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QuickBooks vs Wave
Both sit in accounting & finance. Here is how they differ on the things you can actually check.
On price: both start at the same $19 a month — QuickBooks on Simple Start, Wave on Pro. Both figures were read from the vendors' own pricing pages on the dates shown below.
QuickBooks
quickbooks.intuit.com
Bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll and tax for small businesses, and the format most accountants expect to receive.
Accounting & Finance
Visit QuickBooksWave
waveapps.com
Genuinely free bookkeeping and unlimited invoicing for small businesses, monetised through payments and payroll.
Free planAccounting & Finance
Visit Wave| QuickBooks | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $19/mo | $19/mo |
| Entry plan | Simple Start | Pro |
| Paid annually | — | — |
| Price checked | 21 Sept 2026 | 21 Sept 2026 |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Free plan |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Category | Accounting & Finance | Accounting & Finance |
| Around since | 1983 | 2010 |
Every price here was read from the vendor's own pricing page, most recently on 21 Sept 2026. Entry tier only — vendors change pricing without notice.
QuickBooks vs Wave, answered
- Is QuickBooks cheaper than Wave?
- Neither. Both start at $19 a month at the entry tier.
- Do QuickBooks or Wave have a free plan?
- Wave publishes an ongoing free plan; QuickBooks does not.
- What is the difference between QuickBooks and Wave?
- QuickBooks: Bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll and tax for small businesses, and the format most accountants expect to receive. Wave: Genuinely free bookkeeping and unlimited invoicing for small businesses, monetised through payments and payroll.
