--- title: "Wave Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Wave the right Billing and Invoicing solution for you? Explore 1732 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" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- Wave 4.4 (1726) [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 October 19th, 2026 # Reviews of Wave Ease of use 4.5 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews KE Kalvin E Inventory AnalystEntertainment, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “First of all, I can store and manage all my invoice information in one place - which has significantly simplified managing invoice records!“ August 23, 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 “My customer paid through Wave by ACH/bank payment, and the funds were withdrawn from the customer, but Wave did not release the payment to my business account.“ June 25, 2026 Ron W Property Management, Development and InvestmentReal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 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 BT Brianna T EditorWriting and Editing, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “They messed up our tax reporting and left us with outstanding taxes due.“ June 7, 2026 JM Jolly M Data AssociateInformation Technology and Services, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Wave has the visibility and control needed across accounts payable, global payments, procurement and employee expenses to run business more efficiently and drive growth.“ December 2, 2024 ek emir k PrincipalEnvironmental Services, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “I would never use Wave again under any circumstances, and I strongly recommend that other businesses look for other invoicing and payment processing options.“ June 25, 2026 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 1726 available reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Andrew B. Co-Founder ### "Affordable Accounting for Small Businesses, but Limited Features" November 11, 2026 3.0 Wave gives our small LLCs a much cheaper, scaled-down alternative to traditional accounting software, so we can do our accounting and prepare information for taxes without investing a lot. Pros I like that Wave’s free version is suffficient enough for our small businesses and is a good value for the money. It syncs with our bank and automatically downloads transactions, and setup was very easy—once I connected the bank, it populated the transactions. I can invoice customers and let them pay by ACH or credit card; the Wave Payments app is free for us, though we pay a merchant fee on credit card payments. I also like being able to send our accounting information to H&R Block for tax preparation at a reasonable fee. Wave is good for very small businesses that need help with accounting, and it’s a step up from using spreadsheets. Cons Wave isn’t very robust. It’s very simple, with not a lot of features, and it’s not very customizable. The cookie-cutter template doesn’t work very well when we’re trying to do more complex accounting, though it’s sufficient for us. Review Source Sr. Accountant Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Easy-to-Use Accounting Software for Small Businesses" October 21, 2026 5.0 Overall, my experience with Wave has been positive. It is a practical accounting solution for small businesses that need to manage transactions, track income and expenses, process payments, and prepare basic financial reports. Its simple interface and affordable pricing make it a good choice for users who want to manage their finances without investing in complex accounting software. Although some advanced features and reporting options could be improved, Wave offers good value for everyday accounting needs. Pros I like Wave because it is easy to use and offers useful accounting features for small businesses and freelancers. It makes invoicing, tracking income and expenses, managing transactions, and generating financial reports simple. The dashboard is user-friendly, and the free accounting features provide good value for money. It helps keep financial records organized and makes it easier to monitor business performance. Cons Some advanced features require a paid subscription, and payment processing fees can add up as transaction volumes increase. Customer support options could be improved, especially for users who need quick assistance. I would also like to see more customization options for financial reports, better task-tracking features, and more integrations with other business applications. Review Source Graphic Designer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Transaction Billing" September 29, 2026 5.0 Wave seems especially suitable for freelancers who are looking for a simple solution to manage their invoicing and financial tracking. Pros Wave helps me better manage certain administrative aspects of my design business. I can track my invoices and have better visibility into payments. The interface is fairly easy to use, even without advanced accounting knowledge. Cons Some features can feel limited when a business becomes larger. Managing certain financial aspects often gets tiring for me. Review Source COO Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Great Affordable Accounting" September 5, 2026 4.0 Overall, I have had a great experience. I have not needed to reach out to customer service for any issues so far which says a lot about the product. Pros I love that Wave is very easy to use. It's not overwhelming like some of the big brand accounting software that's out there. Most of it's basic features are free and the monthly fee for additional features is very reasonable. It's helpful that there are ways to customize. Overall great user experience so far. Cons If in the future there is a way to integrate with other software programs that would become more helpful. Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Quickbooks became too much for what my small business needed to operate. Review Source Inventory Analyst Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A very sensible way to automate at least parts of the tedious accounting." August 23, 2026 5.0 Wave greatly simplifies accounting. The greatest benefit is clearly the time saved! Many process steps are automated, which saves a considerable amount of time. It eliminates the need for unnecessary analysis using Excel spreadsheets. Pros I want to express my enthusiasm for Wave. It's an incredibly useful tool that offers me numerous advantages. First of all, I can store and manage all my invoice information in one place - which has significantly simplified managing invoice records! I can even receive automatic notification reminders when payment deadlines are approaching or have been missed - so I'm always on top of things. Furthermore, I have access to detailed reporting tools for monitoring finances as well as real-time updates on the status of each transaction. This tool makes it easy for me to keep everything under control and saves me time. Considering these fantastic features, I'm so glad Wave exists and I'm already looking forward to further improvements in the future! Cons One of the biggest weaknesses is the user interface, as it is neither intuitive nor user-friendly. Furthermore, it lacks features such as automatic reporting functions for invoice information. Review Source Founder Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Best bookkeeping for small businesses " August 13, 2026 5.0 Great. I love this software so much and has been a game changer for my small business and bookkeeping without paying a huge fee. Pros I love the simplicity of this platform for book keeping and being able to track payments. It is simple straight forward and easy to use even on a free plan. Cons I do not have any complaints or things I do not like about this software. It is perfect for a small business. Switched from [Google Workspace](https://www.capterra.com/p/247901/Google-Workspace/) Needed something easier and a way to send invoices over to clients and bookkeeping Review Source Ronald W. Graphic Designer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Wave payments" August 13, 2026 5.0 Pros So far, Wave has been wonderful for me to use. I mostly use the invoicing system and it works great for my needs. Cons The con that I've had is that the debit card feature that was once offered was ended. I looked forward to using it more. Switched from [QuickBooks Solopreneur](https://www.capterra.com/p/212141/QuickBooks-Self-Employed/) My free trial was up and I needed a free invoicing product. Review Source Association Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Still a Top Choice!" August 4, 2026 5.0 Pros The cost of Wave compared to other similar options, is far better. The integration with a variety of banking institutions makes accounting in real-time possible. Cons I would like to see more reports available under the reporting tab. It does not allow for budget input making it slightly more difficult to measure true spending against what was planned. Alternatives considered [FreshBooks](https://www.capterra.com/p/142390/FreshBooks/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)[Zoho Expense](https://www.capterra.com/p/142384/Zoho-Expense/) Reasons for choosing Wave The price and the ease of use were the deciding factors. Review Source Worker Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Wave us for small businesses " July 29, 2026 1.0 Wave is good for small businesses just getting started. It has free accounting and invoicing that helps new business owners. Pros The best thing about Wave is the mobile app. Wave can track income expenses and receipts. The free accounting and invoicing us a good feature sldi. Cons The least favorable thing about Wave is the customer support. At times, it can be slow. I feel Wave us vest used for small business. Review Source Salina T. Owner Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Comprehensive Accounting SaaS With Appealing Design" July 8, 2026 5.0 Pros I was looking for a cost effective option to recommend to a family member, and I really find the value of Wave's free tier to be amazing. There are also trials for different add-on features like recurring invoices and their payroll which you can try for 30 days. I find in comparison to its competitors like Quickbooks, the web app user experience is smoother and the design is easier to look at with the different blue colours. It was very quick to connect my banking unlike with Quickbooks which took a couple of days, Wave only took a few minutes to verify my account. Cons I tried to recommend my friend to use Wave but they were unable to sign-up as my friend works in healthcare, and there were some data storage restriction due to HIPAA and Wave's data policies, which prevented the registration to continue. Finding out that information made me feel slightly less secure with how the data is stored, and I had to research more to determine if I felt comfortable with Wave still. Switched from [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) I was asked my opinion on Wave by a family member, so I tried the free trial. I ended up enjoying the overall user experience flow and the design more so I switched to Wave. I think the platform is a couple of dollars cheaper overall but their add-ons are comparable or more expensive. Alternatives considered [Zoho Invoice](https://www.capterra.com/p/163114/Zoho-Invoice/) Reasons for choosing Wave I tried Wave after trying Zoho Invoice and I liked the sleek design more than Zoho, and I also required a payroll feature. The Wave option connects to your Payroll account and can accumulate fees during the payroll process which simplifies my responsibilities. Review Source Amanda J. Owner Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Wave Recent Changes in Experience" April 21, 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/) Reasons for choosing Wave Best value for the money and easily handled payroll and tax services. Review Source Aaron C. Founder and CEO Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Best free invoicing and financial management platform in Canada" October 27, 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 AP/AR](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/) 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. Review Source Partner Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Wave is free but has limited customer support " March 9, 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 Principal Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "An excellent resource for you and your accountant " April 30, 2026 5.0 Excellent in every way as I have used it for now 3 tax years without complaint from either myself or my accountant who works with what I send over in Wave. Pros Easy to input information and create my own financial Reports, and my accountant has no issues with importing my entries over for his own purposes to prepare my company’s yearly Return Cons Candidly, there is nothing to complain about. Regardless of your level of sophistication, you will find a benefit in using it. Switched from [QuickBooks Enterprise](https://www.capterra.com/p/174984/QuickBooks-Enterprise/) Cost comparison verses competitors made this the best choice Review Source Owner Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Now Charging for Previously Free Features" May 12, 2026 2.0 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! Pros Accounting software is free - great for small (micro) businesses just starting out or that only have low volume of transactions. Intuitive from an accountant's perspective Cons Accounting is free - but now they are removing features from the "Free Accounting" package and charging for them - auto import of bank transactions. Then, limiting the number of users - NOT COOL! Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reasons for choosing Wave The lure of FREE accounting that allowed for importing bank transactions. However, not any more - importing bank transactions now costs a monthly fee. Review Source Owner Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Wave Accounting App." February 5, 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 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 Travel Advisor Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Meets most of my needs!" February 25, 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/) Reasons for choosing Wave I chose Wave primarily for the easy integration with my financial accounts and lower cost compared to other services Review Source owner and principal linguist Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "For a free version, it sure dots the i's and crosses the t's!" February 27, 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! 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. Alternatives considered [Zoho Desk](https://www.capterra.com/p/169505/Zoho-Desk/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reasons for choosing Wave Wave's free version is just what I need. Review Source Administrative Consultant Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Affordable Invoicing Option" January 5, 2026 3.0 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. Alternatives considered [QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/) Reasons for choosing Wave It was the only option ai could afford before I had my first client. Review Source CEO Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Best software" February 19, 2025 5.0 I have had nothing but good experiences with Wave. Pros I like how easy it is to use and be able to have everything you need in one place Cons I have yet to find anything that i don't like yet Switched from [Square Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/275802/Square-Point-of-Sale/) more flexibility and easier to use. Also it was better for the money Review Source Construction Project Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Easy-to-use accounting software for small businesses" June 2, 2026 4.0 Overall, my experience with Wave has been positive. It is a good option for small businesses that need an easy accounting and invoicing system without too much complexity. It helps save time with daily bookkeeping tasks, invoicing, and tracking payments. While it may not have all the advanced features of bigger platforms, it works well for basic business accounting needs. Pros Wave is simple and easy to use for basic accounting, invoicing, and payment tracking. It is helpful for small businesses because the layout is straightforward and it does not take much time to create invoices, record payments, and review financial information. Cons Some features are limited compared to larger accounting software. Reporting and customization options could be better, and customer support response times can sometimes be slower than expected. Review Source co-founder Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Run the Other Way" July 4, 2025 1.0 Pros I liked the user interface, the dashboard, that they show if an invoice has been viewed, but the negative is horrible. Cons What started out as a promising service quickly turned into a nightmare that I’ll be cleaning up for at least two more months. Wave messed up my June 1–15 payroll, failing to issue direct deposits to my employees — but they did pull the taxes. I had no idea what happened for over a week. My support tickets were canceled without explanation, and no one responded. When I tried to stick with them just long enough to close out Q2 correctly, I couldn’t even select the correct payroll dates for nearly a week. By the time the system finally worked again, they charged me for July — and said I couldn’t cancel because the charge had already gone through, even though support had been nonexistent the entire week before. I was then told that if I wanted my tax reports filed, I had no choice but to keep paying through July. They even warned that if any taxes were collected that weren’t due until after July 31, I’d have to continue into another month to avoid being left with partial filings and no remittance. To make matters worse, you cannot start a new payroll service until they release your business from their system — effectively locking you in. And don’t expect clean exports when you leave: the reports they generate are borderline useless and don’t export in a format that any normal payroll provider can easily work with. Wave Payroll was a complete disaster. Avoid it at all costs. Review Source Eric E. IT Consultant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great for billing and invoice generation" November 28, 2025 5.0 I use the product primarily for one purpose: Invoice generation and billing tracking. At one point I experimented with the payroll, but found it didn't provide me enough education about what my responsibilities were as an employer, so found a different solution for that. But as a tool for creating invoices, creating customers, sending bills, and tracking the received payments, I think it's tremendous. It's intuitive, simple, and reliable. I use only the starter version, and it's sufficient for my needs - I'm sure others with more complex needs would push the system in ways I don't, but it's great for me. It's also got some great year-end reporting, which helps me compare my billings against the 1099 files I receive from my clients. Pros For a small business needing invoice generation and payment tracking, Wave works really well. The ease of creating invoices is great, and having a clear history to refer to is very helpful Cons Like most multi-feature accounting solutions, it can be a bit much to navigate through all of the areas, when you are only interested in one aspect of the site. It's also not always clear what you can and can't do within the free version of the tool, but that's not a deal-breaker. Review Source Accounting clerk Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Wave - where accounting flows as smooth as waves." August 4, 2025 4.0 My overall experience with wave is very good as it is very user friendly and very easy to learn it's functions. The design and graphics are very attractive which provides polished outputs be it invoicing or reporting. Pros The best part about wave is that it is very budget friendly and the user interface is very easy to use and navigate. Cons Customer support is terrible especially if you're a free user which does not serve the purpose of a complete software package. Inventory management is poor which makes reporting difficult. Review Source Teage O. Executive Director Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Avoid Wave, at least until they figure out a solution to current issues" June 26, 2025 1.0 Very negative. I find the new timesheet system to be incredibly cumbersome. we only have 20 employees, but can't imagine how long this must take for larger companies. Pros We started with them many years ago, and it has been good enough during that time. Biggest initial benefit was that the platform was free (at least there was no monthly subscription, just a per employee cost for payroll). Cons Started charging a monthly subscription and recently it has gotten incredibly slow. But more importantly, they recently updated the system and it's been a nightmare. Everything is bogged down and takes even longer to load. When I logged in to run our payroll, I was prompted to update tax info for all our employees. After updating everything, we are unable to process and run our employees. We can't even look at the payroll summary to see what we owe employees so we can write them a check. And there's no way to get in touch with customer support and now we're scrambling to figure out another payroll service to figure this out. You can read multiple threads on Reddit with many other people all experiencing the same issue. 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.