norabooks vs Wave
Wave is free but ad-supported. norabooks is $9 CAD/month with everything included. Here's why freelancers are switching.
| Feature | norabooks | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Price | $9 CAD/mo | Free (ad-supported) |
| 7-day free trial | ✓ | N/A (free) |
| Receipt scanning | Unlimited | Paid add-on |
| No ads | ✓ | — |
| Canadian Tax | ||
| GST/HST auto-calculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| PST by province | ✓ | ✓ |
| Place-of-supply rules | ✓ | — |
| Tax-exempt clients | ✓ | ✓ |
| Features | ||
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Expense tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Receipt OCR | ✓ | Paid add-on |
| Mileage tracking | ✓ | — |
| Bank statement import | ✓ | ✓ |
| Financial reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Experience | ||
| Setup time | <2 minutes | 5-10 minutes |
| Modern UI | ✓ | — |
| Mobile app | Coming 2026 | ✓ |
| Freelancer-focused | ✓ | Small business |
Common questions about switching
Wave monetizes through payment processing fees, ads, and paid add-ons (receipt scanning, payroll). norabooks is $9 CAD/month with everything included: receipt scanning, mileage tracking, and a modern freelancer-focused UI with no ads. 7-day free trial.
norabooks supports CSV bank statement import. Direct bank connections are on our roadmap.
Wave was acquired by H&R Block in 2019. It's still operating, but development has slowed. norabooks is actively being built and shipping new features regularly.
norabooks uses simplified accounting built for freelancers. If you need full double-entry bookkeeping, Wave or QuickBooks may be a better fit. Most freelancers don't need it.
Try the modern alternative to Wave
$9 CAD/month. No ads. No payment processing fees. 7-day free trial.