What is the difference between Wave's Free plan and the Pro plan?

Wave's Free plan includes essential accounting and invoicing tools at no cost, allowing you to track income and expenses manually. If you want to save time, upgrading to the Pro plan for $16/month adds automated bank connections and unlimited receipt scanning, eliminating manual data entry.

When should I upgrade from the Free plan to the Pro, Payroll, or Advisors plans?

Upgrade to Pro ($16/mo) when manual entry becomes tedious and you need automatic bank feeds and receipt scanning. If you hire staff, add the Payroll plan ($20/mo + $6/employee) for tax-filing support. Choose Advisors ($149/mo) if you need 1-on-1 coaching or professional bookkeeping help.

Does Wave offer an annual billing discount for its paid plans?

Wave currently bills its Pro plan at $16/month, Payroll at $20/month, and Advisors at $149/month on a monthly basis. While there is no annual discount option, the monthly flexibility allows you to cancel or adjust your add-on services at any time without a long-term commitment.

How does Wave's pricing scale as my team grows?

Wave's core accounting is free, but if you hire employees, our Payroll plan scales with your team. You will pay a flat $20/month base fee plus $6/month per active employee or independent contractor. This ensures you only pay for the exact team size you have.

Does Wave offer special discounts for startups, nonprofits, or students?

Wave does not offer additional discounts for startups, nonprofits, or students. Because our core Accounting and Invoicing features are 100% free, and our Pro plan is highly affordable at just $16/month, we keep our pricing low and transparent for all small businesses.

What are the hidden costs of Wave beyond the subscription price?

Beyond the Wave subscription, organizations typically budget for implementation and data migration, user training and onboarding, premium support tier upgrades, required add-on features, third-party integrations, and annual true-up costs from seat overages. These costs can add 20-80% to the base subscription price depending on team size and deployment complexity.

Does Wave charge for implementation or setup?

Wave may charge for professional services, data migration, and initial configuration, particularly for enterprise deployments. These costs are typically not listed on the public pricing page and are negotiated separately. Request a total cost of ownership estimate before signing.

Is Wave pricing stable or does it change frequently?

Wave pricing has been stable over the last 90 days based on our monitoring. We verify pricing on a rolling 30-day cadence and log all changes in our public changelog.

Home›Accounting›Wave›Pricing

Wave Pricing Plans and Tiers 2026

Free accounting and invoicing software designed for freelancers and small businesses to manage income, expenses, and payments.

AccountingFreemiumPrice verified May 21, 2026From $16/moFree plan ✓

·4 plans·★★★★☆4.4/5 G2

Full Review →

Alternatives to Wave →Compare with others →

Plans Analysis Worth It?True Cost Price History Alternatives FAQ Sources

All Plans & Pricing

High confidence· Verified May 21, 2026

30-day free trial · Pro plan·No credit card required

Starter

Free

Best for: individuals & small teams

✓Unlimited invoicing and billing
✓Unlimited bookkeeping and transaction tracking
✓Manual receipt scanning
✓Single user access
✓Pay-per-use credit card and bank payment processing

Get Started Free →

Pro

$16/mo

Best for: $16/mo gets you Bank connections, Receipt scanning

✓Unlimited automated bank connections
✓Unlimited receipt scanning with auto-merging
✓Unlimited users and collaborators
✓Live chat and email support
✓Automated transaction categorization

Start Plan →

Payroll (Full-Service)

$40/mo

Best for: $20/mo base gets you + $6/employee, Tax-filing states

✓Automated payroll tax filing and payments
✓Direct deposit for employees and contractors
✓Employee self-service portal for paystubs
✓W-2 and 1099 form generation
✓Seamless integration with Wave Accounting

Start Plan →

Wave Advisors

$149/mo

Best for: $149/mo gets you 1-on-1 coaching, Bookkeeping support

✓Dedicated professional bookkeeper
✓Monthly bookkeeping and categorization
✓Monthly financial statement preparation
✓Year-end tax readiness support
✓Ongoing expert communication

Start Plan →

Pricing Analysis

Overview

Wave - Free accounting, invoicing, and receipt scanning for small businesses. The free tier gets you Accounting, Invoicing, Receipt scanning - a real plan, not a 14-day trial. Upgrading to Pro (Accounting) ($16/mo) unlocks Bank connections and Receipt scanning. At $16/mo, Wave undercuts the $33/mo category average by 52%. For comparison, Patriot Software starts at $17 and FreshBooks at $23. Watch the 9x price jump from Pro (Accounting) ($16) to Advisors ($149) - map out which features you actually need before committing to upper tiers.

Cost Per User

Pro$16/mo

Flat rate: cost doesn't scale with team size

Payroll (Full-Service)$40/mo

Flat rate: cost doesn't scale with team size

Wave Advisors$149/mo

Flat rate: cost doesn't scale with team size

Which Plan Is Right for You?

Free (Accounting)FREE

You get Accounting, Invoicing, Receipt scanning. What's locked behind the paywall: bank connections. If those matter, Pro (Accounting) at $16/mo is the next step. Good enough for solo use and evaluation.

Pro$16/mo

$16/mo gets you Bank connections, Receipt scanning. The sweet spot for professionals who've maxed out the free plan and need Bank connections.

Payroll (Full-Service)$20/mo base

$20/mo base gets you + $6/employee, Tax-filing states. The middle ground - enough for growing teams without enterprise overhead. Saves $129/mo base vs. Advisors.

Wave Advisors$149/mo

$149/mo gets you 1-on-1 coaching, Bookkeeping support. 645% more than Payroll - justified only if you need the extras. At this price point, also evaluate Patriot Software.

vs. Category Average

Wave$16/mo

Category avg$40/mo

60% below the accounting average

Our Verdict

Rated 4.4/5, Wave at $16/mo is a value pick in its category. Start free. Move to Pro (Accounting) ($16/mo) when Bank connections becomes a need, not a want.

Is Wave Worth the Price?

Strengths

5 points

1Truly free accounting, invoicing, and receipt scanning
2Unlimited users, invoices, and bank connections on the free plan
3Built-in payment processing (Wave Payments) for faster invoice payment
4Simple, user-friendly interface designed for non-accountants
5Mobile app for on-the-go invoicing and receipt capture

Considerations

5 points

1No dedicated time tracking or project management features
2Limited to US and Canadian businesses for bank connections and payroll
3Lacks advanced inventory management for product-based businesses
4Customer support is primarily email/chatbot on the free plan
5No third-party app integrations outside of Zapier

Ideal For

Freelancers and service-based solopreneurs

Which plan fits you

Free (Accounting) — You get Accounting, Invoicing, Receipt scanning.

Pro — $16/mo gets you Bank connections, Receipt scanning.

Payroll (Full-Service) — $20/mo base gets you + $6/employee, Tax-filing states.

Pricing Takeaway

★ 4.4/5

Rated 4.4/5, Wave at $16/mo is a value pick in its category. Start free. Move to Pro (Accounting) ($16/mo) when Bank connections becomes a need, not a want.

60% below category avgCategory avg: $40/mo

Beyond the subscription: what to budget for

List price covers the subscription. Total cost of ownership for Wave typically includes additional line items that don't appear on the pricing page.

Implementation

Setup, data migration, initial configuration

Training

Onboarding, certification, admin enablement

Premium Support

SLA upgrades, dedicated CSM, 24/7 access

Required Add-ons

Features gated behind higher tiers or paid extras

Integrations