Homebase vs Wave
Homebase
joinhomebase.com
Wave
waveapps.comSide by side
| Figure | Homebase | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $13/mo | $6/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 15 | 10 |
| Spec score · Nonprofit Payroll Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.5 (#8) |
| API | The plan comparison says customers can use Homebase's API to build custom integrations. | Wave provides an API with application creation, endpoint documentation, query and mutation examples, a playground and webhooks. |
| Compliance | The Trust Center lists SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS v4.0.0, CCPA, PIPEDA, and NIST CSF. | Wave identifies itself as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider and says it is not HIPAA compliant. |
| Founded | 2014 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Integrations | The integrations directory lists 17 connections including Square, Toast, Clover, Shopify, ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks, Paychex, Lightspeed and payroll providers. | Wave Pro lists integrations including Etsy, Driversnote, GoHighLevel, Google Sheets and Make.com. |
| Licence | The public product pages describe a hosted SaaS application and API and do not state an open-source licence. | Wave API use is governed by Wave terms of service; the reviewed pages do not identify an open-source licence. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5 from 95K ratings. | 4.4 out of 5 from 6.7K ratings |
| Rating on G2 | 4.6 out of 5 from 619 reviews. | 4.3 out of 5 from 358 reviews |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.6 out of 5 from 1,157 reviews. | 4.4 out of 5 from 1,731 reviews |
| Rating on Google Play | 4.2 out of 5 from 24.8K reviews. | 3.3 out of 5 from 23.6K reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.8 out of 5 from 363 reviews. | 3.2 out of 5 from 555 reviews |
| Security | Homebase says it uses encryption at rest and in transit, two-factor authentication, SSO, password-less login, and role-based access control. | Wave states that it uses up to 256-bit TLS encryption, protected hosting facilities and tokenized payment data handling. |
| Support | Homebase provides phone, email, chat, FAQs, a knowledge base and documentation support channels. | The Help Center and automated support chatbot Mave are available 24/7 to all customers; eligible customers can contact support by email or live chat Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern. |
| What it does | Homebase combines scheduling, time tracking, payroll, hiring, HR, compliance, messaging and operations tools for hourly small-business teams. | Wave provides cloud accounting, invoicing, payments, payroll and bookkeeping tools for small businesses, freelancers and contractors. |
Plans
Homebase
- BasicFree
- Task Manager add-on$13 a month
- Tip Manager add-on$25 a month
- Background checks add-on$30, paid once
- Essentials$30 a month
- Essentials$30 a month
- Payroll add-on$49 a month
- Job post boosts add-on$50, paid once
- Plus$70 a month
- Hiring Assistant add-on$99 a month
Wave
- StarterFree
- Pro$19 a month
- StarterFree
- Receipts$8 a month
- Pro$19 a month
- Pro Plan$19 a month
- Receipts$72 a year
- Wave Advisors$149 a month
- Pro$190 a year
- Pro Plan$190 a year
In their own words
Homebase
Homebase combines scheduling, time tracking, payroll, hiring, onboarding, HR, compliance, and team communication for hourly teams. It is aimed at small, shift-based businesses such as restaurants, retailers, beauty and wellness providers, medical businesses, and home services. Employees can clock in and out using mobile or tablet time clocks, with PIN, photo, and GPS or geofencing verification. Approved hours flow into payroll, where Homebase says it calculates wages, overtime, tips, and taxes and handles tax filings. The free Basic plan covers one location and up to 10 employees; paid plans are described as allowing unlimited employees per location. Essentials is $30 a month per location, and All-in-One is $120 a month per location. Homebase is available on Android, iOS, and the web, with a 14-day trial listed. Integrations include Square, Toast, Clover, Shopify, ADP, Gusto, and QuickBooks. The company says it uses encryption, two-factor authentication, SSO, password-less login, and role-based access control.
Wave
Wave's invoicing software helps businesses create and send invoices, receive payments, and manage customer information. Invoice templates can be customized with a logo and brand colors using drag-and-drop editing. It supports recurring invoices and automatic credit card payments for repeat customers. Customers can pay by credit card, bank payment (ACH/EFT), or Apple Pay, and invoice and payment information connects to Wave's accounting feature. The free Starter plan costs nothing and includes unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records; online payments have transaction fees. Pro costs $19 a month and adds automatic bank transaction import, transaction merging and categorization, receipt capture, expense tracking, and late-payment reminders. Wave lists integrations including Amazon, eBay, Capsule, and Etsy, with workflows through Make. Connecting or maintaining Partner integrations and Make requires Pro or a Wave Advisors bookkeeping subscription; third-party API connections also require an active Pro or Wave Advisors package. Wave says it is not HIPAA-compliant and does not support healthcare-related businesses.