Homeโ€บXero vs Wave
Updated March 2026 ยท Independent Analysis

XerovsWave

Wave starts at $16/mo, 36% cheaper than Xero's $25/mo. Wave is rated higher at 4.4/5 vs Xero's 4.3/5.

X
Xero

Cloud-based accounting software for small businesses and accountants

โ˜… 4.3/5Founded 20064.2M+ subscribers users
Try Xero 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
Xero4.3/5
Wave4.4/5
๐Ÿ† Wave wins
๐Ÿ’ฐ
Starting Price
Xero$25/mo
Wave$16/mo
๐Ÿ† Wave wins
๐Ÿ”ง
Features
๐Ÿ† Xero wins
๐ŸŽ
Free Plan
WaveYes โœ“
๐Ÿ† Wave wins

๐Ÿ“Š Ratings Breakdown

X

Xero

4.3/5 avg
G2 Score4.3/5
Capterra Score4.4/5
Overall Avg4.35/5
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 Xero if you need:
  • โœ“ Bank Reconciliation
  • โœ“ Expense Claims
  • โœ“ Inventory
  • โœ“ Purchase Orders
  • โœ“ Project Tracking
Try Xero Free โ†’
Choose Wave if you need:
  • โœ“ Accounting
  • โœ“ Receipt Scanning
  • โœ“ Online Payments
  • โœ“ Sales Tax Tracking
  • โœ“ Recurring Invoicing
Try Wave Free โ†’

๐Ÿ”ง Feature Comparison

Xero uniquely offers Bank Reconciliation, Expense Claims, Inventory. Wave uniquely offers Accounting, Receipt Scanning, Online Payments. Both share 6 features including Invoicing, Financial Reports, Payroll.

Feature
Xero
Wave
Invoicing
โœ“
โœ“
Financial Reports
โœ“
โœ“
Payroll
โœ“
โœ“
Multi-currency
โœ“
โœ“
Mobile App
โœ“
โœ“
Bank Connections
โœ“
โœ“
Bank Reconciliation
โœ“
โœ—
Expense Claims
โœ“
โœ—
Inventory
โœ“
โœ—
Purchase Orders
โœ“
โœ—
Project Tracking
โœ“
โœ—
Fixed Assets
โœ“
โœ—
Hubdoc (Receipt capture)
โœ“
โœ—
1000+ Integrations
โœ“
โœ—
Tax Filing
โœ“
โœ—
Accounting
โœ—
โœ“
Receipt Scanning
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, 36% cheaper than Xero's $25/mo.

X

Xero Plans

Paid plans only

EarlyBest Value
$25/mo
  • โ€ข 20 invoices
  • โ€ข 5 bills
  • โ€ข Bank reconciliation
Growing
$55/mo
  • โ€ข Unlimited invoices
  • โ€ข Bulk reconciliation
Established
$90/mo
  • โ€ข Multi-currency
  • โ€ข Expense claims
  • โ€ข Advanced analytics
Full Xero 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

โ“ Frequently Asked Questions

Was this comparison helpful?
๐Ÿ“ฌ Stay updated on SaaS pricing changes
Get notified when tools update their pricing or features

๐Ÿ”— Related Comparisons