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Wave vs QuickBooks
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 — Wave on Pro, QuickBooks on Simple Start. Both figures were read from the vendors' own pricing pages on the dates shown below.
Wave
waveapps.com
Genuinely free bookkeeping and unlimited invoicing for small businesses, monetised through payments and payroll.
Free planAccounting & Finance
Visit WaveQuickBooks
quickbooks.intuit.com
Bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll and tax for small businesses, and the format most accountants expect to receive.
Accounting & Finance
Visit QuickBooks| Wave | QuickBooks | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $19/mo | $19/mo |
| Entry plan | Pro | Simple Start |
| Paid annually | — | — |
| Price checked | 21 Sept 2026 | 21 Sept 2026 |
| Pricing model | Free plan | Free trial |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Category | Accounting & Finance | Accounting & Finance |
| Around since | 2010 | 1983 |
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.
Wave vs QuickBooks, answered
- Is Wave cheaper than QuickBooks?
- Neither. Both start at $19 a month at the entry tier.
- Do Wave or QuickBooks have a free plan?
- Wave publishes an ongoing free plan; QuickBooks does not.
- What is the difference between Wave and QuickBooks?
- Wave: Genuinely free bookkeeping and unlimited invoicing for small businesses, monetised through payments and payroll. QuickBooks: Bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll and tax for small businesses, and the format most accountants expect to receive.
