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Wave alternatives for when the invoice isn't the hard part.

Wave gives you invoicing and bookkeeping for $0, and that's hard to beat. Contractors usually look elsewhere for what Wave doesn't try to do: the quotes waiting on an answer, the calendar, the crew.

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Who uses Wave, and what it's built around

Wave is invoicing and accounting software for freelancers, sole proprietors and small businesses in the US and Canada. It isn't built for any trade. The free Starter plan covers unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping records, estimates convert to invoices in one click, and you're notified when an invoice is viewed, due or paid. There's a mobile app for iOS and Android.

Wave's pricing page lists Pro at $19 a month ($190 a year), which adds bank transaction import, receipt scanning and recurring invoices. The free plan pays for itself through card processing, and Wave says the fees are higher on Starter than on Pro, so read the live rates before you compare.

Wave's pages describe invoicing, estimates, payments and bookkeeping. They don't describe scheduling, dispatch or a job pipeline. A painter who bills four jobs a month may never need more. A lawn crew with 60 weekly stops, or an HVAC tech juggling callbacks, will feel that gap by Wednesday. Two-way comparison: Redline vs Wave.

The quotes Wave doesn't chase

Who did I quote last month that never got back to me?
Redline

Three quotes are still out from September: Okafor fence repair $1,850, Liu gutter guards $960, Brandt exterior repaint $6,400. Want follow-ups drafted?

Just Brandt. Tell him we can start the week of the 19th.
Redline

Draft ready for Mark Brandt. Check it, then tap Approve & send on the draft and it goes out from your Gmail.

Example names and amounts. Quotes, the pipeline and Gmail drafts are all on the Free plan.

Wave alternatives

Redline

Quotes, follow-ups, the job pipeline and the calendar, run by chat and free. Keep Wave for invoices and books and Redline Free covers the rest at $0. Moving invoicing over means Solo at $29 a month, and Redline isn't accounting software: no bank import, no bookkeeping.

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Square Invoices

Free invoicing with more ways to get paid (card, ACH, Apple Pay, Cash App Pay, Afterpay) and e-sign contracts. Square's pricing page lists Plus at $49 a month per location.

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Yardbook

If you mow, plow or landscape: a free, ad-supported plan with scheduling, routing, estimates, invoices and card payments, built for your trade.

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ServiceM8

Free for one user and 30 jobs a month, with the scheduling and dispatch Wave doesn't have.

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QuickBooks Online

The step up when the books are the problem, not the jobs. Its pricing page lists Simple Start at $38 a month, with project profitability on Plus at $140.

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Side by side

Dollar figures only where the vendor's own pricing page confirmed them.

Built forPricing as publishedFree plan or trialFits a Wave user who
RedlineContractors and home-service businesses, solo up to about 10 peopleFree; Solo $29 a month; Team $129 with 3 seats; Team+ $299 with 10 seatsFree plan, no card. Solo has a 7-day trial on the webKeeps Wave for the books and wants the jobs and calendar sorted, free
Square InvoicesSmall businesses that send estimates and invoices and take payments, with pages for contractors and home repairSquare's pricing page lists a Free plan (you pay card processing fees) and Plus at $49 a month per locationFree plan. 30-day trial on PlusWants free invoicing with more payment options
YardbookLawn care, landscaping and snow removal, solo operators includedYardbook's pricing page lists a free, ad-supported Starter plan, Business at $34.99 a month and Enterprise at $49.99Free planRuns lawn or snow routes and wants it all free
ServiceM8Trade and service businesses: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, locksmithServiceM8's pricing page lists a Free plan (1 user, 30 jobs a month), then Starter at $29 a month for 50 jobs, up to Premium Plus at $349. Unlimited users on paid plansFree planWants a schedule and job list at low volume
QuickBooks OnlineSmall businesses of every kind that need bookkeeping, contractors includedQuickBooks' pricing page lists Simple Start at $38 a month, Essentials $85, Plus $140 and Advanced $340; Solopreneur is $20No free plan. 30-day trialHas outgrown Wave's bookkeeping
WaveFreelancers, sole proprietors and small businesses in the US and Canada; not trade-specificWave's pricing page lists Starter at $0 and Pro at $19 a month ($190 a year)Free planFor reference

Wave or Redline: straight answers

Wave wins on

  • Free invoicing (Redline invoicing is on Solo)
  • Bookkeeping and accounting records
  • Receipt scanning on Pro (Redline expense amounts are typed)
  • Recurring invoices on Pro
  • An Android app (Redline is web and iPhone)

Redline wins on

  • A calendar with a scheduling assistant
  • A job pipeline from Lead to Paid, with quotes gone quiet flagged
  • Quotes with a deposit %, plus good, better and best options in the quote editor on Solo
  • Follow-up emails drafted and sent from your Gmail
  • A dispatch board and tech app on Team ($129, 3 seats)

Questions contractors ask

Is Redline free like Wave?

Partly. Redline's Free plan has no time limit and covers the chat, contacts, pipeline, calendar, quotes and email from your Gmail. It does not include invoicing, which starts on Solo at $29 a month. Wave's Starter plan invoices for free.

Can I use Wave and Redline together?

Yes. Run leads, quotes and the schedule in Redline Free and keep invoicing in Wave. They don't connect, so move the job to Paid in Redline when Wave shows the money in.

Does Redline do recurring invoices?

No. It schedules recurring visits (weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly or a custom cadence, up to 52 visits), but you invoice each one yourself on Solo or above. See recurring jobs.

Sources

Free next to Wave, not instead of it.

Open Redline Free for the quotes and the calendar. Your invoices can stay where they are.

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