bank transactions are entered by hand. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Patriot Software | Wave Financial Inc. |
| Price read from | patriotsoftware.com | waveapps.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Patriot Accounting
- US small businesses that want low-cost books with phone support
- Owners who pay contractors and need 1099s
- Businesses that want accounting and payroll from one company
Wave
- Sole proprietors in the US or Canada who mainly need to send invoices
- New businesses that want free bookkeeping before paying for bank feeds
- Owners who would rather hand the books to a bookkeeper
Worth knowing
Patriot Accounting
- The advertised prices are 50% off for 3 months after the trial; plans then renew at $20 or $30 a month.
- Payroll costs extra: Basic Payroll is $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid, Full Service $37 plus $5, with $12 a month per added state.
- There is no mobile app: Patriot says the site is built to work in a phone browser instead.
- Its tax features are US ones, from 1099s to payroll filing; a bookkeeping service is sold apart from $100 a month plus an onboarding fee.
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.
Key features
Patriot Accounting
- Invoices and online payments
- Unlimited invoices to unlimited customers. Through Stripe, customers pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or ACH.
- Bank imports and reconciliation
- Connect bank and card accounts so activity flows in, or upload a file instead, then reconcile against monthly statements.
- Cash and accrual side by side
- A dual ledger lets you and your accountant switch between cash and accrual views without converting the books.
- Vendors, contractors and 1099s
- Unlimited vendor payments, printed checks, Forms 1099 and 1096, optional 1099 e-filing and a free portal for contractors.
- Unlimited users
- Invite your team and accountant at no extra cost. User-based permissions need Accounting Premium.
- Patriot Payroll
- Payroll from the same company records its journal entries in the books automatically, sold as a separate subscription.
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.
Plans
Patriot Accounting
Accounting Basic$20
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $10 a month for the first 3 months. Unlimited customers, invoices and vendors, bank imports, reconciliation, reports and card payments.
Accounting Premium$30
per month, billed monthly
Advertised at $15 a month for the first 3 months. Adds estimates, recurring invoices, payment reminders, user permissions, subaccounts and receipts.
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.
Ways to pay less
Patriot Accounting
- Other savings
30 days free, then 50% off for 3 months
New accounts get a 30-day free trial and then pay half price for 3 months: $10 a month for Basic and $15 for Premium. The bookkeeping service is excluded.
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.
