Software Reviews · Accounting
Wave Review
Genuinely free bookkeeping and invoicing, funded by the payment processing you will probably end up using.
Reviewed August 2026 · The Insight Journal Editorial Team
The verdict
Wave Starter is free with unlimited invoices and bookkeeping records, which makes it the strongest zero-cost option for a solo operator. The money is in processing: 2.9% plus $0.60 per card transaction on the free tier, which on a single $2,000 invoice costs more than a month of any paid plan in this category.
See verified pricingWhat it is
What Wave is actually for
In short
Wave is the clearest example in this category of a product where the subscription is not the price. The bookkeeping and invoicing core is free and stays free, and the business model sits in payment processing.
For a solo owner that trade is usually good. The alternative is paying a subscription and then paying processing fees anyway, since almost nobody in this category includes card processing in the plan.
The upgrade path is honest about what it sells. Pro buys automation and cheaper processing on a limited number of transactions rather than access to features that were being withheld arbitrarily.
This review sits under the comparison that prices Wave against the rest of the category, which prices the whole category side by side. Read that first if you have not chosen a category yet, and this if Wave is already on the shortlist.
Verified pricing
What Wave costs
In short
| Starter | $0 | Unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records. Mobile invoicing |
|---|---|---|
| Card processing on Starter | 2.9% plus $0.60 per transaction | American Express at 3.4% plus $0.60 |
| Pro | $19 per month, or $190 per year | Advertised at $9.50 per month for the first 3 months |
| Pro processing benefit | 2.9% plus $0 per card transaction | On the first 10 transactions a month, per the pricing page |
| Wave Advisors | From $149 per month | Pro features plus a dedicated bookkeeper and monthly statements |
What the plan actually limits
- The free tier caps on features, not on invoice volume: bank import, receipt capture, and multi-user access sit on Pro.
- Processing fees are the real cost. At 2.9% plus $0.60, a $2,000 invoice costs $58.60 to collect.
- The Pro processing benefit applies to the first 10 transactions a month.
- Pro is $655.50 over three years billed monthly and $570 billed annually, on our arithmetic.
Fit
Who Wave fits, and who it does not
In short
Choose it when
- A solo owner or a very small operation
- Low card volume, or customers who pay by bank transfer
- Invoicing and basic bookkeeping without payroll
- A business that wants to start at zero and upgrade on evidence
Look elsewhere when
- High card payment volume, where processing dominates every other cost
- Companies needing payroll inside the same system
- Teams where several people need their own access on the free tier
- Accountants who require a specific platform
The exit
What leaving Wave costs
In short
Run that export inside the Wave trial rather than after the decision. What survives it is what you own.
Alternatives worth reading
The category
How to evaluate any accounting product, including this one
In short
The framework behind that answer lives on the comparison page, written once rather than repeated under every Wave heading.
Read next Where Wave sits in the accounting framework Questions to ask, caps to check, and the three ways this purchase goes wrongStandards
How this review was made
What we did
We read the vendor own pricing and documentation pages on 18 August 2026, recorded the date, and quoted rather than interpreted. Characterizations of fit are labeled as editorial judgment.
What we did not do
We claim no hands-on testing, publish no star rating, and show no product screenshots, since a generated interface image would be a fabricated screenshot and vendor marketing images are not evidence.
How this is funded
Some links are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no cost to you. No vendor pays for placement or ordering. Our editorial policy sets out the source hierarchy behind every figure here.
Questions