Wave alternative
A Wave alternative for when free stops being free
Wave was free, then the useful parts moved behind Pro and add-ons: bank imports, receipt scanning, reminders, and payroll from $25 a month before the per-employee charge. This page is for the business that liked having its own simple books and now wants them complete, owned, and paid for once.
AcboBooks is a Windows desktop program with a one-time price. Statement import, receipt scanning, payroll with W-2 and T4, inventory, jobs and multi-user are in the licence, and the company file stays on your PC, encrypted with your password.
No card, no account. Windows 10 and 11. Wave prices and features checked October 2026.
Wave pricing, October 2026
Starter
invoicing and manual bookkeeping; no bank import, no receipt scanning
Free
Pro
adds bank auto-import, receipt scanning, reminders
$19 a month, or $190 a year
Receipts add-on
$8 a month on Pro
$11 a month on Starter
Payroll
by state
from $25 a month, plus per employee
Card payments
lower per-transaction fee on Pro
2.9% plus $0.60 per transaction
AcboBooks Pro
$399.99 once
Why people leave
What Wave users tell us, and what changes
The free plan lost its bank feed
Importing bank transactions now needs Pro. AcboBooks imports the OFX, QFX or CSV statement your bank provides, matches it and reconciles, and it is in the one price.
Payroll adds up fast
A monthly base from $25 plus a charge per employee, every month. AcboBooks includes payroll with federal and state tables, W-2 and 1099, direct deposit files, and CPP, EI, T4 and T4A for Canada, with no per-employee fee.
No inventory, no jobs
Wave tracks income and expenses; it does not do stock, cost of goods or job costing. AcboBooks includes inventory, jobs, classes and progress invoicing.
Your records are on Wave's servers
An account that can be changed, repriced or closed. The AcboBooks company file is on your own drive from day one, encrypted with your password; a backup is a copy.
The owner wants more than a browser
Batch entry, printed cheques, memorised transactions, a closing date with a password, multi-user on the office network. Desktop habits that Wave never set out to serve.
Side by side
AcboBooks and Wave, row by row
Wave answers are from its own published plans and documentation, checked October 2026.
| AcboBooks Pro | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Your data | ||
| Where your books live | A file on your computer | Wave's servers |
| Works without internet | Yes, fully | No |
| Account or sign-up required | None | Yes |
| Take your data with you | It is a file, encrypted with your password | CSV exports |
| Doing the books | ||
| Enforced double-entry | Yes, enforced | Yes |
| Closing date and audit trail | Closing date, password, audit trail | Limited |
| Bank feeds | OFX/QFX and statement import | Pro plan only |
| Receipt scanning | Included, offline | Add-on or Pro |
| Payroll | Included: W-2, 1099, T4, direct deposit | From $25 a month plus per employee |
| Multi-currency | Included, dated rates | Invoicing in other currencies |
| Inventory, jobs and classes | Included: inventory, jobs, classes | No |
| Working together | ||
| Multi-user | Office network, record locking, 2 computers per licence | Collaborators on the account |
| Accountant access | Free: copy the file or add a user | Invite an accountant |
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 | Any browser; phone apps |
| Cost | ||
| How you pay | Once, $399.99 | Free, or $19 a month, plus add-ons |
| Price can rise next year | No, you own it | Yes; free features have moved to paid |
| Updates and support | 12 months included, then optional renewal | Email support on Pro |
Three years
What the same three years cost
Starter has no bank import, so a business that reconciles is on Pro at $19. Add the payroll base at $25 and the monthly figure is $44 before a single employee is added or a card payment is taken.
| Wave (Pro plus payroll base) | AcboBooks Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $528.00 | $399.99 |
| Year 2 | $528.00 | $0.00 (updates renewal optional) |
| Year 3 | $528.00 | $0.00 (updates renewal optional) |
| Total | $1,584.00 | $399.99 |
At Wave's list price as of October 2026, before any add-ons, and assuming no price rise. AcboBooks includes 12 months of updates and support; renewing updates after that is optional and the software keeps working either way.
Being fair
Who should stay with Wave
Stay with Wave if invoicing a handful of customers from a phone is the whole job, if you want card payments inside the invoice without setting up Stripe, or if you are on a Mac. AcboBooks is a Windows desktop program for a business that keeps full books.
What AcboBooks does not do
· No phone app and no Mac version; it is a Windows desktop program.
· No live bank connection; it imports the OFX, QFX or CSV statement your bank provides.
· Card payments go through a Stripe payment link on the invoice, not a built-in processor.
Moving your books
From Wave to AcboBooks
Wave exports customers, products, invoices and transactions as CSV. AcboBooks builds the chart of accounts and imports the lists; the new books start at a date you choose.
In Wave, export customers, products and services, and the transactions report; run a balance sheet as of your start date.
In AcboBooks: create the company, then File → Import for customers and items; the starter chart of accounts is ready to edit.
Enter opening balances from the balance sheet and recreate open invoices so receivables age correctly.
Import bank statements (OFX, QFX or CSV) for the history you want searchable and categorise them once.
If you used Wave only for invoicing, a fresh start at the beginning of a month with opening balances is the cleanest move.
Statement import and reconciliation, in the licence.
Payroll with no monthly base and no per-employee fee.
Questions people ask
Leaving Wave: the practical questions
How much does Wave cost over three years?
Pro is $19 a month, or $228 a year at the monthly rate; with the payroll base from $25 a month, that is $44 a month, or $1,584 over three years before any employee is added. AcboBooks Pro is $399.99 once.
Does AcboBooks scan receipts?
Yes, offline, on your own computer: drop in a photo or PDF and it reads the vendor, date and total into an expense, which you check and post.
Does it take card payments?
Through a Stripe payment link on the invoice, at Stripe's rates, paid to your Stripe account. There is no processor built into the app.
Is there a free version?
No. There is a 15-day trial with every feature, no card and no account, and then one price. Nothing moves behind a paywall later.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. The trial runs for 15 days with every feature, no card and no account. If you buy, nothing is re-entered; the file you were working in simply stops counting down.
What does the licence cover?
$399.99 buys AcboBooks Pro for one business on two computers, for as long as you like, with 12 months of updates and email support. After that the software keeps working; renewing updates is optional.
Is my data safe on my own computer?
Each company file is encrypted inside the database with your password (AES-256), so a copied or stolen file cannot be read. Back it up like any file; the app can do that automatically each time it closes.
Can my accountant get in?
Yes, without paying for a seat. Give them a backup copy, or add them as a user on your network, or use the accountant invite from inside the app. Their adjusting entries import back without double-posting.
Other comparisons
Leaving something else?
Get started
Try it against your real Wave books.
Download the 15-day trial, bring your lists across, and run one month-end in both. Then decide.
No card. No account. Nothing to cancel.
Wave is a trademark of Wave Financial Inc. AcboBooks is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wave. Prices and features are quoted from Wave's pricing page as of the date shown and may have changed.