The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships. For a what are the invoice processing steps free software program, Wave boasts an impressive, robust feature set that rivals even some paid accounting software programs. Finally, if you need extra help with your bookkeeping, accounting, or taxes, Wave Advisors is a service you can add to your account. This option is great for business owners who are new to accounting or want to outsource bookkeeping and/or tax filing. The software is PCI Level-1 certified for processing bank account and credit card information.
Fortunately, the Help Center provides plenty of guides and information to help with most issues, and the software is intuitive enough that this support option will be sufficient for most users. Unfortunately, Wave does not offer a project management feature. At the time of our last review, we noted that Wave “has always been and always will be free,” and that the company planned to maintain this pricing structure following its acquisition by H&R Block. No, Wave Accounting does not include built-in inventory tracking or management.
Payroll
If you operate a larger business and need advanced features, give Xero a look before signing up for Wave. Xero has more advanced features, hundreds of integrations, and also supports unlimited users. However, Xero doesn’t have a free plan, with monthly subscriptions starting at $15. With limitations on Xero’s lowest-tier plans, users will have to upgrade to a more expensive option to take advantage of everything the software has to offer. This free, easy-to-use accounting software is great for small businesses, especially for eCommerce, but lacks in project management, budgeting, and inventory tracking.
Wave Accounting cons
With Wave, you’ll be able to send unlimited, customized invoices to your customers, manage an unlimited number of expenses and track unlimited receipts through its receipt scanning and capture feature. These ratings are meant to provide clarity in the decision-making process, but what’s best for your business will depend on its size, growth trajectory and which features you need most. We encourage you to research and compare multiple accounting software products before end of year bookkeeping choosing one.
- However, it secured a terrible score of 0/10 for advanced features and completely lacks budgeting tools, making it completely unsuitable for businesses that need a one-size-fits-all solution.
- Our (non-judgmental) team of bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll experts is standing by to coach you—or do the work for you.
- However, if you’re after advanced features, like budgeting, projection, and stock management, you’d be better off with FreshBooks or Xero, as these are not offered with Wave.
- However, Xero doesn’t have a free plan, with monthly subscriptions starting at $15.
- Users of the free plan are limited to using Wave’s Help Center or Mave, the support chatbot.
Additionally, QuickBooks does not have a free plan like Wave, with prices starting at $35/month. For a limited time, new Wave Pro users can accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover payments at a discount. For those looking to ditch physical documents, the software will let you backup your businesses receipts, too. This will allow your organization to keep important transaction data in the cloud, and make it easier to keep up with legal requirements. From its add-ons to its support options, there is a lot to discuss when it comes to this provider. So, scroll down to find out if Wave is right for your business, or use the links on the how to start your own bookkeeping business by lisa newton right to jump to specific sections.
Best Accounting Software for Small Businesses of 2024
Unlike competitors, Wave doesn’t offer many advanced features to increase the software’s functionality. In addition to its accounting software, Wave offers paid services, including Wave Payments, Wave Payroll and Wave Advisors for bookkeeping support and accounting coaching. Create beautiful invoices, accept online payments, and make accounting easy—all in one place—with Wave’s suite of money management tools. Wave holds its own against two of its biggest competitors, QuickBooks Online and Xero. Wave’s free pricing structure gives the software its appeal, but users that have larger businesses and require more advanced accounting features may find QBO or Xero to be the better fit. However, some features are noticeably missing, such as project management and budgeting, that are found with competing software options such as QuickBooks Online.
Xero also doesn’t support multiple businesses, so pricing can add up quickly for some users. And it’s worth noting that while Xero has more features, the software also has a steeper learning curve than Wave. The company also offers good customer support options, including an accounting guide, to help you learn to balance the books and use the software. With Wave’s free plan, users can accept online ACH payments for a standard transaction fee of 1%.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. An additional fee applies for filing your taxes through this integration, which includes an automatic import of Wave data into H&R Block. When it comes to integrations, Wave is pretty limited, although it does support a much-needed Zapier integration, which connects Wave with 1,000+ add-ons.
Time Tracking
Businesses can link their bank accounts to the platform, import bank statements, and add expenses manually. Wave even lets you categorize transactions in bulk as well as merge duplicate transactions, allowing you to streamline the process. While Wave’s accounting software isn’t as feature-rich as many of its competitors (it scores a rather dismal 0/10 for advanced features), it offers more than enough tools for small businesses to manage their finances. With this in mind, we break down Wave’s accountancy features, from bookkeeping to financial reporting. Wave also offers a free app to help you manage your invoices on the go. With Wave Invoicing, you’ll be able to track, edit, send and pay invoices from any mobile device.
