Looking for a Wave alternative?
Wave is a solid free accounting tool for a lot of small businesses. But if you just want fast, polished invoicing without the bookkeeping overhead — or you've run into Wave's paid-plan gates — here's an honest look at SendBilling and a few other options.
Updated August 4, 2026
Why people look for a Wave alternative
Wave's Starter plan is free and covers unlimited invoices, so plenty of people never leave. The switching pressure tends to come from three places, based on what users commonly report in reviews:
- Free-tier features have narrowed over time. Some users report that bank auto-import (via Plaid), OCR receipt scanning, automated late-payment reminders, and multi-user access have moved behind Wave's paid Pro plan in recent years, leaving the free Starter tier closer to a basic invoice log.
- Pro-plan pricing and cancellation friction. Wave publishes current Pro pricing and cancellation terms on its own site. Review those terms for your market before you subscribe because plans and promotions can change.
- Payment processing fees stack on top of the subscription. Wave's built-in payment service has separate transaction fees. Amounts vary by payment method and market, so confirm the current fees on Wave's official pricing page.
- More accounting than some freelancers need. Wave is built around full double-entry bookkeeping. That's a strength for a real business, but some solo freelancers and small teams just want to send an invoice and get paid without learning a chart of accounts.
SendBilling vs Wave
SendBilling is currently in early access: every feature below is free and unlimited while paid plans are being finalized. Lifetime is planned as a one-time $19.99 purchase but is not available to buy yet — see pricing for the live status), and Pro will be $4.99/month ($1 for the first month) once billing opens.
| Feature | SendBilling | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free (unlimited, early access) | Free (Starter plan) |
| Paid plan | $4.99/mo ($1 first month) or $19.99 lifetime, one-time | See Wave's official pricing page |
| Invoices & estimates | Unlimited | Unlimited invoices |
| Recurring invoices | Unlimited | Yes, on all plans |
| Full double-entry bookkeeping | ||
| Built-in payment processing | Yes — separate transaction fees apply | |
| Fund holding | None — add an external payment URL; no reconciliation | Wave processes and briefly holds payment funds before payout |
| Bank auto-import | Pro plan only | |
| Custom branding & colors | Pro plan only | |
| Send from your own SMTP | ||
| CSV export | Reports page, any plan | Yes |
Wave figures are current as of 2026 and reflect the pricing/features published on waveapps.com/pricing at the time of writing — always confirm current pricing on Wave's site, since plans change.
The biggest structural difference is fund holding: SendBilling never touches your money — you add an external checkout or bank-payment URL and the customer pays there. Wave's built-in payment processing is convenient, but it means Wave handles the transaction and takes a cut before the money reaches your account, which is normal for a payments product but worth knowing going in.
When Wave is the better choice
If you need real double-entry bookkeeping — a chart of accounts, journal entries, and reconciled books your accountant can audit — Wave's accounting core does that well, and it still ships a free tier. Businesses that also want payroll in the same ecosystem (Wave Payroll is a paid add-on) may prefer having invoicing, books, and payroll under one login rather than stitching tools together. SendBilling is deliberately narrower: it's an invoicing and billing tool, not a bookkeeping system.
Other honest Wave alternatives
SendBilling isn't the only option worth a look. A few others, fairly summarized:
Zoho Invoice
Free invoicing tool from the large Zoho suite. Strong if you already use (or plan to use) other Zoho apps like Books or CRM; can feel like one module in a much bigger ecosystem if you don't.
Invoice Ninja
Open-source, with a generous free self-hosted tier for technical users who want full control of their data and no subscription — the tradeoff is you're managing hosting yourself if you skip the paid cloud plan.
FreshBooks
Long-established invoicing and light accounting tool with strong time-tracking for service businesses. No free tier for ongoing use — paid plans start after a trial, and pricing scales with client count.
How to switch from Wave
- 1In Wave, export your customers and invoice/transaction history as CSV (Wave's Reports or Customers section has export options). Keep this file as your backup and reference.
- 2Create a free SendBilling account — no credit card required — and set up your business profile, logo, and colors.
- 3Re-create your customer list from the CSV and rebuild any open or recurring invoices in SendBilling — or start from scratch with the free invoice generator. There's no one-click Wave importer today, so plan on a short manual pass — most people are done in under an hour for a typical customer list.
- 4Paste an external checkout or bank-payment URL so the Pay button points somewhere real, then send your first invoice from SendBilling.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wave really free?
Wave's Starter plan is free and includes unlimited invoices and basic bookkeeping. But as of 2026, bank auto-import, receipt scanning, automated late-payment reminders, and multi-user access sit behind the paid Pro plan (around $19/month or $190/year at the time of writing) — so "free" only covers the basics. Always check Wave's own pricing page for the current numbers.
Does SendBilling take a cut of my payments like Wave?
No. SendBilling does not collect, process, hold, or reconcile payments. It only opens an external payment URL that you add, and you update the invoice status manually. Wave offers built-in payment processing, so the two payment workflows are materially different.
Can I import my Wave data into SendBilling?
There's no one-click Wave importer today. Export your customers and invoice history from Wave as CSV, then re-create your customer list and any open invoices in SendBilling — most people are fully switched over in under an hour. SendBilling itself exports CSV from the Reports page any time, so you're never locked in again.
Is SendBilling a full replacement for Wave's accounting?
Not if you need double-entry bookkeeping, a chart of accounts, or payroll — Wave is a real accounting system and SendBilling is deliberately focused on invoicing, estimates, and getting paid. If reconciled books are your priority, Wave (or an accountant-grade tool) may still be the better fit.
Try SendBilling free — no credit card required.
Unlimited invoicing while in early access, or see the full feature list and pricing first.
Updated August 4, 2026 · Pricing and features change — always confirm current details on the vendor's own site before switching.