Wave Accounting Platform Reviews

“Worth the price

Pros

I tried learning QuickBooks but found it too complicated for my small service business so I switched to Wave. Back when it was free, I found it very easy to use. When I had questions, I could quickly find answers in Wave's online help. Though I am not a trained bookkeeper but this tool made me feel much more confident than QuickBooks ever did. I have stayed with it for years even after they started charging because it's been worth every penny. And yes it is still simple to use and now that I work with a part-time bookkeeper, the platform makes it really easy for us to work together.

Cons

Bank connection is not reliable which has caused some headaches. I cannot tell whether the fault lies with my bank or with the tool itself but on a few occasions the link dropped and then reconnected which created duplicate transactions that I had to remove. Fixing those duplicates was fairly easy but it was still annoying and disrupted my workflow more than I expected.

“Great automatic reporting for $19

Pros

With Wave, my bank and card accounts are linked automatically so transactions are imported without any manual work which makes creating financial reports much easier. I also really like being able to see income, expenses and net profit for any time period and compare them to past months. My monthly fee is $19 and I think that's great value.

Cons

I tried to set up invoicing and payment collection through it. I was approved at first but later they took away my access because they classified my business as a travel agency. Now I have to find another tool to send invoices and accept payments which is inconvenient and disrupts my workflow.

“good for getting started

Pros

When I first launched my business, this tool was great as it was pretty easy to set up and made billing simple to handle.

Cons

Well it was not enough for my needs because it had fewer features than QuickBooks. I also found it unmanageable and slow to search for specific invoices.

“great until it quietly paywalled my own transaction data

Pros

As a solo-owner LLC, I am finding this software very easy to use and the free tier gives me the best features. Also I get excellent value that helped me handle transaction-based bookkeeping.

Cons

However I ran into a major issue when it quietly removed the ability to export detailed transaction data from free accounts without telling anyone. Also the interface still looks like you can download full transaction info but that feature is now behind a paywall with no warning. This broke a key part of my bookkeeping as I need to give my CPA detailed expense info for taxes. Now the only export option is a basic summary that does not work in many cases. It feels like a shady way to push users into paying, just to get their own data back. Because of that, I cannot honestly recommend it unless you are okay with paying for access to your own information.

“Free and incredibly reliable

Pros

I use the free Wave app for bookkeeping in two small businesses and the fact that it's free is definitely what I like most. Plus the software usually works without issues. The one time I did have a problem, their customer support fixed it in a single phone call. Since then, I have not had any problems with the app.

Cons

One improvement I'd love to see is an auto-fill option. Because I regularly enter many transactions that are identical except for the date and the amount so it would save me a lot of time if the app could predict and fill in a name or transaction after recognizing the first few letters.

“Top free tool for small businesses

Pros

As a small business owner, the thing I like most is that the accounting features are completely free and are incredibly easy to use. Overall they suit my needs perfectly.

Cons

The payment processing fees are somewhat steep and support is restricted unless I subscribe to a paid plan.

“Worth the price

Pros

I tried learning QuickBooks but found it too complicated for my small service business so I switched to Wave. Back when it was free, I found it very easy to use. When I had questions, I could quickly find answers in Wave's online help. Though I am not a trained bookkeeper but this tool made me feel much more confident than QuickBooks ever did. I have stayed with it for years even after they started charging because it's been worth every penny. And yes it is still simple to use and now that I work with a part-time bookkeeper, the platform makes it really easy for us to work together.

Cons

Bank connection is not reliable which has caused some headaches. I cannot tell whether the fault lies with my bank or with the tool itself but on a few occasions the link dropped and then reconnected which created duplicate transactions that I had to remove. Fixing those duplicates was fairly easy but it was still annoying and disrupted my workflow more than I expected.

“Great automatic reporting for $19

Pros

With Wave, my bank and card accounts are linked automatically so transactions are imported without any manual work which makes creating financial reports much easier. I also really like being able to see income, expenses and net profit for any time period and compare them to past months. My monthly fee is $19 and I think that's great value.

Cons

I tried to set up invoicing and payment collection through it. I was approved at first but later they took away my access because they classified my business as a travel agency. Now I have to find another tool to send invoices and accept payments which is inconvenient and disrupts my workflow.

“good for getting started

Pros

When I first launched my business, this tool was great as it was pretty easy to set up and made billing simple to handle.

Cons

Well it was not enough for my needs because it had fewer features than QuickBooks. I also found it unmanageable and slow to search for specific invoices.

“great until it quietly paywalled my own transaction data

Pros

As a solo-owner LLC, I am finding this software very easy to use and the free tier gives me the best features. Also I get excellent value that helped me handle transaction-based bookkeeping.

Cons

However I ran into a major issue when it quietly removed the ability to export detailed transaction data from free accounts without telling anyone. Also the interface still looks like you can download full transaction info but that feature is now behind a paywall with no warning. This broke a key part of my bookkeeping as I need to give my CPA detailed expense info for taxes. Now the only export option is a basic summary that does not work in many cases. It feels like a shady way to push users into paying, just to get their own data back. Because of that, I cannot honestly recommend it unless you are okay with paying for access to your own information.

“Free and incredibly reliable

Pros

I use the free Wave app for bookkeeping in two small businesses and the fact that it's free is definitely what I like most. Plus the software usually works without issues. The one time I did have a problem, their customer support fixed it in a single phone call. Since then, I have not had any problems with the app.

Cons

One improvement I'd love to see is an auto-fill option. Because I regularly enter many transactions that are identical except for the date and the amount so it would save me a lot of time if the app could predict and fill in a name or transaction after recognizing the first few letters.

“Top free tool for small businesses

Pros

As a small business owner, the thing I like most is that the accounting features are completely free and are incredibly easy to use. Overall they suit my needs perfectly.

Cons

The payment processing fees are somewhat steep and support is restricted unless I subscribe to a paid plan.

“Ideal tool for basics

Pros

There is a truly free version. Plus it let me set up bookkeeping and invoicing before I even got my first client and it was not just a trial. I mean it was a real, usable free option I could depend on while getting started.

Cons

One thing that frustrates me is that, even on the free plan I used, I could not remove the company's logo from my invoices unless I upgraded to a more expensive tier which felt unfair given I was not paying.

“paid plan is poor value

Pros

I like that it lets me manage multiple accounts/businesses in the free tier which is a big plus for small operations. Also it feels like good value for the money, is very user-friendly and handles payments and invoicing well.

Cons

The paid plan does not let me manage multiple accounts or businesses which is frustrating. It also feels like poor value because I have to pay a separate subscription for each account. I also miss AI-powered transaction sorting and the ability to connect directly to banks and credit cards to import transactions.

“Ideal tool for basics

Pros

There is a truly free version. Plus it let me set up bookkeeping and invoicing before I even got my first client and it was not just a trial. I mean it was a real, usable free option I could depend on while getting started.

Cons

One thing that frustrates me is that, even on the free plan I used, I could not remove the company's logo from my invoices unless I upgraded to a more expensive tier which felt unfair given I was not paying.

“paid plan is poor value

Pros

I like that it lets me manage multiple accounts/businesses in the free tier which is a big plus for small operations. Also it feels like good value for the money, is very user-friendly and handles payments and invoicing well.

Cons

The paid plan does not let me manage multiple accounts or businesses which is frustrating. It also feels like poor value because I have to pay a separate subscription for each account. I also miss AI-powered transaction sorting and the ability to connect directly to banks and credit cards to import transactions.

“Simple invoices and clear history

Pros

When my small business needed invoice generation and tracking payments, I found Wave to be really effective. Creating invoices is simple and I like being able to pull up a clear transaction history whenever I need to reference past activity.

Cons

Like many full-featured accounting platforms, it can feel overwhelming when I am only trying to use one part of it so clicking through multiple sections feels unnecessary. I am also often unsure what's included in the free version versus what's paid which is confusing but it does not ruin the experience for me.

“Perfect for basic needs

Pros

For my needs it handles the fundamentals well but when I am working with a bigger team and juggling lots of specific requirements, it is probably not the right choice for us.

Cons

I have run into basic service problems such as my requests often go unanswered and some things feel strange. For instance they'll hold funds or start a review without giving any explanation.

“Simple invoices and clear history

Pros

When my small business needed invoice generation and tracking payments, I found Wave to be really effective. Creating invoices is simple and I like being able to pull up a clear transaction history whenever I need to reference past activity.

Cons

Like many full-featured accounting platforms, it can feel overwhelming when I am only trying to use one part of it so clicking through multiple sections feels unnecessary. I am also often unsure what's included in the free version versus what's paid which is confusing but it does not ruin the experience for me.

“Perfect for basic needs

Pros

For my needs it handles the fundamentals well but when I am working with a bigger team and juggling lots of specific requirements, it is probably not the right choice for us.

Cons

I have run into basic service problems such as my requests often go unanswered and some things feel strange. For instance they'll hold funds or start a review without giving any explanation.