Wave Accounting Platform Reviews

“Love the anywhere access”

Pros

I really appreciate how flexible it is to create invoices and quotes from anywhere especially when I need to handle billing on the go or away from my desk.

Cons

When I am using it online, it can lag at times depending on how fast my internet connection is which can be frustrating during busy workflows.

“Great use of available resources”

Pros

I think they really used what they had smartly when making this software.

Cons

there really weren't any aspects that I disliked.

“Free and easy but limited”

Pros

One of the biggest perks I have discovered with Wave Accounting is that it's completely free to use and for a small-business owner like me that makes it an incredibly attractive, cost-saving option when choosing how to manage company finances. The interface feels clean and user-friendly so I didn't struggle to learn it, within a few hours I had my account configured and was able to use the core features without running into problems. It offers a good range of tools tailored to small businesses, everything from customizable invoicing and quick receipt scanning to easy expense tracking and those features have genuinely helped me keep better records and stay organized day to day. I also value how smoothly Wave plays with other apps I depend on, such as PayPal and QuickBooks which makes importing and exporting data simple and reduces the amount of manual reconciliation I have to do.

Cons

A drawback I have run into with Wave Accounting is that it lacks some of the more advanced features you'd find in higher-end accounting packages so if your company is more complex, with multiple departments, locations or sophisticated reporting needs, Wave may not provide the powerfulness required and you might have to look for a different solution. Support can also be frustratingly slow at times, I have had occasions where it took a while to get a helpful response when questions or issues came up which added to my own workload. Another major downside is their regional restrictions. Wave used to be available to users worldwide but a few years ago they limited service to customers in the US and Canada. Although I am still able to access my own account, that change means I cannot confidently recommend it to friends or colleagues who live outside those countries.

“Great for payments and records”

Pros

I really appreciated being able to process customer payments with this software. It helped build credibility for my business and made clients feel comfortable since they could pay by credit card instead of relying on peer-to-peer cash transactions. Another thing I liked was the low fees they charged and the back office was easy and simple to get around. The platform also includes reporting tools that let me create and produce whatever documents I need for my records which made bookkeeping and tracking sales much easier.

Cons

One downside I ran into was that when I tried to use it for a particular business opportunity, selling training services, it wasn't permitted. After a while they informed me I couldn't use the platform for that line of work because the industry has a higher likelihood of refund requests. That restriction ended up limiting how I could use the service and impacted that part of my business plans.

“Fantastic and easy to use”

Pros

From my experience the interface and navigation are miles better than some of the larger accounting platforms I have tried. I find it incredibly simple to pull up old invoices, estimates and see outstanding balances. Wave links directly to my bank account which makes bookkeeping and reconciling so easy it's almost effortless.

Cons

At times the reporting options and category setup feel a bit limited. I have occasionally struggled to locate particular pieces of information when I need to create a report or prepare documentation which can be frustrating.

“Super simple and professional”

Pros

As the title says, Wave is incredibly easy to use, gives me a polished appearance and keeps my workflow organized. I would recommend it any day of the week!

Cons

I don't really have complaints, it's an excellent product. The only downside might be limited support on the free tier but I have never required assistance so it hasn't affected me.

“Free and surprisingly full-featured”

Pros

What I love about Wave Accounting is that it's free while still providing as many, if not more, features than several paid alternatives. I also value the fact that it's web-based so I can jump into my account from any computer with an internet connection.

Cons

Because it's free, I don't expect them to maintain a comprehensive support line so I cannot fault them much for the lack of phone or live chat assistance. Besides, I rarely need to reach out anyway, the interface is user-friendly and the built-in help tools usually answer my questions.

“Easy invoicing and simple setup”

Pros

I can easily extract invoices and revision lists and I also find it very easy to use.

Cons

Occasionally the app runs slowly but I notice it recovers quickly most of the time.

“Easy reporting and expense tracking”

Pros

I can easily categorize expenses and create reports without any hassle

Cons

The layout of the software doesn't sit well with me regarding organization and workflow

“Super easy invoicing tool”

Pros

Personally, the simplicity of this product is its biggest advantage. I can create invoices quickly and forward them to the right people without fuss. The app archives every invoice along with dates and payment records. I really save a huge amount of time whenever I need to retrieve documents for particular dates.

Cons

I'd like to see improvements to the look of the invoices and more options for customizing them.

“Love the free invoicing tools”

Pros

Using Wave Accounting, I can quickly create and send attractive, branded invoices that make me look professional to my clients. Everything runs in the browser and I find the web app performs just as reliably as the desktop version. Best of all, I get all the features I need at no cost which to me makes this a fantastic piece of software.

Cons

I was surprised to discover that Wave Accounting tucks the invoice title away inside an accordion-style drop-down. I didn't notice for years and ended up sending invoices titled things like Invoice 24... until I finally stumbled on it one day.

“Free and incredibly helpful”

Pros

Being a sole practitioner, cutting costs really matters to me. I rely on this program to record journal entries and generate our accounting reports and honestly nothing beats a free option like this one .

Cons

Some advanced capabilities for example, depreciation, appear to be absent or at least I couldn't locate them because they aren't easy to use. On the bright side, most other items imported from my credit and bank statements quite smoothly and with good accuracy.

“Easy to use and affordable”

Pros

I appreciate having everything right at my fingertips, I can navigate the software without trouble and it's also priced affordably.

Cons

What I dislike most is the difficulty I have linking my international bank account to the app since that connection feature appears to be supported only in a handful of countries.

“Great for billing and reporting”

Pros

In our work we can easily generate comprehensive financial reports for presenting and analyzing results for different stakeholders who need them which helps ensure fair and clear presentation, the software also handles online billing, supports payroll preparation and other tasks.

Cons

Personally, I prefer this software when it comes to online billing and creating financial reports intended for management and board review.

“Fantastic free accounting tool”

Pros

Wave is an absolutely brilliant small-business accounting program, it comes loaded with a wide range of professional-grade, essential tools and the fact that it's completely free makes it almost unbelievable to me.

Cons

From my point of view, I cannot think of anything extra a small business would need beyond Wave, in my experience it already includes all required features and then some.

“Simple and incredibly useful”

Pros

When I only need easy bookkeeping and don't want a bunch of features I'll never use looking at you, QuickBooks, Wave handles everything I need without fuss. It's a simple, no-frills accounting tool that lets me concentrate on the actual work instead of wrestling with unnecessary bells and whistles.

Cons

If I had professional credentials like being a CPA or a deeper accounting background, I'd probably notice features and capabilities that are present in the larger paid platforms that Wave doesn't offer. Because I am not an accountant though, it's tough for me to criticize. For someone new to accounting or who only needs the basics, this software works really well.

“Easy and freelancer-friendly”

Pros

For my freelance small business work, Wave is very easy to use and fits that model perfectly. I don't have any accounting experience yet I can handle everything because the software offers a very user-friendly interface.

Cons

None though I am aware that live chat support isn't available unless you pay.

“Super easy customer billing”

Pros

What I like most is how simple it is to create invoices and bill my customers.

Cons

I genuinely like the application overall. If there was one thing I'd tweak, it would be the reminder emails, when the system prepares to send a reminder to a customer, I think it should pop up a confirmation asking whether I still want to proceed with sending it.

“Easy setup for sole traders”

Pros

Free and easy to set up and use for my sole-trader needs.

Cons

I am disappointed that UK support has been discontinued and it neither meets MTD requirements for VAT nor will it support MTD obligations for income tax filings.

“Simple and easy to stick with”

Pros

It is an easy to use, its layout is clean, navigation feels user-friendly and overall it's easy. I switched from FreshBooks years ago and have been using Wave ever since.

Cons

Sometimes I encounter problems when Wave tries to send invoices to Gmail addresses. Considering how common Gmail is, this issue is pretty unexpected and I really hope the team fixes it soon.