# LotsInvoice vs Wave

Source: https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/lotsinvoice-vs-wave
Published: 2026-10-27T00:30:23.000374+00:00

Wave's Starter plan is $0 and includes invoicing and bookkeeping, with a fee on each online payment. LotsInvoice is $12 a month per business, with your whole team included and no cut of what clients pay you. Pick Wave for free books and for Wave to process payments for you. Pick LotsInvoice for exact invoices your whole team can use, paid into your own Stripe or Razorpay account.

Wave is a well-built product and the free Starter plan is a real offer: unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records. LotsInvoice does less on purpose. It's invoicing only, for agencies, freelancers and small businesses who want every invoice to be right, checked before it goes, and followed up until it's paid, without an accounting suite around it.

Everything about Wave below comes from its own pricing, payments and help pages, checked on 26 October 2026, with links at the end. Prices are in US dollars, list prices only.

## LotsInvoice vs Wave at a glance

| | LotsInvoice | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| **Price** | Starter $12 a month or $120 a year (1 business), Pro $29 or $290 (5), Business $79 or $790 (20) | Starter $0; Pro $19 a month or $190 a year, per business |
| **Free start** | free credits, no card | Starter is free |
| **Your team** | Unlimited team members, as editors or viewers, on every plan | Payroll manager or tax pro on Starter; admin, editor and viewer need Pro |
| **Several businesses** | Pro covers 5 and Business covers 20, each with its own logo, numbering, customers and team | Pro is per business: three businesses are three subscriptions |
| **Invoices, estimates, customers** | Unlimited inside every business | Unlimited invoices and estimates |
| **Your layout** | Rename, reorder, hide or add columns; item and accounting codes; custom fields; several named taxes per line; nine designs or your own template | Logo, accent colour, template and columns |
| **How clients pay** | A Pay button for the exact balance through your own Stripe or Razorpay account, plus your own options on the invoice and portal: PayPal or Square link, bank, ACH, Zelle or check | "Pay now" button for cards, Apple Pay and bank payments through Wave, after Wave approves your account |
| **Fee on payments** | None from LotsInvoice; your own Stripe or Razorpay account charges its own fees | Starter: cards 2.9% + $0.60 (Amex 3.4% + $0.60), bank payments 1% with a $1 minimum |
| **Recurring invoices** | Weekly, monthly or yearly, as drafts to review or sent on schedule | Yes, with automatic card or bank payments for repeat clients |
| **Accounting** | No: reports and CSV export for your accountant | Yes: bookkeeping, bank import and receipts on Pro |
| **Payroll** | No | Add-on |
| **Mobile app** | Web app | iOS and Android |

Checked on 26 October 2026 on [lotsinvoice.com/pricing](https://lotsinvoice.com/pricing), [waveapps.com/pricing](https://www.waveapps.com/pricing) and [waveapps.com/payments](https://www.waveapps.com/payments).

## Where LotsInvoice is the better choice

### Your whole team is included

On Wave, Starter lets you add a payroll manager or a tax pro. Admin, editor and viewer roles are for Pro subscribers only, and Wave's help centre says the same. If an account manager, a project lead, a partner and a bookkeeper all need to see or send invoices, that's Pro.

In LotsInvoice, team members are unlimited on every plan, Starter included. You invite people to a business as editors or viewers, and nobody counts toward your price.

### One price for each brand you invoice from

Wave's Pro plan is priced per business. Wave's own FAQ gives the example: three businesses under one account, each on Pro, are three subscriptions at $19 a month. That's $57 a month, or $570 a year.

LotsInvoice charges per business too, but the plans bundle them: Pro covers 5 businesses for $29 a month ($290 a year) and Business covers 20 for $79 ($790). Each business has its own logo, numbering, customers and team. If you run an agency with a sister studio, or a few trading names, it's one plan. See [invoicing several businesses from one account](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/invoicing-several-businesses-or-brands-from-one-account).

### Clients pay you directly, and nothing is taken from the payment

When a client pays through Wave, Wave processes the payment and charges for it: on Starter, 2.9% + $0.60 per card payment and 1% for a bank payment (with a $1 minimum). On a $2,000 invoice paid by card, that's $58.60. Wave also reviews your account before it turns online payments on: its FAQ says approval includes identity verification and a credit review.

LotsInvoice never holds or moves your money, so it takes no cut of a payment. Connect your own Stripe or Razorpay account in Settings, Payment and each sent invoice gets a Pay button for its exact balance, with a deposit or part payments if you allow them. The money goes straight to your account and the payment is recorded on the invoice by itself. Your invoices, the email and the client portal can also show the options you already use: a pay link, a PayPal or Square link, bank transfer, ACH, Zelle or a check address, and you record those payments by hand when they arrive. Your provider's fees apply (Stripe's or Razorpay's, or PayPal's or Square's if you use their links), exactly as they would anywhere else, and LotsInvoice adds none. Any account approval is between you and Stripe or Razorpay, not LotsInvoice.

### Different payment details for one client

Some clients need something else: euro bank details with an IBAN and SWIFT for a client abroad, or a check address for a client who pays by check. In LotsInvoice every invoice and estimate has a **Payment details** card. It shows your business details by default. Choose **Change for this invoice** to use different details for that one document, and **Use business details** to go back. Recurring invoices and duplicates keep the invoice's own details. See [how clients pay you with LotsInvoice](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/how-clients-pay-you-with-lotsinvoice) and [how to invoice a client in another currency](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/how-to-invoice-a-client-in-another-currency).

### Nothing goes out unchecked, and a sent invoice is locked

An invoice is your name on a request for money. It should be right. In LotsInvoice every invoice starts as a draft, next to a preview of the real PDF your client will get, and it goes only when you send it. Totals, discounts and several named taxes on one line (compound or inclusive) are calculated to the cent, and the same numbers appear in the preview, the PDF and the reports.

Once sent, an invoice is numbered and locked. If something has to change, you make a revision with a reason, and the number stays, or you issue a credit note. Your record always adds up.

### The layout your client or accountant asks for

Agencies get asked for things: a PO number on the page, a project code on every line, a tax ID, a declaration. In LotsInvoice that's set up once. Rename, reorder, hide or add columns, add item and accounting codes, custom fields and registration IDs, rename any printed word, print declarations, add a signature and company seal, and pick one of nine designs or write your own template. Wave lets you add your logo and brand colours on the free plan, and lists attachments, reusable message templates and removing Wave branding from footers as Pro features.

### Works with the AI assistant you already use

You don't need an assistant for LotsInvoice: the dashboard does everything. If you work in Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant, connect it at [lotsinvoice.com/mcp](https://lotsinvoice.com/mcp) with your Lots sign-in, on every plan. It drafts invoices from your saved customers, items and layout, and asks before anything is sent.

## Where Wave fits better

Wave is the right call if you want one free app for invoices and books. These are real strengths:

- **Starter is $0.** Unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records, with a mobile app and a dashboard for cash flow and customers.
- **It's accounting software.** Starter includes the dashboard and reports, and Pro adds bank-transaction import and categorising and receipt capture. LotsInvoice has no ledger and no bank feeds; it gives you aging, revenue, tax and payments reports and CSV export to hand to your accountant.
- **Card, Apple Pay and bank payments inside the invoice.** Clients pay with a Pay now button, the money lands in your account in 1 to 2 business days for cards, and payments flow into your books.
- **Automatic payments on recurring invoices.** Wave can charge a client's saved card or bank account on each recurring invoice. LotsInvoice sends recurring invoices as drafts for you to review or on a schedule, and the client pays as for any other invoice.
- **Payroll and bookkeeping help.** Payroll is an add-on, and Wave Advisors is its hands-off bookkeeping service, priced on its pricing page.
- **A mobile app** for invoices and estimates on the go.

## Which one should you choose?

Choose **LotsInvoice** if:

- Several people on your team need to work on invoices.
- You run more than one brand or sister company and want one price for them.
- You want clients to pay into your own Stripe or Razorpay account, or with options you already use, with nothing taken from the payment by LotsInvoice.
- Your clients or your accountant ask for specific columns, codes, taxes or declarations.
- You want every invoice checked as the real PDF before it goes, and locked once sent.

Choose **Wave** if:

- You want free invoicing and bookkeeping in one place.
- You want Wave itself to process card, Apple Pay and bank payments and record them in your books.
- You want Wave to charge repeat clients automatically.
- You want payroll or bookkeeping help from the same company.

You can also run LotsInvoice next to separate books: it sends the invoices, and your accountant gets the CSV and the reports. For a wider list, read [Wave alternatives for agencies and freelancers](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/wave-alternatives-for-agencies-and-freelancers) and [the best invoicing software for agencies and freelancers](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/best-invoicing-software-for-agencies-and-freelancers).

## How to move from Wave to LotsInvoice

Keep Wave open while your last invoices there get paid, and start new invoices in LotsInvoice:

1. **Export your customers** from Wave: Sales & Payments, Customers, Import or Export, then Export (Wave points to its Wave Connect add-on for Google Sheets, from where you can save a CSV). Wave also offers a full account data download.
2. **Create your business** in [LotsInvoice](https://lotsinvoice.com) with your legal name, address and email, then confirm the email from your inbox.
3. **Set it up once:** logo, design, numbering, columns, taxes and your payment options (connect your own Stripe or Razorpay account, or add a pay link, bank or ACH details, Zelle).
4. **Import your customers** from the CSV, and add your services as items.
5. **Continue your numbering,** so your next invoice follows the last one you sent from Wave.
6. **Invite your team** as editors or viewers, at no extra cost.
7. **Send your first invoice** from a draft, after checking the PDF preview.

If you use an AI assistant, you can hand it the import. Connect LotsInvoice at [lotsinvoice.com/mcp](https://lotsinvoice.com/mcp), attach your customers CSV, and say:

> Read https://lotsinvoice.com/skill.md. Then import the customers in customers.csv into my LotsInvoice business, set the next invoice number to follow on from INV-0212, and draft the first invoice for Example Co for 3 hours of design at $120 an hour. Show me the preview before anything is sent.

The assistant uses the same tools as the dashboard (`import_customers`, `set_next_number`, `create_invoice`, `get_document_preview`), and nothing goes to a client without your yes. Add your payment details yourself in Settings, or per invoice in the Payment details card.

## Pricing in one line

LotsInvoice is $12 a month for one business, $29 for 5 and $79 for 20, or $120, $290 and $790 a year, with everything inside a business unlimited. Pro and Business include LotsNotes Pro while the plan is active. New accounts get free credits, no card. [See pricing](https://lotsinvoice.com/pricing), or see how LotsInvoice [compares with other invoicing tools](https://lotsinvoice.com/compare).

For more side-by-side comparisons, read [LotsInvoice vs Zoho Invoice](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/lotsinvoice-vs-zoho-invoice) and [LotsInvoice vs FreshBooks](https://lotsinvoice.com/blog/lotsinvoice-vs-freshbooks).

## Common questions

### Is Wave invoicing really free?

Yes. Wave's Starter plan is $0 and includes unlimited invoices, estimates, bills and bookkeeping records. Wave charges when clients pay online: on Starter, 2.9% + $0.60 per card payment (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex) and 1% for bank payments with a $1 minimum. Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year, per business. Checked on Wave's pricing and payments pages on 26 October 2026.

### What is a good Wave alternative for agencies?

LotsInvoice, if your agency has more than one person on invoices or runs more than one brand. It's $12 a month per business, with unlimited team members, clients and invoices inside each one, your own layout, and no cut of what clients pay you. If you want to stay at $0 or need accounting, Wave itself or an accounting tool fits better.

### Does LotsInvoice take a fee when my clients pay?

No. LotsInvoice never holds or moves your money and takes no cut. Connect your own Stripe or Razorpay account and each sent invoice gets a Pay button, with the money going straight to your account, or use the other options on your invoice. Your provider's fees apply (Stripe's or Razorpay's, or PayPal's or Square's if you use their links); LotsInvoice adds none.

### Can my team use LotsInvoice at no extra cost?

Yes. Team members are unlimited on every plan, as editors or viewers. On Wave, admin, editor and viewer roles need the Pro plan, which is $19 a month per business.

### Can LotsInvoice do my bookkeeping like Wave?

No. LotsInvoice is invoicing: invoices, estimates, credit notes, recurring invoices, reminders, a client portal and reports for who owes what, revenue, tax collected and payments, with CSV export. It has no ledger or bank feeds. Wave includes bookkeeping and, on Pro, bank import and receipts.

### Can I move my customers from Wave to LotsInvoice?

Yes. Export your customer list from Wave as a CSV and import it into LotsInvoice from the dashboard or through your assistant, then continue your invoice numbering from your last Wave invoice.

## Sources

Checked on 26 October 2026:

- LotsInvoice: [lotsinvoice.com](https://lotsinvoice.com), [pricing](https://lotsinvoice.com/pricing), [AI assistants](https://lotsinvoice.com/mcp), [skill.md](https://lotsinvoice.com/skill.md), [API docs](https://api.lotsinvoice.com/docs.md); online payments checked on 30 October 2026 on the home and pricing FAQs and the [Stripe](https://lotsinvoice.com/help/connect-stripe) and [Razorpay](https://lotsinvoice.com/help/connect-razorpay) help pages
- Wave: [pricing](https://www.waveapps.com/pricing), [payments](https://www.waveapps.com/payments), help centre: [invite or remove collaborators](https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/208621236-Invite-or-remove-collaborators-from-your-business), [set up a recurring invoice](https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002487743-Set-up-a-recurring-invoice), [export customers](https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/52379336570388-Export-customers)