Wave review & overview
Free core accounting and invoicing for very small businesses; monetizes via payments and payroll add-ons.
Wave sits in the accounting space and is most often picked for micro businesses, free accounting, solopreneurs. Below is a quick, no-fluff overview to help you decide if it fits.
Key facts
| Category | Accounting |
| Pricing | Free accounting/invoicing core; Pro ~$16/mo; pay-per-use payments and payroll. |
| Best for | Micro businesses, Free accounting, Solopreneurs |
| Affiliate program | Not confirmed |
Who it's for
Wave makes most sense for micro businesses.
- Micro businesses
- Free accounting
- Solopreneurs
Key features
What you actually get with Wave, drawn from independent reviews and the vendor's own documentation:
- Free core accounting, invoicing and expense tracking (Starter)
- Unlimited income/expense tracking and unlimited invoices
- Pro plan adds automatic bank feeds (Plaid), OCR receipts and unlimited collaborators
- Pay-per-use payment processing
- Add-on payroll for US and Canada
Integrations
Wave connects with Plaid bank feeds, Stripe-style card processing (Wave Payments) and Wave Payroll.
What makes it stand out
Free, capable accounting for micro businesses that monetizes only through payments and payroll.
Who it's best for
Micro businesses, solopreneurs and side hustles wanting free books.
Strengths & trade-offs
The honest balance for Wave, from independent reviews rather than its sales page. We go deeper in the full Wave review.
Strengths
- + Genuinely free core accounting and invoicing
- + No monthly fee for micro businesses and solopreneurs
- + Simple, approachable interface
Trade-offs
- - Only operates in the US and Canada
- - No public affiliate program currently
- - Bank feeds and receipt scanning require the paid Pro plan
Notable facts
Concrete, checkable details rather than marketing claims:
- Payment processing fees ~2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction and 1% for bank transfers
- Wave Payroll: ~$40 US base + $6 per active employee/contractor; Canadian payroll ~$25 base (excludes Quebec)
- Service is limited to the US and Canada
No public affiliate program at the time of writing; this page links to vendor and comparison resources instead.
Sources
The features and facts above on Wave are drawn from these independent reviews and vendor pages: