Softwr

Accounting & Finance · head to head

ADP vs Wave

ADP logo

ADP

Accounting & Finance

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wave logo

Wave

Freelancers

Financial software for small businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Wave has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ADP no pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken; Wave automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Wave covers Double-entry accounting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Wave actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Wave differ
AttributeADPWave
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
CategoryAccounting & FinanceFreelancers
Founded19492010

Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ADP

  • Payroll
  • Tax services
  • HR management
  • Time & attendance
  • Benefits administration
  • QuickBooks
  • Sage
  • Oracle

Only in Wave

  • Double-entry accounting
  • Invoicing
  • Expense tracking
  • Financial reporting
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Receipt scanning
  • Multi-currency
  • Sales tax tracking

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ADP

  • Payroll processing and tax filingnot Wave
  • HR administration and employee recordsnot Wave
  • Time and attendance trackingnot Wave
  • Benefits administrationnot Wave
  • Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot Wave

Wave

  • Invoicing and bookkeeping for very small businesses and freelancersnot ADP
  • Accepting card payments against issued invoicesnot ADP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ADP

  • No pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken
  • Split into three separate products by company size, RUN for 1 to 49 employees, Workforce Now for 50 and above, and Lyric HCM for enterprise, so growing across a threshold means changing product rather than plan

Wave

  • Automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month
  • The free plan pays a $0.60 per transaction fee on card payments on top of 2.9%, which Pro waives only for the first 10 transactions a month
  • Beyond 10 transactions a month the Pro plan pays the same per transaction fee as the free one
  • Amex is charged at 3.4% rather than 2.9% on both plans

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

$29/month
  • Essential$79/month
    • Payroll
    • Tax filing
    • Direct deposit
  • Enhanced$139/month
    • HR tools
    • Background checks
    • Job posting

Wave

Free
  • AccountingFree
    • Unlimited invoicing
    • Expense tracking
    • Financial reports
  • Payments$undefined/transaction
    • 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction
    • Credit card processing
    • Bank payments (1%)
  • Payroll$35/month
    • $35/month base + $6/employee
    • Tax calculations
    • Direct deposit

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

  • You need payroll.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want tax services.
ADP review

Choose Wave if

  • You need double-entry accounting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want invoicing.
Wave review

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Wave better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Wave at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Wave?
Wave has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for ADP and Free for Wave.
Does ADP or Wave run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Wave for free?
Yes. Wave has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ADP starts at $29/month.
What is ADP best used for?
ADP is most often used for payroll processing and tax filing, hr administration and employee records, time and attendance tracking, benefits administration. Of those, payroll processing and tax filing and hr administration and employee records are not what Wave is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Wave cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Invoicing, Expense tracking, Financial reporting. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
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