Wave vs QuickBooks Online
| Wave | QuickBooks Online | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Accounting and invoicing for small businesses and freelancers, with a free Starter plan and a paid Pro plan. | Intuit's cloud accounting software for tracking income and expenses, invoicing and reporting. |
| Category | Accounting | Accounting |
| Best for* | Freelancers and very small businesses starting with basic bookkeeping. | Businesses that want widely used accounting software that accountants know. |
| Business size* | Solo / freelancer | Growing business |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not listed | Yes |
| Pricing note | Pricing page lists a $0 Starter plan and a paid Pro plan. Check the page for fees on optional features. | Pricing page lists a Free plan at $0/mo (1 user, up to 2 invoices a month, no credit card required) and paid Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced plans. The FAQ refers to a 30-day trial of paid plans. Promotional discounts change often. |
| Price checked | 2026-10-17 | 2026-10-17 |
| Open source | Not stated | Not stated |
| Official site | www.waveapps.com/ ↗ | quickbooks.intuit.com/ ↗ |
| Pricing page | pricing page ↗ | pricing page ↗ |
* "Best for" and business size are our own editorial labels, not benchmarks. "Not listed" means we did not find it on the vendor's pricing page when checked. Pricing and plans change often; confirm on the vendor's site.