Billing & Invoicing Software · Accounting Software

Wave vs Xero

Both are billing & invoicing software and accounting software. The short answer: choose Wave if you are very small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budget; choose Xero if you are small businesses and accountants in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

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Wave logo WaveXero logo Xero
Best forVery small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budgetSmall businesses and accountants in the UK, Australia and New Zealand
Free planYesNo (trial may exist)
PricingSee providerSee provider
Built for IndiaGlobalGlobal
CategoriesBilling & Invoicing Software, Accounting SoftwareBilling & Invoicing Software, Accounting Software
Strengths
  • Free core invoicing and accounting
  • Simple to learn
  • Clean, fast reconciliation
  • Unlimited users on plans
  • Big integration marketplace
Watch out for
  • Best suited to US/Canada
  • Fewer integrations
  • Payroll availability depends on country
  • Lower plans cap some transactions
Visit WaveVisit Xero

Which should you choose?

Wave: Free-to-start invoicing and accounting for small businesses, with paid payments and payroll add-ons.

Xero: Cloud accounting platform known for bank reconciliation, invoicing and a large app marketplace.

The best way to decide is to run the same week of real work through both — most offer a free plan or trial — and compare how long tasks take, what your team prefers, and the total cost for your number of users including renewal pricing.

Not sure either fits? See all billing & invoicing software compared.