Wave
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses
Wave report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for free invoicing and books in the US or Canada
Wave gives small businesses in the US and Canada invoicing and bookkeeping for free, with no limit on invoices, which is rare in accounting. Pro at $19 a month adds the bank feeds you'll want before long. If your business is anywhere else, or you bill by the hour, it isn't really for you.
Who Wave is for
- Great if you're a sole trader in the US or Canada who mostly sends invoices
- Handy when you're just starting out and want free books before paying for bank feeds
- Good for owners who'd rather pay Wave's own bookkeepers to keep the books
Who Wave is not for
- 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 on the listing
- Tight if you stay free, since every bank transaction is typed in by hand
Why Wave gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyPro 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.
- BFree plan and trialStarter 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.
- CFeaturesInvoices, 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.
- CEase of use4.37 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Wave's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/wave#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/wave.svg" alt="Wave: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Wave stands among accounting and invoicing tools
Wave's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 4 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 10 of 17) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $19 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 8 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 18 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Wave’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 17, level with 10
- BFree plan and trialAbove 10 of 17, level with 3
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 17, level with 12
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 17, level with 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 17, level with 11
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 18 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Wave, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Wave you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools grade higher. It costs $228 a year.
What you could make
- Invoicing, expense tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them.
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Amazon, Etsy and eBay among them.
- People on the other end: coaches. No app builder makes those.
What this rests on. Wave’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Wave?
Wave is accounting and invoicing software for very small businesses in the US and Canada. The free Starter plan covers unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records, and the Pro plan adds bank feeds, receipt capture and cheaper card payments. Payroll and a bookkeeping service from Wave's own advisors are sold on top.
Wave has a free plan. Paid plans start at $19 per month, billed monthly. See every plan
Good for
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Wave pricing
- Starts at
- $19 per month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- 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
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $19per 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 | $149per month and up | Pro features plus a dedicated bookkeeper who keeps the books and prepares monthly financial statements. Mobile receipts are not included. |
Read from waveapps.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Wave before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave $38 with annual Pro billing
Pro costs $190 a year when billed annually, against $228 for twelve monthly payments of $19.
Stated on waveapps.com
How people rate the Wave app
4.4
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars74%
- 4 stars11%
- 3 stars3%
- 2 stars2%
- 1 star10%
6,664 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
- Amazon
- Etsy
- eBay
- Google Sheets
- Capsule CRM
- Driversnote
- Fundbox
- Make
Wave alternatives
- Wave vs QuickBooks Online
Free plan · from $38/mo
- Wave vs FreshBooks
Free trial · from $23/mo
- Wave vs Zoho Books
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Wave vs Xero
Free trial · from $27/mo
- Wave vs Akaunting
Free plan · from $72/yr
Common questions
Is Wave free?
Wave has a free plan. 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. Paid plans start at $19 per month, billed monthly.
How much does Wave cost?
Wave lists 3 plans. Starter: $0. Pro: $19 per month, billed monthly. Wave Advisors: $149 per month and up. Prices were read from waveapps.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Wave work on?
Wave is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Wave offer any discounts?
Wave publicly lists the following: Save $38 with annual Pro billing.
How is Wave rated?
Wave's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6,664 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Wave have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Wave is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Wave have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Wave is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Wave open source?
Wave is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Wave integrate with?
Wave's listing names Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Google Sheets, Capsule CRM, Driversnote, Fundbox and Make. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Wave?
Wave is made by Wave Financial Inc. It dates from 2010.
What are the alternatives to Wave?
The closest alternatives to Wave in our directory are QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, Zoho Books, Xero and Akaunting. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Wave.
How does Wave compare with other accounting and invoicing tools?
Wave's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 4 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, and level with 5. It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 10 of 17) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Is Wave good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Wave C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $19 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 8 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of Wave?
To replace Wave you would be making live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 8 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools grade higher. It costs $228 a year. What you could not make: Live feeds from your bank, which take an agreement with each bank or a service that has them. Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It plugs into other products, Amazon, Etsy and eBay among them. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.