Ready To Leave Wave? Here Are The Best Wave Alternatives

QuickBooks offers four pricing plans ranging from $35-$235/month. The larger the plan, the more features and number of users you are allowed.

Payments are made monthly, and no annual contracts are required. Payroll costs an additional $50/month + $6/employee – $130/month + $11/employee.

Discounts are available, or you can opt to sign up for a 30-day free trial.

QuickBooks Online offers an incredible number of features. Some of the advanced features are restricted to the more expensive version of the software.

Here are some of QuickBooks Online’s features:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Bank reconciliation
• Accounts payable
• Chart of accounts
• Inventory
• Time tracking
• Project management
• 80+ reports
• Budgeting
• Tax support

QuickBooks Online and Wave have similar offerings. Both provide invoicing, contact management, expense tracking, and accounts payable.

However, QuickBooks Online offers better invoice templates and automations, more reports, more developed time tracking, inventory features, a project management feature, and even lending services. QuickBooks Online also has far more integrations than Wave.

The only things Wave has that QuickBooks doesn’t are a free pricing plan and a lightweight eCommerce tool called Checkouts. Granted, Wave is also a lot easier to use than QuickBooks Online.

QBO is a great choice for business owners who were drawn to Wave for its invoicing but want more features and additional users without sacrificing ease of use. While it’s more expensive than Wave’s $0/month, your money goes a long way in terms of features.

To learn more, check out our comparison of Wave VS QuickBooks Online.

FreshBooks offers three pricing plans ranging from $19-$60/month. The larger the plan, the more features you have access to. It’s worth noting that the cheapest plan has limitations on invoicing and only has basic features.

Payments can be made monthly, or you can save 10% with an annual subscription. One user is supported, although you can add more users at a cost of $11/month per user.

A 30-day free trial is available to try out the software.

FreshBooks’ features aren’t as numerous or developed as other options (such as QuickBooks Online or Zoho Books), but the software still has a lot to offer, including an incredibly well-developed proposals feature.

Here are some of the features you can expect with FreshBooks:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Proposals
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Charts of accounts
• Items
• Time tracking
• Project management

FreshBooks and Wave both offer easy-to-use software with professional invoices and good expense tracking. They each offer contact management, strong client portals, and time tracking as well.

There are a few places where FreshBooks outshines Wave. FreshBooks has more robust mobile apps, far better customer support, and 100+ integrations as opposed to Wave’s four. FreshBooks also offers project management. Of course, you’re paying for these at a premium instead of Wave’s free monthly cost.

If you were drawn to Wave’s ease of use and invoicing, FreshBooks matches those features and adds far better customer support and mobile apps, which may make up for the more expensive cost.

Zoho Books offers six affordable pricing plans ranging from $0-$275/month. The larger the plan, the more invoices, features, and user seats you have access to. Payments are made monthly, although there is a discount for purchasing an annual subscription.

A 14-day free trial is available.

Zoho Books’ feature set gives programs such as QuickBooks Online and Xero a run for their money. The software also offers the best invoicing capabilities on the market and many time-saving automations.

Here are the features you can expect with Zoho Books:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Bank reconciliation
• Chart of accounts
• Accounts payable
• Inventory
• Time tracking
• Project management
• Reports
• Tax support
• Send invoices in multiple languages

Zoho Books and Wave have many similarities when it comes to invoicing, expense tracking, contact management, and ease of use. Both programs are well-loved by users and receive positive customer reviews.

However, Zoho Books offers more features, stronger mobile apps, and better customer support. Zoho Books has unbeatable invoicing with 16 templates to choose from, numerous customizations, auto-scheduling for invoices, and can even send invoices in multiple languages. The software also offers better time tracking, inventory, and a project management feature.

The only drawback of Zoho Books is that its payroll options are very limited. If you need payroll, you can integrate Zoho Books with Zoho Payroll or use the SurePayroll integration, but both options require paying for an additional service.

Zoho Books could be a worthy Wave alternative if you’re looking for more features without the high cost of QBO so long as you don’t need payroll.

QuickBooks Solopreneur has a single plan priced at $20/month. You can opt for a discount for the first three months, or you can try out the software with a 30-day free trial.

QuickBooks Solopreneur’s features are geared directly toward freelancers and address common self-employment issues, such as managing expenses, tracking deductions, and handling estimated quarterly taxes.

Here’s a look at what to expect:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Client portal
• Expense tracking
• Track deductions
• Fixed asset depreciation
• Reports
• Tax checklist
• Tax support

QuickBooks Solopreneur and Wave are a bit tricky to compare because they are completely different programs for different audiences. Wave is an accounting program designed for small businesses. QuickBooks Solopreneur is tax software with some bookkeeping and accounting features tossed in.

While Wave is a great free app for small businesses, freelancers have their own unique business and accounting needs. QuickBooks Solopreneur offers invoicing, estimates, and expense tracking like Wave, but it adds key features, such as tax deductions, self-employment tax calculations, and the ability to track deductions.

If you were drawn to Wave because of its price, QuickBooks Solopreneur and its features are designed specifically for you at a small monthly cost. The software is a great choice for freelancers needing extra help managing their business and staying tax compliant without spending tons of money or hours to do so.

Invoice Ninja offers three plans ranging from $0-$96+/month. The most expensive plan goes up in price as you add more users (up to 50 are supported).

It’s worth noting that the free plan supports invoicing for up to 20 clients. The more expensive plans include unlimited invoicing for unlimited clients, as well as additional templates and features.

Discounts are available with an annual subscription.

For invoicing software, Invoice Ninja offers a surprising number of features and plenty of business automations. Some of the advanced features are restricted to the more expensive version of the software. Here are some of the most notable features:

• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Contact management
• Expense tracking
• Items
• Project management
• Reports

Since Invoice Ninja is solely invoicing software, Wave has Invoice Ninja beat on the accounting front. Invoice Ninja is not accounting software, as it does not offer double-entry accounting, accounting reports, journal entries, or bank reconciliation.

However, Invoice Ninja has Wave beat in terms of invoicing. Invoice Ninja offers more invoice templates that are highly customizable. Invoice Ninja also provides a basic project management feature, which Wave lacks. Additionally, Invoice Ninja has more payment processing options.

Both programs support expense tracking, client portals, items, and a similar number of reports. Wave, however, has InvoiceNinja’s free plan beat as Wave doesn’t put any limit on invoices.

Invoice Ninja copies one of the most appealing aspects of Wave — the free plan — and gives users a strong invoicing solution, making it ideal for a small business looking for basic, affordable invoicing software.