You’re comparing Easy Invoice and Wave for your invoicing in 2026 — and on the surface they look almost identical. Both have legitimate free tiers. Both let you send unlimited invoices. Both have decent PDF generation. Neither charges a monthly subscription to get started. So which one actually wins?
The short answer hinges on two non-obvious factors: payment processing fees and data ownership. Wave charges 2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction (their own gateway, not negotiable). Easy Invoice lets you bring your own Stripe or PayPal account at 2.9% + $0.30 — saving $0.30 per transaction, or $30 per 100 invoices, or $1,800 over the life of a 50-invoice/month freelance business. Plus Easy Invoice’s data lives in your own WordPress database forever, while Wave holds your data in their cloud.
This guide is the honest head-to-head: what’s actually different between two “free” invoicing tools, hidden costs you won’t see until invoice 50, and who wins for which use case.
Easy Invoice vs Wave: 30-second verdict
| Criteria | Easy Invoice (winner overall) | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free forever + optional Pro $79/yr or $199 lifetime | Free Starter + Pro $16/mo annual |
| Free-tier invoice limit | Unlimited, no client cap | Unlimited, no client cap |
| Payment processing fee | Gateway’s fee only (Stripe/PayPal 2.9% + $0.30) | 2.9% + $0.60 per card (higher) / 1% ACH |
| Bring your own gateway | ✅ Stripe, PayPal, Square, Razorpay + 5 more | ❌ Wave Payments only |
| Number of payment gateways | 9 (Pro tier) | 1 (Wave Payments) |
| International gateway coverage | EU (Mollie), Africa (Paystack), India (Razorpay), Canada (Moneris) | US, Canada only |
| Recurring billing | ✅ Pro Personal tier | ✅ Pro tier ($16/mo) |
| Bookkeeping included | ❌ Use separate tool | ✅ Built-in basic bookkeeping |
| Mobile app | ⚠️ WordPress admin via mobile browser | ✅ Native iOS / Android |
| Data ownership | ✅ Your WordPress database (forever) | ❌ Wave’s cloud |
| White-label option | ✅ Agency $399 lifetime unlimited sites | ❌ Not available |
| 5-year cost (single user, Pro) | $199 (lifetime) | $850 (Pro annual) |
| Best for | WordPress users + international billing + long-horizon businesses | US/Canada sole proprietors wanting bookkeeping bundled |
Wave’s marketing leans hard on “free forever.” The Starter plan genuinely is free — unlimited invoices, no caps, no trial. But Wave makes its money on payment processing, and their fees are 30 cents higher per transaction than Stripe or PayPal directly.
Why does $0.30 matter? Because it compounds.
| Scenario | Easy Invoice (Stripe/PayPal direct) | Wave Payments | Hidden cost on Wave |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 invoice/week (52/yr) | 2.9% + $0.30 × 52 = $15.60 fees | 2.9% + $0.60 × 52 = $31.20 fees | +$15.60/yr |
| 10 invoices/month (120/yr) | 2.9% + $0.30 × 120 = $36 fees | 2.9% + $0.60 × 120 = $72 fees | +$36/yr |
| 50 invoices/month (600/yr) | 2.9% + $0.30 × 600 = $180 fees | 2.9% + $0.60 × 600 = $360 fees | +$180/yr = $900 over 5 years |
| 100 invoices/month (1,200/yr) | 2.9% + $0.30 × 1,200 = $360 fees | 2.9% + $0.60 × 1,200 = $720 fees | +$360/yr = $1,800 over 5 years |
For a 50-invoice/month freelance business over 5 years, that hidden Wave fee surcharge is $900. For a 100-invoice/month agency, it’s $1,800. Plus Easy Invoice’s $199 lifetime license. Plus the structural benefit of bringing your own gateway (negotiate Stripe rates if you scale, swap to Razorpay if you bill India, etc.).
The 5-year cost comparison
| Plan | Year 1 | Year 3 | Year 5 | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Invoice Free (WP.org) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Easy Invoice Personal Lifetime (1 site) | $199 | $199 | $199 | $199 |
| Easy Invoice Agency Lifetime (unlimited) | $399 | $399 | $399 | $399 |
| Easy Invoice Personal yearly | $79 | $237 | $395 | $395 |
| Wave Free + Wave Payments fee surcharge (50 invoices/mo) | $180 | $540 | $900 | $900 |
| Wave Pro (annual) + Wave Payments fee surcharge (50 inv/mo) | $352 | $1,056 | $1,760 | $1,760 |
Feature-by-feature comparison
Free tier capability
| Feature | Easy Invoice Free | Wave Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited invoices | ✅ | ✅ |
| Unlimited clients | ✅ | ✅ |
| Quote/estimate → invoice conversion | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom branding (logo, colors) | ✅ + 10 templates | ✅ (basic) |
| Multi-currency (150+ currencies) | ✅ | ⚠️ Limited (Wave-supported currencies only) |
| Multi-tax lines per invoice | ⚠️ Single tax (Pro for multi) | ✅ |
| Recurring billing | ❌ (Pro required) | ❌ (Pro required) |
| Payment gateway in free tier | ✅ PayPal (you bring the account) | ✅ Wave Payments (Wave is the processor) |
| Basic bookkeeping | ❌ (use separate tool) | ✅ |
| Receipt scanning | ❌ | ❌ Free / ✅ Pro |
Payment processing
This is the most consequential difference. Wave Payments is the only way to collect online payments through Wave — you can’t bring your own Stripe account or hook in a regional gateway. Easy Invoice is the opposite: you bring whatever gateway makes sense for your business.
| Gateway | Easy Invoice | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe (bring your own account) | ✅ Pro | ❌ |
| PayPal (your own account) | ✅ Free | ❌ (only via Wave Payments routing) |
| Square | ✅ Pro | ❌ |
| Authorize.Net | ✅ Pro | ❌ |
| Mollie (Europe: iDEAL, SEPA, Bancontact) | ✅ Pro | ❌ |
| Paystack (Africa: NGN, KES, ZAR, GHS) | ✅ Pro | ❌ |
| Razorpay (India: UPI, netbanking) | ✅ Pro | ❌ |
| Moneris (Canada) | ✅ Pro | ⚠️ Wave Payments processes Canada |
| Bank Transfer / Wire | ✅ Pro | ❌ (manual only) |
| ACH (US) | Via Stripe | ✅ 1% via Wave Payments |
Wave’s structural limit: if you bill clients in EUR, INR, NGN, ZAR or any non-US/CAD currency at scale, Wave Payments either rejects the transaction or routes it inefficiently. Easy Invoice’s regional gateways (Mollie/Paystack/Razorpay) accept native payments at native fees — critical for international freelancers and agencies.
Bookkeeping (where Wave wins)
Wave bundles free bookkeeping with invoicing — chart of accounts, double-entry ledger, P&L, balance sheet. Easy Invoice doesn’t. If you’re a US/Canada sole proprietor who needs free invoicing + free bookkeeping + free reports under one roof, Wave is the path of least resistance.
For Easy Invoice users who want bookkeeping, the standard answer is Easy Invoice Pro Agency tier ($239/yr or $399 lifetime) with the two-way QuickBooks Online / Xero / FreshBooks accounting sync addon — pipe every Easy Invoice transaction into your real accounting platform. More flexible than Wave’s all-in-one, but it’s a separate paid sync.
Recurring billing & automation
| Feature | Easy Invoice | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring billing | ✅ Pro Personal ($79/yr or $199 lifetime) | ✅ Pro ($16/mo = $192/yr) |
| Partial payments / deposits | ✅ Pro Personal | ❌ |
| Smart Reminders (multi-step automated chase) | ✅ Pro Professional ($159/yr) — recovers 30%+ overdue | ⚠️ Basic late-payment reminders only |
| Late fees (automated) | ✅ Pro Professional | ⚠️ Manual only |
| Client portal | ✅ Pro Personal | ❌ |
Time tracking, expenses, projects
| Feature | Easy Invoice | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Time tracking (start/stop timer) | ✅ Pro Professional | ❌ |
| Expense tracking + receipts | ✅ Pro Professional | ✅ Pro (receipt scanning) |
| Project management | ⚠️ Pair with WP project plugin | ❌ |
| Team collaboration | ✅ Pro Agency (Team Roles + Audit Log) | ✅ Pro multi-user |
Integrations & extensibility
| Integration | Easy Invoice | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online sync | ✅ Two-way (Agency tier) | ❌ (Wave is the accounting tool, not synced) |
| Xero sync | ✅ Two-way (Agency tier) | ❌ |
| Zapier | ✅ Webhooks (Agency) | ⚠️ Limited (Wave has dropped some Zapier triggers) |
| WordPress / WooCommerce native | ✅ It IS WordPress | ❌ |
| White-label (rebrand) | ✅ Agency $399 lifetime | ❌ |
| Open source / code-level extension | ✅ GPLv2 plugin you can fork | ❌ Proprietary SaaS |
Pricing breakdown: Easy Invoice vs Wave (2026)
Wave pricing
- Starter: Free — unlimited invoices + estimates + basic bookkeeping + 1 user
- Pro: $16/mo annual ($170/yr) or $19/mo monthly — bank transaction imports, receipt scanning, multi-user
- Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.60 per credit card (US); 1% for ACH transfers; 2.9% in Canada via Wave Payments
- Payroll: $40/mo + $6/user (US only)
Apparent annual cost: $0 (Starter) or $170 (Pro). Real annual cost including payment fees at 50 invoices/month: $360 (free + Wave Payments) or $530 (Pro + Wave Payments) — because the hidden $0.30/transaction surcharge accumulates.
Easy Invoice pricing
- Free tier (WordPress.org): unlimited invoices & quotes, automatic PDF generation, PayPal gateway, client management, 10 professional templates, multi-tax, 150+ currencies. v2.3.2 with 500+ active installs, tested up to WordPress 7.0. Forever free.
- Personal: $99 → $79/yr (sale) or $199 lifetime — 9 payment gateways + 12 Personal-tier addons (recurring, partial payments, client portal, PDF toolkit, etc.)
- Professional: $199 → $159/yr (sale) — 5 sites — adds Time Tracking, Expense Tracking, Smart Reminders
- Agency: $299 → $239/yr (sale) or $399 lifetime unlimited sites — adds White-Label, Team Roles, Webhooks, two-way accounting sync
- Payment processing: Whatever your chosen gateway charges — Stripe at 2.9% + $0.30, PayPal at 2.9% + $0.30, regional gateways at their native rates
- 14-day money-back guarantee on every paid tier
When to pick Easy Invoice over Wave
- ✅ You already run a WordPress site (or are willing to spin one up for $5/month hosting)
- ✅ You process 50+ payments/month — Wave’s $0.30/transaction surcharge accumulates fast vs Stripe/PayPal direct rates
- ✅ You bill internationally — Mollie (EU), Paystack (Africa), Razorpay (India), Moneris (Canada) all natively supported
- ✅ You want data ownership — invoices/payments/clients in your own WordPress database forever, immune to Wave’s pricing changes or shutdown
- ✅ You’re planning to be in business 2+ years — the $199 lifetime license breaks even vs Wave Pro inside Year 2
- ✅ You sell via WooCommerce — native auto-PDF on every order, no Wave alternative
- ✅ You want white-label invoicing for clients — Wave doesn’t offer this at any price
- ✅ You want time tracking + project billing — Wave doesn’t have native time tracking
When to pick Wave over Easy Invoice
- ⚠️ You don’t run WordPress and refuse to start — Wave is the polished cloud free alternative
- ⚠️ You’re a US/Canada sole proprietor who wants free invoicing + free bookkeeping in one tool, and you bill fewer than 25 invoices/month so the $0.30/transaction surcharge doesn’t compound dramatically
- ⚠️ You need basic bookkeeping included — chart of accounts, P&L, balance sheet — without paying for QuickBooks or Xero on the side
- ⚠️ You invoice primarily from a phone — Wave has polished native iOS/Android apps
- ⚠️ You want zero setup friction — Wave is 5-minute signup vs Easy Invoice’s 10–30 minutes (depending on whether you need to install WordPress first)
Switching from Wave to Easy Invoice (migration guide)
- Export from Wave: Wave admin → Settings → Data Export. Download CSV files for customers, invoices, payments, products/services. Wave also lets you export your accounting data (chart of accounts, ledger) — useful if you’ll move bookkeeping to QuickBooks or Xero.
- Install Easy Invoice: WordPress admin → Plugins → Add New → search “Easy Invoice” by MatrixAddons → Install → Activate.
- Import via CSV: Easy Invoice → Tools → Import. Map Wave’s CSV columns to Easy Invoice fields. Run import and verify a sample of 5–10 invoices for accuracy.
- Set up your gateway: Connect Stripe (if you have an account) or PayPal Business in Easy Invoice → Settings → Payments. Test with a $1 transaction.
- For bookkeeping: if you used Wave’s accounting features, install QuickBooks Self-Employed ($15/mo) or upgrade to Easy Invoice Agency tier ($399 lifetime) for two-way QuickBooks/Xero sync.
Budget a Saturday for 100+ historical invoices including verification.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wave really free?
Wave’s Starter plan is genuinely free — unlimited invoices, no time limit, no credit card required. But Wave makes money on payment processing fees that are $0.30 higher per transaction than Stripe or PayPal direct (2.9% + $0.60 vs 2.9% + $0.30). For low-volume invoicing (under 20 invoices/month), Wave is effectively free. For higher-volume billing, the per-transaction premium can quietly add up to $500–$1,800 over 5 years.
Is Easy Invoice really free?
Yes. The version on WordPress.org is fully functional with no client cap, no trial, no upsell footer: unlimited invoices & quotes, automatic PDF generation, PayPal payment gateway (bring your own account), client database, 10 professional templates, multi-tax compliance, 150+ currencies. v2.3.2 with 500+ active installs, tested up to WordPress 7.0. Pro tiers are optional — needed only for Stripe + 7 more gateways, recurring billing, client portal, time tracking, or accounting sync.
Wave vs Easy Invoice: which is cheaper over 5 years?
Easy Invoice by a wide margin once you include payment processing fees. For a 50-invoice/month business: Wave Free + Wave Payments fees = $900 over 5 years. Easy Invoice Free + bring-your-own Stripe = $0 over 5 years. Easy Invoice Personal Lifetime + Stripe = $199 over 5 years. Both Easy Invoice options beat Wave on real total cost.
Can I use Stripe with Wave?
No — Wave only supports Wave Payments as its native gateway. You can’t bring your own Stripe account into Wave for card processing. This is a structural limitation: Wave’s free pricing model depends on processing payments through their gateway. Easy Invoice is the opposite — bring whatever gateway makes sense, including Stripe at standard 2.9% + $0.30 rates.
Does Wave work outside the US and Canada?
Limited support. Wave Payments accepts US and Canadian credit cards natively. International customers paying via Wave Payments often face high fees, currency conversion losses, or rejected transactions. For non-US/CA freelancers and agencies, Easy Invoice’s regional gateways (Mollie for Europe, Paystack for Africa, Razorpay for India) accept native payments at native fees — a meaningful structural advantage.
Does Wave include bookkeeping?
Yes — Wave bundles free basic bookkeeping (chart of accounts, double-entry ledger, P&L, balance sheet) with the free Starter plan. Easy Invoice doesn’t include bookkeeping; pair it with QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks (Agency tier syncs two-way) for full accounting. For US/Canada sole proprietors who want everything in one tool, Wave’s bundled approach is simpler. For everyone else — international businesses, agencies that already use QuickBooks/Xero, anyone with non-Wave gateway preference — Easy Invoice’s modular approach is more flexible.
Can I migrate from Wave to Easy Invoice?
Yes. Export Wave’s data as CSV (Settings → Data Export), install Easy Invoice on your WordPress site, and import via the Tools → Import flow. Budget a Saturday for 100+ historical invoices. The Agency tier’s accounting-sync addon ($399 lifetime) lets you pipe Wave’s bookkeeping data into QuickBooks Online or Xero if you want to leave Wave entirely.
Is my data safer in Easy Invoice or Wave?
Easy Invoice gives structural data ownership — invoices, payments, clients live in your own WordPress database forever. Wave holds your data in their cloud. Wave was acquired by H&R Block in 2019 and has changed pricing several times since; if they pivot, shut down, or move bookkeeping into a paid tier (they already did this for Pro features), your data is at their discretion. For long-horizon businesses, self-hosted is structurally safer.
Which is easier to use day-to-day?
Wave edges out on UI polish and native iOS/Android mobile apps. Easy Invoice runs in WordPress admin — more familiar if you already publish a blog or run WooCommerce, less familiar otherwise. For invoicing primarily from a phone, Wave wins. For invoicing alongside other WordPress workflows, Easy Invoice wins on context switching.
Final verdict: Easy Invoice vs Wave in 2026
Two free tools, two different long-term cost structures. Wave’s “free forever” gets meaningful only at low invoice volume (under 20/month) and within US/Canada billing. Easy Invoice‘s free tier + bring-your-own gateway is meaningfully free at every volume, in every region.
The one case for Wave: you’re a US/Canada sole proprietor with low invoice volume who wants invoicing + bookkeeping + payment receipts in one bundle and doesn’t run WordPress. Wave is the cleanest path for that profile.
For everyone else — international billers, higher-volume businesses, anyone who wants to bring their own Stripe/PayPal/regional gateway, agencies reselling invoicing under white-label, course creators using WooCommerce, freelancers planning to be in business 2+ years — Easy Invoice is structurally cheaper, more flexible, and never charges hidden per-transaction premiums.
Install Easy Invoice free from WordPress.org this afternoon and connect your existing Stripe or PayPal account. If you process 50+ invoices/month, the savings vs Wave Payments alone will exceed Easy Invoice’s $199 lifetime upgrade inside year 1.
Related reading
- Best invoice software 2026: 10 tools ranked by 5-year cost — full comparison including FreshBooks, Zoho Invoice, QuickBooks, Xero
- Easy Invoice vs FreshBooks (2026) — head-to-head vs the polished SaaS leader
- Best WordPress invoicing plugins 2026 — deep WP-plugin comparison
- Best WordPress hosting services 2026 — if you’re spinning up WordPress to run Easy Invoice