Wave vs Sage Expense Management

QuickBooks Online

PayPal

Abby

QuickBooks Online is an all-in-one online business software designed to help manage business finances. The platform is built to scale businesses, unlocking insights and providing the functionality of a larger team, all on one integrated platform.

PayPal provides an end-to-end suite of tools that can integrate with a business's existing systems and service providers. Its network of shoppers and businesses provides AI-driven data insights to help businesses reach new customers and drive results.

Abby helps businesses ensure that customer documents are legal and comply with the rules. Customers can pay online and receive reminders for late payments.


Owner

Customer support has become nearly non-existent and there is no way to reliably address errors or questions.

With Wave's comprehensive, free and unlimited invoicing tools, you can send invoices, keep track of who owes what, send reminders and more.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

ACH Payment Processing

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Automatic Billing

Bank Reconciliation

Billing & Invoicing

Budgeting/Forecasting

Cash Flow Management

Cash Management

Chart of Accounts

Collaboration Tools

Commission Management

CPA Firms

Credit Card Processing

Currency Conversion

Customer Statements

Customizable Branding

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Direct Deposit

Electronic Payments

Email Reminders

Encryption

Estimating

Expense Tracking

Financial Analysis

Financial Management

Financial Reporting

Fixed Asset Management

For Legal Professionals

For Medical Purposes

For Real Estate

For Religious Organizations

For Small Businesses

Fund Accounting

General Ledger

Income & Balance Sheet

Inventory Management

Invoice Creation

Invoice History

Invoice Management

Invoice Processing

Mobile App

Multi-Currency

Online Invoicing

Partial Payments

Payment Reconciliation

Payment Tracking

Payroll Management

Payroll Reporting

PCI Compliance

Profit/Loss Statement

Project Accounting

Projections

Purchase Order Management

Real-Time Notifications

Real-Time Updates

Receipt Management

Receivables Ledger

Recurring Invoicing

Recurring/Subscription Billing

Reminders

Remote Access/Control

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Revenue Recognition

Sales Tax Management

Spend Management

SSL Security

Status Tracking

Tax Compliance

Tax Filing

Tax Management

Third-Party Integrations

Time & Expense Tracking

Transaction History

Transaction Management

Reviews for Wave come from a wide variety of industries, including marketing and advertising (11% of reviewers), accounting (6%), and information technology and services (5%). The most frequent use case for Wave cited by reviewers is billing and invoicing (62% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Most reviewers indicate Wave delivers strong value for money, as they benefit from robust free features and affordable pricing. Some users report drawbacks, including missing advanced features, rising costs for premium services, and limited support on the free plan.

Value for money

The Wave integration most frequently cited by reviewers is PayPal, a payment processing product rated 4.1 out of 5 for its integration with Wave.

Integrations

Wave is a billing and invoicing solution offering key features such as invoice creation, invoice history, online invoicing, expense tracking, and bank reconciliation, among others.

Wave

Web-based

iPhone

Android

FreshBooks

QuickBooks Enterprise

Xero

QuickBooks Desktop

QuickBooks Online Advanced

Zoho Invoice

Zoho Books

Sage Accounting

Invoicely

Mint

Stripe

HoneyBook

Quicken

FreeAgent

Gusto

Starter

Recurring software glitches

Office Manager

Having any kind of issue resolved through speaking to support is unfathomably difficult.

50% of reviewers feel negative about Wave’s bugs and issues. Users report encountering persistent glitches, such as problems closing accounting periods, unexplained errors, and recurring bugs that disrupt their workflow. Some reviewers mention that issues can persist for weeks without resolution, and suggested fixes are often ineffective. They say that troubleshooting and resolving problems is time-consuming, and support is not always helpful in addressing technical faults. Users feel that ongoing software issues undermine their confidence in the platform’s reliability.

Frequent slowdowns and lag

Manager

The dashboard panels are slow to navigate around with long load times. If you can handle the 20 second+ load times on a screen, it does the job.

82% of reviewers feel negative about Wave’s performance and speed. Users report slow page loads, frequent lag when navigating between screens, and occasional crashes, especially during peak times or with large data sets. Some reviewers say the mobile app is often unresponsive and requires restarting. They mention that slow transaction processing and delays in updating information disrupt their workflow. Users indicate that reliance on internet speed and occasional downtime can be frustrating, making it challenging to complete tasks efficiently.

Limited and slow email support

The lack of communication, inability to even contact anyone except an AI chat bot, and lack or response to tickets is asinine.  

If you need support you will be waiting over 2 days for a reply, after somehow getting through the bot to get to submit a ticket.

67% of reviewers feel negative about Wave’s email support. Users report that support is only available via email or chat, with no phone option, leading to long wait times for responses. Some reviewers mention receiving only automated replies or pre-written scripts, making it difficult to resolve urgent issues. They say follow-up communication is inconsistent, and it can take days or even weeks to get meaningful help. Users feel the lack of direct, timely support is a significant drawback, especially when handling sensitive financial matters.

Cumbersome transaction handling

49% of reviewers feel negative about Wave’s transaction management. Users report challenges with duplicate or missing transactions, slow reconciliation processes, and the absence of features like automatic categorization or transaction rules. Some reviewers mention that handling multi-currency transactions or large volumes is particularly problematic, leading to discrepancies and manual corrections. They say the interface for managing transactions is clunky and time-consuming, making it difficult to keep accurate records. Users feel these limitations hinder efficient bookkeeping and financial oversight.

Unreliable customer assistance

52% of reviewers feel negative about Wave’s customer support. Users indicate that reaching a knowledgeable support agent is difficult, with slow response times and limited availability. Some reviewers mention that issues often go unresolved or require multiple follow-ups. They report frustration with the lack of phone support and inconsistent communication from support staff. Users feel that the absence of real-time assistance and transparency makes it risky to rely on Wave for critical business functions, particularly when urgent help is needed.

Intuitive and clean design

Studio Photographer

Wave Apps software features not only very beautiful interfaces for their products' dashboard, but the platform is at once very feature-heavy and thoughtfully well designed.

91% of reviewers feel positive about Wave’s user interface. Reviewers appreciate the modern, uncluttered dashboard that makes navigation simple, even for non-technical users. They say the intuitive layout helps them find key information quickly and manage tasks efficiently. Some users report that the interface is visually appealing and easy to customize, which enhances their overall experience. They value the clear organization of features and the mobile-friendly design, making it accessible for business owners on the go. Users feel the interface supports productivity and reduces confusion.

Streamlined setup and operation

Vice President

Wave Accounting is very easy to set up and understand, although we do not use all of the features available.

96% of reviewers feel positive about Wave’s ease of use. Reviewers appreciate how straightforward the setup process is, often mentioning that even those without accounting backgrounds can get started quickly. They say the platform’s simple layout and clear instructions help them manage multiple businesses or clients without confusion. Some users report that available tutorials and help files are sufficient for learning, while others find third-party resources helpful. Users think the intuitive design saves them significant time compared to other software, and they value being able to access essential functions without a steep learning curve.

Ideal for small businesses

For small business owners, freelancers, or entrepreneurs, this means you can manage your accounting, invoicing, and expense tracking without a subscription fee.

Wave Accounting provides me with a simplified and easy online accounting platform that fits my business size. Since switching from a popular accounting option that was too complex and expensive for my business I have been very happy with the solution.

95% of reviewers feel positive about Wave’s suitability for small business use. Users indicate that the software’s free core features and online accessibility make it especially attractive for startups, freelancers, and small teams. Some reviewers find that Wave provides all necessary accounting, invoicing, and expense tracking tools without unnecessary complexity or high costs. They appreciate being able to manage multiple businesses from one account and say it’s easy to keep finances organized. Reviewers feel Wave’s affordability and targeted features help small businesses save money and operate efficiently.

Partner

The starter edition is free which is awesome, you are able to process payroll, invoice clients and perform monthly accounting at no cost.  

Managing Principal

The Wave bookkeeping method was not intuitive - listing out every possible account you can possibly add as well as CASH ON HAND - an account that is a default and has no real application.

I am able to track my spending with categories, as well, and that makes it easier to do my taxes at the end of each year.

President

This breaks a core bookkeeping workflow: providing detailed expense records to a CPA for tax filing.

Sr. Accountant

It is a pretty basic tool and only offers simple things like tracking cash, expenses, submitting invoices and generating simple reports.

Founder and CEO

The main thing I don't like about Wave is that they don't use standardized "GAAP terminology" for some of their financial management and reporting features. While this may make it more accessible to a certain user base, it actually makes it a bit confusing for me (who has a bit of formal CPA / accounting training).

IT Consultant

Like most multi-feature accounting solutions, it can be a bit much to navigate through all of the areas, when you are only interested in one aspect of the site.

The auto-import for my bank transactions has not been working for a while, and although Wave Customer Support did what they could, I wish this could be more easily resolved.

Executive Director

We can't even look at the payroll summary to see what we owe employees so we can write them a check. And there's no way to get in touch with customer support and now we're scrambling to figure out another payroll service to figure this out.

Property Management, Development and Investment

Love the UI and wanted it to be a viable alternative to the other players in the bookkeeping/accounting market but it fell far short and failed in it’s current itteration.

Coach and Consultant

I'm not clear on whether it's my bank or Wave that's the issue, but a couple of times, the integration stopped working then started working again, and this resulted in some duplicate entries that had to be cleared out.

Co-Owner

I have been using Wave for our small business bookkeeping for the past five or six years and love the ability to connect my bank accounts and credit cards and run weekly, monthly, and yearly reports.

For a small business needing invoice generation and payment tracking, Wave works really well.

The only export remaining is a summarized P&L, which is not a substitute for transaction detail in many cases.

If you don’t need customer support, wave is a great option for small business book keeping and payment services.

Administrative Consultant

Even though the version I had was free, I didn’t like that I couldn’t take off their logo on my invoices without paying for a higher tier plan.

Wave removed transaction level CSV export from free accounts and did not disclose the change.

Logistic manager

I used it for more than 5 years and it help me a lot for my daily tasks as invoice customers , purchase in and accounting  accounting tax statement

Graphic Designer

Even if you don’t have an accounting background, it’s relatively easy to connect bank accounts, categorize expenses, and generate reports.

For us, we had issues with how Wave was filing our taxes, and now Wave is adding non-removeable journal entries that are corrupting our income statement and balance sheet.

I left Wave because of the payroll feature, and I maintain it simply for invoice generation.

I use Wave for my accounting and invoicing software.

Principal Recruiter

Love the fact that you can do payroll, invoicing, payment by credit card and taxes all in 1 solution for small business

Owner - Manager

For a small business having a payroll program that's affordable and manageable while they take care of remittances and off boarding.

I bookkeep for two small businesses and the fact that is free is my favorite feature.

It is easy to use, looks up to date, it has great pricing and also has a phone app that makes things easy like applying payments and checking invoices when out and about.

Everything is bogged down and takes even longer to load. When I logged in to run our payroll, I was prompted to update tax info for all our employees.

Massage Therapist

The auto upload of transactions by connecting a bank account did not work for me, so I had to manually upload statements which was time consuming.

Dentist Owner

However since 2025, PDF version of reports were disabled, employees' pay dropped without any indication why, tax liability didn't  pay.

Engineer

It makes professional invoicing and bookkeeping stress-free.

Small Business Cash Flow Strategist

It's a great accounting system for those on a low cost budget who don't have many needs for customization or high level tracking.

One of the biggest advantages of Wave is that the core accounting features are free.

Wave vs Sage Expense Management Comparison (2026)

Wave

Sage Expense Management

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives