Wave still offers free accounting software, but understanding its pricing requires separating four different things:
the free Starter plan, the paid Pro plan, optional services such as Receipts, and transaction- or service-based products such as Online Payments and Payroll.
For a US business, the current list price for Starter is $0. Pro is $19 per month or $190 per year.
The mistake is assuming that choosing Pro automatically eliminates every other Wave fee.
It does not.
Wave Starter: $0
Starter is the free accounting and invoicing tier.
Wave currently includes unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records along with its fundamental accounting experience.
That is enough for a business willing to handle more of its accounting manually.
The key word is manually.
For a standard new business, automatic bank transaction importing, automatic transaction merging and categorization, and additional-user functionality belong to Pro.
Starter therefore makes the most sense when low subscription cost matters more than eliminating bookkeeping steps.
Wave Pro: $19 Monthly or $190 Annually in the US
Pro keeps the underlying accounting and invoicing tools but adds a larger automation layer.
Wave currently lists features including:
automatic bank transaction imports; automatic transaction merging and categorization; unlimited receipt capture; additional users; invoice reminders; enhanced invoice and estimate features; mobile accounting-transaction management; and human chat and email support.
The annual price of $190 is equivalent to paying for ten months at the $19 monthly rate.
Pricing is per business profile.
If one Wave account contains three separate businesses and the owner wants Pro on all three, each business requires its own subscription.
Why Legacy Wave Users May See Something Different
Wave’s pricing transition created an important exception.
Businesses created before the 2024 Starter/Pro transition may retain certain features under legacy conditions.
For example, Wave states that qualifying legacy Starter businesses already using automatic imports by May 1, 2024 can continue to use certain automatic bank-import features without upgrading. Similar legacy rules can apply to previously added collaborators.
That explains why two Wave users can compare accounts and see different capabilities while both appear to be on Starter.
For a new business, however, the current standard plan rules are the relevant benchmark.
Receipts Without Full Pro
Wave also sells receipt scanning separately.
For US businesses, the standalone Receipts subscription is currently:
$8 per month or $72 per year.
It includes unlimited receipt scanning with OCR, uploads from mobile or desktop, email forwarding, expense tracking, and mobile accounting-transaction access.
Pro already includes receipt capture.
The standalone plan therefore fills a specific gap: a business that wants automated receipt handling but does not need the rest of Pro.
Online Payments Are Transaction-Based
Wave Online Payments is another distinct layer.
A business that is approved to accept online payments can allow clients to pay Wave invoices electronically.
Current US Starter processing rates include:
Visa, Mastercard and Discover at 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction; American Express at 3.4% + $0.60; and ACH bank payments at 1% with a $1 minimum fee.
Pro does not remove payment-processing fees.
Instead, Pro currently removes the fixed $0.60 component from the first ten eligible card transactions during each monthly subscription period. After those ten transactions, the standard fixed fee returns. ACH pricing remains 1% with the $1 minimum.
Businesses should therefore calculate payments pricing using their actual transaction volume and average invoice size rather than assuming “Pro payments” means free processing.
Payroll Is Not Included With Pro
Wave Payroll is priced separately.
For new US payroll customers, Wave currently lists a $40 monthly base fee, plus $6 per active employee and $6 per independent contractor paid.
That means a business with five active employees would not pay just the $19 Pro subscription for payroll.
Payroll is its own service.
Likewise, a business can use payroll without necessarily needing Pro for the accounting side.
Human Support Depends on More Than Starter vs. Pro
Support is another reason the pricing model can be misunderstood.
Wave provides its Help Center and automated Mave chatbot generally, but human support eligibility is associated with qualifying paid or financial services.
Wave currently lists businesses using approved online payments, Payroll, Pro, Receipts, or Wave Advisors among those eligible to access its support team.
So a Starter business that enables online payments may have a different support experience from a completely free Starter business.
When Starter Is Probably Enough
Starter is easier to justify when:
you run one straightforward business, transaction volume is manageable manually, you do not need automatic bank imports, you do not need several users working in the books, and you are comfortable using self-service documentation for routine questions.
A solo professional who sends a handful of invoices each month can fit that profile.
When Pro Becomes More Logical
Pro becomes easier to justify when the cost of manual bookkeeping starts exceeding the cost of the subscription.
Automatic transaction imports are especially significant.
A business processing dozens or hundreds of monthly bank and card transactions may value those imports far more than a freelancer handling a small number of client payments.
Additional users can also change the equation. Once a bookkeeper, business partner, or other collaborator needs regular access, shared credentials are not a good substitute for proper account roles.
The Better Pricing Question
Instead of asking only:
“Is Wave free?”
ask:
“Which part of my workflow am I trying to automate?”
If the answer is basic accounting and invoicing, Starter may be enough.
If it is bank-feed automation and collaboration, look closely at Pro.
If it is receipt OCR, compare the standalone Receipts plan with Pro.
If it is accepting customer payments, calculate transaction fees.
If it is paying employees, evaluate Wave Payroll separately.
That produces a much more accurate estimate of what Wave will actually cost a particular business.