Wave wins on more features overall (5 vs 1, 13 tied). Below is the full feature-by-feature breakdown.
| Feature | Square Invoices | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan |
✓ Yes
Free creation; 2.2% on payments
|
✓ Yes
|
| Entry paid plan |
✓ Yes
Per-transaction fees only
|
✓ Yes
Pro Plan US$16/mo (about AU$25)
|
| Download PDF without signup |
✗ No
|
✗ No
Requires signup to generate invoices
|
| Feature | Square Invoices | 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 | Square Invoices | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| ATO-compliant GST invoices |
— Limited
|
— Limited
No automatic ATO Tax Invoice wording
|
| ABN field built in |
✗ No
|
✗ No
Manual workaround needed
|
| Australian-focused support |
— Limited
|
✗ No
No AU-based support
|
| Feature | Square Invoices | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Bank reconciliation |
✗ No
|
— Limited
AU bank feeds are limited
|
| Expense tracking |
— Limited
|
✓ Yes
|
| Payroll |
✗ No
|
✗ No
US/Canada only
|
| Inventory tracking |
✗ No
|
✗ No
|
| Feature | Square Invoices | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe payments |
✗ No
Square payments only
|
— Limited
Wave Payments only — no direct Stripe integration
|
| Mobile app |
— Limited
|
✓ Yes
|
| Feature | Square Invoices | 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 →Square Invoices starts at Free (2.2% per paid invoice); Wave starts at Free (Pro Plan US$16/mo). Square Invoices offers free to create — fees on card payments. Wave offers free forever.
For ATO-compliant GST: Square Invoices = limited, Wave = limited. For native ABN field: Square Invoices = no, 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, Wave 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 Square Invoices 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.