Skip to content

Zoho Books vs Wave

Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.

Zoho Books logo

Zoho Books

Serious accounting at a price that reads like a typo

4.2(248)
Visit Zoho website
Wave logo

Wave

Free accounting and invoicing, paid only when money moves

4.3(143)
Visit Wave Financial website

Some links here are affiliate links, so we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never affects a rating or a ranking. How this works.

Ratings

Every score, at a glance

Verified user ratings across every dimension. Zoho Books against Wave, nothing weighted.

Dimensions won

13Zoho Books 1, Wave 3

Zoho Books vs Wave, across 5 rating dimensions

Widest rating gap

+0.6

Zoho Books leads on functionality

Verified reviews

391

248 for Zoho Books, 143 for Wave

Zoho Books logoZoho Books
4.2 out of 5

248 verified reviews

Wave logoWave
4.3 out of 5

143 verified reviews

Ratings by dimension

  • Zoho Books
  • Wave
Overall
4.2
4.3
Ease of use
4.3
4.5
Value for money
4.7
4.8
Customer service
3.7
3.7
Functionality
4.4
3.8

Share of verified reviews

Which product reviewers actually write about.

391verified reviews
  • Zoho Books248
  • Wave143

Cost to get started

Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.

Zoho Books$20/mo
WaveFree

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.

Zoho Books against Wave, row by row
Zoho BooksWave
Overall rating4.24.3
Reviews248143
Ease of use4.34.5
Value for money4.74.8
Customer service3.73.7
Functionality4.43.8
Starting price$20/moFree
Free trialYesNo
Free versionYesYes

Features

Feature by feature, checked off

Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.

Features Zoho Books and Wave each ship
FeatureZoho BooksWave
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
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

Pricing

Both price lists, side by side

Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.

Zoho Books plans

Free

For businesses under 50,000 dollars of annual revenue.

Free

no card required

Start free trial
  • 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

Start free trial
  • 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

Start free trial
  • 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

Start free trial
  • 10 users
  • Custom domain and branding
  • Budgeting
  • Custom buttons and functions
  • Twenty five custom modules
  • Validation rules
Straight from the vendor

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.

Visit Zoho

Wave plans

Starter

The accounting and invoicing, at no cost. Not a trial.

Free

no card required

Visit Wave Financial
  • 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

Visit Wave Financial
  • Everything in Starter
  • Automatic bank feeds
  • Lower card processing rate
  • Auto categorization
  • Live chat support
Straight from the vendor

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.

Visit Wave Financial