Softwr

Professional Services · head to head

Productive vs Wave

Productive logo

Productive

Professional Services

Run projects, budgets and resources in one place

From
$10/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wave logo

Wave

Professional Services

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: Productive essential plan is capped at 5 account-level custom fields and 1 CRM pipeline versus 15 fields and 3 pipelines on Professional; Wave automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Productive and Wave actually diverge.

Attributes where Productive and Wave differ
AttributeProductiveWave
Starting price$10/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Professional Services).

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 Productive

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.

Productive

  • Team resource planningnot Wave
  • Project and expense managementnot Wave
  • Time tracking and invoicingnot Wave

Wave

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

Where each one falls short

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

Productive

  • Essential plan is capped at 5 account-level custom fields and 1 CRM pipeline versus 15 fields and 3 pipelines on Professional
  • Ultimate tier for complex organizations is quote-only, listed as Let's talk with no published price

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

Productive

$10/month
  • Essential$10/month
    • Budgeting
    • Resource planning
    • Project and task management
  • Essential Annual$12/month
    • All Essential features (billed annually at 20% discount)
  • Professional$25/month
    • All Essential features
    • HRIS and Invoicing integrations
    • Recurring budgets
  • Ultimate$null/month
    • All Professional features
    • Revenue forecasting
    • Scenario Builder

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 Productive if

Nothing in the data separates Productive from Wave on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Productive 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 Productive or Wave better?
Neither clearly leads. Productive starts at $10/month and Wave at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Productive or Wave?
Wave has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $10/month for Productive and Free for Wave.
Does Productive or Wave run on more platforms?
Productive 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. Productive starts at $10/month.
What is Productive best used for?
Productive is most often used for team resource planning, project and expense management, time tracking and invoicing. Of those, team resource planning and project and expense management are not what Wave is typically brought in for.
What can Productive do that Wave cannot?
Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Invoicing, Expense tracking, Financial reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Productive: How much does Productive cost per month?

The Essential plan starts at $10/user/month (or $12/user/month billed annually). The Professional plan costs $25/user/month. Pricing is per user, so multiply by team size.

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
Productive: Does Productive offer a free trial?

Free trial information is not displayed on the pricing page. Contact their sales team via the website for trial availability and custom Ultimate plan pricing.

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
Productive: What features does the Essential plan include?

The Essential plan includes budgeting, resource planning, project and task management, time tracking, expense management, reporting, time off management, and API access with 5 custom fields.

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
Productive: What is the difference between Professional and Ultimate plans?

The Professional plan includes HRIS integrations, advanced reports, and team collaboration tools at $25/user/month. Ultimate adds revenue forecasting, scenario builder, multiple subsidiaries, and custom integrations at custom pricing.

Source
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