In short: Looking for Wave alternatives? Wave itself is genuinely free and a great choice if you’re in the US or Canada. The catch is region: Wave says it’s available only to businesses located in the US and Canada, so if you’re based anywhere else, you’ll need an alternative. For free-first, multi-currency invoicing that works anywhere, we’d point you at Tally Crow. For a completely free global option, Zoho Invoice. For fuller accounting, FreshBooks. For EU solopreneurs invoicing without a company, Xolo. Prices checked 11 November 2026.
Full disclosure: we make Tally Crow, so we’ve kept this honest, with real prices and a clear “best for” on each tool, including where a competitor beats us. Wave is a good product and free for what most freelancers need. This isn’t a case of Wave being bad, it’s a case of Wave being built for a particular part of the world. If that’s where you are, it might be all you need.
Why look for a Wave alternative at all?
Wave’s Starter plan is free and includes unlimited invoices, estimates and basic bookkeeping. That’s a lot for zero, and it’s why Wave is a popular first pick. So why would you look elsewhere?
The honest answer is region. Wave says it’s available only to businesses located in the US and Canada (US territories aren’t supported), and its plans are priced in US and Canadian dollars. If your business is based anywhere else, Wave isn’t an option, however good the free plan is. The most common reasons freelancers move on:
- You’re not in the US or Canada. Wave says it’s only available to businesses located there, so this is a hard stop rather than a preference.
- You want VAT handled, which matters far more for European freelancers than US sales tax does.
- You’ve outgrown the free tier and don’t love the jump to Wave Pro at $19/mo (USD).
None of that makes Wave a bad tool. It makes it a North American tool. Here are the best alternatives depending on where you are and how you invoice.
The best Wave alternatives, compared
| Tool | Paid plans from | Free plan? | Where it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave (the baseline) | Free; Pro $19/mo (USD) | Yes | US and Canada | Free invoicing and bookkeeping in North America |
| Tally Crow | Free; Basic €8.99, Pro €14.99 | Yes | Anywhere (multi-currency) | Free-first, multi-currency invoicing for freelancers and creators |
| Zoho Invoice | Free (up to 500 invoices a year) | Yes | Global | A completely free, global invoicing tool |
| FreshBooks | $23/mo (US), €16/mo (EU), £16/mo (UK) | No (30-day trial) | Priced in USD, EUR or GBP by region | Freelancers who want fuller accounting and reports |
| Xolo | Go: €0 + 5.9% payout; Leap €59/mo (Starter, limited) or €99/mo (Standard) | Go (pay-as-you-go) | EU / e-Residency | EU solopreneurs invoicing without a company |
*Prices checked 11 November 2026, at regular (non-promotional) monthly rates. Currencies are as each provider lists them, and FreshBooks shows different prices on its US, EU and UK sites; always confirm on their own pricing page.*
Is Wave a good choice, and when?
Yes, when you’re in North America. Credit where it’s due: Wave gives you unlimited invoices, estimates and bookkeeping for free, which is more than a lot of paid tools. If you want to add bank-transaction import, receipt capture, automated reminders and cheaper payment processing, there’s Wave Pro at $19/mo (USD). Online card payments run at roughly 2.9% + $0.60 per transaction (higher for Amex), and there’s a bookkeeping service, Wave Advisors, from $149/mo.
If you’re a freelancer in the US or Canada, Wave is a genuinely strong, free starting point and you may not need anything on this list. The alternatives below are for everyone else, starting with freelancers whose business is based outside the US and Canada.
Tally Crow: best for free-first, multi-currency invoicing that works anywhere
We built Tally Crow for freelancers and creators who want to look professional and get paid, with no accounting experience. Like Wave, you can start completely free, but unlike Wave, it isn’t tied to one region. You can invoice and issue credit notes in any currency, apply VAT, send a polished PDF, and let clients pay online. It’s euro-friendly with solid EU and VAT support, but it works anywhere, so it’s a natural fit if Wave’s North American focus is the thing pushing you to look.
- Price: starts free (2 invoices a month, no card), so you only pay when you outgrow it. Basic €8.99/mo, Pro €14.99/mo (unlimited invoices, recurring invoices, no Tally Crow credit on PDFs). Roughly 17% off annually.
- Multi-currency: invoice and issue credit notes in any currency, with VAT and discounts. Bank transfer works for any currency; the online pay-now button covers the currencies Stripe supports.
- Get paid online: an optional pay-now link with a disclosed application fee (2% Free, 1% Basic, 0.5% Pro) on top of the card processor’s own fee, and no Tally Crow fee on bank transfers.
- Best for: freelancers and creators anywhere who want to start free, then a simple, affordable tool with proper credit notes and multi-currency invoicing.
- Not for you if: you need full double-entry accounting, tax filing, bank feeds or receipt scanning. We deliberately don’t do those, and Wave’s free bookkeeping or FreshBooks may suit you better there.
See features and pricing for the detail.
If Wave’s North American focus is the problem, Tally Crow gives you free-first invoicing in any currency that works wherever you are.
Start invoicing freeZoho Invoice: best for a completely free global option
If what you loved about Wave was the price, and the only issue is that you’re not in North America, Zoho Invoice is the closest like-for-like swap. It’s free (Zoho describes it as free “forever”) and available worldwide. Check its currency support before you rely on it: Zoho’s knowledge base says Zoho Invoice can invoice only in your base currency and points you to Zoho Billing, while one of its settings help pages still describes adding other currencies (both checked 11 November 2026).
- Price: Free, with limits: up to 500 invoices a year, 2 users and 3 projects, and “Powered by Zoho Invoice” branding on your invoices.
- Best for: freelancers anywhere who invoice in one currency and want a free tool with estimates, time tracking (up to 3 projects), expenses, a client portal and payment reminders.
- Worth knowing: it’s part of the wider Zoho ecosystem, so it nudges you toward other Zoho products, and deeper accounting means moving up to the separate, paid Zoho Books.
FreshBooks: best for fuller accounting
If part of why you used Wave was the built-in bookkeeping, and you’re happy to pay for a more complete tool, FreshBooks is the step up. It’s a polished, well-established platform that goes beyond invoicing into proper accounting reports, expense receipt scanning and proposals (all three from its Plus plan up), with estimates on every plan.
- Price (regular, a month): Lite $23 / €16 / £16 (5 billable clients), Plus $43 / €30 / £30 (50 clients), Premium $70 / €50 / £42 (unlimited clients), on FreshBooks’ US, EU and UK sites. 30-day trial, no free plan. An introductory offer cuts the first few months (80% off for 4 months in the US, 50% off for 3 months in the EU and UK). Extra team members are $11, €10 or £8 a month each.
- Best for: freelancers and small businesses who want accounting reports and receipt scanning alongside invoicing (both from the Plus plan), and don’t mind paying for it.
- Worth knowing: unlike Wave, there’s no free plan, the lower tiers cap how many clients you can bill, and the price rises once the introductory offer ends.
Xolo: best for EU solopreneurs invoicing without a company
Xolo is a different model aimed at EU and Estonia e-Residency solopreneurs. Xolo Go lets you invoice clients without registering a company, which is something none of the others here do, so it’s worth knowing about if that’s your situation. Xolo Leap helps you run an Estonia-based e-Residency company.
- Price (EUR): Xolo Go €0/mo with a 5.9% fee on payouts (clients in 186 countries can pay in multiple currencies, and payouts to you are in euros only); Xolo Leap from €59/mo for the full e-Residency company service (that Starter price is for your first 12 months or until you reach €4,000 in revenue; Standard, with no revenue limit, is €99/mo).
- Best for: EU-based solo freelancers who either want to invoice without setting up a company (Go), or run a lean Estonian company (Leap).
- Worth knowing: it’s more of a company-and-admin service than a pure invoicing app, and the Go payout fee adds up as you invoice more.
How to choose a Wave alternative
Match the tool to where you are and how you invoice:
- In the US or Canada, and happy? You may not need to switch. Wave is free and fine there.
- Outside North America, want free? Zoho Invoice (free worldwide, up to 500 invoices a year) or Tally Crow’s free plan.
- Invoice in multiple currencies? Tally Crow (any currency, VAT, works anywhere). If you’re weighing Zoho Invoice, check its currency support first: its own pages disagree.
- Want fuller accounting and reports? FreshBooks (paid).
- EU solo, no company set up? Xolo Go.
Most of these have a free plan or trial, so you can send a real invoice or two before you commit. If you want the wider field, see our best invoicing software for freelancers comparison, and for the fundamentals of a professional invoice, our guide on how to invoice a client as a freelancer.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to common questions.
No. Wave’s help centre says it’s available for businesses located in the United States and Canada, and that US territories aren’t supported (checked 11 November 2026). Its plans are priced in US and Canadian dollars. If your business is based anywhere else, look at an alternative such as Tally Crow or Zoho Invoice.
Yes. Zoho Invoice is free (up to 500 invoices a year) and available worldwide. Tally Crow has a free plan (2 invoices a month, no card) with multi-currency invoicing you can upgrade later. Both are good options if the free price was the reason you chose Wave in the first place.
Tally Crow lets you invoice in any currency on every plan, Free included, issue credit notes in any currency on Basic and Pro, and use it anywhere, with VAT support. If you’re weighing Zoho Invoice, check first: its knowledge base says it invoices only in your base currency, while a settings help page describes adding others. If you specifically want to invoice without a registered company in the EU, Xolo Go lets clients pay in multiple currencies, with payouts to you in euros only.
For EU freelancers, Tally Crow is euro-friendly with strong VAT support and works across currencies, while Xolo is built around EU and Estonia e-Residency (including invoicing without a company via Xolo Go). Zoho Invoice is a free option available worldwide, though its pages disagree on whether it can invoice outside your base currency.
Not if your business is based outside the US and Canada: Wave says it’s available only to businesses located there. If you are in the US or Canada, Wave lets you invoice in any currency, so you can still bill clients abroad. For a business based anywhere else, Tally Crow (any currency, works anywhere) or Zoho Invoice (free, available worldwide) is a better fit.
It depends on where you are. In the US or Canada, Wave itself is hard to beat on price. Outside it, for free-first multi-currency invoicing anywhere, Tally Crow; for a completely free global tool, Zoho Invoice; for fuller accounting, FreshBooks; for EU solopreneurs without a company, Xolo.
