Billing & Invoicing Software

Invoice Ninja vs Wave

Both are billing & invoicing software. The short answer: choose Invoice Ninja if you are freelancers who want an open-source invoicing option; choose Wave if you are very small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budget.

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Invoice Ninja logo Invoice NinjaWave logo Wave
Best forFreelancers who want an open-source invoicing optionVery small businesses in the US and Canada on a tight budget
Free planYesYes
PricingSee providerSee provider
Built for IndiaGlobalGlobal
CategoriesBilling & Invoicing SoftwareBilling & Invoicing Software, Accounting Software
Strengths
  • Self-hosting option
  • Free tier
  • Flexible templates
  • Free core invoicing and accounting
  • Simple to learn
Watch out for
  • Self-hosting needs technical skills
  • Interface less polished than paid rivals
  • Best suited to US/Canada
  • Fewer integrations
Visit Invoice NinjaVisit Wave

Which should you choose?

Invoice Ninja: Open-source invoicing, quotes, time tracking and client portal; can be self-hosted.

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 billing & invoicing software compared.