Acumatica vs Wave — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Wave starts at $19/mo. Acumatica uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Acumatica (Per Usage) — Acumatica bills purely on usage — Transaction volume. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Wave (Freemium) — Wave bills on a fixed plan from $19/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Cloud ERP positioned as the mid-market alternative to NetSuite and Sage Intacct for distribution, manufacturing, and construction verticals. Distinctive for its consumption-based licensing (charges per transaction, not per user) that scales better for high-volume operational teams. Pricing opaque, quote-only, typically $1,500-$7,500/mo for mid-market. Owned by EQT (private equity) since 2019. Popular with SMBs outgrowing QuickBooks who don't want Oracle-tier complexity.
Free accounting software from Canada, acquired by H&R Block for $537M in 2019. Positioned as the alternative to QuickBooks for freelancers and micro-businesses that can't justify a paid accounting subscription. Distinctive for its genuine forever-free accounting/invoicing (competitors moved everything to paid). Monetizes through payments (2.9% + 60¢), payroll ($20-$40/mo), and advisor services. Popular with side hustlers, freelancers, and micro-businesses under $50K annual revenue.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Acumatica monthly | Acumatica annual | Wave monthly | Wave annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Starter | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Mobile Receipts | — | — | $8 | Free |
| Pro / power | — / Pro | — | — | $19 | $15.83 |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Acumatica is worth it if… Acumatica is the cloud ERP for growing mid-market companies (50-500 employees) that outgrew QuickBooks but don't want NetSuite's implementation cost. Consumption-based licensing means you pay for resources, not per user — unique in the ERP space.
Wave is worth it if… US/Canada freelancers and solo entrepreneurs who want completely free accounting + invoicing + receipt scanning — particularly for early-stage founders bootstrapping before they need QuickBooks. Free forever for core accounting and invoicing; charges per transaction for payments and payroll.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Acumatica is per usage, Wave is freemium.
Choose Acumatica over Wave if…
Choose Acumatica if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile Acumatica is built for: the cloud ERP for growing mid-market companies (50-500 employees) that outgrew QuickBooks but don't want NetSuite's implementation cost.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Wave if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (freemium, from $19/mo).
- You match the profile Wave is built for: US/Canada freelancers and solo entrepreneurs who want completely free accounting + invoicing + receipt scanning — particularly for early-stage founders bootstrapping before they need QuickBooks.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Acumatica | Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Entry price | Custom pricing | $19/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | No |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Freemium |
| Verification | Checked September 27, 2026 | Checked September 28, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 28, 2026. Tracked daily.