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.

“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.

“Free from limitations

Pros

Its biggest advantage is offering fully free access to essential tools such as unlimited accounting, invoicing and expense tracking.

Cons

The biggest drawback is the absence of strong, live customer support for people on the free plan, who mostly have to rely on the online help center and a chatbot.

“Frustrating payroll and messy bookkeeping

Pros

Wave Accounting's automatic invoice creation and tracking are outstanding and dependable for my needs. The cash-flow visuals are potentially valuable but they really only make sense if every part of your money management is routed through the same system.

Cons

The payroll module was a mess as I found it very confusing from the start. Because of those payroll issues, I stopped using most of it and now only use it to send invoices. Expense coding never felt user friendly either as I struggled to get comfortable with how they organize things. Problems started early with setting up direct deposit as it was overly complicated and took way too long. Also its bookkeeping layout did not help. Plus it shows every possible account you could add, including a CASH ON HAND account that made no sense for my business so I don't get large cash payments in 2025. The system also acted in duplicate ways such as a payment would show as deposited in my checking account but it would still mark the invoice as unpaid. When I marked it paid manually, it then showed I'd been paid twice. That was frustrating and totally unhelpful. It took less than six weeks before I gave up on it out of frustration.

“Great starter accounting platform

Pros

Wave's web and mobile apps are powerful and very easy to use. Using it is also simple and the workflows for quotes, invoices and payments are good too. I also really like that it accepts all major credit cards in Canada. Plus the free version already offers a lot for startups and early-stage businesses. They also have an affordable paid plan with added automation and expense tracking to help improve efficiency.

Cons

What I dislike most is that they do not use standard accounting terms in many of their reports and tools. That might make the product easier for some people but for me with my CPA background it is confusing. Plus the non-standard labels make it harder to understand the reports than it should be.

“Support is pretty good

Pros

I really like Wave's customer support team as they are incredibly helpful and consistently available to respond to any questions or concerns I have.

Cons

That said I do not have much bad to say about it other than it could benefit from additional integrations.

“Great value for starting out

Pros

When I started my business, I found Wave and it was great. As the interface was easy to use, payments processed smoothly and I got paid quickly. Job tracking was also simple. And for the cost, I definitely felt it gave me the best value. Plus it made running my business less stressful and saved me time.

Cons

As per my needs I eventually required a different software solution so I moved to Jobber which manages both my appointments and invoices very reliably.

“everythng about it is good :)

Pros

this software is a user-friendly tool. Also adding clients, creating invoices and preparing estimates is pretty easy and quick. What I like most is being able to toggle payment acceptance on or off individually for each invoice and estimate.

Cons

Nothing too major but I'd like the search tool to let me find transactions by Purchase Order number or at least offer more ways to customize searches so it fits my workflow better. Right now those options feel limited.

“Ideal tool for beginners

Pros

As a freelancer and small business owner, I have found Wave to be a great free or low-cost option for sending invoices and handling basic accounting. I also like that the reports and dashboard are easy to create and really helpful for tracking cash flow. Plus the interface is clean and simple so even someone with no bookkeeping experience can start using it without feeling overwhelmed.

Cons

It is helpful when starting a small business because it covers the basics but it does not have many advanced features that other accounting tools offer. Also it is a fairly simple solution that mainly lets me track cash and expenses, send invoices and create basic reports. So if I need more detailed accounting, it might not be enough.

“Terrible service and costly errors

Pros

Absolutely nothing good to say as it has brought me nothing but headaches. I mean I have honestly never felt so let down and disgusted by any company.

Cons

I had a terrible customer support experience. They made clear mistakes that cost me money and then refused to fix them or compensate me. In my case, they submitted my quarterly state tax filing wrong which led to penalties and interest and they won't cover it. So to me this feels like a deeply unethical company that simply does not care about its customers.

“Simple and super helpful

Pros

I am a big fan of how user friendly this is and that it does not cost me anything for my needs. The financial reports are also simple to use and account tracking is incredibly easy too.

Cons

To date I have not noticed any drawbacks. I rely on it to monitor spending across multiple accounts and to generate profit-and-loss statements when I need them.

“Budget-friendly accounting tool

Pros

Well I am using it for basic bookkeeping on a tight budget and I must say it is a great accounting tool as long as you do not need a lot of customization or complex tracking. It is also simple to navigate and use.

Cons

The thing I do not like is the limited customization options as it does not let me tailor things much. When I need to file 1099s, it only supports certain states and transferring money to my bank usually takes several business days.

“Easy invoicing and saved details

Pros

The thing I like is that I can store customer details and product entries with their prices which makes it simple for me to pull them into a new invoice instead of retyping everything each time.

Cons

Previously the app allowed me to send invoice reminders directly from it but lately those reminders arrive as email links instead which changes how I follow up with clients.

“Perfect for small businesses

Pros

Wave is a free, user friendly and well suited tool for small businesses. Overall it really simplifies handling invoices, payments and reports without any fuss.

Cons

Well the tool reaches its limits quickly when you need more advanced accounting and some functions are only available to users in North America.

“All-in-one tool for startups

Pros

As a tiny start-up business, I really appreciated having a simple, user friendly program that managed all of my financial tasks and records conveniently in one place for me.

Cons

Not a single complaint about it. In fact it's motivated me to expand my business so I can take advantage of all the features it offers!

“Affordable and easy to learn

Pros

For me the standout thing about Wave is how affordable it is and I also find the interface incredibly easy to learn, use and move around.

Cons

On the downside their customer support is terrible particularly for free users which makes the product feel far from a complete software package. Additionally the inventory management is weak and that makes generating accurate reports difficult for me.

“Love how easy this is

Pros

I really like the invoicing features as they make billing simple and I can accept payments right on the invoice. Also it is handy that bank transactions can be linked and reconciled automatically which saves time. For my small business, the payroll option is a big plus as it's affordable and easy to manage and the company handles payments and employee offboarding. I also rely on the profit and loss tracking. Plus seeing those reports clearly laid out is very helpful. There is an open chat for quick questions and when chat cannot help, support follows up by email. Lastly the automation that syncs the bank and sorts income and expenses has been really useful for keeping the books balanced and staying on top of things.

Cons

Nothing too serious but I am not entirely sure whether they have added or integrated a job scheduling and dispatch feature yet. But what I am hoping for is the ability to create schedules and dispatch tasks tied directly to invoices so I can manage client jobs more efficiently without juggling separate tools.

“Payroll has become a disaster

Pros

It performed well before. I genuinely liked Wave! Perfect for my bookkeeping, invoicing, handling credit card charges and payroll until they altered it. Well I have been a subscriber for over 10 years.

Cons

Payroll has become a complete disaster. My staff have not been paid in six weeks so I have had to cover their wages out of my own pocket. Also taxes were taken from my bank but never submitted. And no one is responding to support emails. Honestly I am stuck.

“keep accounts organized

Pros

One thing I really like about this software is that it delivers a wide range of accounting tools for little to no cost. It also makes it simple for me to keep both my personal and business accounts organized.

Cons

My biggest frustration is how limited the bank statement upload feature is. I have also found that many banks don't export statements in the format this tool requires and that's a real problem for accounts with a lot of transactions.

“saves line items properly

Pros

Wave makes creating and sending invoices really easy and hassle-free. Plus being able to save frequently used line items has been incredibly helpful for our agency.

Cons

That said its effectiveness depends heavily on how well you manage your internal data and accounting. Such as our team has sometimes had trouble onboarding new clients or contractors when our SOPs weren't defined clearly enough to ensure consistent invoice data entry.

“Great free option for sb

Pros

For my small business back then, the price was great as it's free if you forgo bank feeds. I am also a fan of how easy and user friendly it is to navigate.

Cons

What bothered me was that free users don't get a bank-feed feature and the program felt less feature-rich and powerful compared to several other accounting systems I have tried.

“Good value for the price

Pros

I am really blown away by the bang for your buck here as this product packs capabilities I normally expect only from far pricier services so the overall value feels outstanding.

Cons

The interface can be a bit complex at times and somewhat tricky to navigate. Like you really have to know where items flow so you can find what you need.

“Payroll service was a disaster

Pros

The clean user interface and the dashboard layout is something I really like. Plus they show when an invoice has been viewed but sadly the negative side of things is absolutely terrible.

Cons

What started as a promising service quickly became a complete nightmare. The one I will be dealing with for months. They messed up my June 1 to 15 payroll by not sending direct deposits to my employees, even though they took out the taxes. For over a week, I had no idea what was happening. My support tickets were closed with no explanation and no one replied. I could not even choose the right payroll dates for nearly a week. When the system finally started working again, they had already billed me for July and said I could not cancel because the charge had gone through even though there'd been no support at all the week before. I was also told that if I wanted my tax reports filed, I'd have to keep paying through July. They also said if any taxes were collected that were not due until after July 31, I'd have to stay another month to avoid incomplete filings. To make things worse, you cannot switch to a new payroll provider until they formally release your business from their system so you are basically trapped. Don't expect clean exports either. Their reports are nearly useless and do not work well with other payroll systems. Overall it was a total disaster. So I'd strongly advise staying away.

“Support is no where to be found

Pros

I used to be completely in love with Wave but eventually I felt I had to walk away. At the beginning it told me exactly what I needed to hear and did everything right. Now the real issues have come out as it's just another piece of software that had a good run and then messed things up. We were extremely loyal and appreciated the invoicing, simplicity and low costs but it's reached a point that's unsustainable for us.

Cons

After a software integration upgrade, we couldn't run payroll and there was absolutely no support available when we needed help. So we were left without assistance during a critical payroll run.

“Great for invoice tracking

Pros

Using this app for sending invoices to my customers as it makes billing simple. It also shows me when a customer has opened an invoice and I get a notification the moment the invoice is paid.

Cons

For my small business the transaction fees still feel excessive and I often find that accepting customer payments by credit card ends up costing us more than I'd like.

“A frustrating payroll disaster

Pros

We have been with this company for many years and it has really served us well over that time. The main early perk was that the platform was free initially like there was not a monthly subscription, only a per-employee payroll charge.

Cons

I started noticing they began charging a monthly subscription and lately the platform has become painfully slow and it's caused us real stress. More importantly, they pushed a system update that turned into an absolute disaster. Everything drags and pages take forever to load. When I signed in to run payroll, the system forced me to update tax details for every employee. After making all the requested updates, we still cannot process payroll or run payments. I cannot even view the payroll summary to know how much we owe so I could hand-write checks. There's no way to reach customer support and we're now frantically hunting for a different payroll provider to resolve this. You can find many Reddit threads from other users experiencing the exact same problem.

“Major problems since 2025

Pros

Before 2025, using Wave was really easy for me as it handled everything I required and offered all the features I needed to manage my small business without any fuss.

Cons

Up until 2025 I never ran into problems with it but starting in 2025 things went downhill. Such as the ability to download report PDFs was removed, employees pay was reduced mysteriously without explanation and tax liabilities failed to be paid.

“Easy to use and full-featured

Pros

Wave is incredibly simple to use, packed with useful features and based on what I need it's either free or very affordably priced.

Cons

The only small thing I'd change is how descriptions work when I add line items to an invoice but it's a minor issue overall.

“Great for daily use

Pros

Using it is not a problem as it's simple to operate and excellent for creating invoices and keeping tabs on expenses, with a clean, generally user friendly interface.

Cons

I feel it lacks the features needed for growing businesses and it misses some advanced reporting capabilities like time tracking and project-level accounting.

“Super helpful for small business

Pros

It incredibly useful for invoicing and staying on top of the small business details. And because I don't have an accounting background, it makes everything seem simple and manageable.

Cons

At first some features were a bit hidden and not easy to find but once I got used to them, things have been smooth. I also really appreciate that the service is free which helps a lot.

“Love using it daily

Pros

One thing I really like is the voice navigation as it guides me clearly and the colorful interface makes using it feel fresh and fun. Overall it's reliable, simple to operate and noticeably better than MapQuest.

Cons

Honestly I cannot come up with any criticisms as it feels like a breath of fresh air compared with other services and I am really grateful a family member recommended it to me.

“Packed with great features

Pros

this tool stands out because it bundles a full range of accounting features without breaking the bank. Even on the free Starter tier I get core functionality like creating invoices, monitoring expenses and pulling financial reports which works really well for my small business.

Cons

My main complaint is that the premium tools are locked behind paid plans and those subscription fees can feel expensive for micro-businesses or new startups trying to keep overhead low.

“Great for beginners

Pros

As a small-business user just getting started, I find the platform very easy to use especially for beginners and smaller companies and the pricing is outstanding.

Cons

I do like the low cost and simple design but in my experience the simplicity means it misses a number of features that would be useful for business owners at various stages.

“Affordable and packed with value

Pros

I love how Wave delivers all the basic accounting tools while being extremely easy to use and budget-friendly. The service provides invoicing, expense tracking and financial reports without charge, plus reasonably priced paid options for payroll and extra capabilities. Also the interface is simple to use and appreciate automation like transaction syncing and receipt scanning.

Cons

Although I like the free version, I have notice it does not let me create purchase orders which might hinder businesses that require that specific operational capability.

“Misleading and not worth it

Pros

Honestly I think this company is awful. Like they advertise compatibility with RBC and lead you to believe it works but in practice it doesn't. I ended up paying for the service and they refused to give me a refund when it failed me.

Cons

If I am being honest I feel misled by their claims that the software works with every bank. As they told me it would but it clearly doesn't so people are being deceived.

“Easy to use but support slipped

Pros

Using it for five years now and I must say it is really easy to get the hang of and helps me handle payroll, send out invoices and keep an eye on my expenses.

Cons

Lately I have run into problems with them not processing tax payments promptly and I have noticed their customer support has declined considerably compared to how it used to be.

“Great value for accounting

Pros

Well their pricing was far more affordable compared with something like QuickBooks for my needs.

Cons

it took quite a while for them to fully configure and sync every bank connection. Like my Amex checking account alone took several months to compile correctly.

“Suits well to my needs

Pros

One thing I love is how easy it is to handle accounting with this and how well it suits small businesses.

Cons

there wasn't anything about it that I disliked.

“Fast, simple, professional invoices

Pros

Wave invoicing system is simply amazing. I wanted something fast, simple and professional and this tool delivered. Plus it is feature-rich and easy to navigate. My invoices also look great and I genuinely feel fortunate to have discovered it for my billing needs.

Cons

At the moment I cannot find any drawbacks to using it as it does exactly what I expected an invoicing app/system to do.

“Frustrating delays and no real support

Pros

The interface is very easy to use which I like. And whenever the instant transfer feature is available and functioning, I also find it helpful.

Cons

My payments can take over a week to clear, then sit in limbo for another week with no way to transfer them instantly. When I need money quicklylike many freelancers do it makes it harder. And when problems come up, there is no real support. The AI chatbot does not help and there is no phone or direct support line even for paying customers. If I have an urgent issue, it can take three days or more to get a response. The login process has also become annoying and feels like it's designed for big companies, not solo users like me. I mean it used to be the go-to for small businesses but useful features are disappearing as they focus more on larger clients. At this point, I'd suggest looking for other options.

“Easy invoicing, simple payments

Pros

Wave is really easy to use for invoicing. I also like that I can edit or update invoices whenever necessary without hassle. Collecting payments from clients is simple too and it accepts all major credit cards.

Cons

Honestly everything else worked well for me bt the only change I'd make would be to revert to the old layout where copying a share link was much more easy. Now I have to dig through two menus just to grab the link which feels unnecessary and slows me down.

“Great for invoicing and payments

Pros

For me it handles job scheduling, invoicing and payments pretty nicely. it also tracks expenses.

Cons

It doesn't integrate with other apps for automating workflows and its job time-tracking isn't very good.