--- title: "Wave Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Wave the right Billing and Invoicing solution for you? Explore 1729 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/178021/Wave-Apps/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Wave 4.4 (1729) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/178021/Wave-Apps/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 26th, 2026 # Reviews of Wave Ease of use 4.5 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Amber M OwnerDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The option to create recurring invoices has been amazing, as well as the reports I can pull at the end of each year.“ March 24, 2026 ek emir k PrincipalEnvironmental Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “My customer paid through Wave by ACH/bank payment, and the funds were withdrawn from the customer, but Wave did not release the payment to my business account.“ June 25, 2026 Ron W Property Management, Development and InvestmentReal Estate, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “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.“ December 7, 2025 KW Kristyne W Travel AdvisorHospitality, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “I tried to set up a way to send invoices and receive payments through Wave, but even after I was approved, they removed my access due to a blanket assumption around travel agencies. “ February 24, 2026 CV Criselen V OwnerApparel & Fashion, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It lets me save customer info and items with their price so that I can easily add it when making a new invoice.“ August 30, 2025 ml melissa l Admin siding installerConstruction, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “A major pain point for users is the lack of robust, live customer support for free users, who are generally limited to an online help center and chatbot.“ October 23, 2025 CB Craig B OwnerAccounting, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Uptime and use are great - I have a few low volume clients and non-profits that cannot afford the other packages - now they are charging for services that were included in the free package - not cool!“ May 7, 2026 KS Kathryn S Coach and ConsultantProfessional Training & Coaching, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Wave's integration with my bank has not always worked effectively, and that has caused some problems.“ February 25, 2026 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 1729 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Amanda J. Owner Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Wave Recent Changes in Experience" April 19, 2025 3.0 Pros I've used Wave for 5 years. It's very easy to use and can help process payroll, send invoices and keep track of expenses. Cons In the recent past, I've had issue with them processing tax payments on time, and their support has significantly decreased from the past. Alternatives considered [HoneyBook](https://www.capterra.com/p/162588/HoneyBook/) Reason for choosing Wave Best value for the money and easily handled payroll and tax services. Review Source AC Aaron C. Founder and CEO Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best free invoicing and financial management platform in Canada" October 20, 2025 4.0 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). Alternatives considered [BILL Accounts Payable & Receivable](https://www.capterra.com/p/166559/BILL/)[FreshBooks](https://www.capterra.com/p/142390/FreshBooks/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reason 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. Review Source Tim O. Partner Retail Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Wave is free but has limited customer support " March 6, 2026 2.0 If you want a free payroll and accounting provider, Wave fits the bill. If problems arise, you might be on your own and dealing with the consequences for months. Pros The starter edition is free which is awesome, you are able to process payroll, invoice clients and perform monthly accounting at no cost. There is a small fee for accepting credit card payments which is standard amongst other payment providers. Cons Customer support is non existent. Never thought this was a concern until Wave switched payroll processors and caused the system to crash. Wave went silent for weeks, only resolve was to email the company and those went unanswered. Had to turn to Redditt for workarounds, worst part was Wave never took responsibility for their mistake, switched to another provider which I pay for but willing to do so after my experience with Wave. Review Source NC Nilsa C. Music Therapist, Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excellent for small business owners! " May 24, 2026 5.0 Overall, I have nothing but positive feedback and have recommended the software to some of my small biz owner friends. Pros What I like most about wave is how it's helped me organize my sole-proprietor finances without costing me anything. I did try the receipt scanning feature which is less than$10 a month, and enjoyed it, but don't need it at the moment. The invoices are super professional and at the end of the month I download the data and categorize it as needed. I like how I can ask to consult a bookkeeper at any given time! Cons What I like least is that I can't select multiple invoices to mark as paid or duplicate at once. This slows me down when I'm invoicing or reconciling accounts. Switched from [QuickBooks Solopreneur](https://www.capterra.com/p/212141/QuickBooks-Self-Employed/) It was too expensive for my practice needs. Review Source WEU William E U. Owner Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Wave Accounting App." January 28, 2026 5.0 I've been using WaveApps for several years now and have been very satisfied with the ease and accuracy of the site. I would recommend it to any small business as an excellent and cost-effective accounting site. It has many features that I don't take advantage of, but likely would if I had a larger business. I gave it 5 stars and would definitely recommend it. Pros I use the free Wave App. I bookkeep for two small businesses and the fact that is free is my favorite feature. I have generally had no issues with the program and when I did have one (the only one), the company support was able to resolve the issue for me in only one call and I've never had an issue again. Cons One feature that I would appreciate would be to have an auto-fill feature. For example, I have many entries that are identical except for the date and amount. It would be helpful if it could auto-fill a name or entry after it recognizes the first few letters. Switched from [QuickBooks Desktop](https://www.capterra.com/p/212058/QuickBooks-Desktop-Pro/) To save money, Waveapps was free, Intuit priced themselves out. It was a good service, but our needs were minimal and WaveApps met our needs ...and free Review Source PM Pauline M. Owner - Manager Hospitality Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Must have for small businesses looking to grow!" July 27, 2025 5.0 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. 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. Alternatives considered [Jobber](https://www.capterra.com/p/127994/Jobber/)[Connecteam](https://www.capterra.com/p/153140/Connecteam/) Reason 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. Review Source KW Kristyne W. Travel Advisor Hospitality Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Meets most of my needs!" February 24, 2026 4.0 Pros Wave automatically imports my transactions from my financial accounts (bank accounts, credit card, etc.) to streamline my financial reporting. I love that I can see how much income, expenses, and profit I made in each period and compare it prior periods. My monthly subscription is $19, which feels like a great value. Cons I tried to set up a way to send invoices and receive payments through Wave, but even after I was approved, they removed my access due to a blanket assumption around travel agencies. I now need to use an alternative solution for invoicing and collecting payments. Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reason for choosing Wave I chose Wave primarily for the easy integration with my financial accounts and lower cost compared to other services Review Source VR Verified Reviewer owner and principal linguist Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "For a free version, it sure dots the i's and crosses the t's!" February 23, 2025 5.0 I've been a Wave customer for some years now. Although I've tried a couple of accounting systems simultaneously with using Wave, I always end up coming back to Wave. Pros Its free version comes with everything I need in order to keep accurate and up-to-date accounting books. It even lets me do foreign currency invoices, something that I don't find in other free accounting systems. Cons I can't really say; I think that this free version is quite generous in its offerings. I sure hope that Wave will keep it! Alternatives considered [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reason for choosing Wave Wave's free version is just what I need. Switched from [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) The Zoho free version didn't fill my needs. Although I liked QuickBooks, the price was too much for what I needed. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Wave really is the way to go!" January 2, 2025 5.0 Once of the easiest programs, I honestly can't find anything to 'complain' about. Supper effective, easy, and the right features for a small business. Pros \-Very affordable for a single owner small business -EASY to use -Makes accounting anxiety free -You can hire professional bookkeeper if needed -Can add your accountant to the account with ease -Can invoice and track customer payments Cons \-Would love more categories for expenses Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)[Xero](https://www.capterra.com/p/120109/Xero/) Reason for choosing Wave I chose Wave for the ease of use, overall cost, and it's webbased. Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)[Xero](https://www.capterra.com/p/120109/Xero/) Xero was increasing their fees and Quickbooks was too costly Review Source Erik S. CEO Logistics and Supply Chain Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Wave Review." January 11, 2025 4.0 The system is great cost effective not the easiest to use but great system overall. Pros The features in the platform are great. Simple to use not user friendly but easy to use. Cons Their platform doesn't integrate with other systems in the transportation industry. Alternatives considered [FreshBooks](https://www.capterra.com/p/142390/FreshBooks/)[TruckingOffice](https://www.capterra.com/p/122284/TruckingOffice/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reason for choosing Wave There system do not integrate with transportations systems. Review Source AG Ana G. CEO Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for small business bookkeeping" January 22, 2025 4.0 Wave is more useful for my bookkeeping than actually collecting payments - I would probably use the payroll option via wave is I ever need it again, just to keep things streamlined Pros I like how simple Wave is for reconciling all my business expenses and auto-categorizing, based on previous years. Invoicing is also fairly straightfoward. Cons Invoicing is great for one off invoices, but doesn't integrate with other apps and more automated checkout systems. It can become cumbersome to manage service inventory, having to create new 'products' for each custom service to then sift through. Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)[Zoho Expense](https://www.capterra.com/p/142384/Zoho-Expense/) Reason for choosing Wave Wave is free and VERY easy to setup and deploy. I don't have to be an accountant to be able to reconcile my own expenses as a small business owner. Review Source DF Drew F. Project Manager Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great CHEAP solution for a tiny-small business" January 3, 2025 4.0 It's been a great experience so far. We had a simple setup, it's easy to use. We've had no issues. Pros The ease of use for creating invoices and estimates. The ability to send invoices, reminders, statements right from the app. Their customer database is very simple. Vast assortment of software needed to run your business. Cons Haven't really experienced any cons thus far. Have been using Wave for approximately 3 and a half years. Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)[Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Wave wound up being much cheaper than Quickbooks when we only needed to create simple invoices or estimates and much better than simply using an Excel spreadsheet. Review Source CW Chris W. Web Supervisor Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Wave provides agencies a clear and seamless payment processing interface." July 11, 2025 5.0 Wave is a key part of our workflow. We use the software to manage payments, send invoices, and review departmental goals. All of the information is clearly laid out and easy to understand Pros Wave provides simple and seamless invoice building and sending! Being able to store commonly used line items is a boon for our agency. Cons Wave's systems are only as good as your internal data management/accounting. Our team has struggled in onboarding new clients or contractors at times where our SOPs were not clear enough to have uniform data entry across invoicing. Review Source NK Naveed K. Managing Principal Management Consulting Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Lot of Promise, Failure to Execute" October 21, 2025 2.0 Wave was ridiculously cumbersome. Payroll was a problem. Accounting was a problem. Expense tracking was unnecessarily complex. I do like the invoice generation, but that is it. I wouldn't suggest this product. Pros The automatic invoice generation and tracking was good. The cash flow graphics could be helpful if all of your finances are tied to the same system. Cons The payroll feature itself was really confusing. I left Wave because of the payroll feature, and I maintain it simply for invoice generation. I didn't find their expense coding process to be very user friendly. The difficulty began very early when the direct deposit process was entirely too cumbersome and took an extremely amount of time. The Wave bookkeeping method was not intuitive - listing out every possible account you can possibly add as well as CASH ON HAND - an account that is a default and has no real application. Nobody is paying me cash for five figure services in 2025. Furthermore, the whole system was duplicative. A payment is registering as paid because it's tied to my checking account, but then is pinging me saying this invoice is not paid, so I mark it as paid, and then WAVE tells me I've been paid twice. Duplicative and unhelpful. It didn't take more than six weeks for me to leave this product screaming. Review Source KM Kortnee M. Chief Executive Officer Executive Office Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It’s like Quickbooks but free " July 21, 2025 5.0 My overall experience with Wave has been pretty awesome. I’ve been able to reconcile accounts, categorize transactions, and more — for free. Pros I love that this software provides a comprehensive suite of accounting tools at little to no cost. It also allows you to manage personal and business accounts. Cons I most disliked the limited functionality when it comes to uploading bank statements. Some banks don't provide the formatting that Wave requires which is limiting for accounts with many transactions. Review Source CV Criselen V. Owner Apparel & Fashion Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Practical and easy to understand" August 30, 2025 4.0 I use it for pretty basic invoices since I have a small business and its just what I need. There is a premium option but for what I need it, its enough Pros It lets me save customer info and items with their price so that I can easily add it when making a new invoice. Cons Before it would let you send a reminder of an invoice from wave itself but now it sends it as a link from your email Review Source RP Ryan P. Graphic Designer Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Easy to use and helpful in accounting" March 8, 2026 5.0 Overall, I found it very helpful. Wave has a clean, beginner-friendly interface. Even if you don’t have an accounting background, it’s relatively easy to connect bank accounts, categorize expenses, and generate reports. Pros One of the biggest advantages of Wave is that the core accounting features are free. For freelancers, photographers, and small service businesses, it allows you to track income, expenses, and basic financial reports without paying for a subscription. Cons Wave lacks some features found in more robust platforms like inventory management, detailed project costing, or advanced automation workflows. Review Source Marcin W. CEO Accounting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fatal UX fail on onboarding!" January 27, 2026 1.0 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. Review Source SJ Sarah J. Office Manager Food & Beverages Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Loving Wave!" October 13, 2025 5.0 My experience with Wave has been excellent! I use it to help make invoices and estimates for a bakery. It is professional, easy to use, and has great value for the money spent. Pros I love how user friendly Wave is! I can add clients, make invoices and estimates in a breeze. I also love that you can individual turn on/off payments for each invoice and estimate. Cons I wish the search function had capability to search by Purchase Order. Or that there was an ability to customize it based on your needs more. Review Source VS Victor S. CEO Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fantastic for most uses" March 5, 2025 5.0 Really good overall. There are just some things they struggled to help me do. I didn't really want to pay for a full subscription for each property. Pros The free version used to offer more but it still offers a lot. It integrates with Plaid. It has a native payment processor that reconciles. It has an algorithm to match and merge transactions. I would have stuck around but there was a better value offer elsewhere. Cons The sole reason to switch was that they wanted to charge me for a full account for each project/property that I wanted to integrate onboard. I needed better separation for reporting for my properties for real estate reasons and it was just too hard to keep them separate. Review Source AG Aaron G. Owner Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Abysmal customer support undermines its usability" February 15, 2025 1.0 I have been using Wave since 2021 for multiple businesses, and I used to be a strong advocate for the software when talking to other small business owners. However towards the end of 2024 the customer support has disappeared - no response on the live chat and no response via email. They also do not have a phone number, so you are left with no options if something goes wrong. For us, we had issues with how Wave was filing our taxes, and now Wave is adding non-removeable journal entries that are corrupting our income statement and balance sheet. Both issues are show stoppers when we are trying to prepare taxes. Again - I am stuck without support, and support has disappeared. I am working to move my businesses off of Wave. Pros It has a good suite of features for a good price when those features work. Cons Customer support has become nearly non-existent and there is no way to reliably address errors or questions. Review Source �J 💥Tanisha J. Small Business Cash Flow Strategist Accounting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to use, great accounting software" September 4, 2025 4.0 I like it. It's easy to use, and saves me a lot of time when it comes to accounting for my business. It's user friendly and easy to follow. Pros It's a great accounting system for those on a low cost budget who don't have many needs for customization or high level tracking. It's easy to use as well. Cons It's not very customizable. If filing 1099s, it only will do specific States. It takes a few business days to receive payment in your bank account. Review Source AD Alex D. Nutritionist Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Simple way to handle money" June 1, 2025 5.0 Pros It’s been handy for invoicing and keeping track of small business stuff. I don’t have an accounting background so this keeps it simple. Cons Some features feel a bit hidden or not super obvious at first, but once got the hang of it, it’s been chill. Also, it being free helps a lot. Review Source KK Kelli K. Founder Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "User friendly platform" September 16, 2025 5.0 I have been very happy with how easy the platform is to use. I have used systems like Quickbooks, and that is way harder to setup that Wave. Pros Love the ease of use and that it is free for what I need. The financial reporting is easy, and you can track accounts very easily. Cons So far, I haven't found anything I don't like. I use it to track spending in different accounts and to pull P&L statements. Review Source SR Shirley R. Administrative Assistant Automotive Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Easy for first time businesses" February 12, 2026 3.0 Our overall experience with Wave is that it worked for what we needed when we first started out with our business. 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. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.