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Accounting software · 11 alternatives

Wave alternatives: 11 compared

Sebastiaan Smits By Sebastiaan Smits · Published October 8, 2026 · Updated October 8, 2026

People look past Wave when they need bank feeds without paying for Pro, more users, a market outside the US and Canada, or a bookkeeper's tooling. Most go to QuickBooks Online or Xero for the standard ecosystems, to Zoho Books or FreshBooks for lower-cost tiers, and to FreeAgent or Clear Books in the UK.

Short answer: The closest replacements for Wave in our accounting software ranking are QuickBooks Online, Xero and Zoho Books. Choose QuickBooks Online if your accountant insists on QuickBooks or you need inventory and more users. All 11 alternatives below are ranked products from Best Accounting Software in 2026, and each says where it differs from Wave and when Wave is still the better choice.

Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. How it works: placement disclosure · editorial process.

Wave at a glance

  • Headquarters: Canada
  • Pricing model: Free + paid tier
  • Pricing: Starter plan is free; a paid Pro tier adds automatic bank imports and receipt features, with card and bank payment fees on invoices.
  • Free option: Free plan
  • Built for: Micro-businesses watching every dollar
  • Wrong for: Firms with staff, inventory or clients abroad will hit its walls within a year; Zoho Books or Xero cost more but give room for multi-currency, users and deeper reporting.
  • Place in our ranking: #2 of 14
  • Website: waveapps.com

Facts from our accounting software ranking, last checked October 8, 2026.

Why buyers look past Wave

  1. The free plan earns on payments

    Wave Starter costs $0 and includes unlimited invoices, bills and bookkeeping records. Online payments are optional and cost 2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction and 3.4% + $0.60 for Amex. A business with many small card invoices pays a visible fixed fee on each.

  2. Bank import is a paid feature

    Wave lists auto-import of bank transactions, auto-merge and categorization, and receipt capture under Pro, at $19 a month or $190 a year. On Starter, bank transactions are entered by hand. A business that reconciles daily will usually need Pro.

  3. Users and reach are limited

    Wave lists admin, editor and viewer access under Pro, while Starter shares access with a payroll manager or a Block Advisors tax pro. Wave describes its customers as small businesses in the US and Canada, and its payroll pages cover those two countries.

11 alternatives at a glance

Closest replacement first. The last column is our place in the full 14-product ranking.

#AlternativeHeadquartersPricingKey differenceSwitch ifOur rank
1QuickBooks OnlineUnited StatesPer company / month; free planThe ledger most US accountants already knowyour accountant insists on QuickBooks or you need inventory and more users#4
2XeroNew ZealandPer organization / month; free trialBank-feed-first cloud ledger with unlimited usersyou want unlimited users and a large accountant and app ecosystem#5
3Zoho BooksIndiaPer organization / month; free planAutomation-heavy ledger with country-specific tax editionsyou want a free or low-priced plan that still has bank feeds and 1099 filing#3
4FreshBooksCanadaPer company / month; free trialDouble-entry books for firms that bill for their timeyou bill a modest number of clients and value invoicing polish over full bookkeeping#1
5FreeAgentUnited KingdomPer business / month; free trialSelf-assessment-ready books for UK freelancersyou are a freelancer or small firm in the UK wanting accountant-friendly workflows#10
6Clear BooksUnited KingdomPer company / month; free planUK ledger organized around VAT and HMRC filingyou are UK-based and need Making Tax Digital filing at the lowest price#9
7AkauntingTurkeyOpen source + paid tiers; open sourceOpen-source ledger you can host yourselfyou prefer an app-marketplace model and want to scale companies and invoices stepwise#11
8KashooCanadaFlat monthly; free trialStripped-down bookkeeping for solo ownersyou want free unlimited users so your bookkeeper and staff can share the books#8
9Odoo AccountingBelgiumPer user / month; free planAccounting app inside a modular open-core business suiteyour finance needs are growing into inventory, projects or HR under one system#12
10Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business CentralUnited StatesPer user / month; free trialMicrosoft's partner-sold finance and operations systemyou have outgrown small-business bookkeeping and need inventory, projects and approvals#14
11Patriot AccountingUnited StatesPer company / month; free trialLow-cost US bookkeeping ledger from an Ohio payroll companyyou want a US small-business tool with a trial and no annual contract, once you confirm its terms#13

What each alternative does differently

1. QuickBooks Online

The ledger most US accountants already know · United States

Plans run from a Free tier (one user, two invoices a month, one bank connection) to Simple Start at $38, Essentials at $85, Plus at $140 and Advanced at $340 a month before the current 50 percent promotion. Users are capped at one, three, five and 25 on the paid plans.

Switch from Wave if your accountant insists on QuickBooks or you need inventory and more users.

Pricing: Published monthly tiers from a limited Free plan (one user, two invoices a month, one bank connection) through Simple Start to Advanced, each capping users; payroll, payments and some add-ons are billed separately. (free plan)

Full review: #4 of 14 in our ranking · Visit QuickBooks Online →

2. Xero

Bank-feed-first cloud ledger with unlimited users · New Zealand

Priced per organization with no per-user fee. The US page lists Early, Growing at $59 a month and Established at $97 after an introductory discount. Multi-currency, project tracking and employee expense claims sit on Established, and cash flow forecasts reach 60 days on Growing and 180 on Established.

Switch from Wave if you want unlimited users and a large accountant and app ecosystem.

Pricing: Published monthly tiers with no per-user license fees; the entry tier caps invoices and bills, and multi-currency sits on the top plan in the US and on the top two UK plans. (free trial)

Full review: #5 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Xero →

3. Zoho Books

Automation-heavy ledger with country-specific tax editions · India

A free plan for one user plus an accountant, then Standard at $15 a month billed annually ($20 monthly) with three users and bank feeds, and Professional at $40 ($50 monthly) with inventory, purchase orders, projects and multi-currency. Zoho also publishes W-9 and 1099 tools on every plan.

Switch from Wave if you want a free or low-priced plan that still has bank feeds and 1099 filing.

Pricing: Published per-organization tiers with a free plan for very small businesses; paid tiers sit well below QuickBooks and Xero equivalents. (free plan)

Full review: #3 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Zoho Books →

4. FreshBooks

Double-entry books for firms that bill for their time · Canada

Aimed at service businesses billing clients. Lite is $23 a month for five billable clients, Plus $43 for 50 and Premium $70 for unlimited, with introductory discounts. Extra team members are $11 per user a month and payroll $40 plus $6 per user, so growth in headcount adds cost.

Switch from Wave if you bill a modest number of clients and value invoicing polish over full bookkeeping.

Pricing: Published monthly tiers priced by the number of billable clients, with each extra team member charged as an add-on. (free trial)

Full review: #1 of 14 in our ranking · Visit FreshBooks →

5. FreeAgent

Self-assessment-ready books for UK freelancers · United Kingdom

Built for UK and other small businesses with a single published price of $22 a month or $220 a year on the global page, with a 30-day trial. Smart Capture receipt scanning is a $6 monthly add-on. FreeAgent says you can cancel in the account and download your data at any time.

Switch from Wave if you are a freelancer or small firm in the UK wanting accountant-friendly workflows.

Pricing: Published monthly price by business type; included at no extra cost with several UK business bank accounts. (free trial)

Full review: #10 of 14 in our ranking · Visit FreeAgent →

6. Clear Books

UK ledger organized around VAT and HMRC filing · United Kingdom

UK software with free Making Tax Digital plans for sole traders and landlords. Paid sole-trader plans are £5 and £15 a month plus VAT. The £5 tier adds bank feeds, invoicing and unlimited users, and £15 adds MTD VAT reporting and the flat-rate scheme. Monthly, yearly and two-year billing are offered.

Switch from Wave if you are UK-based and need Making Tax Digital filing at the lowest price.

Pricing: Published monthly tiers in sterling for companies, with multi-currency on the top tier; payroll is a separate bolt-on, and free plans cover sole traders' and landlords' Making Tax Digital filings. (free plan)

Full review: #9 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Clear Books →

7. Akaunting

Open-source ledger you can host yourself · Turkey

Akaunting sells hosted plans where the Standard cloud tier is limited to one company, one user plus an accountant and 1,000 invoices. Double-entry accounting and bank feeds begin on Premium with 10 companies and 10 users. Plans are bundled with marketplace apps instead of one all-in price.

Switch from Wave if you prefer an app-marketplace model and want to scale companies and invoices stepwise.

Pricing: Free Standard edition to self-host, limited to one company, one user plus an accountant and 1,000 invoices; paid on-premise and cloud plans raise those limits and bundle marketplace apps. (open source)

Full review: #11 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Akaunting →

8. Kashoo

Stripped-down bookkeeping for solo owners · Canada

Kashoo gives unlimited users at no extra cost, imports bank transactions through Plaid and takes payments through Square and Stripe. It starts with a 14-day trial. Its own home page now promotes a newer platform called TrulySmall, which does the bookkeeping for you, so check which product you are buying.

Switch from Wave if you want free unlimited users so your bookkeeper and staff can share the books.

Pricing: A single flat monthly or annual subscription with published pricing and no per-user tiers. (free trial)

Full review: #8 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Kashoo →

9. Odoo Accounting

Accounting app inside a modular open-core business suite · Belgium

Odoo Accounting is one app in a wider suite. The One App Free plan gives one app to unlimited users, while Standard and Custom price all apps per user a month. Accounting, CRM, inventory and HR share data. Implementation and custom code are not included, so the setup effort is higher than Wave.

Switch from Wave if your finance needs are growing into inventory, projects or HR under one system.

Pricing: One app can be used free with unlimited users; the full suite is priced per user per month, with multi-company, Studio and self-hosting on the higher Custom plan, and implementation often done by partners. (free plan)

Full review: #12 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Odoo Accounting →

10. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Microsoft's partner-sold finance and operations system · United States

A full business-management system, not a bookkeeping app. Essentials is $80 per user a month and Premium $110, paid yearly, and Team Members cost $8 for read-only and approval work. Pricing is far above Wave's Pro tier, so it fits growing companies with inventory or service operations.

Switch from Wave if you have outgrown small-business bookkeeping and need inventory, projects and approvals.

Pricing: Microsoft publishes per-user monthly license prices for Essentials and Premium, with cheaper licenses for occasional users; a reseller partner adds implementation and support fees on top. (free trial)

Full review: #14 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central →

11. Patriot Accounting

Low-cost US bookkeeping ledger from an Ohio payroll company · United States

Another small-business option, shown with two published plans in the category file. Its pricing site rejected our automated checks, so we cannot confirm plan names, prices or limits here. Confirm the current plans and payroll terms on the vendor's page before treating it as a Wave replacement.

Switch from Wave if you want a US small-business tool with a trial and no annual contract, once you confirm its terms.

Pricing: Two published monthly plans, Basic and Premium, both inexpensive, with a free trial and no annual contract. (free trial)

Full review: #13 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Patriot Accounting →

When Wave is still the right choice

Stay if your need is invoicing and basic bookkeeping at no subscription cost. Starter includes unlimited invoices, bills and bookkeeping records and a mobile app, and Pro at $19 a month adds bank import. If you are a US or Canadian sole trader or small firm with simple books, the free plan is hard to undercut.

What to expect when you switch from Wave

  1. Reconnect banks and payments separately

    Wave connects banks through Plaid and processes online invoice payments itself. A new product will use its own bank connection and payment processor, so reconnect each account and tell customers if their payment link or card-on-file changes.

  2. Plan payroll before you cut over

    Wave payroll sits in the same account as the books and creates journal entries automatically. It also files taxes for US and Canadian employers. Moving the books means moving payroll, so pick the date at a period end and run payroll once in the new system before closing Wave.

Questions and answers

How much does Wave Pro cost?

Wave Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year in US dollars, and $25 a month or $250 a year in Canadian dollars. Pro adds auto-imported bank transactions, receipts, extra users and a lower fixed fee on card payments.

Does Wave charge fees on invoices?

Only when you add online payments. Starter charges 2.9% + $0.60 per card transaction and 3.4% + $0.60 for Amex. Pro lists 2.9% + $0 for the first 10 card transactions a month, so a switch can change your fee.

What happens to payroll when I leave Wave?

Wave payroll runs inside the Wave account, so ending the account affects payroll. Wave's payroll pages cover the US and Canada, with tax payments, filings and journal entries tied to the books. Plan the move at a period end.

Who owns Wave?

Wave's about page describes the company as proudly Canadian and backed by H&R Block. Wave also lists Wave Advisors, a bookkeeping service starting at $149 a month in US dollars, so check whether that service affects your switch.

Can I use Wave outside the US and Canada?

Wave describes its customers as small business owners in the US and Canada, and its payroll covers those two countries. If you need local VAT or tax filing elsewhere, such as UK Making Tax Digital, look at a local product like Clear Books or FreeAgent.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts about Wave on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 8, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.

Who wrote this

Sebastiaan Smits Sebastiaan Smits, Founder, wrote, edited and fact-checked this page. Founder of The Interregnum and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Writes, edits and fact-checks every page here. Last reviewed October 8, 2026. How we review.