How much is Wave per month?

Wave offers a free plan and a paid plan that costs $16 per month when billed monthly, or $170 per year when billed annually. The Starter plan is free and comes with many features, such as the ability to create unlimited estimates and invoices, manage cash flow, and accept online payments. The paid version has these features plus the ability to automatically import and merge bank transactions, digitally capture unlimited receipts, track expenses, and more.

Does Wave connect to your bank account?

Yes, Wave connects to your bank account if you use the paid version. You also have the option of automatically integrating transaction data with your Wave app. In this way, you can save time when it comes to syncing your Wave data with that of your bank account.

How trustworthy is Wave?

Wave is considered very trustworthy because it uses many of the security features that banks use to protect users’ data. For example, Wave encrypts sensitive information, so eavesdropping attackers can’t steal it. It also gives users backup systems they can use to restore vital data if there’s an outage or disaster.

Can you write checks with Wave Accounting?

Wave doesn’t have a feature that enables you to write or print checks, but you can integrate Wave with a third-party check-writing service. This gives you the ability to generate checks using payroll or invoice data from within Wave, sending the data directly to the check-writing service.

Can I withdraw money from Wave?

No, you can’t withdraw money from Wave because it’s not a bank. It’s a tool to help you manage your finances. Even though Wave keeps track of transactions, it doesn’t hold money for you. However, Wave can record withdrawals from your bank.

Updated April 10, 2025 at 12:19 PM

Wave 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing

Written by Eduardo Garcia

Content Analyst

Edited by Caroline Rousseau

Senior Editor

Wondering if Wave is right for your organization?

Our Billing and Invoicing Software selection experts can help you in 15 minutes or less.

On this page

Our Summary
Pricing and Plans
Features
Integrations
Key Sentiments
User Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions

Our Summary

Wave

4.4

(1711)

FrontRunner 2026

Pros:

Free version
Invoicing features

Cons:

Limited customer support
Lack of advanced features

Pricing

Starting at $19.00 per month

What is Wave:

Wave is an online accounting software built to simplify bookkeeping for businesses. People often use Wave for invoicing, billing, tracking payments, managing payroll, scanning receipts, and other financial management functions.

Why we like Wave:

Wave excels in its billing and invoicing features, with reviewers specifically praising its online and invoice creation tools. Based on 1,662 reviews, Wave also scores high marks for its value for money, with a rating of 4.6 out of 5. Reviewers also appreciate Wave’s ease of use, giving it an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Who should use Wave:

Wave is an effective solution for smaller businesses, with 72% of reviewers hailing from companies with one to 10 employees. It meets the needs of small businesses across a wide range of industries, earning 5-star reviews from real estate, supply chain, construction, consumer goods, and other professionals.

Wave Screenshots

Wave Overview

Online accounting software that provides features including invoicing, billing, payment tracking, payroll management, finance management, credit card processing, and receipt scanning. Wave Accounting is designed to help businesses streamline bookkeeping processes. With Wave's bank reconciliation tools, businesses can manage all bank account and credit card information in real-time to improve bookkeeping. Businesses can also generate reports that include various data such as sales tax, balance sheet, cash flow, profit/loss, plus more. Wave's dashboard includes an invoicing t...

Wave Pricing and Plans

Starting price: $19.00 per month

Free Trial

Free Version

Starter

$0.00

flat rate, per month

Plan includes:

Basic Bookkeeping Features
Basic Invoicing Features

Pro

$19.00

flat rate, per month

Plan includes:

Manage Cash Flow With Ease
Send Recurring Invoices
Set Up Deposit Requests
Automate Payment Reminders
Save Hours With Bookkeeping Automation
Automatically Import And Categorize Bank Transactions
Scan And Digitize Business Receipts With OCR Technology
Add Attachments To Invoices And Estimates
Create Reusable Message Templates
Manage Accounting Transactions In Mobile App

Confused about pricing? We've got you covered.

Get a personalized pricing breakdown tailored to your specific needs—no guesswork, no generic estimates.

Our Analysis of Wave's Pricing Plans

Navigating the sea of pricing plans for financial software can be daunting for many. That's why we've taken a deep dive into Wave's pricing structure to help you determine which option is the best fit for your business. We'll explore the advantages and potential drawbacks of each plan, so you can make a well-informed decision. Wave offers two main plans: the Starter Plan and the Pro Plan. Additionally, there are optional add-ons available to...

enhance your experience. Each plan and add-on is designed to cater to different business sizes and financial management needs. __Starter Plan__ Wave's Starter Plan is the perfect choice for entrepreneurs and small businesses just starting out. This free plan offers a comprehensive set of features to help you manage your finances effectively. Unlimited invoicing, estimates, and expense tracking can help you stay on top of your cash flow and keep your business running smoothly. **Pros:** - **No cost:** As a completely free plan, it allows you to access essential accounting tools without any financial burden. - **Unlimited transactions:** Create and send as many invoices, estimates, and bills as you need without restrictions. - **Mobile app:** Manage your finances on the go with the Wave mobile app. **Cons:** - **Limited integrations:** The Starter Plan may not integrate with all the third-party apps and services you need. - **Basic reporting:** While it provides essential reports, more advanced reporting options are only available in the paid plans. - **No dedicated support:** Priority customer support is reserved for users on the paid plans. __Pro Plan__ Businesses looking to streamline their accounting processes and access more advanced features can opt for Wave's Pro plan. At $170 a year or $16 a month, this plan unlocks a host of automation features such as late payment reminders and auto-import and auto-merge of bank transactions. **Pros:** - **Automated transaction import:** Connect your bank accounts and credit cards to automatically import and categorize transactions. - **Receipt scanning:** Capture and organize receipts using Wave's mobile app and OCR technology. - **Discounted payment processing:** Benefit from reduced transaction fees when accepting online payments from your customers. **Cons:** - **Subscription cost:** The monthly or annual subscription fee may not fit every business's budget. - **Learning curve:** With more advanced features comes a slightly steeper learning curve compared to the Starter Plan. - **Limited users:** The Pro Plan may not be suitable for larger teams that require multiple user accounts. __Add-ons and Optional Services__ Wave offers a range of optional add-ons and services to cater to the unique needs of your business. These include payroll processing, bookkeeping support, and advanced receipt scanning. While these services come at an additional cost, they can significantly enhance your accounting experience and save you valuable time. - **Payroll:** Starting at $20-25 per month, Wave's payroll service simplifies the process of paying your employees and handling taxes. - **Bookkeeping:** Get expert assistance from Wave's team of bookkeepers, with plans starting at $149-199 per month. - **Receipt scanning:** Upgrade your receipt management with unlimited scanning and organization from $8 a month or $72 a year with the Starter plan. Note this add-on is already included in the Pro plan. By offering a mix of free and paid plans, along with optional add-ons, Wave ensures that there's a solution for every business, regardless of size or budget. Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your operations, Wave's flexible pricing and powerful features make it a top choice for managing your finances. __Conclusion__ Wave provides flexible options designed to cater to businesses of various sizes and financial management needs. - **For freelancers and micro-businesses:** The Starter Plan is an ideal choice, offering a robust set of features at no cost. This plan allows users to create unlimited invoices and estimates and manage their cash flow without any financial commitment. However, as the business grows, the limitations of the free plan may become apparent, necessitating an upgrade. - **For small to medium-sized businesses:** The Pro Plan is a comprehensive solution that offers advanced features such as automatic bank transaction imports, receipt capture, and late payment reminders. The monthly or annual subscription fee is justified by the time-saving automation and the discounted online payment processing rates. This plan is perfect for businesses looking to streamline their financial management processes and scale their operations. When deciding on a plan, businesses should carefully assess their current financial management needs, projected growth, and budget. By aligning these factors with the appropriate pricing plan, a business can optimize its financial efficiency and lay a strong foundation for future success. Wave's pricing structure offers the flexibility to start small and scale up as needed, making it an attractive choice for businesses at various stages of their journey.

Compare Pricing

Compare pricing across our most frequently recommended Billing and Invoicing products.

Software options

Starting price*

User rating

Sage 50 Accounting

$124.42 per month

3.88(416 reviews)

230

recommendations

FreshBooks

$21.00 per month

4.48(4502 reviews)

recommendations

Rippling

$8.00 per month

4.86(4536 reviews)

recommendations

Sage Accounting

$20.00 per month

4.12(547 reviews)

recommendations

Canopy

$22.00 per month

4.53(285 reviews)

recommendations

*Defined as the price above any available free plan

Wave Features

Drawn from insights across 1711 verified reviews, we've outlined Wave's best and worst rated features and how they stack up against the average rating.

Wave's score

Category average

Wave's Best Rated Features

Customer Statements

4.90

4.01 category average

Reporting/Analytics

4.86

4.0 category average

For Small Businesses

4.73

4.52 category average

Wave's Worst Rated Features

Tax Compliance

1.14

4.0 category average

Payroll Reporting

1.17

4.21 category average

Fixed Asset Management

3.08

3.74 category average

Popular features found in Billing and Invoicing
Billing Portal
Contact Database
Customizable Invoices
Invoice Processing
Mobile Payments
Multi-Currency
Payment Processing
Quotes/Estimates
Reporting & Statistics
Tax Calculation
Time & Expense Tracking
More features of Wave
Access Controls/Permissions
Accounting
Accounting Integration
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable
ACH Payment Processing
Activity Dashboard
Activity Tracking
Alerts/Notifications
Automatic Billing
Bank Reconciliation
Billing & Invoicing
Budgeting/Forecasting
Cash Flow Management
Cash Management
Chart of Accounts
Collaboration Tools
Commission Management
CPA Firms
Credit Card Processing
CRM
Currency Conversion
Customer Statements
Customizable Branding
Customizable Templates
Dashboard
Data Import/Export
Data Security
Direct Deposit
Electronic Payments
Email Reminders
Encryption
Estimating
Expense Tracking
Financial Analysis
Financial Management
Financial Reporting
Fixed Asset Management
For Legal Professionals
For Medical Purposes
For Real Estate
For Religious Organizations
For Small Businesses
Fund Accounting
General Ledger
Income & Balance Sheet
Inventory Management
Invoice Creation
Invoice History
Invoice Management
Mobile App
Online Invoicing
Partial Payments
Payment Reconciliation
Payment Tracking
Payroll Management
Payroll Reporting
PCI Compliance
Profit/Loss Statement
Project Accounting
Projections
Purchase Order Management
Real-Time Notifications
Real-Time Updates
Receipt Management
Receivables Ledger
Recurring Invoicing
Recurring/Subscription Billing
Reminders
Remote Access/Control
Reporting/Analytics
Revenue Recognition
Sales Tax Management
Spend Management
SSL Security
Status Tracking
Tax Compliance
Tax Filing
Tax Management
Third-Party Integrations
Transaction History
Transaction Management

Wave Integrations

Based on 1711 verified reviews, we've identified products most frequently integrated with Wave.

Microsoft Outlook

Integration rated 4.8 from 5 reviews

Shoeboxed

Integration rated 4.5 from 4 reviews

Stripe

Integration rated 5.0 from 3 reviews

Google Drive

Integration rated 4.0 from 2 reviews

Square Point of Sale

Integration rated 5.0 from 2 reviews

Insite Banking System

Integration rated 5.0 from 1 review

See all 16 integrations

Wave Key Sentiments

We analyzed 1711 verified reviews for Wave to find out what actual users really think.

Most Positive Sentiments

Small business accounting

79% Positive

16% Neutral

5% Negative

Reviewers value Wave's free accounting option, which is ideal for small businesses and startups on tight budgets. They find the software affordable and easy to use, offering essential accounting features without the need for expensive subscriptions. However, some users note that Wave's limited features may not be sufficient for larger businesses or those with more complex accounting needs.

Invoicing

64% Positive

31% Neutral

6% Negative

Users appreciate Wave's extensive customization options for invoices, which allows them to create professional and personalized documents. They find the invoicing feature easy to use, as it enables them to send invoices, track payment statuses, and manage recurring invoices effortlessly. Additionally, users value the automation of billing tasks, which reduces manual processes and enhances efficiency.

Accounting software

59% Positive

28% Neutral

13% Negative

Reviewers find Wave's accounting software user-friendly and secure, making it accessible even for those with minimal accounting knowledge. They appreciate the cloud-based nature of the software, which allows for easy access and collaboration from anywhere. Users also highlight the ability to add accountants to their accounts, facilitating seamless professional collaboration.

Least Positive Sentiments

Bank account integrations

33% Positive

37% Neutral

31% Negative

Users like the ability to link multiple bank accounts and manage transactions automatically within Wave. They appreciate the convenience of syncing their business and personal accounts, which streamlines financial management. However, users report frequent sync problems and issues with maintaining stable bank connections, which can be frustrating and time-consuming.

Payment processing

42% Positive

37% Neutral

21% Negative

Users appreciate Wave's multiple client payment options, including credit card and ACH payments, which facilitate quick and convenient transactions. They find the payment tracking feature useful for managing their finances and ensuring timely payments. However, users experience issues with payment holds, limited payment options, and slow processing times, which can hinder their business operations.

Financial reporting

51% Positive

29% Neutral

19% Negative

Reviewers find Wave's financial reporting features helpful for generating essential reports like profit and loss statements and balance sheets. They appreciate the real-time insights and the ability to customize reports to some extent. However, users feel that the reporting options are limited and lack the depth needed for more detailed financial analysis, which can be a drawback for growing businesses.

Wave User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.4

Ratings Breakdown

61%

26%

Secondary Ratings

Ease of Use

4.4

Value for money

4.6

Customer support

4.0

Functionality

4.2

LaTasha P.

Verified reviewer

Retail

2-10 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed June 2025

Very beneficial for small businesses

Wave helps us stay on top of open invoices and the invoices we send to our clients. They send reminder emails which is great and one less step for us to do.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

It's a great app to use when sending customer invoices. You are able to see when the customer viewed the invoice and receive a notification when the invoice is paid.

Cons:

The transaction fees are still high for us as a small business. Collecting payments via a customer credit card can be costly.

Pauline M.

Verified reviewer

Hospitality

2-10 employees

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed July 2025

Must have for small businesses looking to grow!

Been very pleased with the services as a well rounded provider. Would recommend for any and all new businesses just starting out that need assistance with Payroll, Bookkeeping, Accounting, Invoicing. This platform has enabled me to grow my business without the huge additional costs that other providers charge for features you're not ready for.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Invoicing options. Ability to collect payment on invoices. Connecting banking transactions and reconciliations. For a small business having a payroll program that's affordable and manageable while they take care of remittances and off boarding. Financial tracking for profit and loss reports is extremely helpful as well. Open chat system with questions and answers; If answers aren't readily available, the support team follows up with an email to assist. The automation with sync banking and categorizing expenses and income is vey useful for identifying balancing books keeping your tasks on track.

Cons:

Not sure if it's been updated or integrated as of yet; the ability to have a schedule and dispatch for jobs related to the invoices.

Reasons for choosing Wave

Wave has a stand alone product that has Payroll built into the platform that doesn't out source to other providers. The other two companies do in fact want integrations into Quick books online or ADP and pay for additional features.

Henry C.

Verified reviewer

Marketing and Advertising

Self-Employed

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed April 2025

No longer good for freelancers or small businesses

Previously 5

I used to really enjoy Wave, and gave it a 5 star rating. But in the past year or less they have really fallen off. They're focusing more on enterprise, payroll-type customers and features. Freelancers and small businesses are being left hanging.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Previously 5

Value for money

Previously 5

Customer support

Functionality

Previously 4

Pros:

It's simple to use, and that's nice. The instant transfer option, when it's available and functioning, can also be useful.

Cons:

Your money can process for over 1 week, then disappear in no-man's land for another week with no option to instant transfer. If you need your payments soon after they're paid, like many freelancers, Wave will add complications. And when complications appear, you have no support. Their AI chatbot is useless, and they do not provide direct support lines for paying customers. Do you have an urgent question about your livelihood and business finances? Well they'll get back to you in 3 days or more! Their log-in process has become extremely annoying, and is obviously geared towards enterprise companies. It is senseless for freelancers. Wave used to be the champion for solo and small businesses. They still have some handy features shriveling on the vine - but they are chasing the bigger enterprise clients more and more every month. I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Reasons for choosing Wave

It was the cheapest option, and the most user-friendly looking. I have no background in finance and didn't want complex features built for accountants - Wave has those features, but only if you want them.

Nick B.

Verified reviewer

Management Consulting

Self-Employed

Used weekly for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed February 2026

Wave quietly removed transaction export from free accounts. Dealbreaker

Excellent for almost two years until doing my taxes this year and lost the ability to export transactions without upgrading my plan. I suggested them to many people, but now have to share the bad news with everyone on the free plan.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Ease to use software with reasonable functionality at the free tier for a single person LLC. Great value which helped manage based transactions.

Cons:

Wave removed transaction level CSV export from free accounts and did not disclose the change. The UI still implies export should exist, but it’s now paywalled without warning. This breaks a core bookkeeping workflow: providing detailed expense records to a CPA for tax filing. The only export remaining is a summarized P&L, which is not a substitute for transaction detail in many cases. This feels like a dark pattern upsell rather than a product improvement. I wouldn’t recommend Wave anymore unless you’re prepared to pay just to retrieve your own data.

Ron W.

Verified reviewer

Real Estate

2-10 employees

Used daily for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed December 2025

Love Hate Relationship

Love the UI and wanted it to be a viable alternative to the other players in the bookkeeping/accounting market but it fell far short and failed in it’s current itteration. Love the free version but it’s super basic and limited but upgrading to paid version is very expensive when using it for more than 1 business and offers inadequate features to do the job vis-a-vis other competitors in the market. If … WAVE would add AI, connectivity to banks and credit cards, and features to operate multiple businesses in the paid subscription I’d use it. As my daily driver vs the competitors.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Functionality

Pros:

Ability to have multiple accounts/businesses (free version only) Value for the money Very user friendly Payments and invoicing features

Cons:

Inability to have multiple accounts/businesses in paid version Poor Value for the money with paid version because each account requires additional pay subscription Lack of AI Categorization vs competitors Lack of connectivity ability to import Banks & Credit Cards transctions

Reasons for switching to Wave

Better UI, ease of use, invoicing and payment capability

Aaron C.

Verified reviewer

Marketing and Advertising

Self-Employed

Used weekly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2025

Best free invoicing and financial management platform in Canada

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Wave has very solid web and app platforms. It's easy to navigate and makes the quoting, invoicing, and payment processes very streamlined -- while accepting payments from all major credit cards in Canada. The free version is already very useful for businesses just starting out, or those that are still in the early growth phase, but they also have an affordable paid version that adds a suite of automations and expense / receipt management functions to further boost productivity.

Cons:

The main thing I don't like about Wave is that they don't use standardized "GAAP terminology" for some of their financial management and reporting features. While this may make it more accessible to a certain user base, it actually makes it a bit confusing for me (who has a bit of formal CPA / accounting training).

Reasons for choosing Wave

Wave has a much cleaner, more modern interface that doesn't feel overly crowded or cluttered for a small / growing business. It's much easier to navigate vs platforms like Quickbooks.

Laura B.

Verified reviewer

Marketing and Advertising

2-10 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed July 2025

Payroll Fiasco Nightmare

Wave was great until they upgraded their payroll and left ALL of the customers out of the lurch. The lack of communication, inability to even contact anyone except an AI chat bot, and lack or response to tickets is asinine. This has been the worst experience ever. I had to write paper checks to my employees. It has been an absolute disaster.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I used to love her, but I had to kill her. At first, she told me everything I wanted to hear. Now the true colors are here, just another software who had it good and then screwed it up. We were so loyal and loved the invoicing and ease and costs, but this is now unsustainable.

Cons:

Payroll fiasco. Couldn't run payroll after a software integration upgrade and we were unable to receive any support or assistance.

Reasons for choosing Wave

Price and integration to invoicing. It seemed simple.

Kimberly C.

Verified reviewer

Executive Office

Self-Employed

Used monthly for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed December 2025

Affordable Invoicing Option

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I did like that there is a free option available. If you are just starting out as a new business owner and want to get your bookkeeping and invoicing process set up before getting a client, you do have a free option that isn’t a trial.

Cons:

Even though the version I had was free, I didn’t like that I couldn’t take off their logo on my invoices without paying for a higher tier plan.

Reasons for choosing Wave

It was the only option ai could afford before I had my first client.

Marcin W.

Verified reviewer

Accounting

11-50 employees

Used monthly for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed January 2026

Fatal UX fail on onboarding!

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

I'm a long-term premium customer. By accident, I used another Google email to log in. Now, I'm stuck at https://next.waveapps.com/onboarding and can't exit. It's a fatal UX fail.

Shirley R.

Verified reviewer

Automotive

2-10 employees

Used monthly for less than 12 months

Review source

Reviewed February 2026

Easy for first time businesses

Our overall experience with Wave is that it worked for what we needed when we first started out with our business.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

This was nice when first starting out the business. It was convenient to set up and to use for billing.

Cons:

We out grew Wave because it couldn't give us all the options like QuickBooks could. Not easy to search for invoices either.

Showing 1 - 10 of 1711 Reviews

See All Reviews

Wave FAQs

How much is Wave per month?
Wave offers a free plan and a paid plan that costs $16 per month when billed monthly, or $170 per year when billed annually. The Starter plan is free and comes with many features, such as the ability to create unlimited estimates and invoices, manage cash flow, and accept online payments. The paid version has these features plus the ability to automatically import and merge bank transactions, digitally capture unlimited receipts, track expenses, and more.
Does Wave connect to your bank account?
Yes, Wave connects to your bank account if you use the paid version. You also have the option of automatically integrating transaction data with your Wave app. In this way, you can save time when it comes to syncing your Wave data with that of your bank account.
How trustworthy is Wave?
Wave is considered very trustworthy because it uses many of the security features that banks use to protect users’ data. For example, Wave encrypts sensitive information, so eavesdropping attackers can’t steal it. It also gives users backup systems they can use to restore vital data if there’s an outage or disaster.
Can you write checks with Wave Accounting?
Wave doesn’t have a feature that enables you to write or print checks, but you can integrate Wave with a third-party check-writing service. This gives you the ability to generate checks using payroll or invoice data from within Wave, sending the data directly to the check-writing service.
Can I withdraw money from Wave?
No, you can’t withdraw money from Wave because it’s not a bank. It’s a tool to help you manage your finances. Even though Wave keeps track of transactions, it doesn’t hold money for you. However, Wave can record withdrawals from your bank.