Wave
Free invoicing and double-entry bookkeeping for small businesses, with a $19 Pro plan for bank sync
What is Wave?
Wave is web and mobile software for freelancers and small businesses, priced in US and Canadian dollars, that combines double-entry accounting, invoicing, estimates, online payments and payroll. The free Starter plan has unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records, with card payments at 2.9% + $0.60. The Pro plan, $19 a month or $190 a year per business, adds automatic bank imports through Plaid, auto-merging and categorisation of transactions, unlimited receipt capture, automated late-payment reminders, branding controls and admin, editor and viewer roles. Payroll and Wave Advisors bookkeeping cost extra.
Good for
- Freelancers and sole owners who want free invoicing and bookkeeping
- Small businesses in the US or Canada that invoice often on a small budget
- Owners who want a bookkeeper to keep the books for them
Key features
- Unlimited invoices, estimates and bills on the free plan, with deposits on estimates
- Online payments by credit card, bank transfer and Apple Pay
- Double-entry accounting with profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow reports
- Automatic bank imports through Plaid with auto-merge and categorisation (Pro)
- Receipt capture by mobile app, desktop or email, turned into bookkeeping records by OCR
- Automated late-payment reminders 3, 7 and 14 days after the due date (Pro)
- Payroll for employees and contractors, with tax filing in every US state
- Wave Advisors bookkeeping and coaching from in-house experts
Limitations to know about
- Automatic bank imports and transaction categorisation need the Pro plan
- Receipt capture costs $8 a month on the free plan
- Its pages do not describe AI features, multi-currency or inventory tracking
- Payroll is an add-on from $40 a month plus $6 per person paid
Wave pricing
Wave has a free plan. Pro costs $15.83 a month billed annually, or $19 billed monthly.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | Unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, online payments at 2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction, mobile invoicing |
| Pro | $19/mo, or $190/yr ($15.83/mo) | Automatic bank imports through Plaid, auto-merge and categorisation, unlimited receipt capture, late-payment reminders at 3, 7 and 14 days, logo and brand colours, no Wave branding, admin, editor and viewer roles |
Free plan limits: Starter: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records; mobile invoicing; optional online payments at 2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex). No automatic bank import or auto-categorisation; receipt capture is an $8/month add-on; collaborators limited to payroll manager or Block Advisors tax pro access.
Costs on top of a plan
- Receipt capture (Starter): $8/mo or $72/yr (Unlimited receipt uploads by mobile app, desktop or email, turned into records by OCR; included in Pro)
- Payroll (US): $40/mo + $6 per active employee or contractor paid (Same price in every state; 30-day free trial that starts after the first payroll run. Canada from CA$25/mo.)
- Wave Advisors bookkeeping: From $149/mo (Dedicated bookkeeper and monthly financial statements; includes Pro plan features except mobile receipts)
Wave alternatives
FreshBooks
Invoicing and accounting for freelancers and service businesses, priced by number of billable clients
Zoho Books
Accounting with a free plan under $50K revenue, six US plans priced per organization and the Zia AI assistant
QuickBooks Online
Intuit's cloud accounting for US small businesses, from a free tier to plans with AI bookkeeping
Invoice Ninja
Source-available invoicing, payments, expenses and time tracking, hosted from free or self-hosted
Xero
Cloud accounting with three US plans, no per-user fees, Gusto payroll and the JAX AI assistant
Sage Accounting
UK cloud accounting with payroll and the Sage Copilot AI assistant included in all three plans
Compare Wave with these side by side
Head to head: Wave vs QuickBooks Online
Frequently asked questions
Is Wave free?
Wave has a free plan. Starter: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records; mobile invoicing; optional online payments at 2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex). No automatic bank import or auto-categorisation; receipt capture is an $8/month add-on; collaborators limited to payroll manager or Block Advisors tax pro access. Paid plans start at $15.83/mo billed annually.
How much does Wave cost?
Wave's cheapest paid plan, Pro, costs $19 a month billed monthly, or $15.83 billed annually. Per business; $190 billed yearly. Card fees drop to 2.9% + $0 on the first 10 transactions each month. Canadian price CA$25/month or CA$250/year. Prices as published on Wave's pricing page on 21 October 2026.
Does Wave connect to my bank on the free plan?
No. Wave says automated bank connections and advanced receipt matching require a paid Pro plan subscription; connections run through Plaid.
What is Wave used for?
Wave is web and mobile software for freelancers and small businesses, priced in US and Canadian dollars, that combines double-entry accounting, invoicing, estimates, online payments and payroll. People use it for freelancers and sole owners who want free invoicing and bookkeeping, small businesses in the US or Canada that invoice often on a small budget and owners who want a bookkeeper to keep the books for them.
What are the alternatives to Wave?
Tools that do a similar job include FreshBooks, Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Invoice Ninja and Xero. Each has its own page here with its plans, limits and prices.
Who makes Wave?
Wave is made by Wave Financial Inc., based in Toronto, Canada. The company was founded in 2009.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from the pages below, read on the dates shown: Wave Financial Inc.'s own pages first, and a named public reference where they are silent.
- waveapps.com/pricing (plan prices (USD and CAD), Pro features, card fees, receipts, payroll and Wave Advisors add-on prices, user roles) read 21 October 2026
- waveapps.com/ (product description, payments methods, mobile apps, audience) read 21 October 2026
- waveapps.com/accounting (accounting features: Plaid bank connections, auto-categorisation, reports, double-entry) read 21 October 2026
- waveapps.com/payroll (US payroll pricing: base fee, per-person fee, 30-day trial) read 21 October 2026
- waveapps.com/legal/terms-of-use (legal company name (Wave Financial Inc.)) read 21 October 2026
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_Financial (company founding year and headquarters) read 21 October 2026
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