# Wave Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra

> Is Wave the right Billing and Invoicing solution for you? Explore 1719 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/178021/Wave-Apps/reviews

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Wave

4.4 (1719)

[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/)

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Last updated March 13th, 2026

# Reviews of Wave

Ease of use

4.4

Customer Service

4.0

## Pros and Cons in Reviews

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

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

KC

Kimberly C

Administrative ConsultantExecutive Office, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months.

“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.“

December 28, 2025

BT

Brianna T

Lead EditorEducation Management, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“Wave filed my quarterly state taxes incorrectly, leaving me with penalties and interest that they refuse to reimburse me for.“

October 1, 2025

PM

Pauline M

Owner - ManagerHospitality, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“The automation with sync banking and categorizing expenses and income is vey useful for identifying balancing books keeping your tasks on track.“

July 27, 2025

Edgar R

EngineerAccounting, Self-employedUsed the software for: 1-2 years.

“Payment processing fees are a bit high, and customer support is limited if you don't pay for a plan.“

January 9, 2026

## Showing most helpful reviews

Showing 1-25 of 1719 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

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

LB

Laura B.  
CEO  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Payroll Fiasco Nightmare"

July 1, 2025

1.0

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.

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.

Alternatives considered

[Gusto](https://www.capterra.com/p/131882/Gusto/)

Reason for choosing Wave

Price and integration to invoicing. It seemed simple.

Review Source

KC

Kimberly C.  
Administrative Consultant  
Executive Office  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Affordable Invoicing Option"

December 28, 2025

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/)

Reason for choosing Wave

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

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

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

KD

Kelly D.  
Owner-Virtual Assistant  
Real Estate  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Perfect for My Small Business"

June 17, 2025

5.0

I discovered Wave when my prior billing software more than doubled in price. Because I bill monthly, I don't send out mass quantities of invoices, and Wave offers everything that I need to keep the invoices going out and the payments coming in. Payouts are a breeze as well.

Pros

Wave is very easy to use, offers many features, and depending on your needs, is either free or very reasonably priced.

Cons

There is only one thing that I would change, and that has to do with the descriptions when adding to an invoice. It's a minor thing compared to the overall product.

Alternatives considered

[FreshBooks](https://www.capterra.com/p/142390/FreshBooks/)

Reason for choosing Wave

Wave offered everything that I needed, and was easy to set up, easy to use.

Switched from

[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)

Quickbooks more than doubled the price, and I didn't use it nearly enough to justify the new price, nor the steep jump.

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

VH

Vickie H.  
Office Manager  
Consumer Services  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Wave Goodbye to Mapquest!"

May 21, 2025

4.0

Once we put the app on the phone it has been great. I love the colorful system and symbols. Of course we live the Wave voice.

Pros

Love the voice navigation. It is colorful. Very cool. Reliable and easy to use. A big difference from map quest.

Cons

I cannot think of anything that I dislike about Wave. It is a breath of fresh air. I am so glad that a family member introduced me to Wave.

Switched from

[Google Meet](https://www.capterra.com/p/176572/Google-Hangouts/)

We were informed by our staff that it was a great product to try.

Review Source

HJ

Hannah J.  
CEO  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Easy to use, great for the price "

December 30, 2024

4.0

I really enjoy wave, I've been using it for over 5 years and it super simple and easy for the client to pay invoices.

Pros

It is super easy to use and very affordable for the start-up business owner or side hustler.

Cons

It has limited features in some areas, like payroll, but if you're a solo team, that doesn't matter.

Alternatives considered

[HoneyBook](https://www.capterra.com/p/162588/HoneyBook/)[Stripe](https://www.capterra.com/p/123889/Stripe/)[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)

Reason for choosing Wave

Because it had what I needed for invoicing for the right price

Switched from

[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)

Because quickbooks was too expensive for my needs

Review Source

JL

Joseph L.  
Corporate Ethics Instructor  
Professional Training & Coaching  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Easy to Use, especially for those starting a business"

December 16, 2024

5.0

Very easy to use with the basic level being completely free. You would have to be foolish to try anything else, especially when starting a business and having to be concerned about expenditures.

Pros

I have used it for over two years now with great success for my corporation's accounts. I recently asked my accountant if he needed me to get another program to help him with my company's Tax Returns and he flatly said, "No, what you are using now does everything I would want a program to do and is also super simple to use."

Cons

It has all the features I need. I will explore if I can sync it with my corporate credit card to automatically upload entries.

Switched from

[QuickBooks Online](https://www.capterra.com/p/190778/QuickBooks-Online/)

Cost and conveninece as Wave was easier for me to use when needed.

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

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Author  
Publishing  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "A one-stop shop for the mom & pop"

August 8, 2025

5.0

I've used Wave for many years and they keep adding new features, keeping up with other options while eliminating the need for me to go elsewhere to fulfill my financial software needs.

Pros

As a very small start-up business, I liked being able to have a straightforward software that handled all of my financial needs in one place.

Cons

I have never had any complaints with Wave. If anything it has inspired to grow my business so I can expand to using all of its capabilities!

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

JD

Jenna D.  
Co-founder  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Wave is a good option for those with a small budget"

July 10, 2025

4.0

I used it for the marketing agency I owned. We used it to categorize transactions, send invoices, and receive payments. It was fairly easy to use once I figured out where to find my transactions feed. The categories were easy to change.

Pros

The price point (free if you don't want bank feed) was good for my small business at the time. I like that it's fairly intuitive to use.

Cons

That it didn't have a bank feed option available for free and that it isn't as robust of a software as some other accounting platforms.

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

GY

Graham Y.  
Owner Operator  
Construction  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Great software. Easy to use. "

October 15, 2025

5.0

Wave was incredible. Used it for my first few months in business. The value you get for the little you pay is incredible and I will always recommend it to new business owners.

Pros

When I was just launching my business, I discovered wave. It was amazing when I was first starting out. The ease of use was pretty incredible. The payment system was great and I received my money fast. It was easy to track my jobs. For the price of Wave it was definitely a good value for my money.

Cons

I would’ve needed another software system. I switched to Jobber and it handles my appointments as well as my invoices.

Review Source

JD

Jake D.  
President  
Hospitality  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Incredible Value Accounting Software"

July 8, 2025

4.0

I really liked the software and think it's a great product for small businesses who need an inexpensive solution.

Pros

The value for the product is incredible. It has features that are typical for much more expensive products.

Cons

It can feel clunky at times and can be somewhat difficult to navigate. You have to know where items flow to so you can find what you need.

Review Source

MHE

Michael Herbert E.  
Furniture Salesperson  
Retail  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Manage your finances "

March 10, 2025

3.0

I have a very simple and easy process that I apply to my money control which on the whole has really helped me a lot

Pros

It is like a piece of cake, the creation of invoices is very fast and the bank sync functionality works well to connect automatically from my bank account to the application which in turn better helps me to manage my money properly

Cons

Why I am struggling to understand is that the interface is not as intuitive as I would like it to be

Review Source

AM

Ashley M.  
Admin and Community  
Events Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Easy to Use! "

March 25, 2025

5.0

Super simple to understand and easy to get started.

Pros

Wave is easy to use for invoicing. i like that I can update/change invoices as needed. Collecting payment from clients is easy as well, and they accept all major credit cards.

Cons

Everything was pretty good, the only thing that I would change is switch back to the old format of being able to easily copy the share link without having to click into two menus

Review Source

GS

Guerline S.  
Payroll Office Manager  
Telecommunications  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "The easiest transaction software"

August 14, 2025

5.0

Pros

Wave is free, simple, and ideal for small businesses. It makes it easy to manage invoices, payments, and reports without hassle.

Cons

The tool quickly reaches its limits for more advanced accounting. Some features are restricted to North American users.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Operation Control  
Airlines/Aviation  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Good quality, but sometimes the number buttons give problems."

February 18, 2025

4.0

I enjoyed using Wave. It was very easy to use and I liked how I can listen back to my recordings. Sometimes it was annoying the buttons won't work. But overall the quality was good.

Pros

I like how it is very user friendly interface. When I first starting learning my job, my trainer didn't have to teach me how to use Wave application because it was easy enough.

Cons

Sometimes pressing the number buttons didn't work. For example, if the call say press 1 for nurse, press 2 for dispatch. I tried to press number 1, but it would not recognize. Also, our company just had to switch to another application and they told me the reason is due to HIPPA compliance.

Review Source

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