Plutio vs Wave
We give Plutio and Wave the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. Plutio grades higher on platforms. Wave grades higher on the free plan. 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.
Plutio
All-in-one freelance app: projects, proposals, contracts and invoices
Wave
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPlutioFair | 2.4GPAWaveFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CCore is $15.83 a month billed yearly, or $19 monthly, just past the cheaper quarter of accounting tools at $15. It's for one person and 9 active clients. More clients, or anyone helping you, means Pro at $40.83 billed yearly. | 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 7-day free trial with no card needed, but only 3 active clients while it runs. A week is short for judging something you'd bill clients from, and there's no free plan. | 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 | CUnlimited invoices, proposals and e-signed contracts, projects with boards and Gantt charts, time tracking, scheduling, forms and a client portal. But it keeps no books: the listing says accounting apps such as FreshBooks connect through Zapier. | 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. It does a lot, which means building it out first: clients, projects, proposal templates, forms and the workflows that chase people for you. | 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 | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Zapier, Google Calendar, FreshBooks, Calendly and DocuSign. That's the full spread. | 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 | freelancers who want projects and invoices in one place | 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: Plutio and Wave. How we grade
Price against what you get
Plutio starts at $15.83 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3.
Plutio scores higher and starts $3.17 a month lower. Of the other accounting and invoicing tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Plutio 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
- Plutio starts at $15.83 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly). Wave starts at $19 per month, billed monthly.
- Wave has a free plan. Plutio does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Plutio lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Plutio also covers booking links, kanban boards, time tracking and forms.
- Wave also covers reports, bookkeeping, expense tracking and payroll.
At a glance
| Plutio | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15.83 per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly) | $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 | 7-day free trial, no credit card required, with up to 3 active clients | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Plutio Ltd | Wave Financial Inc. |
| Price read from | plutio.com | waveapps.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Plutio
- Freelancers who want proposals, contracts, projects and invoices in one place
- Agencies that bring contractors and clients into shared projects
- Businesses that want automated follow-ups on proposals and late invoices
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
Plutio
- Core is for one person and 9 active clients; contributors need Pro, which includes 30 and charges for more, or Max.
- White-label is a $9 a month add-on on Core and Pro, and single sign-on $5 a month on Pro; Max includes both.
- AI credits and workflow actions are capped each month by plan; extra AI credits and storage are sold separately.
- It is built around clients, projects and invoices; accounting apps such as FreshBooks connect through Zapier.
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
Plutio
- Invoices and payments
- Unlimited branded invoices that clients pay through Stripe, PayPal or Square. Plutio adds no transaction fee of its own.
- Proposals and contracts
- Interactive proposals and contracts that clients sign electronically, with tracking of when they view and sign.
- Projects and tasks
- Unlimited projects with Kanban boards, lists, calendars and Gantt charts, plus one-click time tracking onto invoices.
- Scheduling and forms
- Clients book meetings against your availability, and intake forms, questionnaires and surveys can be embedded or shared.
- Client portal
- Each client gets a login to see their projects, invoices, files and messages. White-labeling it costs extra below Max.
- Plutio Pal and workflows
- An AI assistant drafts proposals, contracts and emails using monthly credits, and workflow actions automate follow-ups and reminders.
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
Plutio
Core$15.83
per month, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
$190 a year. Solo use: 9 active clients, no contributors, 500 AI credits and 500 workflow actions a month, and 100 GB storage.
Pro$40.83
per month, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
$490 a year. Unlimited clients, 30 contributors, 2,500 AI credits and 5,500 workflow actions a month, and 500 GB storage.
Max$165.83
per month, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
$1,990 a year. Unlimited clients and contributors, 10,000 AI credits and 50,000 actions a month, 2 TB storage, white-label and single sign-on.
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
Plutio
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
Yearly billing costs $190 for Core, $490 for Pro and $1,990 for Max, about two months less than twelve monthly payments.
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.
