Sage Accounting wins on more features overall (6 vs 4, 9 tied). Below is the full feature-by-feature breakdown.
| Feature | Sage Accounting | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan |
✗ No
30-day trial
|
✓ Yes
|
| Entry paid plan |
— Paid add-on
From AU$22/mo
|
✓ Yes
Pro Plan US$16/mo (about AU$25)
|
| Download PDF without signup |
✗ No
|
✗ No
Requires signup to generate invoices
|
| Feature | Sage Accounting | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited invoices |
— Limited
|
✓ Yes
|
| Custom logo & branding |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Recurring invoices |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Email invoices to clients |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Multi-currency |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Client management |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | Sage Accounting | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| ATO-compliant GST invoices |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
No automatic ATO Tax Invoice wording
|
| ABN field built in |
✓ Yes
|
✗ No
Manual workaround needed
|
| Australian-focused support |
— Limited
|
✗ No
No AU-based support
|
| Feature | Sage Accounting | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
AU bank feeds are limited
|
| Expense tracking |
✓ Yes
|
✓ Yes
|
| Payroll |
— Paid add-on
|
✗ No
US/Canada only
|
| Inventory tracking |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | Sage Accounting | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe payments |
✓ Yes
|
— Limited
Wave Payments only — no direct Stripe integration
|
| Mobile app |
— Limited
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | Sage Accounting | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time |
— Limited
Account signup required
|
— Limited
~10 min signup + business setup
|
Neither tool fits your invoicing-only workflow? Try InvoiceSonic — free for unlimited ATO-compliant tax invoices, no signup required.
Create a free invoice now →Sage Accounting starts at From AU$22/mo; Wave starts at Free (Pro Plan US$16/mo). Sage Accounting offers 30-day trial. Wave offers free forever.
For ATO-compliant GST: Sage Accounting = yes, Wave = limited. For native ABN field: Sage Accounting = yes, Wave = no. If you operate in Australia and either tool falls short here, InvoiceSonic handles both natively — and it's free.
Most freelancers want fast invoicing without paying for full accounting. Between these two, Sage Accounting wins more categories overall. But if you're a freelancer who just wants ATO-compliant tax invoices for free, InvoiceSonic is purpose-built for that workflow.
Both Sage Accounting and Wave let you export client lists and invoice history (usually as CSV). Migration takes an afternoon for most small businesses. If you're considering switching anyway, it might be worth evaluating InvoiceSonic as a free alternative for invoicing while keeping your accountant's tool of choice for bookkeeping.
Both tools are accounting-first platforms; their invoicing modules are a subset of what they do. If invoicing is your only need, a free dedicated invoice generator like InvoiceSonic is usually faster, cheaper, and more focused — without paying for bookkeeping, payroll, or inventory features you won't use.
Yes — InvoiceSonic is free for unlimited Australian-compliant invoices with no signup required for PDF download. You can run it alongside or instead of paid accounting platforms.