Softwr

Accounting & Finance · head to head

Ramp vs Wave

Ramp logo

Ramp

Accounting & Finance

The corporate card that helps you spend less

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wave logo

Wave

Freelancers

Financial software for small businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ramp procurement module unavailable on Free plan; available as add-on on Plus; Wave automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month
  • They diverge on capability: Ramp covers Corporate cards, Wave covers Double-entry accounting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ramp and Wave actually diverge.

Attributes where Ramp and Wave differ
AttributeRampWave
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Mobile appsWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryAccounting & FinanceFreelancers
Founded20192010

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 Ramp

  • Corporate cards
  • Expense management
  • Bill pay
  • Accounting automation
  • Spend insights
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • Xero

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.

Ramp

  • Corporate expense management and automationnot Wave
  • Accounts payable automation with AI invoice processingnot Wave
  • Multi-currency travel and policy managementnot Wave

Wave

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

Where each one falls short

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

Ramp

  • Procurement module unavailable on Free plan; available as add-on on Plus
  • Workday and Oracle Fusion integrations limited to Enterprise tier only
  • Multi-entity functionality requires Plus tier or higher
  • Local card issuance in 30+ countries limited to Enterprise tier
  • Advanced ERP integrations require higher tier selection

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

Ramp

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Ramp 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 Ramp if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile apps.
  • You also want expense management.
Ramp 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 Ramp or Wave better?
Neither clearly leads. Ramp 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, Ramp or Wave?
Ramp starts at Free and Wave at Free.
Does Ramp or Wave run on more platforms?
Ramp runs on Web, Mobile apps. Wave runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Ramp for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ramp best used for?
Ramp is most often used for corporate expense management and automation, accounts payable automation with ai invoice processing, multi-currency travel and policy management. Of those, corporate expense management and automation and accounts payable automation with ai invoice processing are not what Wave is typically brought in for.
What can Ramp do that Wave cannot?
Ramp covers Corporate cards, Expense management, Bill pay, Accounting automation. Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Invoicing, Expense tracking, Financial reporting. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
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