Dave vs Wave
Dave is like a back office in your pocket, built for contractors who need to quote faster, stay organized, and get paid without chasing paperwork.
When Wave stops at the back office
Wave is useful for invoices, payments, and accounting basics. Dave is built around contractor operations before the invoice, including estimates, schedules, notes, photos, templates, and payments.
Dave is contractor workflow, Wave is bookkeeping
Wave is useful for general invoicing and bookkeeping. Dave is better when the contractor needs project-specific workflow before and during the job: estimates, schedules, notes, photos, templates, invoices, and payments.
Job context stays attached
Wave can track income, expenses, invoices, bills, receipts, and bookkeeping records. Dave keeps the operational context attached to the job so the estimate, schedule, project details, photos, invoice, and payment do not live in disconnected tools.
Better fit for trade businesses
Wave is not construction or contractor workflow software. Dave is shaped around project-based skilled trades that need to run work, not just record the money after the fact.
Compare Dave vs Wave
A practical look at where each product fits for small, project-based contractors.
| Feature comparison |  $40/month when billed annually | WaveFree Starter, $19/month Pro, and advisors starting at $199/month Bookkeeping, invoicing, and payments software |
|---|---|---|
| Best workflow fit | Built for small project-based trade crews | General bookkeeping and invoicing for small businesses, not contractor operations |
| Estimates | ||
| Invoices | ||
| Online payments | ||
| Bookkeeping records | QuickBooks handoff | Core accounting records, but not the contractor workflow around the job |
| Bills | Project workflow focus | Bookkeeping-style bill tracking rather than job execution workflow |
| Bank transaction imports and categorization | QuickBooks handoff | Pro bookkeeping automation, not project workflow for the field |
| Receipt capture and expense tracking | Project notes and records | Pro expense tracking for bookkeeping rather than managing the job itself |
| Automated late payment reminders | Contractor invoice workflow | Pro invoice automation inside an accounting workflow, not a contractor operating system |
| Reusable message templates | Reusable templates for contractor estimates and invoices | General invoice and message templates on Pro, not trade-specific workflows |
| Scheduling | Built-in scheduling for project-based crews | Not contractor scheduling |
| Job notes and photos | Job notes and photos tied to the project record | Not contractor job workflow |
| Templates for trade workflows | Templates built around contractor job workflows | General invoice and message templates rather than contractor trade workflows |
| QuickBooks handoff | QuickBooks handoff for contractors using separate accounting software | Wave is itself the bookkeeping layer, so it still does not solve field workflow around the job |
$40/month
when billed annually
Wave
Free Starter, $19/month Pro, and advisors starting at $199/month
Bookkeeping, invoicing, and payments software
One Price for Everything
Annual Plan
Monthly Plan
Dave vs Wave: for small crews
Dave vs Wave: workflow fit
Wave is bookkeeping, invoicing, payments, receipts, payroll add-ons, and bookkeeping help for small businesses. It is not construction or contractor workflow software.
Dave is built around contractor-specific workflow: estimates tied to jobs, project notes and photos, scheduling, templates, job history, payments, and QuickBooks handoff.
Where Wave is strong
Wave can be a good general invoicing and bookkeeping layer for very small businesses, especially when cost is the main constraint. Its Starter plan includes unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records, invoice mobile app access, a cash flow and customer dashboard, and optional online payments. Pro adds discounted payment processing, automatic bank transaction imports and categorization, unlimited receipt capture and expense tracking, automated late payment reminders, branding controls, reusable message templates, attachments, live chat and email support, and other bookkeeping features.
For a business that mainly needs bookkeeping, simple invoices, and payment processing, Wave can be a practical tool.
Where Dave is a better fit
Dave is a better fit when the business is a contractor operation rather than a general small business invoicing problem. Contractors need the job workflow before the invoice exists: estimates, schedules, project details, notes, photos, templates, and job history.
Dave should not be framed as a replacement for every accounting system. The better distinction is project workflow versus bookkeeping layer.