Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Bill.com vs Wave

Bill.com logo

Bill.com

Accounting

Automate your financial workflows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wave logo

Wave

Professional Services

Financial software for small businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bill.com limited customization of approval workflows and user permissions for complex business needs; Wave automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month
  • They diverge on capability: Bill.com covers AP automation, Wave covers Double-entry accounting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bill.com and Wave actually diverge.

Attributes where Bill.com and Wave differ
AttributeBill.comWave
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryAccountingProfessional Services
Founded20062010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Bill.com

  • AP automation
  • AR automation
  • Payment processing
  • Approval workflows
  • Document management
  • Vendor management
  • Cash flow insights
  • Mobile approvals

Only in Wave

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

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Bill.com

  • Invoice processingnot Wave
  • Bill paymentsnot Wave
  • Vendor paymentsnot Wave
  • Cash flow managementnot Wave
  • Financial automationnot Wave

Wave

  • Invoicing and bookkeeping for very small businesses and freelancersnot Bill.com
  • Accepting card payments against issued invoicesnot Bill.com

Where each one falls short

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

Bill.com

  • Limited customization of approval workflows and user permissions for complex business needs
  • Limited international payment capabilities compared to specialists like Tipalti
  • Customer support response times are slow, with agents often lacking product expertise

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

Bill.com

Free
  • Essentials$49/month
    • Core AP and AR functionality
    • Manual CSV import/export
  • Team$65/month
    • Automatic 2-way sync with QuickBooks Online, Xero
  • Corporate$89/month
    • Procurement features
    • Custom approval policies
    • Sync with NetSuite, Dynamics

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 Bill.com if

  • You need ap automation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want ar automation.
Bill.com 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 Bill.com or Wave better?
Neither clearly leads. Bill.com starts at Free and Wave at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bill.com or Wave?
Bill.com starts at Free and Wave at Free.
Does Bill.com or Wave run on more platforms?
Bill.com runs on Web. Wave runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Bill.com for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bill.com best used for?
Bill.com is most often used for invoice processing, bill payments, vendor payments, cash flow management. Of those, invoice processing and bill payments are not what Wave is typically brought in for.
What can Bill.com do that Wave cannot?
Bill.com covers AP automation, AR automation, Payment processing, Approval workflows. Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Invoicing, Expense tracking, Financial reporting. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bill.com: What payment methods does Bill.com support?

Bill.com supports ACH transfers, checks, corporate cards, and international transfers. ACH payments cost $0.59 per transaction, checks cost $1.99, and card payments incur a 2.9% fee.

Source
Wave: Can I try Wave before committing to a paid plan?

Sign up for the Starter Plan to take the bookkeeping and invoicing basics for a spin. Then, whenever you're ready, upgrade to the Pro Plan to unlock even more money management features.

Source
Bill.com: Does Bill.com offer a free tier?

Yes. Bill.com offers a free Spend & Expense plan for access to credit lines from $1,000-$5M with corporate cards, budgets, and expense tracking.

Source
Wave: What happens if I want to cancel my subscription?

Yes, you can unsubscribe at any time. The cancellation of your subscription will take effect at the end of the billing period in which you cancel.

Source
Bill.com: Which accounting systems does Bill.com integrate with?

Bill.com integrates with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Enterprise, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics, and Xero, with automatic two-way syncing on most plans.

Source
Wave: Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan easily?

To upgrade to the Pro Plan, sign into Wave. Visit your dashboard or use your invoicing or accounting features, and click the 'Upgrade now' button.

Source
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