Small Business Accounting Software Start for Free

wave small business

See pending and completed payments from project-based and quarterly clients in one dashboard to identify revenue ebbs and flows and plan accordingly. Track customer views and invoice payments in the Wave dashboard so you always know where you stand with sellers, property managers, buyers and renters. They get the flexibility of paying you via credit card, bank payment, and Apple Pay; accounting help in any project you get a reputation as a polished professional. When everything is neatly where it belongs, tax time is simple. Wave’s smart dashboard organizes your income, expenses, payments, and invoices.

The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships. Wave is cloud-based software that boasts a solid set of accounting features suitable for most small businesses. In our last review, we found these features especially appealing because they were all completely free with no artificial limits. Learn more about the best payroll software for small businesses. Wave deposits money into your connected bank account within two business days of payment.

Online payments =on-time payments

wave small business

See invoice summaries, tap into business reports, receive payment notifications and more using our highly-rated, free mobile app, available on iOS and Android. Make it easier for your customers to pay you right from their bank account. We provide different levels of support, depending on the plan and/or the add-on features you choose.

Pay per use (no strings attached)

  1. This free, easy-to-use accounting software is great for small businesses, especially for eCommerce, but lacks in project management, budgeting, and inventory tracking.
  2. It’s also great for Etsy shop owners and other eCommerce businesses using Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.
  3. Before you commit to accounting software, it’s in your best interest to shop around and compare all your options.
  4. QuickBooks Pro and Premier are two different plans available that offer very similar feature sets leading to much confusion.
  5. Quickly create and send unlimited invoices, look like a pro with customizable templates, and get paid fast with online payments.

Transactions will appear in your bookkeeping automatically, and you’ll say goodbye to manual receipt entry. With the Pro Plan, automatically import, merge, and categorize your bank transactions. It’s always available, and it’s backed up for extra peace of mind. Get your money faster when you offer customers the ability to pay directly from your invoices, starting at 2.9% + 60¢ per card transaction. Set up recurring invoices for your finance clients and safely store credit card info so you have one less thing to keep track of. See sent, viewed, paid and overdue invoices in one place so you know which clients are on the right track or need a nudge.

Take control of tax season

We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating. Xero also doesn’t support multiple businesses, so pricing can add up quickly for some users. And it’s worth noting that while Xero has more features, the software also has a steeper learning curve than Wave. Wave holds its own against two of its biggest competitors, QuickBooks Online and Xero. Wave’s free pricing structure gives the software its appeal, but users that have larger businesses and require more advanced accounting features may find QBO or Xero to be the better fit.

If you’re interested in using payroll software, you can start a free 30-day trial when you sign up for Wave. We preparing a trial balance also ensure that the software offers most standard accounting features and reports, awarding higher rankings to those that provide advanced services, like tax filing. In the past, Wave generated revenue from its credit card processing, Wave Payroll, and bookkeeping services. While Wave’s free accounting software doesn’t limit you to a certain number of invoices, customers, or transactions, certain features and automations are now only available by subscribing to Wave Pro. Among QuickBooks product offerings are add-ons for payroll, a bank account, advanced accounting, employee time tracking and e-commerce inventory management. QuickBooks expense tracking lets you automatically capture information from receipts and track miles, features that make QuickBooks more flexible for a variety of businesses.

Charge for a one-time compliance audit or ongoing site maintenance; you can schedule recurring invoices or send them manually whenever you need to. Our (non-judgmental) team of bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll experts is standing by to coach you—or do the work for you. Monitor your cash flow, straight line depreciation method stay organized, and stop sweating tax season. Let us know how well the content on this page solved your problem today. All feedback, positive or negative, helps us to improve the way we help small businesses. One of the most helpful features of Wave is its tax filing feature.

You’ll pay 2.9% plus $0.60 per transaction for Visa, Mastercard and Discover; 3.4% plus $0.60 per transaction for American Express; and 1% per transaction for ACH transfer from your client’s bank account. This app is super helpful, the main issue I have while using it is the lag. When inputting information the character count for it is super slow/delayed to where it forces me to stay on a certain page until it registers that information has been inputted. After inputting information and trying to click done at the bottom it will not register unless I swipe the keyboard away. The import from contacts button does not work at all and the layout to get to customers invoice is great after learning where it is.