Comparison
WaffleInvoice vs Wave
Wave is the closest thing to a free competitor - it's been around for over a decade and offers free invoicing, free accounting, and pay-as-you-go payments. WaffleInvoice is also free at the entry tier, but takes a different shape: less accounting, more focus on the billing experience, recurring invoices, SMS reminders, and a clean client portal. We respect Wave a lot. This page is meant to help you decide based on what you actually need - not to talk you out of an honest free option.
Quick verdict
Who should pick which?
Pick WaffleInvoice if...
You want a modern, fast invoicing experience with recurring billing, SMS reminders, and a polished client portal - for free.
Pick Wave if...
You want free invoicing PLUS free bookkeeping in one place, and you're comfortable with Wave's slower UX and email-only support.
Why we built WaffleInvoice
Wave is great if you want free invoicing AND free bookkeeping in one place. Where we built WaffleInvoice differently: Wave's user experience has had reliability and support complaints (especially since the H&R Block acquisition), it dropped its free chat support, and its recurring billing and reminder UX is older. We focused on the parts solo operators use every day - fast invoice creation, branded PDFs, Stripe payments, recurring, SMS reminders - and we kept them free. If you need real double-entry books, Wave still has the edge.
Try WaffleInvoice free — no credit card
See if it fits your workflow in under 5 minutes. Free tier is unlimited invoices, forever.
Create your free account →Side-by-side feature comparison
Where Wave wins, we say so. Anything else would get penalized by Google and wouldn't help you make a real decision.
| Feature | WaffleInvoice | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free forever (Pro $19/mo) | Free invoicing; Pro Plan $16/mo |
| Free tier | Yes - unlimited invoices | Yes - unlimited invoices |
| Branded invoices | Yes (no watermark) | Yes (light Wave branding on free tier) |
| Stripe card payments | Yes - Stripe Connect | Yes - Wave Payments (2.9% + 60¢) |
| Recurring invoices | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Pro Plan) |
| Estimates / quotes | Yes | Yes |
| SMS reminders | Yes - built-in via Twilio (Pro) | No |
| Auto email reminders | Yes (Pro) | Yes (Pro Plan) |
| Client portal | Yes | Limited - pay link only |
| Accounting / books | No | Yes - full double-entry accounting |
| If books matter, Wave is genuinely a strong free option. | ||
| Native mobile app | Mobile web only | Native iOS and Android (invoicing only) |
| Live chat / phone support | Email - typically under 24 hours | Email only on free plan, paid chat with Pro Plan |
| Multi-user | Pro - team seats | Yes - basic collaborators |
Pricing and feature info reflects each vendor's publicly listed plans as of May 2026. Wave is a trademark of its respective owner. We are not affiliated with Wave.
Try WaffleInvoice free — no credit card
Free tier is unlimited invoices. Pro is $19/mo and adds recurring billing, Stripe payments, SMS reminders, time tracking, and automation. Cancel any time.