Wave review
Free invoicing and bookkeeping for US and Canadian businesses, with bank feeds and receipt capture in the paid Pro plan. Outside those two countries, Wave no longer lets you send invoices.
The short answer
Report outdated infoWave is accounting and invoicing software for US and Canadian small businesses. Starter is free (invoices, estimates, bills, bookkeeping records); Pro costs US$19 a month and adds bank feeds, receipt capture and payment reminders. Businesses outside the US and Canada can no longer send invoices through Wave.
Reviewed by the Aheri Systems team for small businesses and growing teams.
- Starting price
- $0
- Free plan
- Yes, no card needed
- Best for
- US and Canadian freelancers who send invoices and want free bookkeeping
- Not ideal for
- Businesses outside the US and Canada: you cannot send invoices through Wave (Wave recommends Zoho Books)
- Setup
- No-code, Under 10 min
- AI features
- No built-in AI
Our Verdict
Wave is a good choice for a US or Canadian freelancer or small business that wants simple invoicing and bookkeeping for free, or bank feeds and receipt capture for US$19 a month on Pro. If your business is outside the US and Canada, do not start with Wave: you cannot send invoices through it. Wave itself points you to Zoho Books.
Aheri Systems team review
How Wave scores
At a glance
AI Features ⓘ Native AI features built into this tool. Does not include features added via third-party integrations.
No built-in AI featuresSetup ⓘ How much technical skill is needed to set up and use this tool effectively.
No-codePricing Access ⓘ Whether pricing is accessible for small and growing businesses. Considers free tier quality and entry-level plan value.
Free Starter / Pro US$19/mo (US and Canada)
Risk Reversal
The core accounting and invoicing product is free forever with no credit card required and no limits on how many invoices you can send. There is no trial period that expires. Paid add-ons like payroll and the Wave Advisor bookkeeping service are month-to-month with no annual contract required.
The Catch
Wave is now for US and Canadian businesses only. Elsewhere you cannot send invoices or reminders through Wave at all, and Wave itself recommends Zoho Books instead. In the US and Canada, bank feeds and receipt capture now need the paid Pro plan.
The Problem Wave Solves
The Pain
You are a freelancer or small business owner doing your accounting in a spreadsheet and sending invoices from a Word template. Every month-end you spend 3 to 4 hours manually sorting expenses, chasing unpaid invoices, and trying to guess your profit because nothing is in one place. You looked at QuickBooks (a paid accounting tool), saw the $30/mo price, and closed the tab.
The Fix
Wave keeps your invoices, bills and bookkeeping records in one place. On Pro, it pulls in your bank transactions, merges and categorises them, captures receipts and chases late payers for you, so month-end takes far less time.
What is Wave?
Wave is accounting and invoicing software for small businesses and freelancers in the US and Canada. It handles invoices, estimates, bills, expense records and financial reports. The Starter plan is free. The Pro plan (US$19 a month) adds automatic bank imports, receipt capture and automatic payment reminders. If your business is outside the US or Canada, Wave is no longer an option: you cannot send invoices or reminders through it, and Wave recommends Zoho Books instead.
Pros and Cons
+ What We Love
- ✓ The Starter plan is free for unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records
- ✓ Pro imports bank transactions automatically and merges and categorises them for you
- ✓ Pro sends automatic late payment reminders 3, 7 and 14 days after an invoice is due
- ✓ Profit and loss and other key reports are built in
- ✓ Invoice and estimate from the mobile app
- ✓ Give your accountant or a partner access to your account
- ✓ Pro is priced per business, not per user
- Watch Out For
- ! Only for businesses in the US and Canada: elsewhere you cannot send invoices or reminders through Wave
- ! Bank feeds and receipt capture need the paid Pro plan (or a receipts add-on on Starter)
- ! Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction (Pro waives the $0.60 on the first 10 each month)
- ! No inventory tracking
- ! Wave is only available in English
- ! Payroll is an extra add-on and only covers the US and Canada
Top features
Invoicing
Create and send professional invoices (bills) with your logo and brand colours in minutes. Set automatic payment reminders (follow-up emails to clients who have not paid) and see exactly when a client opens your invoice.
Bank Connection and Transaction Import
Connect your business bank account and Wave pulls in every transaction automatically. You categorise (label) each one with a single click instead of typing everything manually.
Financial Reports
Profit and loss (income vs expenses), balance sheet (what you own vs what you owe), cash flow statement (money in vs money out), and sales tax reports are all generated in real time with one click.
Expense Tracking
Log business expenses by category (like Travel, Software, or Equipment) and attach photos of receipts. See at any moment exactly where your money is going.
Recurring Invoices
Set any invoice to send automatically on a schedule: weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Retainer clients get invoiced on time every month without you doing anything.
What Can You Do With Wave? (Examples)
A few ways growing businesses use Wave. This is not an exhaustive list.
Wave Pricing
Starter
$0
Unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, invoicing in the mobile app, dashboard and reports, optional online payments
Best for
Freelancers and small businesses in the US or Canada who need invoices and simple bookkeeping
Pro
US$19 a month, or US$190 a year (CA$25 a month or CA$250 a year)
Everything in Starter plus automatic bank imports, auto-merge and categorise transactions, unlimited receipt capture, automatic late payment reminders, no Wave branding, extra users
Best for
US and Canadian businesses that want bank feeds, receipt capture and automatic payment reminders
Payroll (add-on)
From US$25 a month (see Wave for your country)
Payroll runs connected to your Wave books
Best for
US and Canadian businesses paying staff
Wave Advisors
From US$149 a month
Dedicated bookkeeper, monthly financial statements, expert support, onboarding from other software
Best for
Owners who want a bookkeeper to keep the books for them
Who Is Wave For?
Best For
- ✓US and Canadian freelancers who send invoices and want free bookkeeping
- ✓Small service businesses in the US or Canada that want bank feeds and receipt capture for a flat US$19 a month
- ✓Owners who run several small businesses and want each one on its own simple plan
Not Ideal For
- ✗Businesses outside the US and Canada: you cannot send invoices through Wave (Wave recommends Zoho Books)
- ✗Businesses that track stock: use an accounting tool with inventory, such as Zoho Books or QuickBooks
- ✗Groups with several companies that need combined accounts
Wave Integrations
Tools Wave connects with, and what each connection actually does for your business.
Zapier
Connects Wave to 5,000+ other apps via Zapier (a tool that links different software together): create a Wave invoice automatically when a new project is added in ClickUp, or log a Wave payment when a Stripe charge is confirmed.
Stripe
Sync Stripe payment records (payments collected through Stripe, an international card processor) to Wave via Zapier so every successful charge is logged in your books automatically.
Google Sheets
Export Wave transaction data to a Google Sheets spreadsheet for custom reporting or to share financial data with a bookkeeper who prefers working in spreadsheets.
S Shopify
Connect Shopify sales to Wave via Zapier so every order creates an income record in your books automatically, keeping e-commerce revenue tracked without manual data entry.
Make
Builds more complex multi-step automations (automatic workflows connecting multiple apps): create a Wave customer when a client signs a contract, then send an invoice automatically when a project milestone is marked complete.
AI in Wave
Wave does not sell any named AI features on its pricing or product pages. Its receipt capture reads receipts with OCR (text recognition) and turns them into bookkeeping records, and Pro merges and categorises bank transactions automatically, but Wave does not describe these as AI.
Checked against Wave's own website on 16 October 2026. AI features change often, so we re-check every 6 months.
Quick Facts
Alternatives to Wave
Before You Sign Up
What the marketing page does not tell you.
Wins vs Loses
Replaces a QuickBooks Simple Start subscription at $30/mo or a Xero Starter plan at $29/mo for businesses whose primary need is invoicing and expense tracking.
Hidden Costs
Wave Starter is free and covers invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records. Wave Pro costs US$19 a month or US$190 a year and adds automatic bank imports, receipt capture, automatic payment reminders and lower card fees on your first 10 payments each month. Wave now serves only the US and Canada: businesses elsewhere can no longer send invoices or reminders through Wave, and Wave points them to Zoho Books. Prices from waveapps.com/pricing, checked 16 October 2026.
Your Data
Wave servers are hosted in the United States and Canada. The platform meets SOC 2 Type II standards (a recognised data security certification) and is GDPR compliant (meets European data protection rules).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wave really free? +
Can I use and pay for Wave from any country? +
What is Wave used for? +
How much does Wave cost? +
Is Wave easy to use for non-technical people? +
What integrations does Wave have? +
What is the best alternative to Wave? +
Does Wave have a mobile app? +
How long does it take to set up Wave? +
Is Wave worth it for a solo entrepreneur? +
Reader Ratings
Be the first to rate Wave
Ease of Setup
-
Value for Money
-
AI & Automation
-
Reliability
-
Business Impact
-
Rate Wave
Based on your direct experience using this tool
Ease of Setup
Tap to rate
Value for Money
Tap to rate
AI & Automation
Tap to rate
Reliability
Tap to rate
Business Impact
Tap to rate
0 / 600
Your details, required to publish your review
Never shown publicly. Used to prevent duplicate reviews.
Ratings are stored in our database. Your email is kept private and never shown. All written reviews are moderated before being published.
✓
Rating submitted. Thank you.
Written reviews are reviewed before being published.
Weekly Systems & Operations Insight
The systems that turn customer touchpoints into predictable revenue.
Practical weekly breakdowns: real workflows, automation setups, and operational frameworks to help you save time, reduce costs, and scale smarter. 5-minute read.
Actionable systems & workflows delivered weekly · Free forever · Unsubscribe in one click
Ready to see if Wave fits your business?
Try it on your own work first. If it fixes the job you need done, keep it. If not, the alternatives above are a click away.
Try Wave Free →Add us to your preferred sources to see our latest business systems, tool reviews, and RevOps guides first in your Google feed.
Email this tool review to yourself
Save the link to your inbox so you can compare pricing and features when you're ready to choose.
Check your inbox. The link is on its way.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.