The Wave Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Wave in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Wave
The Insider’s Guide
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among accounting and invoicing tools, read from Wave’s own pages.
Made by Wave Financial Inc. · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Wave’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Wave’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 4 of the 17 other accounting and invoicing tools we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Wave, taken from its own pages and our grades.
If your business is anywhere else, or you bill by the hour, it isn't really for you.
- 1
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.
- 2
Paid plans start at $19 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $19 per month, billed monthly.
- 3
There is 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.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
Online payments
Customers pay invoices by card or bank payment once online payments are approved; deposits can be collected through estimates.
- 7
Bookkeeping and bank feeds
Unlimited bookkeeping records on every plan. Pro imports bank transactions through Plaid, then merges and categorizes them.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 4 of 17
That is against the other accounting and invoicing tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
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.
Wave at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $19 per month, billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Wave Financial Inc., since 2010
- Category
- Accounting & Invoicing
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 4.4 on the App Store, 6,664 ratings
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Pro 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 | B | Starter 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 | C | Invoices, 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 | C | 4.37 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 | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$19
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Wave has a free plan. Paid plans start at $19 per month, billed monthly.
It buys bank feeds, receipt capture, late reminders and lower card fees.
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.
The 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.
Read from waveapps.com on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save $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
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian small businesses. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: invoicing, reports, bookkeeping, expense tracking, payroll.
Invoices, online payments, bookkeeping, bank feeds, receipt scanning and payroll as an add-on.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Amazon
- Etsy
- eBay
- Google Sheets
- Capsule CRM
- Driversnote
- Fundbox
- Make
Wave is made by Wave Financial Inc., and has been around since 2010.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
4/17
Other accounting and invoicing tools it is graded above
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
- BFree plan and trialAbove 10 of 17
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 17
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 17
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 17
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 18 accounting and invoicing tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, Zoho Books, Xero and Akaunting
The 5 tools Wave is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
QuickBooks Online
Free plan · from $38/mo
Cloud accounting from Intuit, from a free plan to 25-user Advanced.
- 2.6GPA
FreshBooks
Free trial · from $23/mo
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses.
- Wave has a free plan. FreshBooks does not, though it has a free trial.
- FreshBooks also covers time tracking.
- 3.4GPA
Zoho Books
Free plan · from $15/mo
Online accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers.
- Only Zoho Books lists a Windows app.
- Wave also covers payroll.
- 2.6GPA
Xero
Free trial · from $27/mo
Cloud accounting for small businesses, with unlimited users.
- Wave has a free plan. Xero does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.2GPA
Akaunting
Free plan · from $72/yr
Open-source accounting you can host yourself or use in the cloud.
- Only Wave lists iOS and Android apps.
- Akaunting is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Wave also covers payroll.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
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.
How much does Wave cost?
Wave lists 3 plans. Starter: $0.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Wave’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Wave Financial Inc. Prices change, so check waveapps.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,858
Tools graded, in 46 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,858
tools graded
46
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Wave, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/wave
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Wave: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/wave
Know someone choosing between accounting and invoicing tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/wave/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded accounting and invoicing tools after Wave, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Accounting & Invoicing Insider's GuideEvery one of the 18 accounting and invoicing tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Invoice Insider's GuideFree invoicing app from Zoho for freelancers and small businesses3.6 GPA
- Zoho Books Insider's GuideOnline accounting from Zoho, with a free plan and six paid tiers3.4 GPA
- Odoo Insider's GuideBusiness app suite whose Accounting app is free when used on its own3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Wave’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Wave is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Wave Financial Inc. Prices and plans change: check waveapps.com before you buy.