Wave Pricing in May 2026

Wave's pricing is genuinely free for accounting and invoicing — no monthly fees, ever. Wave makes money through optional payment processing (2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction, 1% per ACH bank transfer) and optional payroll (varies by state, $40+/month base). Real-world Wave costs for solopreneurs and very-small businesses run at $0/month for accounting; payment processing fees apply only when collecting credit cards.

The Free Forever offer is genuinely valuable — Wave's accounting and invoicing core features are free indefinitely. Eligibility is broad. The strategic decision: Wave's value is the genuinely-free model for solopreneurs and very-small businesses — accounting, invoicing, and receipts at zero cost. For freelancers, consultants, and businesses with under $200K revenue, Wave handles essential accounting without subscription costs. The free product is the right time to validate whether Wave's specific feature scope (accrual or cash-basis accounting, invoicing, expense tracking, basic reporting) matches your business needs. For broader small-business accounting, QuickBooks Online is the dominant US alternative with deeper features and broader accountant familiarity. Xero competes globally with similar feature scope at lower price than QuickBooks. FreshBooks targets service businesses with stronger client-facing invoicing. For specifically free or low-cost alternatives to Wave, Akaunting (open-source self-hostable) targets free DIY accounting. ZipBooks offers a free tier with similar scope to Wave but more limited. For specifically invoicing-only (subset of Wave), Invoice Ninja, Bonsai, and Square Invoices target this. For specifically larger small businesses (past 5-10 employees), Wave's limitations (limited reporting, no payroll automation in many states) typically push migration to QuickBooks or Xero. For specifically SaaS revenue recognition, Maxio, ChartMogul, or Stripe Sigma target SaaS metrics — Wave is the wrong tool for SaaS subscription businesses. Wave's specific niche is genuinely-free accounting for solopreneurs and very-small businesses.