Accounting Software

Sage Accounting vs Wave

Both are accounting software. The short answer: choose Sage Accounting if you are uK small businesses and sole traders filing VAT under Making Tax Digital; choose Wave if you are very small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budget.

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Sage Accounting logo Sage AccountingWave logo Wave
Best forUK small businesses and sole traders filing VAT under Making Tax DigitalVery small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budget
Free planNo (trial may exist)Yes
PricingSee providerSee provider
Built for IndiaGlobalGlobal
CategoriesAccounting SoftwareBilling & Invoicing Software, Accounting Software
Strengths
  • HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital
  • Familiar to UK accountants
  • Payroll add-on
  • Free core invoicing and accounting
  • Simple to learn
Watch out for
  • Interface less modern than some rivals
  • Features vary by country edition
  • Best suited to US/Canada
  • Fewer integrations
Visit Sage AccountingVisit Wave

Which should you choose?

Sage Accounting: Cloud accounting from Sage with invoicing, bank feeds, VAT returns and Making Tax Digital submissions to HMRC.

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

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 accounting software compared.