Expensify vs Wave
Expensify and Wave are both accounting & finance tools. Expensify is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while Wave is aimed at freelancers and small businesses. Expensify costs less, from $5/mo versus $19/mo for Wave. Both have a free plan.
Receipt scanning, expense reports and corporate cards for SMBs
Free accounting and invoicing for freelancers
| Pricing | Freemium · $5 | Freemium · $19 |
| Starting price | $5/mo | $19/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise, Freelancers | Freelancers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2008 | CA · 2010 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Expensify if
Small and mid-size companies that reimburse employee spending and want proven receipt scanning with low per-member pricing.
- Collect at $5 per member is cheap and needs no annual commitment
- Control pay-per-use bills only members active that month
- SmartScan and the mobile app are fast and well proven
Look elsewhere if: US companies wanting free card-led spend management or very simple bookkeeping (Ramp, Brex or QuickBooks fit better).
Choose Wave if
North American freelancers and micro-businesses on a tight budget.
- Free core accounting
- Simple and approachable
- Good for solo founders
Look elsewhere if: Growing companies or businesses outside the US and Canada.
Expensify vs Wave pricing
Expensify
- Submit$0Free for individuals submitting expenses to an approver
- Collect$5/member/moPay-per-use only; approvals, reimbursements, QuickBooks and Xero
- Control (Annual)$18/member/moAs low as $9 with the Expensify Card; 12-month commitment
- Control (Pay-per-use)$36/member/moNo commitment; billed per active member each month
Wave
- Starter$0Unlimited invoices, estimates, bookkeeping
- Pro$19/mo$190/yr billed annually; auto-import bank transactions
- Payments2.9% + $0.60/per cardPer card transaction on Starter; 3.4% + $0.60 Amex
- Wave Advisorsfrom $149/moDedicated bookkeeper, includes Pro features
Expensify · Key features
- SmartScan receipt capture that reads merchant, date and amount from photos
- Expensify Card with automatic transaction matching and real-time limits
- Multi-level approval workflows and rule-based policy enforcement
- Next-day and global reimbursements to employee bank accounts
- Mileage, distance and per diem tracking in the mobile app
- Built-in travel booking tied to expense policies
Cons
- Control pricing mixes annual sizes, pay-per-use and card discounts
- Annual subscription size can only be reduced at renewal
- Recent app redesign moved familiar features around
Wave · Key features
- Free invoicing and estimates
- Double-entry accounting and reports
- Bank connections and transaction import
- Receipt capture (Pro)
- Card and bank payments
- Payroll add-on in US and Canada
Cons
- US and Canada focus
- Limited features and integrations
- Support mostly paid
Expensify vs Wave: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Expensify or Wave?
Expensify starts at $5/mo and Wave at $19/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Expensify and Wave have a free plan?
Yes, both Expensify and Wave have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.