Software · head to head
Wave vs Hiveage
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Wave automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month; Hiveage free plan caps at 5 clients; scaling past 1,000 clients on the $42/month Plus tier requires contacting sales for a custom plan
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Wave and Hiveage actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 Wave
- Double-entry accounting
- Invoicing
- Expense tracking
- Financial reporting
- Bank reconciliation
- Receipt scanning
- Multi-currency
- Sales tax tracking
Only in Hiveage
Nothing recorded that Wave does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Wave
- Invoicing and bookkeeping for very small businesses and freelancersnot Hiveage
- Accepting card payments against issued invoicesnot Hiveage
Hiveage
No use cases recorded yet. See the Hiveage review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Hiveage
- Free plan caps at 5 clients; scaling past 1,000 clients on the $42/month Plus tier requires contacting sales for a custom plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Wave
Free- AccountingFree
- Unlimited invoicing
- Expense tracking
- Financial reports
- Payments$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
Hiveage
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Hiveage review.
Which should you pick?
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 Wave or Hiveage better?
- Neither clearly leads. Wave starts at Free and Hiveage at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Wave or Hiveage?
- Wave starts at Free and Hiveage at Free.
- Does Wave or Hiveage run on more platforms?
- Wave runs on Web, Ios, Android. Hiveage runs on Web.
- Can I use Wave for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Wave best used for?
- Wave is most often used for invoicing and bookkeeping for very small businesses and freelancers, accepting card payments against issued invoices. Of those, invoicing and bookkeeping for very small businesses and freelancers and accepting card payments against issued invoices are not what Hiveage is typically brought in for.
- What can Wave do that Hiveage cannot?
- Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Invoicing, Expense tracking, Financial reporting.