Wave vs Xero
Both ladders below were read from the vendors’ own pricing pages, in this market, on the dates shown. Nothing is converted: what you see is what each page showed a reader here.
What each one is
Wavesite ↗pricing ↗
Free accounting and invoicing software for very small businesses, which makes its money on payments and payroll. Paid plans start at $19/mo (Pro); a free plan exists.
Xerosite ↗pricing ↗
Cloud accounting software for small businesses and their accountants, strong on bank reconciliation and third-party apps. Paid plans start at $27/mo (Early); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 3 paid tiers, topping out at $97/mo (Established). It bills by country — entry £18/mo to a UK reader and $29/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads. Its published prices moved on 2026-10-06 — the change log holds the rows.
The two ladders
Wavesite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-09-03 · USD
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Starter | Free |
| Pro | $19/mo |
Xerosite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-10-18 · USD
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Established | $97/mo |
| Growing | $59/mo |
| Early | $27/mo |
Where they differ
- Cheapest way in: Wave at $19/mo, against Xero at $27/mo. That is the entry price in this market on the dates shown, not a judgement about which suits you.
- Free plans: only Wave publishes one — a plan priced at zero, not a trial.
- How far each ladder goes: Wave tops out at $19/mo, Xero at $97/mo. A deeper ladder is not a worse deal — it is a bill that keeps climbing if you keep growing.
- Recently moved: Xero (2026-10-06). A change only counts once a second clean read agrees.
- Xero: It bills by country — entry £18/mo to a UK reader and $29/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads.
How to choose in this category
- Almost every vendor leads with a limited-time discount; the standing price after it is the real comparison.
- Plans differ in users and features more than in price — read the rows, not just the header.
- Several of these vendors charge different amounts by country; the table shows what each market pays.