Signed up for payroll and found our state is not one where Wave files for you. It calculates, then hands you the numbers to file yourself. That is not what full service means and it was not clear before I paid.
Pros
Unlimited invoices, estimates and customers on the free tier.
Cons
Reporting is basic and exports are the answer to most non standard questions.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorAug 2, 2025
Thank you for flagging the bank connection issue. Silent feed failures are something we take seriously and our team would like the details. Please contact support so we can look at your specific institution.
5 found this helpful
Leonard Lindqvist
Operations Manager, Foundry Road Studios
United States·Hospitality·500+ employees
5.0
Mar 8, 2025
Used 2 or more years
The right answer for a one person business
Started here three years ago expecting to outgrow it in six months. Still here. If your business is genuinely small, this is not a compromise.
Pros
The accounting and invoicing are genuinely free, not a limited trial.
Cons
You will outgrow it, and the migration will not be fun.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
5 found this helpful
Preston Villanueva
General Manager, Summit Physio
United States·Real estate·1 to 10 employees
5.0
May 14, 2025
Used 1 to 2 years
The right answer for a one person business
Started here three years ago expecting to outgrow it in six months. Still here. If your business is genuinely small, this is not a compromise.
Pros
Unlimited invoices, estimates and customers on the free tier.
Cons
Reporting is basic and exports are the answer to most non standard questions.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
4 found this helpful
Yosef Isozaki
Accountant, Redbrick Property Group
United States·Ecommerce·1 to 10 employees
2.0
Mar 8, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Bank feeds drop constantly
Signed up for payroll and found our state is not one where Wave files for you. It calculates, then hands you the numbers to file yourself. That is not what full service means and it was not clear before I paid.
Pros
You can run several businesses from one login.
Cons
Support is email and a forum, and replies take days.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
4 found this helpful
Ronan Jenkins
Operations Manager, Northgate Logistics
Canada·Manufacturing·1 to 10 employees
2.0
Mar 3, 2025
Used 2 or more years
Bank feeds drop constantly
The bank connection breaks every few weeks and needs reconnecting. Sometimes it silently stops pulling and I do not notice until reconciliation does not balance. For accounting software that is a real problem, free or not.
Pros
The accounting and invoicing are genuinely free, not a limited trial.
Cons
You will outgrow it, and the migration will not be fun.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
4 found this helpful
Nathaniel Calloway
Office Manager, Maplewood Childcare
Canada·Hospitality·11 to 50 employees
3.0
Jul 30, 2024
Used 2 or more years
Free has a ceiling and you will find it
It is excellent for what it is and it will not scale. No inventory, no projects, no multi currency. We are approaching the point where we need those and we will have to move. No complaints, but plan for it.
Pros
You can run several businesses from one login.
Cons
Bank feeds drop more often than on paid competitors and sometimes fail silently.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorAug 2, 2024
Thank you for flagging the bank connection issue. Silent feed failures are something we take seriously and our team would like the details. Please contact support so we can look at your specific institution.
4 found this helpful
Freya Espinoza
Director of Finance, Redbrick Property Group
Canada·Ecommerce·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Used 2 or more years
The right answer for a one person business
I run a one person consultancy and Wave does everything I need for nothing. Unlimited invoices, real double entry underneath, and my accountant can work with the export. I kept waiting for the catch and there is not one.
Pros
Proper double entry underneath, so an accountant can work with it.
Cons
US payroll only files for you in a limited set of states. Check yours first.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Nina Delacroix
Managing Partner, Copper Mountain Brewing
United States·Legal·1 to 10 employees
4.0
Mar 4, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
Free and not crippled
The invoicing is clean and clients pay by card from the invoice. I have used tools costing 40 dollars a month that did this worse.
Pros
The accounting and invoicing are genuinely free, not a limited trial.
Cons
Reporting is basic and exports are the answer to most non standard questions.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Keith Montoya
VP of Sales, Prairie Rose Bakery
United States·Transport and logistics·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Jan 17, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
The right answer for a one person business
Started here three years ago expecting to outgrow it in six months. Still here. If your business is genuinely small, this is not a compromise.
Pros
Receipt scanning works well enough to keep shoeboxes empty.
Cons
Bank feeds drop more often than on paid competitors and sometimes fail silently.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Alistair Schneider
Bookkeeper, Willow & Ash Salons
United States·Software·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Nov 19, 2025
Verified userUsed less than 6 months
Real accounting at no cost
Canadian payroll files our T4s and handles CPP, EI and the ROE when someone leaves. Remittance to CRA is automatic. For a five person shop in Alberta this is the whole job done for a fraction of what the big providers quoted.
Pros
Unlimited invoices, estimates and customers on the free tier.
Cons
Bank feeds drop more often than on paid competitors and sometimes fail silently.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Otis Castellanos
VP of Sales, Kestrel Analytics
United States·Software·1 to 10 employees
3.0
Aug 27, 2025
Used 2 or more years
Free has a ceiling and you will find it
Support is email and a forum, and the reply takes a few days. That is a fair trade at this price, but do not build a month end process that assumes someone will answer quickly.
Pros
Receipt scanning works well enough to keep shoeboxes empty.
Cons
There is no inventory, no project tracking and no multi currency.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorSep 6, 2025
Thank you for flagging the bank connection issue. Silent feed failures are something we take seriously and our team would like the details. Please contact support so we can look at your specific institution.
3 found this helpful
Sanjay Radcliffe
Chief of Staff, Willow & Ash Salons
Canada·Hospitality·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Jul 17, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Free and not crippled
Canadian payroll files our T4s and handles CPP, EI and the ROE when someone leaves. Remittance to CRA is automatic. For a five person shop in Alberta this is the whole job done for a fraction of what the big providers quoted.
Pros
Canadian payroll handles T4, ROE, CPP and EI with automatic CRA remittance.
Cons
US payroll only files for you in a limited set of states. Check yours first.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Zara Valentine
HR Manager, Foundry Road Studios
United States·Legal·201 to 500 employees
5.0
Jul 15, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
T4 season was painless
Canadian payroll files our T4s and handles CPP, EI and the ROE when someone leaves. Remittance to CRA is automatic. For a five person shop in Alberta this is the whole job done for a fraction of what the big providers quoted.
Pros
Unlimited invoices, estimates and customers on the free tier.
Cons
Bank feeds drop more often than on paid competitors and sometimes fail silently.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Iris Hutchins
Director of Finance, Granite Peak Roofing
Canada·Retail·11 to 50 employees
2.0
May 24, 2025
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed less than 6 months
US payroll left us filing ourselves
The bank connection breaks every few weeks and needs reconnecting. Sometimes it silently stops pulling and I do not notice until reconciliation does not balance. For accounting software that is a real problem, free or not.
Pros
Receipt scanning works well enough to keep shoeboxes empty.
Cons
There is no inventory, no project tracking and no multi currency.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJun 2, 2025
Thank you for flagging the bank connection issue. Silent feed failures are something we take seriously and our team would like the details. Please contact support so we can look at your specific institution.
3 found this helpful
Tessa Quigley
Bookkeeper, Hillcrest Family Clinic
Canada·Real estate·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Nov 1, 2024
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 1 to 2 years
Free and not crippled
The invoicing is clean and clients pay by card from the invoice. I have used tools costing 40 dollars a month that did this worse.
Pros
Proper double entry underneath, so an accountant can work with it.
Cons
US payroll only files for you in a limited set of states. Check yours first.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Julia Velazquez
Bookkeeper, Bluewater Consulting
United States·Construction·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Aug 28, 2024
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 2 or more years
The right answer for a one person business
Started here three years ago expecting to outgrow it in six months. Still here. If your business is genuinely small, this is not a compromise.
Pros
Proper double entry underneath, so an accountant can work with it.
Cons
US payroll only files for you in a limited set of states. Check yours first.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
3 found this helpful
Malcolm Donovan
Head of Operations, Willow & Ash Salons
United States·Transport and logistics·11 to 50 employees
5.0
Mar 7, 2026
Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months
T4 season was painless
Canadian payroll files our T4s and handles CPP, EI and the ROE when someone leaves. Remittance to CRA is automatic. For a five person shop in Alberta this is the whole job done for a fraction of what the big providers quoted.
Pros
Receipt scanning works well enough to keep shoeboxes empty.
Cons
You will outgrow it, and the migration will not be fun.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
2 found this helpful
Devon Ferrari
Practice Manager, Kestrel Analytics
United States·Accounting·201 to 500 employees
4.0
Jan 28, 2026
Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months
Free and not crippled
The invoicing is clean and clients pay by card from the invoice. I have used tools costing 40 dollars a month that did this worse.
Pros
The accounting and invoicing are genuinely free, not a limited trial.
Cons
US payroll only files for you in a limited set of states. Check yours first.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
2 found this helpful
Harold Moreau
Practice Manager, Willow & Ash Salons
United States·Professional services·1 to 10 employees
5.0
Jan 16, 2026
Verified userUsed 1 to 2 years
Free and not crippled
Started here three years ago expecting to outgrow it in six months. Still here. If your business is genuinely small, this is not a compromise.
Pros
Unlimited invoices, estimates and customers on the free tier.
Cons
Bank feeds drop more often than on paid competitors and sometimes fail silently.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
2 found this helpful
Noor Raghavan
Owner, Northern Star Staffing
United States·Accounting·1 to 10 employees
1.0
Jun 6, 2025
Used 2 or more years
US payroll left us filing ourselves
Signed up for payroll and found our state is not one where Wave files for you. It calculates, then hands you the numbers to file yourself. That is not what full service means and it was not clear before I paid.
Pros
Canadian payroll handles T4, ROE, CPP and EI with automatic CRA remittance.
Cons
Bank feeds drop more often than on paid competitors and sometimes fail silently.
Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality
Response from the vendorJun 15, 2025
Thank you for flagging the bank connection issue. Silent feed failures are something we take seriously and our team would like the details. Please contact support so we can look at your specific institution.
United States
Canada