Homeโ€บQuickBooks Online vs Wave
Updated March 2026 ยท Independent Analysis

QuickBooks OnlinevsWave

Wave starts at $16/mo, 54% cheaper than QuickBooks Online's $35/mo. Wave is rated higher at 4.4/5 vs QuickBooks Online's 4.2/5.

Q
QuickBooks Online

The most popular small business accounting software in the US

โ˜… 4.2/5Founded 19837M+ customers users
Try QuickBooks Online Free โ†’
W
Wave

Free accounting, invoicing, and receipt scanning for small businesses

โ˜… 4.4/5Founded 20102M+ small businesses users
Try Wave Free โ†’

โšก Quick Stats

โญ
Avg Rating
๐Ÿ† Wave wins
๐Ÿ’ฐ
Starting Price
๐Ÿ† Wave wins
๐Ÿ”ง
Features
๐Ÿ† QuickBooks Online wins
๐ŸŽ
Free Plan
๐Ÿ† Wave wins

๐Ÿ“Š Ratings Breakdown

Q

QuickBooks Online

4.2/5 avg
G2 Score4/5
Capterra Score4.3/5
Overall Avg4.15/5
W

Wave

4.4/5 avg
G2 Score4.4/5
Capterra Score4.4/5
Overall Avg4.4/5

โšก Quick Verdict

Independent analysis based on features, pricing, and user ratings

Choose QuickBooks Online if you need:
  • โœ“ Expense Tracking
  • โœ“ Tax Categories
  • โœ“ Payroll (add-on)
  • โœ“ Time Tracking
  • โœ“ Inventory Management
Try QuickBooks Online Free โ†’
Choose Wave if you need:
  • โœ“ Accounting
  • โœ“ Receipt Scanning
  • โœ“ Payroll
  • โœ“ Online Payments
  • โœ“ Sales Tax Tracking
Try Wave Free โ†’

๐Ÿ”ง Feature Comparison

QuickBooks Online uniquely offers Expense Tracking, Tax Categories, Payroll (add-on). Wave uniquely offers Accounting, Receipt Scanning, Payroll. Both share 5 features including Invoicing, Bank Connections, Financial Reports.

Feature
QuickBooks Online
Wave
Invoicing
โœ“
โœ“
Bank Connections
โœ“
โœ“
Financial Reports
โœ“
โœ“
Multi-currency
โœ“
โœ“
Mobile App
โœ“
โœ“
Expense Tracking
โœ“
โœ—
Tax Categories
โœ“
โœ—
Payroll (add-on)
โœ“
โœ—
Time Tracking
โœ“
โœ—
Inventory Management
โœ“
โœ—
Project Profitability
โœ“
โœ—
Receipt Capture
โœ“
โœ—
1099 Contractor Payments
โœ“
โœ—
Cash Flow Planner
โœ“
โœ—
750+ Integrations
โœ“
โœ—
Accounting
โœ—
โœ“
Receipt Scanning
โœ—
โœ“
Payroll
โœ—
โœ“
Online Payments
โœ—
โœ“
Sales Tax Tracking
โœ—
โœ“
Recurring Invoicing
โœ—
โœ“
Customer Management
โœ—
โœ“
Estimates
โœ—
โœ“
Dashboard
โœ—
โœ“
Integrations
โœ—
โœ“
Total Features
15
15

๐Ÿ’ฐ Pricing Comparison

Wave starts at $16/mo, 54% cheaper than QuickBooks Online's $35/mo.

Q

QuickBooks Online Plans

Paid plans only

Simple StartBest Value
$35/mo
  • โ€ข 1 user
  • โ€ข Income & expenses
  • โ€ข Invoicing
Essentials
$65/mo
  • โ€ข 3 users
  • โ€ข Bill management
  • โ€ข Time tracking
Plus
$99/mo
  • โ€ข 5 users
  • โ€ข Inventory
  • โ€ข Project tracking
Advanced
$235/mo
  • โ€ข 25 users
  • โ€ข Custom reports
  • โ€ข Batch invoices
Full QuickBooks Online pricing breakdown โ†’
W

Wave Plans

Free tier available

Free (Accounting)
Free
  • โ€ข Accounting
  • โ€ข Invoicing
  • โ€ข Receipt scanning
Pro (Accounting)Best Value
$16/mo
  • โ€ข Bank connections
  • โ€ข Receipt scanning
Payroll
$20/mo base
  • โ€ข + $6/employee
  • โ€ข Tax-filing states
Advisors
$149/mo
  • โ€ข 1-on-1 coaching
  • โ€ข Bookkeeping support
Full Wave pricing breakdown โ†’
๐Ÿ”” Get notified when prices change

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