Small Business Accounting Software Start for Free

Wave Accounting’s Starter plan is free and its Pro plan, which includes more features, is $16 per month. Regardless of which you choose, you will have to pay net sales defined processing fees to accept invoice payments online. Wave also offers paid products for payroll, coaching and mobile receipt scanning. It’s hard to beat free accounting software, especially if you’re running a small business on a budget.

The app offers a receipt scanning feature as well, but you have to pay a subscription fee to access it. There’s a fee involved with accepting online invoice payments, too. Customers can pay via credit card, bank payment or Apple Pay. However, like most products with free plans, Wave has its limitations, especially compared to more scalable small-business accounting software.

Button-up your bookkeeping

1. It’s always available, and it’s backed up for extra peace of mind.
2. Our (non-judgmental) team of bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll experts is standing by to coach you—or do the work for you.
3. Similar to other reputable cloud-based accounting software products, Wave encrypts the data you share with it and monitors its server facilities 24/7.

Unlike competitors, Wave doesn’t offer many advanced features to increase the software’s functionality. It’s also missing custom 2 part business forms hvac service an audit trail and third-party integrations. While Wave has a lot to offer when it comes to invoicing, know that it’s still slightly less automated than some competitors. This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but it might require a bit more bookkeeping work. This app is super helpful, the main issue I have while using it is the lag.

Accounting software to keep you organized

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 choosing one. Wave Accounting can be a great option if you run a very small service-based business or don’t need more advanced features that alternatives might offer. For small businesses any larger than that, however, Wave is limited.

Make accounting easy.

Ready to invoice in style, bookkeep less, and get paid fast?

Accounting software helps business owners understand how money flows in and out of their businesses. This can help you save time and make financial decisions quickly. In addition, Wave’s mobile app lets you send invoices and track payments on the go.

Zoho Books offers a robust free plan, along with a income tax calculator range of paid plans that feature workflow automation. Moreover, you can integrate QuickBooks with hundreds of third-party tools available in the app marketplace. There are also add-on Intuit services like QuickBooks Payroll or QuickBooks Time. When you reconcile your books, you’ll navigate to the “Reconciliation” tab within the Accounting menu.

Any connections between you, your bank accounts, and Wave are protected by 256-bit SSL encryption. We built our payroll tool for small business owners, so it’s easy to use AND teaches you as you go. Explore more details on the competition in our full roundup of the best accounting software for small businesses. Also, Wave Accounting only offers self-serve customer support.

Is Wave Right for You or Your Business?

It lacks some of the useful features you may find in other accounting software, such as project management, time tracking and inventory management. Wave’s invoicing is free and unlimited, with customizable templates and a user-friendly interface, putting it on par with some of the best invoicing software solutions for small businesses. Pro plan capabilities include recurring invoicing and the option to let repeat clients opt into automatic credit card billing. Strong invoicing feature competes with that of paid products; app lets users send invoices on the go; offers significantly fewer reports than competitors; no inventory tracking. You can enjoy features such as unlimited income and expenses tracking, digital receipt upload and transaction management and access its invoice mobile app at no cost. FreshBooks has an excellent mobile app that allows you snap photos of receipts, send invoices and track mileage.

If you have a question or issue, you can browse the help center or reach out to Mave, the automated chatbot. If you do want live support, you’ll need to invest in an Advisor or paid service. Although accounting and invoicing are separated into two different product sections on the Wave website (shown similarly below), they don’t require separate accounts. These solutions are integrated within your dashboard and you’ll access them both through your single Wave login. After providing a few basic details about your business — name, type, currency you use, address — you’ll have instant access to your account.