Accounting & Invoicing
Wave
Free core accounting and invoicing for the smallest businesses.
4.4· 1,726 reviews· via CapterraFounded 2010 · Toronto, Canada
What is Wave?
Wave is accounting and invoicing software for very small businesses and freelancers, offering free core bookkeeping and invoicing with paid payments and payroll add-ons. It is popular with solopreneurs who need simple financial tools at no cost.
Best known for: Free core accounting and invoicing for the smallest businesses
Key features
- Free accounting and bookkeeping
- Unlimited invoicing
- Receipt scanning
- Online payment processing
- Payroll add-on
- Financial reports and dashboards
Who Wave is best for
- Freelancers and micro-businesses on a zero budget
- Simple invoicing plus basic bookkeeping needs
- Sole proprietors who don't need inventory or payroll depth
Ideal team: Solo owners and side-hustlers (single user) wanting free-to-cheap invoicing and books.
Wave pricing
Starter
$0
- Unlimited invoices
- Basic bookkeeping
- Estimates
Popular
Pro
$19/flat / mo
- Auto bank import
- Receipt capture
- Reduced payment fees
Costs to watch before you commit
- Card processing is 2.9% + $0.60 on Starter; bank-feed automation requires paid Pro.
- Payroll is a paid add-on (from ~$25/mo, +$6 per active employee/contractor).
- Receipt scanning is an extra add-on unless you're on Pro.
- Adding collaborators requires the paid Pro plan.
Top Wave alternatives
Popular Accounting & Invoicing tools teams evaluate alongside Wave.
Patriot AccountingSimple, low-cost accounting and invoicing for US small businesses.
Invoice NinjaOpen-source invoicing and payments — free self-host or affordable cloud.
Zoho Invoice100% free invoicing software — genuinely $0, with no time limit.
SynderAutomated bookkeeping and reconciliation into QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite.
HoldedAll-in-one business suite — accounting, invoicing, inventory, CRM and HR.