Wave vs Zoho Books
Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.
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Ratings
Every score, at a glance
Verified user ratings across every dimension. Wave against Zoho Books, nothing weighted.
Dimensions won
31Wave 3, Zoho Books 1
Wave vs Zoho Books, across 5 rating dimensions
Widest rating gap
+0.6
Zoho Books leads on functionality
Verified reviews
391
143 for Wave, 248 for Zoho Books
143 verified reviews
248 verified reviews
Ratings by dimension
- Wave
- Zoho Books
Share of verified reviews
Which product reviewers actually write about.
- Wave143
- Zoho Books248
Cost to get started
Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.
At least one of these is quoted rather than published, so compare the ratings above and get a real number from each vendor.
Head to head
Where each one wins
Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.
| Wave | Zoho Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| Reviews | 143 | 248 |
| Ease of use | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Value for money | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Customer service | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Functionality | 3.8 | 4.4 |
| Starting price | Free | $20/mo |
| Free trial | No | Yes |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
Features
Feature by feature, checked off
Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.
| Feature | Wave | Zoho Books |
|---|---|---|
| Free double entry accounting | ||
| Unlimited invoicing | ||
| Unlimited estimates | ||
| Receipt scanning | ||
| Recurring invoices | ||
| Online card payments | ||
| Canadian payroll with T4 and ROE | ||
| US payroll in supported states | ||
| Multi business support | ||
| True double entry accounting | ||
| Automated bank feeds and reconciliation rules | ||
| Client portal with online payment | ||
| Recurring invoices and payment reminders | ||
| Inventory tracking on Professional and above | ||
| Multi currency with automatic exchange rates | ||
| Custom workflow automation | ||
| Project time tracking and billing | ||
| Open API on affordable tiers | ||
| Deep integration with the wider Zoho suite |
Pricing
Both price lists, side by side
Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.
Wave plans
Starter
The accounting and invoicing, at no cost. Not a trial.
Free
no card required
- Unlimited invoices and estimates
- Double entry accounting
- Unlimited customers
- Receipt scanning
- Email support
Pro
Adds bank feeds, reduced card fees and live support.
$16/mo
per month
- Everything in Starter
- Automatic bank feeds
- Lower card processing rate
- Auto categorization
- Live chat support
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Wave Financial for the figure you will actually pay.
Zoho Books plans
Free
For businesses under 50,000 dollars of annual revenue.
Free
no card required
- 1 user plus 1 accountant
- Client portal
- Automatic payment reminders
- Up to 1,000 invoices a year
- Bank feed connections
Standard
3 users. The plan most small businesses actually start on.
$20/mo
per month
- 3 users
- Recurring invoices and expenses
- Bank reconciliation rules
- Project time tracking
- Sales tax tracking
- 15 dollars a month billed annually
Professional
5 users. Adds purchase orders, inventory and multi currency.
$50/mo
per month
- 5 users
- Purchase orders and sales orders
- Inventory tracking
- Multi currency handling
- Custom workflow rules
- Vendor portal
Premium
10 users. Custom domain, budgeting and deeper automation.
$70/mo
per month
- 10 users
- Custom domain and branding
- Budgeting
- Custom buttons and functions
- Twenty five custom modules
- Validation rules
Get current pricing
These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Zoho for the figure you will actually pay.

