Wave vs ZipBooks
Wave
waveapps.comZipBooks
zipbooks.comSide by side
| Figure | Wave | ZipBooks |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $6/mo | $15/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 | 10 | 4 |
| Spec score · Bookkeeping Software | 9.3 (#4) | 9.0 (#15) |
| Spec score · Accounting & Finance Software | 8.6 (#10) | 8.6 (#11) |
| Spec score · Gym Accounting Software | 8.6 (#13) | 8.6 (#14) |
| Spec score · Freelance Invoicing Software | 8.6 (#13) | 8.6 (#14) |
| Spec score · Bookkeeper Software | 8.6 (#12) | 8.6 (#13) |
| Spec score · Salon Accounting Software | 8.6 (#16) | 8.6 (#17) |
| Accounting | Wave uses double-entry accounting and provides income, expense, cash-flow, profit-and-loss and balance-sheet reporting. | The accounting tools provide bank reconciliation, reports, automatic categorization and color-coded transaction views. |
| API | Wave provides an API with application creation, endpoint documentation, query and mutation examples, a playground and webhooks. | The public API uses JSON API responses, JWT authentication and documented contacts, estimates and invoice endpoints under api.zipbooks.com/v2. |
| Company size | LinkedIn lists Wave HQ as a privately held software company with 201–500 employees in Toronto. | LinkedIn lists ZipBooks as a privately held financial-services company with 11–50 employees. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Utah, USA |
| Integrations | Wave Pro lists integrations including Etsy, Driversnote, GoHighLevel, Google Sheets and Make.com. | Official pricing names Gusto integration, while the product accepts payments through Square or PayPal; reviewers also mention Stripe, Google Drive and Slack. |
| Invoicing | Users can create unlimited professional invoices and estimates, send them online, track status and accept card or bank payments. | Users can create invoices and estimates, accept card or PayPal payments, automate recurring billing and send payment reminders. |
| Licence | Wave API use is governed by Wave terms of service; the reviewed pages do not identify an open-source licence. | The terms identify ZipBooks software and site content as company or licensor property and restrict copying, resale and modification, indicating a proprietary licence. |
| Ownership news | H&R Block announced on June 11, 2019 that it would acquire Wave for $405 million in cash. | Crunchbase records ZipBooks as acquired by Divvy, with the announcement date obscured on the public profile. |
| Praise: ease of use | G2 reviewers repeatedly praise Wave as user-friendly, especially for non-accountants. | Reviewers repeatedly describe the interface as clean, intuitive, simple to navigate and suitable for people without accounting expertise. |
| Praise: value | GetApp reports that reviewers commonly view the free plan as strong value for small businesses. | Reviewers commonly praise the free Starter plan, unlimited invoicing and low-cost paid tiers as strong value for freelancers and small businesses. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.3 out of 5 from 358 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 99 reviews. |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.4 out of 5 from 1,731 reviews | 4.5 out of 5 from 115 reviews. |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.2 out of 5 from 555 reviews | 3.5 out of 5 from 3 reviews. |
Plans
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
ZipBooks
- StarterFree
- Smarter$15 a month
- Sophisticated$35 a month
- AccountantPriced on request
In their own words
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.
ZipBooks
ZipBooks is accounting software for small businesses, combining invoicing, bookkeeping, reporting and business intelligence. Users can send invoices and estimates, take card payments, set recurring auto-billing and automate payment reminders. Accounting tools include bank connections, reconciliation, transaction categorization and financial reports; ZipBooks says it can import transactions automatically from thousands of financial institutions, including many banks in the U.S. and Canada. Users can track project and task time in a browser or iOS app and add time entries to invoices. The product lists Gusto integration, and supports digital payments through Square or PayPal. Time entries can sync with Gusto for payroll, with payroll transaction details recorded in ZipBooks. It is available on web, Android and iOS, and the maker is headquartered in Utah, USA. ZipBooks offers a free plan and a free trial. Their described features range from invoices, bank connections and reports to reconciliation, time tracking, team access, client account management and data migration.