Wave invoicing alternatives for freelancers and small businesses

Wave at a glance

• Starter is free, with unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records.^[3]
• Pro costs $19 a month or $190 a year in the US ($25 or $250 CAD in Canada), billed per business rather than per owner.^[3]
• Pro adds automatic bank imports through Plaid, unlimited receipt capture and automated late payment reminders.^[3]
• Online card payments cost 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex), subject to approval; on Pro, the first 10 card payments each month skip the $0.60.^[3]
• Bank payments cost 1% (at least $1), and recurring billing with automatic card payments needs Pro or online payments.^[4]
• Wave describes its accounting as double-entry, and you can invite an accountant or bookkeeper as a collaborator.^[5]
• The business currency is USD or CAD and cannot be changed after setup.^[6]
• Payroll is an add-on: $40 a month plus $6 per active employee in the US, or $25 CAD plus $6 in Canada, outside Quebec.^[7]
• Live chat and email support come with Pro or any optional add-on.^[3]

Wave and Clodou

In Canada

In Canada, Wave Pro costs $25 CAD a month or $250 CAD a year.^[3] Wave Payroll costs $25 CAD a month plus $6 per active employee, in every province and territory except Quebec.^[7] In Clodou, a Canadian workspace prints GST/HST and your GST/HST number on quotes and invoices, can put several taxes on one invoice (GST and QST, for example) and suggests CAD as its currency. Clodou does not check compliance or file returns: confirm what your invoices need with your accountant.

4 Wave alternatives

1. 1. Clodou

   A chat-first AI back office: you type what happened, and the agent adds the client, writes the quote or invoice, logs time or an expense, and waits for an owner's or admin's approval before it emails a client or records a payment.

   Price: Free plan (20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month), then $29 (Solo, 1 seat) or $79 (Team, 5 seats included, $12 per extra seat) a month per workspace, or $290 and $790 a year; every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team.

   • Quotes and invoices with your country's tax words (sales tax, VAT, GST, GST/HST), several taxes on one invoice (GST and QST, for example) or a different rate per line, branded PDFs and ten currencies.
   • Time, expenses from receipt photos, projects, pipeline, monthly retainer drafts, inventory and purchase-order drafts.
   • An MCP server for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients, with the same approvals and undo as the chat.
   • Not included: e-signature, client portal, scheduling, card processing, bookkeeping, bank feeds, payroll and tax filing. Web app, in English.

2. 2. FreshBooks

   Cloud accounting and invoicing software for small businesses: invoices, expenses, time, online payments, projects and reports.^[8]

   Price: Lite $23, Plus $43 or Premium $70 a month in the US (list prices), for 5, 50 or unlimited billable clients; team members cost $11 per user per month extra.^[9]

   • 30-day free trial without a card.^[9]
   • Double-entry accounting reports, bank reconciliation and accountant access from the Plus plan.^[9]
   • FreshBooks Payments is for businesses in the US and Canada; international businesses use Stripe Standard instead.^[10]
   • An MCP connector for Claude, announced on September 25, 2026.^[11]

3. 3. Bonsai

   One platform for client management, project delivery and billing for service businesses.^[12]

   Price: $9 to $49 per user per month billed annually, or $15 to $59 billed monthly (shown in dollars); the Elite plan needs at least 3 users.^[13]

   • 7-day free trial; no free plan is described.^[13]
   • Contracts, proposals and a client portal from the Essentials plan.^[13]
   • Its own payment service, Bonsai Payments, is available in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.^[14]
   • Bonsai MCP connects AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor to look up and create records, left for your review.^[15]

4. 4. HoneyBook

   Business management software for independent service professionals, with proposals, contracts, scheduling, invoices and payments in one place.^[16]

   Price: $36, $59 or $129 a month per account in the US when billed monthly (Starter, Essentials and Premium), less when billed yearly, with local prices in the UK, Canada and Australia.^[17]

   • 30-day free trial without a card.^[17]
   • Available only to businesses in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.^[17]
   • Proposals clients sign and pay from one file, contracts with e-signatures and a client portal on all plans.^[17]
   • An MCP connector, listed in Claude's connector directory and open to any MCP-compatible client, can create and update records with your authorisation.^[18]

Questions

Is Wave still free?

On November 5, 2026, Wave's Starter plan was free, with unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records. Pro cost $19 a month in the US ($25 CAD in Canada) and added bank imports, receipt capture and automated reminders. Online card payments carry a fee on both plans.

Can I use Wave outside the US and Canada?

On November 5, 2026, Wave's help center said Wave is available only to businesses located in the US and Canada (not US territories), with USD or CAD as the business currency. Clodou has tax wording for the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, the UAE and the EU, generic wording for other countries, and ten currencies.

Is there a free alternative to Wave?

Of the tools on this page, Clodou has a free plan (20 requests and 3 quotes or invoices a month). On November 5, 2026, FreshBooks, Bonsai and HoneyBook described free trials (30, 7 and 30 days) rather than free plans on their own sites.

Does Clodou do bookkeeping like Wave?

No. Clodou has no ledger, bank feeds, reconciliation, payroll or tax filing. It runs quotes, invoices, payments received, time, expenses and the rest of the back office from a chat, with CSV exports and a profit & tax summary for your accountant.