Accounting & bookkeeping
Wave
Wave is small business accounting software covering bookkeeping, invoicing, estimates, receipt capture, online payments, and payroll in one account, built for owner-operators rather than finance teams.
The free Starter plan allows unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records, with mobile invoicing and a single dashboard for cash flow and customers. The Pro plan, $19 a month or $190 a year, adds automatic bank transaction import through Plaid, auto-merged and categorized transactions, unlimited digital receipt capture, automated late payment reminders, branding control on invoices, and additional user roles. Online payments are optional on any plan at 2.9% plus $0.60 per credit card transaction, or 3.4% plus $0.60 for Amex, with lower per-transaction pricing on Pro.
For owners who would rather not keep their own books, Wave Advisors adds a dedicated bookkeeper, monthly financial statements, and onboarding from other accounting software, starting at $149 a month. Wave is a Canadian company backed by H&R Block. It reports more than 5.9 million small business owners served in the US and Canada since 2010, $21B processed through online payments and payroll since 2012, 22.5M invoices a year, and 1.5B accounting transactions since 2011.
Wave is general small business accounting; the site describes no property management features such as rent rolls or lease tracking. Check whether its tag-based tracking is enough to separate properties before moving a portfolio's books onto it.
Best for
Owners with one or two properties or a small side business who need low-cost bookkeeping, invoicing, and payments. Operators who need property-level ledgers, rent rolls, or trust accounting should look at property management accounting instead.
What they do
- Free small business bookkeeping and accounting
- Invoicing and estimates
- Online credit card and bank payment acceptance
- Receipt capture and expense tracking
- Bank transaction import and categorization
- Payroll for employees and contractors
- Bookkeeping service with a dedicated bookkeeper
- Financial reporting and dashboards
Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| How they charge | Starter plan is free; Pro is $19/month or $190/year; card payments cost 2.9% plus $0.60 per transaction; Wave Advisors bookkeeping starts at $149/month. |
What stands out
- Reports more than 5.9 million small business owners served in the US and Canada since 2010.
- Reports $21B processed through online payments and payroll since 2012.
- Reports 22.5M invoices a year and 1.5B accounting transactions since 2011.
- Starter plan is free, with unlimited invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records.
- Canadian company backed by H&R Block.