Manager.io vs Wave
- ✦ General Ledger
- ✦ Expense Claims
- ✦ Bank Reconciliation
- ✦ Accounting
- ✦ Receipt Scanning
- ✦ Bank Connections
Manager.io and Wave are both Accounting tools. Manager.io starts at $9/mo, Wave at $8/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Manager.io vs Wave
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Fixed Assets logs purchases, depreciation schedules, and disposals across all locations in one ledger, cutting quarterly reconciliation from 8 hours to 2 hours.
Receipt Scanning with Multi-currency support auto-converts foreign expenses by project code, cutting 8 hours of monthly receipt entry down to 90 minutes.
Payroll calculates gross pay and withholdings in USD, EUR, and GBP, posting each to the General Ledger automatically for real-time bank-feed verification.
Advance payments sit in a General Ledger liability account until work ships, giving managers clean earned-versus-unearned revenue reports per client.
Bank Connections pulls live transaction data; the Accounting module cross-references Invoicing records to surface double payments before month-end close.
Online Payments embedded in each invoice let clients pay by card or bank transfer from their inbox, improving collection speed by 18-25%.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified May 30, 2026
Manager.io Plans
Free tier available
Desktop Edition
Free- ✓Install on your computer
- ✓No internet connection required
- ✓Data stored locally
- ✓Unlimited businesses
- ✓Unlimited users
Cloud Edition
$9/org/mo- ✓Access from anywhere
- ✓Automatic backups
- ✓Collaboration features
- ✓Unlimited users
- ✓All features included
Wave Plans
Free tier available
Starter
FreeBest for: This free plan is ideal for new businesses or those with basic accounting needs, offering invoicing and expense tracking without cost.
- ✓Unlimited invoicing
- ✓Estimates
- ✓Bookkeeping
- ✓Unlimited customers and products
- ✓Add your logo and brand colors to an invoice
Receipts
$8/user/moBest for: This plan focuses on efficient receipt management and expense tracking
- ✓Receipt scanning
- ✓Automatic bookkeeping record creation
- ✓Upload receipt files from desktop or mobile
Pro
$19/user/moBest for: The Pro plan provides advanced features for growing businesses needing more robust accounting tools
- ✓Automated bank transaction imports
- ✓Unlimited collaborators
- ✓Remove Wave branding from invoice footer
- ✓Automated late payment reminders
- ✓Unlimited, secure, and reliable bank connections
Payroll
$40/user/moBest for: Designed for businesses managing employee payroll, including tax calculations and direct deposits
- ✓Payroll processing
- ✓Manage 1099 contractors
- ✓Direct deposit
Capability Breakdown
5 differences found across 16 standardized features
- •General Ledger
- •Invoicing
- •Expense Claims
- •Bank Reconciliation
- •Fixed Assets
- •Payroll
- •Inventory
- •Multi-currency
- •Purchase Orders
- •Quotes & Estimates
- •Financial Reports
- •Tax Codes
- •Custom Fields
- •Multi-business
- •Audit Trail
- •Accounting
- •Invoicing
- •Receipt Scanning
- •Bank Connections
- •Financial Reports
- •Payroll
- •Online Payments
- •Multi-currency
- •Sales Tax Tracking
- •Recurring Invoicing
- •Customer Management
- •Estimates
- •Mobile App
- •Dashboard
- •Integrations
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Unlimited features in the free, full-featured desktop version
- +One-time fee for self-hosted Server Edition, no recurring costs
- +Highly customizable with custom fields, reports, and themes
- +Strong multi-currency and multi-language support out of the box
- +Localizations feature adapts tax codes and reports by country
- −No mobile app for on-the-go invoicing or expense tracking
- −Lacks direct payroll integration; requires manual entry or separate system
- −No third-party app marketplace for integrations (e.g., CRM, payments)
- −Cloud version has a 10GB storage limit per business
- −User interface is functional but feels dated compared to modern rivals
- +Truly free accounting, invoicing, and receipt scanning
- +Unlimited users, invoices, and bank connections on the free plan
- +Built-in payment processing (Wave Payments) for faster invoice payment
- +Simple, user-friendly interface designed for non-accountants
- +Mobile app for on-the-go invoicing and receipt capture
- −No dedicated time tracking or project management features
- −Limited to US and Canadian businesses for bank connections and payroll
- −Lacks advanced inventory management for product-based businesses
- −Customer support is primarily email/chatbot on the free plan
- −No third-party app integrations outside of Zapier
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Manager.io removed the "Server" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Manager.io removed the "Cloud" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Manager.io removed the "Desktop" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Manager.io added a new "Cloud Edition" plan at $9/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Manager.io added a new "Desktop Edition" plan at $0/mo (Free)
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Wave removed the "Wave Advisors" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Wave removed the "Payroll (Full-Service)" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Wave added a new "Payroll" plan at $40/user/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Wave added a new "Receipts" plan at $8/user/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Wave raised "Pro" from $16/mo to $19/mo (+19%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
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- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-05-30)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
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Sources & Data Trail · Wave
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- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
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