Does QuickBooks Online or Wave have a free plan?

Wave has a free plan. QuickBooks Online does not, though it offers a free trial.

How long is the QuickBooks Online and Wave free trial?

QuickBooks Online offers a 30-day free trial. Wave does not offer one.

Which is easier to use, QuickBooks Online or Wave?

In VERILO's editorial assessment Wave is the easier of the two, scoring 5 out of 5 against 3 for QuickBooks Online. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.

QuickBooks Online vs Wave

A side-by-side look at QuickBooks Online and Wave: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.

Which should you choose?

Choose QuickBooks Online if

US small businesses that want the accounting system most bookkeepers and CPAs already use
Product businesses that need inventory and project profitability (Plus and above)
Companies with many third-party apps to connect
Businesses planning to add payroll and payments from the same vendor

Visit QuickBooks Online

Choose Wave if

Freelancers and side businesses that need invoices and basic books at no cost
Very small service businesses in the US or Canada
Users who prefer transaction fees over a monthly subscription

Visit Wave

Cheapest to start

Not confirmed

Free plan

Wave

Highest editor rating

QuickBooks Online · 4.4

Comparison of QuickBooks Online and Wave
Compare	QuickBooks Online Visit site	Wave Visit site
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Starting price	From $38/mo	From $16/mo
Editor rating	4.4	3.9
Ease of use	Moderate (3/5)	Very easy (5/5)
Category	Finance & Accounting	Finance & Accounting
Pricing model	Four company-level plans priced $38 to $340 per month in the US, with user caps of 1, 3, 5 and 25. Payroll, time tracking and payments are separate add-ons, and list prices have increased most years.	Starter is free with unlimited invoicing; Pro is approximately $16 per month (or $170 per year) and adds bank imports and receipt scanning. Card payments cost approximately 2.9% plus $0.60 per transaction, and payroll is a separate add-on.
Plans	Simple Start — $38/mo Essentials — $85/mo Plus — $140/mo Advanced — $340/mo	Starter — Free Pro — $16/mo Payroll add-on — $20/mo
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, API	Web, iOS, Android, API
Integrations	Gmail, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Make, PayPal, Salesforce, Shopify, Zapier	Zapier
Best for	US small businesses that want the accounting system most bookkeepers and CPAs already use Product businesses that need inventory and project profitability (Plus and above) Companies with many third-party apps to connect Businesses planning to add payroll and payments from the same vendor	Freelancers and side businesses that need invoices and basic books at no cost Very small service businesses in the US or Canada Users who prefer transaction fees over a monthly subscription
Pros	Largest ecosystem of accountants, bookkeepers and third-party apps in small-business accounting Deep feature set on higher tiers: inventory, projects, budgets, class tracking and workflow automation Strong US bank feed coverage and solid receipt capture in the mobile app Free accountant access on every plan	Genuinely free invoicing and double-entry bookkeeping Simple, uncluttered interface that non-accountants can use Estimates, recurring invoices and online payments included on the free plan Payroll available as an add-on in the US and Canada
Cons	Repeated price increases, and the cheapest plan is single-user only Payroll, time tracking and payments are paid add-ons that push the real monthly cost up Interface can feel cluttered and pushes upgrades and add-ons frequently Features and pricing vary noticeably between countries	Only available to businesses in the US and Canada Automatic bank connections now require the paid Pro plan No inventory, project accounting or time tracking Few native integrations beyond Zapier
API access	Yes	Yes
App marketplace	Yes	No
Bank connections	Yes	Yes
Expense tracking	Yes	Yes
Inventory management	Yes	No
Mobile app	Yes	Yes
Multi-currency invoicing	Yes	Yes
Payment processing	No	Yes
Payroll	Yes	Yes
Quotes & invoices	No	Yes
Recurring invoices	Yes	Yes
Reporting & dashboards	Yes	Yes
Tax reports	Yes	No
Time tracking	Yes	No

Common questions

Does QuickBooks Online or Wave have a free plan?: Wave has a free plan. QuickBooks Online does not, though it offers a free trial.
How long is the QuickBooks Online and Wave free trial?: QuickBooks Online offers a 30-day free trial. Wave does not offer one.
Which is easier to use, QuickBooks Online or Wave?: In VERILO's editorial assessment Wave is the easier of the two, scoring 5 out of 5 against 3 for QuickBooks Online. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.

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