Software · head to head
Bonsai vs Wave
Bonsai
Software
All-in-one business management for freelancers and agencies
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Wave has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Bonsai elite plan, the only tier with custom permissions, timesheet locking and Xero integration, requires a 3 user minimum at $49/user/month; Wave automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Bonsai and Wave actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Bonsai
Nothing recorded that Wave does not also cover.
Only in Wave
- Double-entry accounting
- Invoicing
- Expense tracking
- Financial reporting
- Bank reconciliation
- Receipt scanning
- Multi-currency
- Sales tax tracking
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Bonsai
No use cases recorded yet. See the Bonsai review.
Wave
- Invoicing and bookkeeping for very small businesses and freelancersnot Bonsai
- Accepting card payments against issued invoicesnot Bonsai
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Bonsai
- Elite plan, the only tier with custom permissions, timesheet locking and Xero integration, requires a 3 user minimum at $49/user/month
- Invoices, proposals, contracts and the client portal are withheld from the entry Basic plan and only unlocked on Essentials at $19/user/month
- Monthly billing costs noticeably more than annual, for example $15/user/month versus $9/user/month annually on Basic
- Free trial is limited to 7 days
Wave
- Automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month
- The free plan pays a $0.60 per transaction fee on card payments on top of 2.9%, which Pro waives only for the first 10 transactions a month
- Beyond 10 transactions a month the Pro plan pays the same per transaction fee as the free one
- Amex is charged at 3.4% rather than 2.9% on both plans
Pricing, plan by plan
Bonsai
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Bonsai review.
Wave
Free- AccountingFree
- Unlimited invoicing
- Expense tracking
- Financial reports
- Payments$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 Bonsai if
Nothing in the data separates Bonsai from Wave on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose Wave if
- You need double-entry accounting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want invoicing.
Questions people ask
- Is Bonsai or Wave better?
- Neither clearly leads. Bonsai starts at On request and Wave at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Bonsai or Wave?
- Wave has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Bonsai and Free for Wave.
- Does Bonsai or Wave run on more platforms?
- Bonsai runs on Web. Wave runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Wave for free?
- Yes. Wave has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bonsai starts at On request.
- What can Bonsai do that Wave cannot?
- Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Invoicing, Expense tracking, Financial reporting.