Karbon vs Wave Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
Team
- Integrated Email
- Team Collaboration Tools
- Workflow and To-Do Lists
- Time Tracking & Budget Reporting
- Billing
- Payments
- Engagements
Business
Popular- Automatic Client Reminders
- Task Automation
- Industry Integrations
Enterprise
- Enterprise Platform
- Dedicated Karbon Contact
- Customization
- Unlimited Usage Limits
STARTER Plan
- Create unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records
- Option to accept online payments 2.9% + $0.60 per credit card transaction 3.4% + $0.60 per Amex transaction
- Invoice on-the-go with the mobile app
- Manage cash flow and customers in one dashboard
Pro Plan
Popular- Option to accept online payments at a discounted rate 2.9% + $0** per credit card transaction 3.4% + $0** per Amex transaction
- Auto-import bank transactions***
- Auto-merge and categorize bank transactions
- Digitally capture unlimited receipts and track expenses
- Automate late payment reminders
- And more!
Karbon vs Wave FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Wave is the cheaper option, starting at $19/mo vs $79/mo for Karbon.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Wave has a free plan. Karbon doesn't — you'll need to pay from day one.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. Karbon uses per-seat pricing, while Wave goes with flat-rate. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Karbon: Karbon sits in the premium tier of accounting practice management software, pricing above lighter tools like Jetpack Workflow but competing head-to-head with platforms like Financial Cents and Canopy. They're clearly going after mid-size to larger CPA firms that treat workflow infrastructure as a serious operational investment, not a nice-to-have. Wave: Wave is firmly the budget-friendly play in small business accounting — going up against QuickBooks Simple Start (~$35/mo) and FreshBooks (~$19/mo), they're competitive on price but lead with the free tier as the real hook. They're targeting bootstrapped founders and solopreneurs who flinch at $50+/mo tools.
Still deciding? See the best Karbon alternatives or the best Wave alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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