Wave
An app that keeps your books and captures receipts.
What Wave does
Wave is accounting and invoicing software for small businesses and freelancers in the US and Canada. Its mobile app can scan receipts and send them straight into your books. Receipt capture comes with the Pro plan or as an add-on to the free Starter plan.
Wave is mainly bookkeeping and invoicing, but the phone app is handy for receipts. You take a photo of a receipt, Wave reads the details, and the expense lands in your books alongside everything else. You can also upload receipts from your computer or forward them by email, and they all sync to the same account.
The phone app also lets you send invoices and estimates, see who has paid, and check a quick dashboard of your profit and loss. On Pro, your bank transactions come in on their own and get sorted, which pairs well with scanned receipts. Not every bank connects, so check yours.
The catch is that receipts aren't part of the free plan. You either add them on or move to Pro. If you want free accounting and only scan a receipt now and then, the add-on is the cheaper path. If you're looking only for a receipt scanner and don't need accounting, a dedicated receipt app is simpler.
Alternatives to Wave
Who it's for
Skip it if: Anyone outside the US and Canada. People who only need a receipt scanner, not accounting.
Pricing
Free planWave's Starter plan is free, but receipt scanning is an add-on: $11 a month or $96 a year on the website, or $8 a month or $72 a year bought in the iPhone app. The Pro plan is $19 a month or $190 a year and includes unlimited receipts.
Prices can vary by country. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
What people like
- Accounting and invoicing are free on Starter
- Receipts go straight into your books, no export step
- Unlimited receipts once you pay for them
- Phone, desktop and email upload all sync
Watch out for
- Receipt scanning isn't free
- Only for the US and Canada
- The website and App Store list different add-on prices
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Questions people ask
Is Wave receipt scanning free?
No. It's included in Pro ($19 a month) or available as an add-on to the free Starter plan.
Can I email receipts to Wave?
Yes. With receipts turned on, you can upload them from the phone app, your computer or by email.
Does Wave work outside the US?
Wave is built for the US and Canada.
Is Wave a full accounting app?
Yes. Receipts are one part. It also does bookkeeping, invoicing and estimates.