Acumatica vs Wave Comparison
Compare Acumatica vs Wave features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Acumatica
6.4/10
Acumatica is a cloud ERP covering financials, distribution, manufacturing and construction for mid-sized businesses, priced by resources used rather than user seats.
Wave
4.9/10
Wave is a free-to-start accounting, invoicing, payments and payroll tool for very small businesses and freelancers in the US and Canada.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.4/10 | 4.9/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 3/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 3/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 | 2/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $19/mo Pro |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $19/mo Pro |
| Features | ||
| Audit Trail | ||
| Inventory Accounting | ||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Financial Reporting | ||
| General Ledger | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Online Payments | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Multi-entity Consolidation | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Acumatica vs Wave cost by team size
| Team size | Acumatica | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeStarter |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $19/moPro |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $19/moPro |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $19/moPro |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | $19/moPro |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Acumatica
- Higher Scalability score (8/10 vs 2/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Includes Audit Trail, which Wave lacks
- Includes Inventory Accounting, which Wave lacks
Why choose Wave
- Has a free plan (Acumatica does not)
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for small business (8/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Acumatica
Pros
- Unlimited user licensing lets companies add staff to the system without per-seat fees.
- Industry editions for construction, manufacturing and distribution extend the core financials.
- Reviewers on Capterra and TrustRadius praise its customization and integration flexibility.
- Its multi-entity and intercompany accounting support companies that run several legal entities.
- The 2026 R2 release added AI-assisted bank matching and 1099 preparation for the IRS IRIS system.
Cons
- List prices are not published, so every buyer needs a sales consultation for a quote.
- Reviewers frequently cite a steep learning curve and tedious setup.
- Customers depend on implementation partners, and customization can be costly.
- Some users report that upgrades disrupt custom workflows and settings.
- Reviewers say reporting and the warehouse management module could be stronger.
Wave
Pros
- The free Starter plan includes unlimited invoices, estimates and bookkeeping records.
- Pro is a flat $19 per business rather than per user.
- US payroll now includes tax filing in all 50 states at a single price.
- Pro waives the $0.60 card fee on the first 10 payments each month.
Cons
- Free users get only chatbot support, there is no phone support, and reviewers report slow responses even on paid plans.
- There is no inventory tracking, time tracking or audit trail.
- Reports can only be adjusted by date range and cash or accrual basis.
- Trustpilot reviewers describe payroll problems after Wave moved payroll processing to Check in mid-2025.
- Automatic bank feeds and extra users require the Pro plan.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Acumatica scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.4/10 against 4.9/10 for Wave. The largest gap is in Scalability: 8/10 for Acumatica and 2/10 for Wave.
Wave has a free plan; Acumatica does not list one.
Wave is the better fit for small business: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 5/10 for Acumatica.
Acumatica has Audit Trail and Inventory Accounting, which Wave lacks.
