Wave: Small Business Software
authentic ratingWave used to be the gold standard for free small-business accounting, but after a monetization pivot most features moved behind a paywall. The remaining free tier is too thin for real work. The desktop version is significantly more capable than the mobile app.
58real score
4.4store star
6,584ratings
About the rating
textAvg 2.42 with storeAvg 4.38 a classic gap after a monetization pivot. 23% five-star ratings, with detailed complaints and genuine praise pointing to organic reviews.
Strengths
What users love
- Invoice and estimate creation works well: professional PDFs
- Built-in late-payment reminders for clients
- And a notification when a client opens an invoice. Accountants note that the bookkeeping logic is cleaner and more correct than QuickBooks.
Weak spots
What users hate
- The mobile app is a stripped-down shell: account balances are unavailable without desktop
- And categorizing transactions requires scrolling the entire list from the top after each save. Bank transaction sync breaks periodically and support goes quiet.
Who it is for
Freelancers and micro-businesses who need integrated bookkeeping and invoicing in one place and are okay working mostly through a browser.
Screenshots
