# Wave Reviews **Vendor:** Wave **Category:** [Accounting Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/accounting) **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 318 ## About Wave Wave is a comprehensive, cloud-based accounting software tailored for small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. It offers a suite of financial tools designed to simplify bookkeeping, invoicing, and payroll processes, enabling users to manage their finances efficiently without the need for extensive accounting knowledge. Key Features and Functionality: - Accounting: Track income and expenses, manage cash flow, and access detailed financial reports such as profit and loss statements and balance sheets. - Invoicing: Create and send professional, customizable invoices with ease. - Payments: Accept online payments through credit cards and bank transfers, facilitating faster transactions. - Payroll: Run payroll for employees and contractors, with automatic tax calculations and filings in supported regions. - Receipts: Scan and store receipts to track and organize expenses efficiently. - Mobile App: Manage invoices, expenses, and receipts on-the-go, ensuring financial oversight anytime, anywhere. Primary Value and Solutions Provided: Wave addresses the common challenges faced by small business owners in managing their finances by offering an integrated platform that combines accounting, invoicing, and payroll functionalities. Its user-friendly interface and automation features reduce the time and effort required for financial management, allowing users to focus more on growing their businesses. Additionally, Wave's commitment to security ensures that sensitive financial data is protected, providing peace of mind to its users. ## Wave Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users find Wave's **ease of use** exceptional, especially for those with no finance background needing simple accounting tools. (11 reviews) - Users value the **free plan and automated invoicing features** of Wave, simplifying their billing and payment processes. (6 reviews) - Users find the **easy setup** of Wave incredibly helpful for connecting with clients and managing contacts efficiently. (3 reviews) - Users love the **easy integration features** of Wave, allowing seamless connectivity with multiple accounts and platforms. (3 reviews) - Users value the **easy invoicing** and automation features of Wave, making payment processing seamless and efficient. (3 reviews) - Users find Wave's invoicing system to be **very easy to use** , allowing quick and professional invoicing for small businesses. (3 reviews) - Automation Efficiency (2 reviews) - Users find Wave's **billing management** incredibly easy, facilitating client invoicing, payments, and reporting effortlessly. (2 reviews) - Users value the **cloud-based access** of Wave, enhancing convenience and reliability for managing their business information. (2 reviews) - Easy Access (2 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users feel frustrated by the **missing bookkeeping features** , limited customer service, and removal of the 1099 filing option. (5 reviews) - Users express frustration over **poor customer support** , highlighting difficulties in reaching assistance and slow communication responses. (5 reviews) - Users find the pricing for Wave **unreasonably high** , especially after recent changes and limited service access. (2 reviews) - Users express concerns about **limited integration options** with Wave, affecting their workflow and efficiency. (2 reviews) - Users often face **approval process issues** that hinder setting up business accounts and lead to unresponsive support. (1 reviews) - Users note the **business size limitations** of Wave, finding it unsuitable for larger companies' needs. (1 reviews) - Difficult Customization (1 reviews) - Email Issues (1 reviews) - Insufficient Information (1 reviews) - Integration Difficulties (1 reviews) ## Wave Reviews ### 1. Simple Interface, Perfect for Small Business Invoicing **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rashida D. | Executive Administrative Assistant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 08, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** I really like that Wave's user interface is simple and easy to use, making it straightforward to find things. The customer service has been easy to use and they are easy to get a hold of. I found the features to be purposeful, useful, and offering a wide variety. Setting it up was also really easy, especially if you have your business and bank information ready. It was important for me as a small business owner to avoid combing through a poorly designed interface, and Wave helps me get things done quickly and accurately. **What do you dislike about Wave?** The invoicing was a little wonky the last time I used it. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** Wave is a great inexpensive way to handle accounting, inventory, and invoicing for my small business. Its simple, easy-to-use interface and purposeful features save me time and help me manage tasks quickly and accurately. ### 2. Wave: Powerfully Simplifies Small Business Accounting **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** ARPIT M. | Vice President, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 29, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** I really appreciate Wave's 'Forever Free' philosophy where the core accounting and invoicing features are genuinely free, removing the stress of a growing monthly subscription bill for a small business. The interface is non-accountant friendly, unlike heavier software, allowing me to get the job done quickly without needing to learn complex processes. The dashboard provides a clear 'birds-eye view' of cash flow and the setup is super easy—getting the first invoice sent or a bank account connected can be done in under five minutes. Wave offers smart automation with features like automatic reminders for late clients and duplicate detection in bank syncing, which helps keep the books clean without much effort. The 'forward to receipts' email feature saves a lot of manual work by automatically scanning details and adding them to expenses. I love the professional aesthetic of Wave, where even though it's free, the invoices look high-end and can be customized with my logo and brand colors, giving my small business a polished appearance. **What do you dislike about Wave?** Lack of Inventory Management: Wave is mainly for service-based businesses. If you sell physical products, you can't track inventory within Wave. You need a separate spreadsheet or app, doubling the work. Limited 'Pro' Reporting & Customization: The basic reports work for tax time but feel too rigid. You can't customize or drill down reports like you can with advanced software. You might struggle to get detailed profitability by project or location. Customer Support Accessibility: The free plan's support is limited to self-help guides or a chatbot. To talk to a human, you need to pay for add-on services like Payroll or Payments. Mobile App 'Feature Gap': While Wave's mobile app is handy for sending invoices or snapping receipts, it lacks deeper accounting tasks. You need a desktop for serious work like bank reconciliation or complex reports. Multi-Currency & International Scaling: While Wave handles multiple currencies, it can be tricky for international users. Some tax requirements aren't supported smoothly, and currency conversion fees can be a bit high. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** Wave automates bookkeeping, organizing transactions, and ensures tax readiness. Its free core features and user-friendly interface simplify finance management without extra costs. Smart automation reduces errors, and professional invoices boost client trust. ### 3. Great Fit for Small Business Accounting Needs **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Stacey B. | Digital Media Consultant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 18, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** It's easy to use, and I love that it has had a free tier for as long as it has, when many competitors are overcharging crazy monthly subscription fees. What you get for features within the app, compared to its competitors, is awesome. It has all the needs for a small business. **What do you dislike about Wave?** I am based in Canada, and have a lot of US-based clients. The inability to collect online credit card payments from US clients is a big deal breaker. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** Wave handles all the end to end invoicing, billing, expense, reconciliation and tax needs for small business. The fact that it can handle all of these things for free, and do them well is rare in this industry. I've never had any issues with the app either, literally none. Everything just works. ### 4. Perfect for Small Business Accounting **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Connie S. | Owner/Operator, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 24, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** I appreciate Wave for its ease of use and that it's not complicated, which makes it perfect for small businesses. I love that I can connect multiple accounts, and the account is inexpensive. I find uploading receipts easy as I can just forward emails to a dedicated email linked to my account. It helps me see my cash flow and makes report preparation easy. I like that it can identify duplicate transactions and has a merge option, so I can easily reconcile. The initial setup was super easy, taking less than 5 minutes to connect all my bank accounts. **What do you dislike about Wave?** I would love to see a paystubs report for business owners so I can usually show income. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** Wave helps me easily upload receipts by forwarding emails, tracks cash flow, and simplifies report preparation. It's straightforward and perfect for small businesses, plus connecting multiple accounts and reconciling transactions is easy. ### 5. Disappointed with Changes and Poor Support **Rating:** 1.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Justin V. | Principal, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 31, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** I appreciate the free plan from Wave, which I've been using since I started with them almost ten years ago. I like the recurring invoicing feature and the automatic reminders for invoices, which takes a little off my mind knowing that's all being done for me. The platform's ability to handle multiple types of credit cards and ACH transactions is also something I like. **What do you dislike about Wave?** I don't like that they removed the feature to file 1099s for a small fee. Now, you have to subscribe to their payroll service for the whole year, which I don't need. This feels like a money-grabbing move, and it's a huge negative for me. Their customer service hours are also very limited compared to before, and communication about changes was poor. You can't reach a human easily, which is frustrating. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Wave for bookkeeping for my small business. I like the recurring invoicing and automatic reminders, which take a little off my mind. It supports multiple credit cards and ACH transactions too. ### 6. Wave Makes Free Invoicing Easy **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Robert K. | Dispatcher, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 30, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** Wave is great because it let's us send invoices for free. **What do you dislike about Wave?** It would be nice if the expense monitoring was also free, but it's understandable that they make you pay for that feature. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps us send invoices for free which is nice when business is slow. It's one unnecessary expense we don't have to pay for. ### 7. Easy, Brand-Custom Invoicing That Simplifies Payments and Reconciliation **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Megan E. | Owner, Lead Designer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 16, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** I love how easy it is to draft and send invoices and that there are options to customize the invoice to your brand. Makes it easy to receive payments and reconcile accounts. **What do you dislike about Wave?** How long it takes to receive payouts after invoices have been paid, sometimes up to 10 days. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** Bookkeeping for a small business. Wave makes it easy to keep on top of bookkeeping and get paid by clients. ### 8. Effortless Networking Made Simple with Wave **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Charles P. **Reviewed Date:** January 03, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** I like how Wave helps me contact and be seen by potential clients easily. I appreciate the facility to share my profile with a card, which makes it much simpler than writing my email on another phone. The initial setup was very easy, and we are still on Wave because we like it. **What do you dislike about Wave?** I find it inconvenient that you have to click on a link to share your profile with the card. It would be better if the profile could just appear automatically on the cellphone without having to click a link. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Wave to make connections with potential clients. It helps me contact and be seen by people, and it's simpler to share my profile with a card instead of writing my email on another phone. ### 9. Budget-Friendly and Easy to Use, But Lacks Some Automation **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Brandon S. | Radio Host, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 30, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** I like that Wave is easy to use, it's free, and you can still get a lot of use from the free stuff. **What do you dislike about Wave?** I hate that they got rid of the invoicing feature where I can just set it and forget it. You have to upgrade the account to have that feature. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Wave for invoicing my clients. It's easy to use, free, and the free version offers a lot of functionality. ### 10. Great Budget-Friendly Cloud Accounting for Small Businesses **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Brij Sen S. | Assistant Team Lead, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Wave?** Wave is very good software for small businesses with fewer than 1,000 transactions. It’s a great opportunity for smaller businesses to manage their financial data in the cloud. **What do you dislike about Wave?** Overall, it’s good for the budget. However, the UI could be better. **What problems is Wave solving and how is that benefiting you?** It saves me time to manage my books in Wave rather than in Excel. ## Wave Discussions - [How does Wave Software make money?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-does-wave-software-make-money) - 1 comment - [Is Wave Accounting really free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-wave-accounting-really-free) - 2 comments - [Is wave a good accounting software?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-wave-a-good-accounting-software) - 2 comments - [What is Wave Software?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-wave-software) - 2 comments - [View Wave pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/wave/reviews/wave-review-1911264?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-03+03%3A58%3A55+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=76895e21-b535-4feb-8711-bd136c7c1aa3&secure%5Btoken%5D=3b2a4a1898c0d428c63651a25e5c0692c5373699c177ea5ec8e590ae212f9afb&format=llm_user) ## Wave Integrations - [Chase Payment Solutions](https://www.g2.com/products/chase-payment-solutions/reviews) - [Zapier](https://www.g2.com/products/zapier/reviews) ## Wave Features **General Ledger** - Journal Entries - Tags / Dimensions - Audit Trail **Bill Generation** - Templates - Digital Billing - Recurring Billing **Agentic AI - Accounting & Finance** - Autonomous Task Execution **Accounts Receivable** - Invoice Customization - AR Automation - Collections Automation **Bill Processing** - Consolidation - Batch Invoicing - Management **Accounts Payable** - AP Automation - Payment Processing - Purchase Orders **Integration** - Accounting - Payments - ERP **Agentic AI - Billing** - Autonomous Task Execution **Other Functionality** - Inventory Tracking / Ordering - Inventory Pricing and Costing - Inventory Reporting - Multi-Entity / Consolidation - Recognition Rules - Reconciliations - Payroll - Time and Expense **Reporting & Analytics** - Financial Statements - Custom Reporting - Budgeting / Forecasting - Dashboards **Platform** - Customization - Workflow Capability - User, Role, and Access Management - Internationalization - Performance and Reliability - Output Document Generation **Integration** - Data Import and Export Tools - Integration APIs - Breadth of Partner Applications **Cash Flow** - Track Cash Flow - Income and Expenses - File Exports **Budgeting & Forecasting** - Budgeting / Forecasting - Data Import - Versioning - Historical Data **Revenue** - Revenue Types - Revenue Allocation - Scheduling **Payroll** - Direct Deposit - Check/W-2 Printing - Tax Calculation - Reporting and Dashboards **AI** - Data Extraction - Invoice Processing - Expense Management - Fraud Detection - Tax Compliance - Support Chatbots - Bank Reconciliations - Report Generation - Customizable Alerts - Predictive Analytics **Mobile Applications - Accounting** - Cloud Integration - Notifications - UI - Offline - Expense Tracking - Invoice Management **Agentic AI - Accounting** - Autonomous Task Execution ## Top Wave Alternatives - [Xero](https://www.g2.com/products/xero/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (1,582 reviews) - [FreshBooks](https://www.g2.com/products/freshbooks/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (949 reviews) - [Zoho Books](https://www.g2.com/products/zoho-books/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (311 reviews)