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Professional Services · head to head

Wave vs Zoho Books

Wave logo

Wave

Professional Services

Financial software for small businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoho Books logo

Zoho Books

Accounting

Simple, smart accounting software for growing businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Wave automatic bank transaction import and receipt scanning require the Pro plan at $19 a month; Zoho Books payroll only available in Texas and California, limiting US usefulness
  • They diverge on capability: Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Zoho Books covers Financial reports.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Wave and Zoho Books actually diverge.

Attributes where Wave and Zoho Books differ
AttributeWaveZoho Books
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
CategoryProfessional ServicesAccounting
Founded20101996

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Wave

  • Double-entry accounting
  • Financial reporting
  • Receipt scanning
  • Multi-currency
  • Sales tax tracking
  • Etsy
  • Shoeboxed
  • PCI compliant

Only in Zoho Books

  • Financial reports
  • Tax compliance
  • Zoho CRM
  • SOC 2
  • GDPR

Both cover

  • Invoicing
  • Expense tracking
  • Bank reconciliation
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

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 Zoho Books
  • Accepting card payments against issued invoicesnot Zoho Books

Zoho Books

  • Invoicingnot Wave
  • Expense managementnot Wave
  • Tax preparationnot Wave

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

Zoho Books

  • Payroll only available in Texas and California, limiting US usefulness
  • Limited access to historical financial data compared to competitors
  • Customer support is slow with long response times and frustrating workarounds
  • Fewer integrations than QuickBooks Online and Xero
  • User limit restrictions (1-15 depending on plan) compared to Xero's unlimited users
  • Occasional inaccuracies in automatic exchange rate updates for international transactions

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

Zoho Books

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user + accountant
    • Unlimited invoices
  • Standard$20/month
    • 3 users
    • Core accounting
  • Professional$60/month
    • 5 users
    • Advanced reporting
  • Premium$120/month
    • 10 users
    • Inventory management

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 financial reporting.
Wave review

Choose Zoho Books if

  • You need financial reports.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want tax compliance.
Zoho Books review

Questions people ask

Is Wave or Zoho Books better?
Neither clearly leads. Wave starts at Free and Zoho Books at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Wave or Zoho Books?
Wave starts at Free and Zoho Books at Free.
Does Wave or Zoho Books run on more platforms?
Wave runs on Web, Ios, Android. Zoho Books runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Zoho Books is typically brought in for.
What can Wave do that Zoho Books cannot?
Wave covers Double-entry accounting, Financial reporting, Receipt scanning, Multi-currency. Zoho Books covers Financial reports, Tax compliance, Zoho CRM, SOC 2. Both handle Invoicing, Expense tracking, Bank reconciliation, PayPal.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Zoho Books: Does Zoho Books support payroll?

Zoho Books offers limited payroll integration available only in Texas and California currently. Outside these states, users must use separate payroll software.

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
Zoho Books: How many users can access one account?

User limits vary by plan: Free tier (1 user + accountant), Standard (3 users), Professional (5 users), Premium (10 users), Elite (15 users). Each business requires separate subscription.

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
Zoho Books: What integrations does Zoho Books support?

Zoho Books integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Razorpay, PayPal, Stripe, Salesforce, Google Sheets, and 500+ apps via Zapier. It integrates with other Zoho products like Zoho Inventory and Zoho Projects.

Source
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